Game-Centred Approaches in Physical Education: A Review of Teaching Games for Understanding and Related Models with Applications to Indian Traditional Games

Abstract

Games constitute a large proportion of school physical education curricula, yet they are frequently taught through technique-first approaches in which isolated skills are drilled before learners experience the game itself. Since the early 1980s, game-centred approaches, beginning with Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), have challenged this tradition by placing modified games, tactical awareness and decision making at the centre of learning. This paper presents an integrative review of the theoretical foundations, principal models and empirical evidence associated with game-centred approaches, including TGfU, the Tactical Games Approach, Game Sense, Sport Education, and constraints-led and nonlinear pedagogy. The review finds that game-centred approaches are consistently associated with gains in tactical knowledge, decision making, engagement and enjoyment, with more variable effects on technical skill execution, and that their effectiveness depends on teacher understanding, task design and questioning. The paper then examines the relevance of these approaches to India, where the National Education Policy 2020 emphasises experiential and sports-integrated learning and where a rich heritage of traditional games such as kho-kho, kabaddi, lagori and gilli-danda remains under-used in formal physical education. Using a widely adopted games classification, the paper maps selected Indian traditional games to tactical problems and proposes a game-centred lesson framework and assessment approach for Indian schools. It concludes with recommendations for teacher education, curriculum design and research, arguing that game-centred pedagogy offers a means of making physical education more inclusive, cognitively engaging and culturally relevant.