Nikolaos Digelidis
@pe.uth.gr
Department of Physical Education and Sport Science
University of Thessaly
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Education, Health Professions
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Athina Roka, Aspasia Dania, Nektarios Stavrou, and Nikolaos Digelidis
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Abstract This study sought to propose the Undesirable Behavior Strategies Questionnaire – Physical Education (UBSQ-PE), based on Doyle, W. (1977). Paradigms for research on teacher effectiveness. Review of Research in Education, 5(1), 163–198. classroom ecology paradigm, and validate its use within Physical Education. 289 physical educators participated in the study (80 of them in the pilot study) and completed a survey evaluating the strategies they used across the classroom ecology task systems. An exploratory factor analysis proposed a four-factor solution that measured teachers’ strategies for Differentiation of Instruction, Interaction for Students, Classroom Management, and Interaction with Students and explained a cumulative 47.45% of the total explained variance (KMO = 0.809, χ 231 2 {\\chi }_{231}^{2} = 1,266, 684, p < 0.001). A confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the data to the four-factor solution (χ2/df ratio = 1.52, comparative fit index = 0.906, Tucker Lewis index = 0.890, standardized root mean square residual = 0.079, root mean square error of approximation = 0.05), providing evidence for the instrument’s internal consistency. Multiple analyses of variance showed that there were differences in teachers’ strategies based on their gender, age, studies, professional knowledge, and school level. The use of UBSQ-PE asserts that teachers use undesirable behavior (UB) strategies according to their personal and professional characteristics. Teacher education programs could use this information for supporting PE teachers to adjust their UB strategies in response to each classroom’s interrelated task systems.
Alexandros Lazaridis, Ioannis Syrmpas, Charalampos Krommidas, and Nikolaos Digelidis
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Abstract Physical activity levels are alarmingly low and new strategies must be adopted to prevent this trend. This study focuses on examining the impact of an outdoor adventure education programme on adolescents. The participants were 75 adolescent students aged 12–14. The programme lasted two school years. Students participated in extracurricular schoolyard outdoor activities and outdoor adventure activities conducted during the two one-day and one four-day trips in both school years. A qualitative methodology was used with data collected using semi-structured interviews. At the end of each school year, 12 students were interviewed. Data analysis revealed that the programme promoted basic psychological needs. More specifically, adolescents reported that schoolyard activities and outdoor adventure activities promoted their satisfaction with autonomy, competence and relatedness. Interestingly, the programme gave girls the autonomy to choose activities that promoted their competence and interaction with peers in a better way than a typical PE lesson. Modifying existing curricula with innovative practices or planning new ones could improve the general quality of life.
Alexandros Lazaridis, Ioannis Syrmpas, Themistoklis Tsatalas, Charalampos Krommidas, and Nikolaos Digelidis
MDPI AG
The present study aimed to identify the impact of social distancing measures on adolescents’ physical activity (PA) levels and well-being during the implementation of COVID-19 restrictive measures. There were 438 participants (207 boys and 231 girls), aged 12 to 15 years old (M = 13.5, SD = 0.55). They completed online questionnaires on well-being and PA in three waves (December 2020, February 2021, and June 2021). Correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between well-being and PA variables in the three measurements. Additionally, separate three-way repeated-measures ANOVAs were conducted to capture possible differences in students’ moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels, life satisfaction, and subjective vitality among the three measurements due to gender, age, and interaction between gender and age. A significant relation emerged between the MVPA variables and well-being. In all measurements, adolescents’ PA levels did not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of at least 60 min per day in MVPA. Students’ MVPA levels, life satisfaction, and subjective vitality were significantly higher in the third measurement compared to the first and second ones. Moreover, significant differences emerged in life satisfaction and subjective vitality between boys and girls in the first and third measurements, respectively. The COVID-19 restrictions appeared to negatively influence adolescents’ PA and well-being. Policymakers aimed at facilitating adolescents’ well-being in a similar situation in the future should not adopt measures restricting the participation of adolescents in PA.
