Background of Study
The integration between sports and education has recently become a hot topic of interest and discussion. Many countries realized the critical role of encouraging students to engage in sports and physical activities to maintain their physical health and develop skills like teamwork, discipline, and resilience. Taiwan’s sports classes and physical education policy, which offers full-time coaches in the education system, stand as fascinating examples to delve into this matter. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Education has implemented a full-time coach training program designed to improve the quality of physical education lessons (Tendinha et al., 2021). This effort was motivated by the awareness that regular physical education lessons, often led by teachers with insufficient science specialization in sports, are not always able to fulfill the level of knowledge and guidance necessary to make students’ sports skills develop and cultivate the passion for physical activity for the rest of their lives.
The realization is that full-time coaches in schools can resolve some of the problems that the education system has been facing. Firstly, it states that physical education and sports are the foundation of a whole education, not among a group of activities that can be designated as secondary and optional. Thirdly, it not only serves to blur the straddle between academic and technical disciplines, but it also ensures that students get a great education in both. Another aspect on which special attention should be focused is the use of the specific expertise from sports coaching, which usually does not lie in the field of expertise of traditional teachers (Shen et al., 2024). Conversely, there are also concerns and discussions on issues like resource allocation, teachers’ attitudes, the conflict between training and learning, the stability of full-time coaches, and the need for sports protection and rehabilitation measures that have arisen. Furthermore, there are ideas about how this plan affects the students’ ways to higher education, that of the school staff, and the ratio of competitive sports and physical exercise for the student’s overall progress.
Problem
The introduction of full-time coaches into Taiwan’s education system as one of the policies of integrating sports classes and physical education brings both challenges and possible areas to be investigated and studied. One factor that can be perceived as a problem is the chance it can appear after trying to combine academic studies with sports training. The policy could be effective in terms of the promotion of more advanced quality of physical education and supporting the development of sports, but a trainer and competitiveness emphasis may be that it hinders overall students’ learning and, by implication, academic performance. The right proportionality between academic performance and wellness should be achieved to ensure learners get a comprehensive education without jeopardizing their scholastic growth (Manninen et al., 2022). On the other hand, this is a crucial point at which the whole system must be considered for the stability and sustainability of the full-time coaching system in the long run. One of the questions that can arise as a result is linked to the approach of a full-time coach within the scope of education. It will be difficult to achieve equal pay and opportunity for the team of coaches in contrast to the traditional teaching staff. Moreover, the school might face organizational and logistical challenges in the integration of permanent coaches integrating these instructors into the school structure and culture. In addition, the consequences of this policy on students’ opportunities to attain advanced education and better career prospects should be meticulously assessed (Shen et al., 2024). While the policy may promote athletic development, it is essential to ensure that it does not inadvertently limit students’ options or create barriers to pursuing other academic or professional paths. Therefore, the research questions for this study will be:
- How do teachers in Taiwan view the integration of sports classes and physical education with the introduction of full-time coaches, and what challenges arise in balancing academic and technical disciplines within the education system?
- What impact does the integration of full-time coaches have on students’ paths to further education, and how does it affect the potential transfer of physical education classes to the regular curriculum, particularly about conflicts between learning and training for school teams?
- What are the effects of Taiwan’s 20-year implementation of full-time coaches in the education system, especially concerning the benefits for physical education teachers and coaches, and how does this model contribute to developing competitive talents in sports?
Review of Related Literature
In examining teachers’ attitudes, scholars have noted a spectrum of responses ranging from enthusiasm to skepticism. Some educators embrace the idea of full-time coaches as a means to enhance students’ physical fitness, sports skills, and overall well-being. They see it as an opportunity to provide specialized training and mentorship that regular physical education classes might lack. However, others express concerns about potential disruptions to the traditional academic curriculum, fears of diminished emphasis on core subjects, and uncertainties about the qualifications and roles of these coaches within the educational context (Yang et al., 2020).
As expounded by Tendinha et al. (2021), the principle of policy learning has great significance, which exposes this as one of the components of sports lessons and in-school coaches in the scholastic system. This means looking for lessons that will be drawn from both successful and unsuccessful aspects of policy implementations in regions sharing similar cultures and languages. Through the comparison of different models, educators, and decision-makers can handle the difficulties, improve the plans, and take advantage of the most effective scenarios. Moreover, a case study from Taiwan’s 20 years of experience since it included full-time coaches produces the desirable design, reminding us of the importance of the equal treatment of shareholders, clear role divisions, and fair allocation of resources (Tendinhan et al., 2021). The experiences of the former Soviet Union and United States justice systems in taking care of the gifted student participation in sports teams can also be useful for studying sports training and integration. This learned approach of policy making denotes the government’s position in a dynamic environment. The government evolves policies through periodic and continuous review by various stakeholders to arrest the integration of sports education.
One of the most important weaknesses highlighted in the literature is the fine line between academic disciplines and technical skills development. In combining the sports classes along with the presence of full-time coaches, questions that are relevant to educational resource allocation become a matter of priority for discussion (Xu & Zheng, 2021). Such factors are, among others, the financial policies of the education system to avoid compromising knowledge assets by giving priority to sports programs. Such studies highlight the importance of having a format that combines both curricular and extra-curricular pursuits to make sure that the students are getting the best of both academics and physical education with an intent to develop a skillful and sound mind (Xu & Zheng, 2021). In the intersection, the influence of social media on students’ learning trajectory has been shown to have mixed results. A range of scholars put forward the belief that involvement in sports lessons and working with coaches play a critical role in developing the qualities of time management, teamwork, and strength, which can be applied in their academic life or during their future careers (Song et al., 2024, January). It can also be approximated that the underlying issues arise because sports training and academic trade-offs can happen when students are being made to complete strict training schedules and expected to pass exams with good grades.
