Physical Education (PE) is a fundamental cornerstone for childhood development as it promotes lifelong participation in physical activities for holistic health. School educators play a key role in creating school environments that lead to developmentally appropriate and high-quality PE lessons.
The aim of this study was to determine educators’ perceptions on the state and status of PE in selected public primary schools in all nine provinces of South Africa.
Data were collected on the campus of the selected primary schools within 150 km of a university. In the absence of a university within the stated radius, an airport was used as an initiated point of departure.
The mixed-methods approach (quantitative: questionnaires and qualitative: semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions) was used to collect data. The purposive sampling method was used to select the participants. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of percentages, and presented using graphs and tables. Qualitative data were analysed using themes.
The findings revealed that the educators from quintile 4 and 5 schools especially are of the opinion that challenges, such as a lack of resources, qualified PE specialist educators, and facilities and equipment negatively affected the delivery of PE at their schools.
Participants perceived that there are varying contextual and socio-economic school settings affecting the delivery of PE in the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum. The researcher recommends that all learners have access to the adequate provision of PE programmes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) launched various campaigns and renewed its policy framework to address alarming worldwide mortality rates due to health conditions related to physical inactivity globally (WHO
The reality in most public primary schools is that PE programmes are delivered by generalist teachers (Du Toit
In South Africa, PE underwent several policy-related restructurings, from being a stand-alone subject (prior to 1994) to Outcomes Based Education (Curriculum 2005, cited in Van Deventer
Physical education focuses on addressing various social issues and is offered at schools with the aim of improving learner retention and academic performance (DBE
Lynch and Soukop (
Physical Education should take place in an environment conducive to the learning and enriching of movement skills (such as stability, non- and locomotor and manipulative skills) (Stroebel et al.
The South African Department of Higher Education and Training regards an educator as an individual who provides and delivers educational services and support to learners at school (Department of Higher Education and Training
An ideal educational environment should equip learners with holistic competences which promote physical, cognitive, social and emotional learning for effective engagement with the ‘real’ world (Carse et al.
The evolvement of PE from being a stand-alone subject to its current status as an appendage of LS is well documented in South African scholarship (Burnett
The aim of this paper is to reflect on the perceptions of educators on the state and status of PE in all public primary school types in South Africa. These aims are broken down into the following objectives:
To explore the views of educators on the state and status of PE in South African public primary schools.
To determine perceived factors which may have an impact on the delivery of PE in public primary schools.
To collect data from selected public primary schools representing differing geographical contexts (rural, semi-urban and urban) and their socio-economic status from all nine provinces.
After in-depth consultation with key representatives from the DBE and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) South Africa, a national research project was conducted across all of the South African provinces to determine the state and status of PE in public schools. The study was conducted under the banner of South African Universities Physical Education Association (SAUPEA). This article forms part of and emanates from this project.
The study adopted the mixed-methods research approach involving the use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with principals and HODs to gain information on policies and decision-making in LS and PE. With teachers, focus group discussions were conducted to gain information on content and delivery of PE programmes. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires. Questionnaires included different sections, structured to first obtain biographical data (which included the professional qualifications and experiences of teachers), followed by perceptions and experiences of PE (implementation and ‘uptake’), the identification of good practices, challenges and recommendations. For teachers, a Likert scale delivered nuanced responses compared to that of learners who had two categorical options (‘agree’ or ‘disagree’). Open responses for recommendations for educators contributed to prioritised views and the identification of real needs. This approach also allows for the triangulation of results from the combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods to reveal the complex reality of multiple understandings where data intersect (Creswell
The participants in this study consisted of a cohort of principals, HODs and LS teachers responsible for PE in selected South African public primary schools. These participants were drawn from selected quintile 1–3 schools in rural and township areas, and quintile 4–5 schools in urban areas.
The purposive sampling method was used in the selection of participants. Principals, HODs and LS teachers were purposively selected with the mindset that they were key informants with relevant experiences concerning the research topic under investigation, and would therefore provide critical perspectives on the state and status of PF in South African public primary schools. Only participants who signed consent forms participated in the study. The participating schools were selected based on being located within a 150 km radius of a university. In the absence of a university within the stated radius, an airport was used as an initiated point of departure.