Athina Pitsi, Nikolaos Digelidis, and Filippos Filippou
Informa UK Limited
Eleftheria Papageorgiou, Charalampos Krommidas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Louis Moustakas, and Athanasios G. Papaioannou
Elsevier BV
Efstathia Evangelou, Nikolaos Digelidis, and Charalampos Krommidas
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Abstract Despite the recent increase in attention on studies focusing on different types of assessment of student participation in physical education (PE), there is little research concerning students’ attitudes toward the PE assessment process. This study aimed to investigate students’ attitudes toward assessment procedures in PE by developing and validating a quantitative instrument concerning crucial areas of pedagogy such as curriculum, teachers, grading, and fitness tests. It further investigates important attitude determinants such as grade level and gender differences. The scale was distributed to 1,403 students in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th grades. Principal components analysis showed an eigenvalue factor greater than 1, which accounted for 47% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded satisfactory indices that confirmed the unidimensional model with high internal consistency (α = .84). A two-way analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the 7th and 10th grades. At the same time, students expressed a high level of positive attitudes toward the different aspects of assessment procedures. The study examined various aspects of students’ attitudes toward assessment and resulted in a reliable, valid, and easy-to-use quantitative instrument that can be used by educators and researchers to assess students’ attitudes toward assessment in PE.
Athanasios Kolovelonis, Evdoxia Samara, Nikolaos Digelidis, and Marios Goudas
MDPI AG
This study examined 10–11-year-old students’ perceptions regarding three different types of physical activity games based on different principles of mental engagement (contextual interference, mental control, or discovery). A total of 156 students (84 girls) from five fourth-grade (75 students) and five fifth-grade (81 students) classes of five elementary schools located in a middle-sized city in central Greece participated in the study. These students participated in a larger project consisting of a series of acute experiments aiming to examine the effectiveness of cognitively challenging physical activity games in elementary physical education. Students responded to open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of the physical activity games. Their responses were analyzed through a thematic analysis. A total number of 706 quotes were identified and categorized into the lower-order themes which were organized into four higher-order themes: (a) characteristics of the games, (b) effects of the games, (c) areas for improvement, and (d) preferences for specific games. Students’ views provided supporting evidence regarding the employment of cognitively challenging physical activity games in physical education. Useful insights regarding the characteristics of the games, their effects, and their areas for improvement were also gained.
Achillios Koutelidas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Ioannis Syrmpas, Paul Wright, and Marios Goudas
Informa UK Limited
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of responsibility in the context of physical education. 17 6th-grade students (7 boys and 10 girls) from 9 Greek elementary schools were interviewed. Theory and data driven thematic analysis was conducted. The Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model provided a conceptual framework to guide data analysis. Most of the students’ values, motives, attitudes, intentions, and experiences reflected the foundational responsibility goals included in the TPSR model; however, students’ awareness of more advanced manifestations of responsibility in physical education was weaker. Findings shed light on Greek students’ perceptions of responsibility in physical education (PE) classes and other settings. The TPSR model provided a relevant framework for describing and interpreting students’ perceptions of responsibility. However, there was a marked discrepancy between students’ perceived values of responsibility and their reported experiences. Implications for promoting responsibility in physical education are discussed.
Eleftheria Papageorgiou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Ioannis Syrmpas, and Athanasios Papaioannou
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Abstract In recent years, European countries have become hosting destinations for thousands of people who have been forced to leave their home countries. Greece is one of the main European hosting countries of refugees, especially children. Thus, the pupil population is gradually changing and the need for intercultural education is increasing. Physical education (PE) and sports have been recorded as suitable contexts for this process. However, there are still many challenges present in these contexts. The following study attempts to present the perceptions of PE teachers, coaches, and academics on the inclusion of refugees in PE and sports. Fifteen PE teachers/coaches and academics involved in the field of intercultural education participated in the study. A phenomenological approach was followed through semi-structured interviews. The method of thematic analysis was chosen to analyze the data. While all the participants considered PE and sports to be the most suitable contexts for the inclusion of refugees, they emphasized certain barriers to be overcome: the lack of training for PE teachers and coaches, prejudices of the parents of both natives and refugees, and refugees’ socioeconomic status and gender issues. Participants also shared their ideas for an adequate training program to improve PE teachers’ and coaches’ attitudes and promote their knowledge and skills regarding the inclusion of refugees. The participants underlined the need for intercultural education and well-structured training programs to properly manage culturally diverse environments.
