Peer-assessment and video comment-sharing are effective learning strategies for students to receive feedback on their learning. Researchers have emphasized the need for well-designed peer involvement in order to improve students' abilities in the cognitive and affective domains. Although student perceptions of peer-assessment have been studied extensively in higher education, few studies have focused on the effects of the peer-assessment strategy on students' performance from the affective perspective, especially in Physical Education courses. Therefore, in this study, a peer-assessment mobile physical education approach is proposed for developing a mobile learning system for a Kung Fu Tai-Chi physical education course. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment was conducted by assigning 42 college students to participate in this learning activity. The experimental results show that the proposed approach not only promoted the students' learning interest and motivation, but also improved their learning self-efficacy and socialization.
TopIntroduction
In the past decade, economic advancement has brought with it people’s concern about their recreation activities for mental and physical balance, contributing to the rapid growth in physical education. Physical education is offered as part of the twelve-year national fundamental education as well as at university in Taiwan, providing a good opportunity to educate students about the importance of exercise and physique. Research has demonstrated that physical exercise is beneficial to cognitive function.
In recent years, eastern practices such as Kung Fu Tai Chi have become mainstream as more people discover its tremendous mental and physical benefits. Unlike a traditional workout, Tai Chi focuses on precise movements that allow the body to slowly transition from one position to the next. Learners perform a series of postures designed to achieve balance and harmony in both body and mind, as well as to improve their overall health.
The advancement of personal computing technologies such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and wearable devices, has provided an opportunity for students to interact with learning systems and their peers in the real world (Chu, Hwang, & Tsai, 2010; Hwang, Tsai, & Yang, 2008; Kearney, Schuck, Burden, & Aubusson, 2012). This kind of learning approach which allows students to use mobile devices with a wireless network to provide learning materials and perform learning tasks as part of real-world activities has been called “mobile learning” (Lai & Hwang, 2015; Furió, Juan, Seguí, & Vivó, 2015). Ozcelik and Acarturk (2011) employed the mobile learning approach in a computer course field trip, further showing that it can assist learners in terms of effectively incorporating information into their own practice paradigm. Moreover, Liu and Chu (2010) conducted a mobile English learning activity, also reporting the advantages of the mobile learning approach. Researchers have also indicated that proper mobile learning strategies need to be considered to help students acquire the expected learning achievements in real-world environments (Chen, Chang, & Wang, 2008; Chu, Hwang, & Tsai, 2010).
To assist students in enhancing their learning achievements in a mobile learning scenario, peer assessment provides learners with opportunities to develop their own understandings of content, learn from each other, and share their skills and strengths. Moreover, the approach can be used as an aid to learning activities for various courses, such as natural sciences and the humanities (Orsmond, Merrya, & Reilinga, 1996; Falchikov & Magin, 1997; Topping, 1998; Gay, Sturgill, Martin, & Huttenlocher, 1999). Many studies have demonstrated the benefits of peer assessment, which promotes critical thinking and learning achievements (Chu, Hwang, & Tsai, 2010; van Zundert, Sluijsmans, & van Merriёnboer, 2010; Hwang, Kuo, Yin, & Chuang, 2010).