154 involved initial examination and coding of the interview data in relation to the broad domains which formed the basis for the study’s interview questions. These domains were: program’s impact on students (skill and competency development), impact on the teachers and their practice, and impact on the school. This was followed by a process of coding and recoding the data to arrive at a final set of themes and subthemes. It was also allowed for the analysis to produce themes beyond the model expectations. Additionally, continuous inspection of the original data occurred to determine if coding and thematic analysis stayed true to original data collected during the interviews.
Results
Research Question 1: Did the program influence students’ competencies and their psychosocial development?
Unique Program
Valuable Experience
While some students admitted the only reason for them joining the program was to avoid participation in a less desirable subject, which was provided as an alternative (e.g., cooking, knitting), most students were aware the program provided them some unique opportunities for their future personal development as well as their qualifications. Most of them reported this awareness as one of the main reasons why they joined the program, together with their passion for sport:
‘It’s a good introduction into the sports industry and the coaching industry and it gives you some good guidelines in ideas and steps to go off if you want to excel in that career path. It bonds your pathway to be able to do more things. It’s a stepping-stone so you have more experience than somebody else who’s going to try for that coaching role.’ (Student 4, School B)
Some students reported more altruistic motives for signing up to the program, specifically those from School D1, who mentioned they liked the idea of helping others and their communities.
155 ‘I like doing sport. In Sport Leadership, you help others succeed so I might as well help others, give them the opportunity and make them happy.’ (Student 4, School, D1)
Teachers recognised the program as being unique in relation to the traditional curriculum or other programs available at theirs school, and they referred to the program as being a different opportunity. The program’s perceived uniqueness mostly consisted in being a ‘hands-on’ experience, where students’ learning was facilitated directly through their own practice:
‘No other program in the school gives them this opportunity to do hands-on, write up a plan, think about it and then execute it. I don’t see many programs that do this…. I see it as an opportunity for students to do something other than just being a student like getting into activities outside the school and also get paid for it. It goes beyond and above just the normal grind of school life. (Teacher 4, School D1)
‘They’re doing something that’s real. It’s authentic. It’s not just taking notes off the board or whatever. They’re actually doing something that’s worthwhile, that what they’re learning has a purpose and what they end up doing has a result, a consequence.’ (Teacher 1, School A)
New Opportunities for Students
Teachers of all schools reported targeting specific students during the program recruitment. Whilst Teachers at School B encouraged students who had an interest in sport and wanted to study PE subject as their vocational training in their Year 12, teachers from the remaining schools did not have a strong preference for the student cohort in the program. Teachers at School D2 expressed some concerns in relation to their students’ engagement. They explained that some students attended the program because they had no other option in their curriculum, and the delivery was particularly challenging, as some of the students had strong negative attitudes towards sports. Teacher of School A also mentioned that students were discharged from the program due to behavioural issues, where they did not show ‘adequate responsibility’.
On the other hand, some teachers believed the program helped the students to re- engage with the school. Teachers from School D1 and School E particularly recognised
156 that the practical nature of the program benefited students who otherwise did not excel in other academic subjects, and they believed the program gave them a unique opportunity to excel:
‘Because those students were hands-on and not totally academic. This probably gave them the opportunity to do something that they liked. I utilized the course to my advantage to give them that opportunity.’ (Teacher 4, School D1)
Further, students from School D1 and School E also identified that the program provided opportunities to develop skills they would not have achieved otherwise during their regular school curriculum. They believed these skills to be particularly valuable for their future:
‘In other classes, they don’t teach you skills like that. It’s good to learn them so that when you finish high school or whatever, you’re prepared for real-life situations.’ (Student 1, School E)
The teacher from School C reported that parents also had a very positive attitude towards the program as they believed their children gained many valuable experiences throughout their participation:
‘They’ve seen what we deliver. They know that their kids get a lot out of it. But speaking to parents at interviews, for sure. They’ve said that their sons or daughters really enjoys it and gets a lot out of it.’ (Teacher 3, School C)
Growing children (Students’ Personal Growth)
Continuous Development
Teachers reported that they had begun to recognise some changes or development in their students, and they perceived students’ learned skills and abilities as a continuing process of their development, rather than students having to fully develop these skills. They referred to these improvements in terms of their students having become more confident and responsible, together with developing better organisational and communication skills and learning how to work within a team. All
157 teachers agreed that students had gained these skills through their practice in primary schools and this experience had left a great impact on them. The following quotes were selected to further illustrate teachers’ positive attitudes towards the program:
‘I love the fact that it’s all about Sport Leadership, turning kids into role models, working with young kids. It gives them a lot of really good skills; communication skills, teamwork skills, managerial skills, stuff that’s just amazing.’ (Teacher 6, School E)
‘Their confidence is a big thing, especially when you go out to the primary schools as well. They get that realisation that kids don’t listen to you straightaway.’ (Teacher 5, School D2)