Ioannis Syrmpas, Athanasios Papaioannou, Nikolaos Digelidis, Gokce Erturan, and Mark Byra
Human Kinetics
Purpose: This study aimed to test the invariance of perceptions of the Spectrum teaching styles across Turkish and Greek preservice physical education teachers and to examine whether the styles could be classified into two clusters through self-determination theory. Greek (n = 298) and Turkish (n = 300) preservice teachers participated. Method: Cothran, Kulinna, and Ward’s questionnaire based on teachers’ use of and beliefs about teaching styles was used to examine their perceptions of the styles. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed 11 factor indices and parameter estimates, suggesting that the 11-factor model fit the data. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis established metric measurement invariance across samples. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed that, for all higher-order models, the minimum requirement for invariance factor loading was met. The model comparison revealed that the styles could be categorized into four clusters from less to more autonomy-oriented. Conclusion: These findings might be useful to practitioners who want to use teaching styles in the promotion of students’ motivation in physical education.
Ioannis Syrmpas, Senlin Chen, Denis Pasco, and Nikolaos Digelidis
SAGE Publications
The purpose of this study was to examine Greek preservice physical education (PE) teachers’ presuppositions, beliefs and mental models about the reproduction and production teaching styles. The participants were 16 preservice PE teachers (10 males, six females). A qualitative methodology was used with data collected using semi-structured interviews. A multi-level analysis process using open coding and axial coding was sequentially conducted. Findings revealed two generative mental models about teaching styles. For the first mental model ( n = 5), learning is considered as a transmissive and unidimensional (i.e. one goal pursued at a time) process. Presuppositions supported by this mental model urge the preservice teachers to believe that the reproduction teaching styles promote effective learning, class control, students’ safety and discipline. For the second mental model ( n = 11), learning is viewed as a constructivist and multidimensional (i.e. multiple goals pursued at a time) process. Presuppositions supported by this mental model urge the participants to believe that the production teaching styles effectively promote students’ learning, critical thinking, responsibility, motivation, autonomy and discipline. The aforementioned mental models highlight the developmental nature of preservice PE teachers’ learning concerning the production and the reproduction teaching styles. These mental models reveal the diversity of PE preservice teachers’ understanding of the teaching and learning processes. Furthermore, findings support Vosniadou’s assumption that learners come to formal education not as a tabula rasa but holding a naive understanding about the world.
Ioannis Syrmpas, Nikolaos Digelidis, Anthony Watt, and Mark Vicars
Elsevier BV
Ioannis Syrmpas, Nikolaos Digelidis, and Anthony Watt
SAGE Publications
The main purpose of the present study was to examine Greek physical education (PE) teachers’ self-reported use of the Spectrum of teaching styles and their perceptions of the benefits of adopting these styles for their students. An additional goal was to explore the teachers’ perceived ability to implement these teaching approaches. The participants of the study were 219 (132 males, 87 females) PE teachers. Using an adaptation of Kulinna and Cothran’s (2003) Spectrum of teaching styles questionnaire, the PE teachers reported greater implementation of the command, inclusion, and practice styles than the self-check, learner-initiated, and self-teaching styles in their teaching. The PE teachers also perceived that the reproduction and production clusters of teaching styles were equally effective in promoting fun, skill learning, and motivation for learning in their students. Results also revealed that the teachers’ self-perceived ability was highest for command style use and their perceived benefits of the styles for their students were highest for the practice approach. The findings of the present study reinforce that a variety of personal experience factors can influence PE teachers’ tendency to implement a specific teaching style.
