The Core Meaning, Extraction Methods and Application of Big Ideas in Sports Disciplines

Addressing the lack of a unifying focus in large unit design for sports disciplines, this study employs literature research method and logical reasoning to investigate the meaning, characteristics, value, extraction methods, and application of “big ideas” in sports disciplines. The researchers contend that big ideas in sports disciplines are generalized concepts formed by distilling the essential characteristics and fundamental principles of sporting activities. These ideas possess broad transferable value and can serve as the central organizing focus for learning. Characterized by centrality, hierarchy, and interconnectedness (network structure), big ideas demonstrate significant practical and transfer value. They can be extracted through an integrated abstract-concrete approach, specifically via two pathways: A top-down extraction based on curriculum standards, sports disciplines theory, and teaching materials, and a bottom-up extraction grounded in learning challenges and real-world sports contexts. The application of big ideas in unit-level teaching design manifests across all design elements: enhancing the precision of learning objectives, making learning tasks more concrete, structuring learning content more effectively, and increasing the inquiry-based nature of learning activities.