‘I mean public speaking, communication, having a plan and evaluating. These are things that can be transferred to any part of life. So, it was nice to have that difference of sitting in the classroom doing a lot of theory and then going out going, ‘Look, this is some theory but let’s get out and practice it, come back and review it, then go out & practice it.’ That was a good part. (Teacher 2, School B)
Students also confirmed teachers’ observations and reported developing the above- mentioned skills. On the other hand, the interviewed students from School A did not notice any significant changes in their development or attitudes, and only commented on their increased confidence and ability to deal with younger students. The teacher from the same school, however, noticed a great change in the students, predominantly in their attitudes and behaviours:
‘The benefits that they get out of it in terms of the responsibility of having to go down and take the primary school students does wonders for them. It’s excellent.... It’s an eye opener for them, going to the primary school is just brilliant. But even before that, having to work together as a team, having to think up strategies like what to do if one of them doesn’t want to play or one’s playing too rough.’ (Teacher 1, School A)
158 Transferable Skills
While students at School A felt the program had not provided them with any significant change or improvements, students at the remaining schools reported noticing that they had developed certain skills and attributes throughout their participation in the program. They predominantly noticed their self-esteem had grown, which they believed could apply in different areas of their life:
‘It teaches you skills that you can use everywhere else every day.’ (Student 3, School C)
‘I think it just gave our confidence all up. Now, we have better communication skills to talk to even older and younger people and communicate in different ways to both of them.’ (Student 4, School E)
‘Yeah. In group projects in class. Yeah, generally when talking to people, it boosts our confidence.’ (Student 1, School B)
In addition, teachers also believed the program equipped their students with a number of transferable skills and abilities, which were relevant across other areas of their life, together with their potential future career:
‘It’s a nurturing program that really sees kids grow over time. It builds people, gives them life skills that they need to handle not only running a session for kids in sport, but those skills are there to manage people if they work out in the workforce as well.’ (Teacher 6, School E)
Students also reported a refinement of their organisational skills:
‘There were lots of activities and things that had to be done. We had to be really organized. Make sure that you get everything done otherwise you’ll fall behind.’ (Student 1, School E)
Further, teachers also noticed improvements in students’ organisational skills, and they also believed the program equipped them with some interpersonal skills, such as working within a team, improved problem-solving as well as decision making:
159 ‘It promotes their self-organisation skills and teamwork, having to work out things and research a game on the internet and then do trial and error, seeing whether or not it works within their own group. So, it’s decision- making and teamwork.’ (Teacher 1, School A)
‘The advantages of the program are the skills that you learn. I can’t emphasise this enough, just the people skills, the management skills, the communication skills, the teamwork, the organisation, the planning, problem solving, dealing with problems that relate to organisation.’ (Teacher 6, School E)
In addition, teachers believed the more teaching experience students received, the more they had the opportunity to develop their skills: ‘But I think the more time they spend delivering a program, that’s where they really do the most learning,’(Teacher 2, School B). Indeed, students enjoyed their working experience in primary schools and they expressed a desire to have more practice hours in the future. Particularly those students from School A felt they had not had enough opportunities to visit primary schools, and they highlighted they would welcome more in the future.
Empowerment
Being a Role Model
Students accepted the responsibility they faced when visiting primary schools and working with young children, which made them feel particularly positive about themselves: ‘Younger kids see you as a role model. They look up to us. We make sure we don’t do stupid things that they see.’ (Student 3, School D2). Students as well as their teachers reported that students started to perceive themselves more positively, by accomplishing their practice in primary schools:
‘It makes us feel good. Privileged. Powerful. Proud.’ (Student 1, School B)
‘I think they really enjoyed the fact that the primary kids were flocking around them, wanting to be part of what they were doing which was, again, a bit of a morale booster for them.’ (Teacher 1, School A)
160 Sense of Purpose
Students often made a reference to how much enjoyment they had received throughout the program, particularly during their interaction with the primary school children. Students from School D1 particularly highlighted how they achieved a sense of purpose by being engaged with the primary schools, as they felt they were having a great impact on their lives:
‘I feel good because we’re giving a chance for the primary school kids to do sport and stuff. Maybe their normal sport teachers wouldn’t have done this and just told them to just play a game. We actually did the FMS testing and stuff.’ (Student 2, School D1)
Achieving Motivation
Teachers from School A and School C reported the program impacted students who had previously been identified as having behavioural problems. They noticed some improvements in students’ behaviour, which was acknowledged by other teaching members at their schools. They described these students as starting to ‘shine’ through the program, where they had shown a motivation and dedication which they did not necessarily display in other classes:
‘There was a general discussion about some of the students who were absolute horrors everywhere else. They really shone in this particular (program). It gave some students a real opportunity to do something good for a change. (Teacher 1, School A)
‘It’s given the students, some of them who weren’t really good in class in a practical setting, were able to shine. So, their leadership skills were quite refined when they were out in the primary schools. In general, it’s been positive overall.’ (Teacher 3, School C)
For some students, the program acted as a catalyst for their newly developed passion for sports and motivated them to engage in other sporting activities or subjects: ‘But doing Sport Leadership has made me want to do all the sport classes for Year 10. Sport Science and all that.’ (Student 4, School D1).