Athanasia Chatzipanteli, N. Digelidis, C. Karatzoglidis, and R. Dean
Informa UK Limited
Background: ‘Teaching games for understanding’ (TGfU) is a tactical-game approach to teaching, in which participants are learning via the processes intrinsic to the games themselves. Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a tactical-game model in promoting metacognitive behaviour in elementary-school students. Participants and settings: Seventy-one students aged 11–12 years were randomly assigned to an experimental group (13 boys and 16 girls) and a control group (19 boys and 23 girls). Research design: Teachers in the intervention classes applied the tactical-game approach (TGfU) in teaching volleyball. Within the control group, the technique-focus approach was applied. Data collection: Metacognitive behaviour was assessed pre and post-intervention via think-aloud protocols. Descriptive statistics showed that students from the experimental group made appreciable gains in metacognitive behaviour. Previous to the intervention programme 5.63% of students were categorized as high level in terms of metacognitive behaviour. After the intervention programme 22.53% were categorized at high level. Conclusions: The results imply that the tactical-game approach could improve metacognitive behaviour in physical education classes in elementary school.
Angeliki A. Tsiakara and Nikolaos M. Digelidis
Informa UK Limited
The aim of this study was to explore preschool children's perceptions of their performance under competitive and non-competitive conditions (NCC) and their satisfaction. Eighty preschool children (40 boys, 40 girls) aged 4–6 years (M age = 5.48, SD = .57) took part in this study. Preschool children built a tower under competitive and NCC and expressed their perception of their performance and their satisfaction using a ladder scale and a faces scale, respectively. The results showed that the majority of preschool children evaluate their performance as ‘high' under both conditions independently of the outcome. Under competitive condition (CC), 52.5% of children evaluated their performance accurately, while under NCC this percentage was 47.5%. Furthermore, the majority of children responded that they felt happy under both conditions.
A. Pitsi, N. Digelidis and A. Papaioannou
Physical Education and Sport Faculty
IntroductionThe Greek philosopher Plato points out that "he who knows nothing of dancing is an ignorant man" thus, highlighting the important role of rhythm in the psychosomatic benefits stemming from dancing (Laws by Plato, Β?654d). Dancing, as a non-verbal form of communication, can provoke, teach, express, inspire, dominate and even cure, since a single dexterous move is a form of thinking. According to Schmitt and Schmitt (1998), dancing can trigger powerful emotions in the individuals and can alter significantly their mood, both relieving stress and depression and reinforcing one's self-esteem regarding creativity, trust, relaxation, motivation, health, intelligence, stimulation and energy during the lesson.In traditional Greek societies, the process of learning traditional dances began from an early stage through lullabies and nursery rhymes, which were essentially the first musical-kinetic experiences for the children. As they grow up, they learnt more by observing and mimicking the adults. The subsequent clash with the traditional style of living in Greece gradually replaced this primary reproduction of dancing with a secondary one, where the triangle teacher-curriculum-student prevailed (Serbezis, 1995).In Greece, organized traditional dance teaching occurs at all levels of education, because folk dance is both a cultural form of dance and a lifetime recreational activity. It holds an important part of the course of Physical Education in primary and secondary education, the curriculum in Day Primary Schools (Greek Republic Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. Day Primary School 2012-2013. Operation and organization 50/268/102487/Γ1/06-09-2012/) and the secondary schools of arts, under the general category Dancing (Official Gazette of the Greek Republic, Sheet No 786, 2004), because it helps children to understand their own culture and respect dance as part of the heritage of many cultures. Learning dances from all cultural groups, children gain skills and knowledge that help them participate in a varied society. It is also integrated into the curricula of all University Departments of Physical Education and Sport in Greece.Teaching StylesThe term teaching style refers to a complex of pedagogical strategies forming a method, a way to achieve an educational purpose (Digelidis, 2007). It was initially presented by Mosston (1966), who being based on the principle that teaching is a process of decision-making, classified teaching methods according to the criterion of "the decision-maker in teaching Physical