Practice, instruction and skill acquisition in soccer: challenging tradition

The acquisition of soccer skills is fundamental to our enjoyment of the game and is essential to the attainment of expertise. Players spend most of their time in practice with the intention of improving technical skills. However, there is a lack of scientific research relating to the effective acquisition of soccer skills, especially when compared with the extensive research base on physiological aspects of performance. Current coaching practice is therefore based on tradition, intuition and emulation rather than empirical evidence. The aim of this review is to question some of the popular beliefs that guide current practice and instruction in soccer. Empirical evidence is presented to dispel many of these beliefs as myths, thereby challenging coaches to self-reflect and critically evaluate contemporary doctrine. The review should inform sports scientists and practitioners as to the important role that those interested in skill acquisition can play in enhancing performance at all levels of the game.     

Modelling coaching practice: the role of instruction and demonstration

In this paper, we review the empirical literature pertaining to the effectiveness of instructions and movement demonstrations. Initially, we examine existing theories and approaches that try to explain the process of skill acquisition so as to determine implications of these theories for instructional provision. This is followed by an evaluation of studies in the motor learning literature in which pre-practice information has been manipulated. Explicit learning strategies are contrasted to implicit and discovery learning methods, and current explanations for instructional effects are discussed in terms of such mechanisms as effects-related attentional focus and movement variability. In the final sections, we review data from our own laboratory where pre-practice information has been manipulated during the learning of a novel bimanual coordination task. From these studies, proposals are made to try and explain how pre-practice information works to effect the process of skill acquisition, including the selection and execution of a response and the processing of associated feedback. An important role is given to the existing skills of the learner in understanding the instructions and performing the desired movement. Finally, we suggest some practical implications of this empirical evidence for the teaching of motor skills.     

Sources of Inequity: understanding students' responses to assessment

This article considers some of the implications for assessment practice of current views about the nature of learning, and achievement. Evidence from national surveys is presented that demonstrates some of the different ways, ‘tasks' and responses to them are understood by assessors and students. This is followed by a review of evidence about differential sub‐group performance which is then examined to identify potential sources of inequity in assessment practice.     

The IEA Assessment of Science Achievement

This paper reviews the IEA science assessment instruments and their outcomes in relation to what is known from other studies. The underlying assumptions are explored as is the justification for future surveys. The particular ‘decontextualised’ view that the same assessment items can be utilised validly across systems is analysed in detail by studying the item selection process. The paper looks at the interpretations of the results, considers the extent to which any claims are justified and reflects on whether, for many policy purposes, local studies within an educational system would be more useful.