How do coaches guide learners and give feedback, and which type suits a beginner?
The types of guidance (visual, verbal, manual and mechanical) and their advantages and disadvantages, and the types of feedback (intrinsic and extrinsic, knowledge of results and knowledge of performance, positive and negative), and how each suits different performers.
A focused answer to Eduqas GCSE PE Component 1 on guidance and feedback: the four types of guidance (visual, verbal, manual, mechanical) with their pros and cons, the types of feedback (intrinsic and extrinsic, knowledge of results and performance, positive and negative), and which suit a beginner versus an expert.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to name the four types of guidance with their advantages and disadvantages, name the types of feedback, and explain which guidance and feedback suit a beginner and which suit an expert.
The four types of guidance
The types of feedback
Matching guidance and feedback to the performer
Why this matters
Guidance and feedback determine how quickly and accurately a learner acquires a skill, and they depend on the skill's classification (linking to skill classification and practice) and on protecting motivation and confidence (linking to arousal, anxiety and motivation). They also underpin the analysis and evaluation of performance, where you act as a coach giving feedback and a plan. Eduqas rewards the right type matched to the right performer.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20184 marksExplain two types of guidance a coach could use to teach a beginner a new skill, and give one advantage of each.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 item testing types of guidance. Award marks for each type named with a correct advantage.
Visual guidance: the coach shows a demonstration or video of the skill so the learner can copy it. Advantage: a beginner gets a clear mental picture of the whole skill to copy, which is ideal early in learning.
Manual guidance: the coach physically moves or supports the learner through the movement (holding a gymnast in a handstand). Advantage: it gives the learner the feel of the correct movement and builds confidence and safety on a new or risky skill.
Markers reward two correct types from visual, verbal, manual and mechanical, each with a sensible advantage. Verbal and mechanical guidance also score if explained.
Eduqas 20214 marksExplain the difference between knowledge of results and knowledge of performance, and discuss why intrinsic feedback is more useful to an expert than to a beginner.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark item testing types of feedback and applying them.
Knowledge of results is feedback about the outcome of an action (the shot went in, the time was 13.2 seconds). Knowledge of performance is feedback about the quality of the technique that produced it (the follow-through was good, the elbow dropped).
Why intrinsic feedback suits an expert: intrinsic feedback is the feel of the movement from the performer's own body. An expert has learned what a good movement feels like, so they can use intrinsic feedback to self-correct. A beginner has not yet learned the feel, so they rely on extrinsic feedback from the coach.
Markers reward the outcome-versus-technique distinction plus a sensible reason intrinsic feedback suits experts (they know what correct feels like).
Related dot points
- The use of goal setting to improve and optimise performance: the SMART principle, the difference between outcome and performance goals, short-term and long-term goals, and the benefits of setting and reviewing goals.
A focused answer to Eduqas GCSE PE Component 1 on goal setting: why performers set goals, the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound), outcome versus performance goals, short-term versus long-term goals, and how good goal setting raises motivation and confidence.
- Arousal and the inverted-U theory, the optimal level of arousal for different tasks, the effect of anxiety on performance, methods of controlling arousal and stress, and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
A focused answer to Eduqas GCSE PE Component 1 on arousal, anxiety and motivation: arousal and the inverted-U theory, the optimal arousal level for different tasks, the effect of anxiety, methods of controlling arousal and stress, and intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.
- The classification of skills on continua (simple to complex, open to closed and others), the characteristics of each type, the types of practice (massed, distributed, fixed and variable), and how classification is used to choose the best practice for a skill.
A focused answer to Eduqas GCSE PE Component 1 on skill classification and practice: the simple-to-complex and open-to-closed continua (and others), the characteristics of each type, the four types of practice (massed, distributed, fixed, variable), and how classification chooses the best practice.
- The components of fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, power, agility, balance, coordination and reaction time), how each is defined, and how they are applied to different sporting activities.
A focused answer to Eduqas GCSE PE Component 1 on the components of fitness: the definitions of cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, power, agility, balance, coordination and reaction time, and how each is applied to a named sport.
- The analysis and evaluation of performance task: analysing strengths and weaknesses in one activity, prioritising one component or skill to improve, and producing a justified plan to improve it that applies the theory from Component 1.
A focused answer to Eduqas GCSE PE Component 2 on the analysis and evaluation of performance: how to analyse strengths and weaknesses in one activity, prioritise one weakness, and produce a justified plan to improve it that applies the theory (components of fitness, training methods, skill acquisition), and how the task is assessed.
Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Physical Education C550QS specification — Eduqas (2016)