The account of Taiwan’s long-term implementation of professional coaching programs in the education sector carries a number of compelling lessons for policy-makers and teachers globally. Research demonstrates some positive outcomes, such as enhancing physical fitness levels, increasing student sports activities, and developing bright athletes (Kermarrec et al., 2022). On the other hand, there are problems that are experienced, such as inequity of the wages for the male coaches compared to the teachers, sustainability of the funding, and the existence of very clear guidelines on the roles and responsibilities of the full-time coaches.
Ku and Hsieh (2020) delve deeply into the intricate challenges encountered in cultivating competitive talents within the education system. This investigation underscores the nuanced balance necessary between academic disciplines and the specialized technical training required for sports excellence. The integration of full-time coaches emerges as a dual-edged sword, offering invaluable expertise while posing challenges (Ku & Hsieh, 2020). One of the central concerns revolves around the stability of their roles within the educational framework and the potential conflicts that can arise between academic learning and rigorous sports training. Huang’s work highlights the need for comprehensive strategies that harness the benefits of specialized coaching and address the potential pitfalls to ensure a harmonious blend of academic and athletic development for students (Ku & Hsieh, 2020).
Procedure or Method
Research Design
The research design will embrace a mixed-methods approach, allowing exploration and understanding of the subject from both qualitative and quantitative sides. This method combines qualitative and quantitative research techniques to achieve a more holistic data collection. The relationship to this quantitative study will be mainly statistical analyses to illustrate the tendency of the attitudes, perceptions, and their implications to academic and technical fields of education (Li, 2023). Concurrently, qualitative research methods will be utilized to dig into the individual experiences of school educators, sports coaches, and students and the variety of aspects covered by their jobs. Not only the numerical aspects but also the subjective people’s views, together with the complicated background, is something this double-faceted method is trying to unravel by introducing coaches into Taiwan’s educational system on a full-time basis.
Data Collection
The data collection process will be based on a well-planned questionnaire allowing the quantitative analysis of the responses from teachers, students, and administrators in diverse institutions from elementary to higher education. This survey will do a deep dive into the cornerstone issues related to students’ opinions of physical education lessons, adding full-time coaches, the impact on academic balance, and opinions on training as the curriculum’s focus. In addition to this quantitative survey, a qualitative method of in-depth interviews will be employed across key stakeholders such as school principals, physical education teachers, coaches, and students. We plan to conduct interviews with all the stakeholders to understand the views related to the cons and pros of infusing professional coaches with the educational system. The questionnaire design will feature open-ended questions in strategic places that aim to elicit comprehensive replies, providing a chance to analyze and understand the intricate layers associated with this integration.
Data Analysis
The data analysis process will be part of the dual-track channel, which is aimed to have a holistic interpretation of the gathered data. On the quantitative side, data from various precision survey instruments, subjected to balancing and calibration exercises, will be analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software to offer more precise results. Quantitative analysis will use descriptive statistics to identify patterns and succinctly portray the data. Inferential statistics will be applied to the analysis of the intricate relationships and correlations, and factor analysis will be used to unravel any underlying factors that affect attitudes and perceptions (Yang et al., 2020). Furthermore, the thematic analysis of the in-depth interviews will be conducted, enabling us to summarize the results generated by the qualitative techniques. This qualitative technique aims to comprehensively analyze the text excerpts from interviews to discover similar patterns of opinion or experiences. This qualitative research approach aims to identify common challenges, factors that act as facilitators, and areas that call for intervention in integrating sports classes and physical education within Taiwan’s learning system.
References
Kermarrec, G., Regaieg, G., & Clayton, R. (2022). Mixed-methods approaches to learning strategies and self-regulation in Physical Education: a literature review. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 27(2), 172-185.
Ku, G. C. M., & Hsieh, C. M. (2020). Can fitness education programs satisfy fitness professionals’ competencies? Integrating traditional and revised importance-performance analysis and three-factor theory. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(11), 4011.
Li, Z. (2023). Research on Physical Education Management in Chinese colleges and universities.
Manninen, M., Dishman, R., Hwang, Y., Magrum, E., Deng, Y., & Yli-Piipari, S. (2022). Self-determination theory based instructional interventions and motivational regulations in organized physical activity: A systematic review and multivariate meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 62, 102248.
Shen, L., Zhu, G., Jean, K. M., Cui, Z., Chen, C., & Xie, M. (2024). Exploring early career physical education teachers’ professional identity construction in rural China: insights from socio-ecological perspective and practice architectures theory. Sport, Education and Society, 29(1), 58-73.
Song, B., Li, S., Zhou, Y., Zhang, Q., Zhou, H., & Peng, X. (2024, January). Integration and learning: A case study of the international higher physical education talent-cultivation model. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 8, p. 1291586). Frontiers.
Tendinha, R., Alves, M. D., Freitas, T., Appleton, G., Gonçalves, L., Ihle, A., … & Marques, A. (2021). Impact of sports education model in physical education on students’ motivation: A systematic review. Children, 8(7), 588.
Xu, D., & Zheng, Y. (2021). The bibliometric analysis of the sustainable influence of physical education for university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 592276.
Yang, Q. F., Hwang, G. J., & Sung, H. Y. (2020). Trends and research issues of mobile learning studies in physical education: a review of academic journal publications. Interactive Learning Environments, 28(4), 419-437.
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