Examination of physical education as an academic subject in selected primary schools of Kitwe district,Zambia

Abstract

This study sought to establish the views of teachers, pupils and parents towards Physical Education (P.E) as an academic subject in selected primary schools in Kitwe District in Zambia. The objectives of the study were to: establish whether or not teachers, pupils and parents knew the importance of P.E. as a learning subject at primary school level; determine how the time scheduled for P.E. on the school time-table in the current education system was actually used at primary school level; and establish the views of the various stakeholders on P.E. as an examinable subject in C.T.S. in primary schools. The study sample comprised 21 teachers, 31 pupils, and 31 parents from the two selected primary schools. Data was collected through semi-structured questionnaires and semistructured interviews. The data for the study was analysed using both the qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis and was based on the objectives and questions which guided the study. The study revealed that P.E. is taught in primary schools and that learners have interest in learning the subject however it was also found that schools lacked specialised teachers to teach the subject. The study further revealed that all the teachers, pupils and parents who participated in the study were of the view that P.E. as a subject was of great value to the learners. In terms of whether P.E. should be taught as an independent subject, it was found that most of the teachers, pupils and parents felt that it should be taught as a stand-alone subject, and not integrated in Creative and Technology Studies (CTS). As regards to how the time scheduled for P.E. on the school time-table was being utilised, the findings revealed that over half of the teachers said that it was mostly used for practical lessons only while some of them said it was used for theory lessons only. Nonetheless, it was found that only a smaller proportion of the teachers managed to use the time for both theory and practical lessons. It was sad to note that a few pupils reported that some teachers used the time allocated to P.E. to teach other subjects. With regard to whether P.E. should be examined as a part in CTS, the study revealed the majority of the teachers, pupils and parents felt that it should be examined independently. It was argued that once the subject is examined independently, teachers would take the subject seriously and accord it the status it deserves, like is the case with English and Mathematics.