Revisiting Tactical Knowledge Research in Game-Based Approaches: A Scoping Review of Conceptual, Theoretical, and Methodological Gaps

Recent educational research has increasingly emphasized helping learners apply knowledge in new situations and translate it into judgment and action. In physical education, Game-Based Approaches (GBAs) have been widely adopted to promote tactical learning through representative game situations. Although previous reviews have generally reported positive effects on decision making, findings for tactical knowledge and skill execution have remained less consistent, suggesting a need to reconsider how tactical knowledge has been conceptualized and studied. This scoping review mapped the research structure of tactical knowledge in GBAs, including its conceptualization, theoretical foundations, research focus, methodological approaches, and learner perspectives. Following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and PRISMA-ScR, 53 empirical studies were identified through database and supplementary searches. Tactical knowledge was predominantly conceptualized as decision making or action selection within an information-processing framework, and research focused mainly on quantitative evaluations of instructional effectiveness. This structure established a basis for visualizing, measuring, and comparing tactical learning, but offered limited explanation of how tactical knowledge, perception, decision making, and skill execution become functionally connected in game situations. Future research should therefore move beyond effectiveness evaluation toward mechanism-oriented studies that align in-game action with learners’ experiences and clarify how tactical knowledge contributes to action.