Transforming the Diagnostic Procedure for Swimming Skill Analysis into an App – (How) Does it Work?

Introducton
In order to design appropriate swimming lessons, a qualitative analysis of the learners’ skills is needed. However, research has shown that PE teachers oOen lack the competence to analyze motor skills (Ward et al., 2021). In a previous study (n = 551) we found that the quality of information gathering within the diagnostic process is not adequate to reach a reliable judgement on the learners’ swimming skills (Fokken et al., 2023). Assuming that a tool for structuring the process helps teachers to improve the analysis, we developed an easy-to-use diagnostic procedure for swimming skill analysis based on the Assessment of Basic Aquatic Skills (ABAS; Vogt & Staub, 2020). To conduct the swimming skill analysis, teachers are provided with several files, e.g., sheets for documentation. Preliminary findings of a study (n = 58) investigating the feasibility and subjective value of the procedure named The Owl’s Eye show that teachers seem to benefit from its use (Fokken et al., in preparation). To enhance the accessibility and usability of the procedure, the development of a digital application (on is in progress and the click-dummy is available soon. To accompany this development scientifically and actively involve teachers, a study asking teachers to use and evaluate a first draft of the application is part of the development process.

Methods
German in-service PE teachers (n = 15) teaching swimming in primary or lower secondary school get access to the click-dummy of The Owl’s Eye. They are asked to use the application and comment on the User Experience and the User Interface using the Think-Aloud-Method (Ericsson & Simon, 1993) in groups of three. All statements are transcribed for double-coding and categorical analysis.

Results
The development of a digital application is very dynamic and comprises numerous steps. Thus, the data collec(on is planned for October 2024 and the results of the study can be expected for presentation at the AIESEP 2025.

Discussion/Conclusion
The implementaton of educatonal diagnostics into an applicaton is a challenge because interrelatonships and dependencies, e.g., between the learners’ skills and the classification into groups, must be very clearly defined. The development process to date has already shown that the diagnostic procedure has to be slightly modified in some cases in order to function digitally. Further, the acceptance of the subsequent user group is of crucial importance. The evaluaton of the user acceptance test in the design phase will provide important insights for the development process, which will already be well advanced at AIESEP 2025.

REFERENCES
Ericsson, K.A. & Simon, H.A. (1993). Protocol Analysis. Verbal Reports as Data.
Fokken, I., Staub. I., & Vogt, T. (2023). DOI: 10.1123/jtpe.2022-0297
Vogt, T., & Staub, I. (2020): DOI: 10.7752/jpes.2020.02085
Ward, P., Ayvazo, S., Dervent, F., Iserbyt, P., Kim, I., & Li, W. (2021). DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2020.1853635