Education". Depending on the amount of contribution that teachers and students offer to the aforementioned process respectively, he identified 11 different styles which are divided in two basic categories that is, reproducing or teacher-centered styles, whereby the teacher is in total control of all teaching stages, and productive ones, whereby a big part of decision-making is in the hands of the learner whose autonomy is being reinforced.The command teaching style is the most teacher-centered method and is widely used in teaching physical education. It targets at learning an activity with accuracy, as soon as possible under the directions of the teacher. In reciprocal methods, a part of the decisions is handed to the students who as assistant-observers give their peers feedback based on the instructions already given by the teacher. In self-check styles, students learn an exercise and are involved in self-evaluation according to criteria set by the teacher, while being responsible for assessing correct or incorrect movements on their own (Mosston & Ashworth 2002). Thus, their personal responsibility for the evaluation of their performance is critical for this method to bear fruits, but it also poses a challenge to them since it represents a different way of learning from what they are accustomed to (Byra, 2006a).Several studies in physical education examined the efficiency of different teaching styles in learning (Donnelly, 2002; Abd Al-Salam & Al-Naddaf 2004; Patmanoglou, Digelidis, Mantis, Papapetrou, & Mavvidis, 2007; Mizios, Digelidis, Goudas, & Papaioannou, 2009; Kollovelonis & Goudas 2012) and their influence on pupils' goal orientations (Salvara, Jess, Abbott, & Bognar, 2006), student self-perceptions (Chatoupis & Emmanuel 2003b), motivational climate and pupils' motivation (Morgan, Sproule, & Kingston, 2005), intrinsic- extrinsic motivation and lesson satisfaction (Mizios et al. …
Angeliki Tsiakara and Nikolaos Digelidis
Informa UK Limited
The aim of this research was to study the effect of learning environment and type of goals on: (a) preschool children's performance during a play, (b) preschool children's perception of their performance and (c) preschool children's satisfaction. Fifty-six preschool children (24 boys and 32 girls; Mage = 5.5 years) took part in this study. The children played a game three times with different goal and under different learning environment each time. Results showed that preschool children had higher performance when the game was conducted under the presence of their classmates independently of the type of goal being set by the researchers. Furthermore, the vast majority of preschool children evaluates their performance as very good and answered that they felt happy in every condition.
Athanasia Chatzipanteli, Nikolaos Digelidis, and Athanasios G. Papaioannou
Human Kinetics
The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of student-activated teaching styles through a specific intervention program on students’ self-regulation, lesson satisfaction, and motivation. Six hundred and one 7th grade students (318 boys and 283 girls), aged 13 years were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a comparison group. The teachers who taught the students assigned to the experimental group used student-activated teaching styles, and specifically the reciprocal, self-check, inclusion, guided discovery, convergent discovery, and divergent discovery styles. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that the experimental group, compared with the comparison group, had higher scores in lesson satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, and metacognitive activities, and lower scores in external motivation, and amotivation. The study revealed that going beyond the command and/or the practice style of teaching, PE teachers can enhance students’ metacognitive skills, lesson satisfaction and intrinsic motivation.
Angeliki Tsiakara and Nikolaos M. Digelidis
Informa UK Limited
The aim of this study was to develop a direct observational system in order to assess competitive behaviours in preschool children. Participants were 176 children (90 boys, 86 girls; M age = 5.2 years) from 10 kindergarten classes of one town of Central Greece. A new observational system (Observational System Assessing Competition in Kindergarten) was developed for the objective measurement of children's competitive behaviours. This system will allow researchers to monitor and evaluate children's competitive behaviour in kindergarten classes. Preliminary direct observation data are presented in order to illustrate the potential uses of the observational system. Results showed that boys express more often competitive behaviours than do girls. Furthermore, the majority of competitive behaviours were observed during organised activities and much less during free activities, breakfast time and discussion.