161 Community Involvement
By achieving a sense of purpose during their teaching experience in primary schools, students, particularly those from School D1, also developed an understanding that the program provides benefits for the greater community and that they have the ability to have an impact on it: ‘It’s good and it gives you a chance to help out in the community so it’s a benefit.’ (Student 3, School D1). Students developed leadership that enabled them to engage in further school activities, where they have become involved in leading sport related clubs with the younger peers:
‘Some of the ambassadors now are running activities here with younger year levels to get them involved. There are already I think a few that are working with their clubs which is really good to see. (Teacher 2, School B)
Research Question 2: How did the program affect relationships at the school level together with teachers’ practices?
Schools benefiting through Students’ Experiences
Valuing Students’ Potential
Due to the skills and abilities students acquired and demonstrated during their primary school visits, teachers started to regard their students more positively. As previously outlined, they reported the program provided an opportunity for students to showcase abilities they were not able to demonstrate during the regular curriculum. Teachers reported distinguishing students as being more resilient or more capable, particularly after they witnessed their engagement with the younger students during the primary school visits, where they successfully managed a small group of children:
‘I’ve had certain students who excelled in this program who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to show their potential…Just taking control of the group, clearly explaining what the lesson was about. I thought it was impressive when I saw them execute these cues when coaching’ (Teacher 4, School D1)
162 ‘It’s really good to see them doing something they really enjoy, seeing them in a different light and looking at some of the strengths that some of them have, that aren’t apparent in an ordinary classroom.’ (Teacher1, School A)
Mutual Appreciation (Improved Teacher-Student Relationships)
Apart from teachers noticing students’ value and their undiscovered potential, students also described changing their perception of their teachers. In particular, they started to develop more respect towards them, as well as they were able to relate to their role, having experienced the teaching position themselves:
‘You kind of understand what position they’re in because we’re the younger people in the group and they’re older. They have to come down to our level sometimes.’ (Student 1, School C)
Further, students reported their relationship with their teachers as having strengthened due to the frequent contact they had with them and perceived their interaction to have become ‘more personal’. Teachers also felt they developed stronger relationship with their students and they believed this was due to the pedagogical approach they adopted during the program delivery, which they described as being different from the approach they applied in everyday classes. Teachers described their approach as being friendlier, where they did not act as an authoritative figure; rather, they had provided students with lots of options and autonomy, as well as they were more likely to share their experiences with them:
‘I think the relationship with the kids has gotten better because you’re giving them that freedom. You’re not a friend but you’re not seen as the teacher that just goes on and on… I try to teach these kids more as adults than children. I think that’s probably been the biggest change’. (Teacher 5, School D2)
‘It’s given them the opportunity to share their experiences with me, so I think it has improved the relationship that we have. There’s a bit more of a connection between myself and them. They also have a good understanding of what it’s like to be a teacher, to put yourself out there with 25 kids who may not listen.’ (Teacher 3, School C)
163 Positive Peer Influence
As previously mentioned, students’ participation in the program helped them to develop a greater ability to work within a team, which subsequently allowed for stronger friendship development with their peers:
‘Think some people here aren’t normally that close but when you put them all together to do something; they talk to each other more and make friendships by going together because you have to be in teams. (Student 1, School E)
Some of them felt their social skills improved due to the communication skills and the confidence they had attained in the program, which consequently led to a more positive peer culture at their school:
‘I think it just gave our confidence all up. Now, we have better communication skills to talk to even older & younger people and communicate in different ways to both of them.’ (Student 5, School E)
Change in School through Students’ Experience
Most of the teachers perceived the program’s benefits to be noticeable beyond the classroom and they believed that through positive students’ experience and opportunities the program provided, the schools also received some benefits:
‘There are benefits to our school. There are benefits to the primary school. And then, at the end of it, the students have this link to get some employment