This study used semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (qualitative data) and questionnaires (quantitative data) to collect information from the participants. In the qualitative data, trustworthiness was ascertained through credibility, confirmability and dependability criteria. The credibility criteria used in this study involved the keeping of notes on research decisions made, the coding of data, and the use of member checking to verify and validate findings. The confirmability and dependability criteria involved keeping records of the research path throughout the study from the development to the reporting of the findings. Raw data from the semi-structured interviews and the focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim for verification.
After obtaining ethical clearance (REC-01-131-2016) from the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, and access to schools from the DBE, a pilot study was conducted and the necessary changes to the instruments were done. Co-ed public primary schools were selected from rural (
On arrival at the various schools, quantitative data (questionnaires) and qualitative data (interviews, focus group discussions) protocols were followed. With the support of the principal, a coordinator (in all cases the HOD for LS) was appointed to streamline the data collection process regarding the venue and time slot for the various activities. The questionnaire, which was successfully administered in previous research (Burnett & Hollander
Interviews were conducted with the principal and HODs regarding decision-making in PE. These semi-structured interviews resulted in viewpoints which offered context through explanations of existing policy frameworks as well as insight into the current curriculum implementation.
The focus group discussions with selected teachers (
Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). These were presented using tables and graphs. After all responses from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim, qualitative data were analysed using themes and sub-themes. The line by line coding method was used to generate interrelated concepts and statements. The emerging patterns were then analysed and synthesised to address the main aim of the study, which was to determine educators’ perspectives on the state and status of PE in South African public primary schools.
Ethical approval was received from the Faculty of Health Sciences Ethics Committee, University of Johannesburg, REC-01-131-2016.
Participating primary schools per province.
Participating primary schools per quintile.
Research participants.
Participant | Data collection technique | Data collection instrument |
---|---|---|
Principal ( |
Semi-structured interview | Interview schedule |
Audio tape recorder | ||
Notepad | ||
HOD ( |
Semi-structured interview | Interview schedule |
Audio tape recorder | ||
Questionnaire | Notepad | |
Questionnaire | ||
Teacher ( |
Focus group discussion | Focus group schedule |
Audio tape recorder | ||
Questionnaire | Notepad | |
Questionnaire |
HOD, Head of Department.
Heads of Department and teachers’ years of experience in teaching physical education.
Physical education activities offered in schools.
Presenters who implement physical education per school type.
PE presenters | Quintile 1 schools | Quintile 2 and 3 schools | Quintile 4 and 5 schools |
---|---|---|---|
Class teachers (generalists) | Highly available | Highly available | Highly available |
PE specialist teachers | Not available | Available | Highly available |
External providers | Not available | Available | Available |
Other | Available | Available | Available |
PE, physical education.
Perceived challenges in implementing physical education.
During interviews, principals indicated that schools strove to abide by the necessary policies and governance structures for the teaching of PE. Principals also highlighted the value and significance of PE. The key benefit was in the potential of PE to help promote social, cognitive and psychological health and identify sport talent. Respondents highlighted the following:
‘It’s very important as it is about the health of the learners. They say a healthy mind in a healthy body. Obesity is a problem in South Africa’. (Female, 53 years old, higher quintile school)
‘We need to exercise to keep fit. So, I think it’s of importance not only for learners but also for educators’. (Male, 49 years old, lower quintile school)
‘In [the] Olympics we do not perform well as a country because the problem starts at the grassroots in primary schools. Some learners have potential, but PE is not taken seriously. We should produce many sportsmen and sportswomen’. (Male, 38 years old, lower quintile school)
However, some challenges had a negative effect on the implementation of PE. These challenges were captured in responses such as the following:
‘We don’t have open places e.g. a soccer field. We need to have space where we can [do] … physical training. Another thing is [that] most of the materials are not enough because our enrolment is big’. (Female, 50 years old, lower quintile school)
‘For me and my staff, the over-assessment driven expectation with the limited activities provided by CAPS, as well as the theory-practice discrepancy and time allocation are a huge challenge’. (Female, 57 years old, higher quintile school)
‘Sometimes you find that the circuit gives us 20 instead of 50 books. Our school is situated in a rural area. Children depend on social security grants. Our school is situated near shebeens where they play loud music and disturb children’. (Male, 55 years old, lower quintile school)
Despite some of the challenges, some principals indicated that they worked with various external stakeholders to make up for the shortcomings within the school. Some principals indicated the following:
‘A gentleman from our community often visits our school to teach our learners sport skills such as soccer and even netball’. (Male, 55 years old, lower quintile school)
Heads of Department agree, with relatively more of them being negative, on teachers being able to cope with the workload (24%), being equipped to teach PE (27.5%) or being in physical shape to do so (23.5%). At the time of the research, only 32 (65.3%) of HODs taught PE, which may pose a challenge in terms of them being optimally informed of teacher performances or being able to provide adequate leadership and mentorship for inexperienced and inadequately trained educators. Although as educators, both cohorts are positive about the educational value and possible benefits of PE, responses from HODs indicated that although PE was an important subject in schools, there were some key challenges which needed to be addressed. Some HODs highlighted the following:
‘PE is an important subject because it provides learners with the opportunity to play and exert [themselves] physically. In that regard, education cannot be said to be complete without PE’. (Female, 43 years old, higher quintile school)
‘PE provides options for learners to discover their talents’. (Male, 40 years old, lower quintile school)
‘Through PE, a learner can develop to be one of the big athletes or soccer players in South Africa. So, it’s important because sport is one of the careers that learners can pursue’. (Female, 34 years old, higher quintile school)
The key challenges that were highlighted by HODs on the delivery of PE were time constraints, attitudinal problems, unwholesome teaching practices by some teachers and a lack of teaching materials. Some of the key responses were:
‘The time for PE is very small. So sometimes teachers find it very difficult to complete the whole PE syllabus. So, I think it must be given more time in the curriculum. So, these are some of the things that the Department of Basic Education should look into’. (Female, 31 years old, lower quintile school)
‘I think some teachers believe that PE is not very important. So, they try to replace it on the timetable with other subjects, homework or just free play’. (Male, 40 years old, lower quintile school)
‘I try by all means to make sure that our teachers teach PE according to the timetable’. (Male, 37 years old, higher quintile school)
‘PE is a very important subject in my view. We just need more materials and support from curriculum advisors to implement it effectively in my schools. Our advisors do not understand the need and benefits of PE. Sometimes we struggle to follow what the CAPS curriculum requires us to do because the teaching materials are not enough. Too much emphasis is put on assessment, yet we do not have enough time to teach and to do proper assessment’. (Male, 35 years old, lower quintile school)
Most teachers indicated that they are positive, that PE is a valuable subject, and they expressed their willingness to teach the learning area, especially PE. Some teachers indicated, during several focus groups, that they are less positive due to a heavy workload and ‘too frequent assessment and lots of administration’ which leaves them with ‘little time to teach’.
Some of the gleaned key responses included:
‘I regard PE to be effective in preventing the onset of diseases such as obesity in children. It is therefore a very important subject in schools’. (Focus group, male, higher quintile school)
‘The number of learners is too much. It is difficult to manage the learners especially when they are doing physical activities and demonstrations. I am not able to properly monitor and assess what other learners will be doing’. (Focus group, female, lower quintile school)
‘We do not have proper equipment, facilities or space for PE. We just have a small dusty open ground which is full of stones. We also do not have enough balls. So, the number of activities we do in PE are very limited’. (Focus group, female, lower quintile school)
‘Most learners love PE and they enjoy it. This makes it easier to facilitate lessons. Some of the learners have a negative attitude but I try to motivate them’. (Focus group, male, higher quintile school)
‘I need to go for workshops. I am not yet competent myself. I have not received anything in terms of staff development ever since I came here. Other subject teachers other than PE go for workshops, but PE teachers do not’. (Focus group, female, lower quintile school)
The findings showed that the educators held a favourable view of PE in the selected primary schools. They particularly cited health and sport talent identification as the main benefits of participating in PE. These findings correspond with views by Bailey, Cope and Parnell (
The findings in this study showed that there was a pervasive lack of facilities and equipment in the schools. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO
Physical education activities mainly comprised sport activities, physical fitness activities and informal play. According to Stidder and Hayes (
However, quintile 4 and 5 schools enjoy a relatively high percentage of specialist teachers compared to the lower quintile schools (Van Wyk
The Constitution of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) is the overarching document which governs all institutional, policy and legislative frameworks. Maharajh, Nkosi and Mkhize (
Participants highlighted their key recommendations to improve PE delivery in schools. The key emerging recommendations included improved physical resources through building new facilities and upgrading existing ones. They also highlighted the need to train educators on PE teaching and the use and maintenance of facilities. Such a call is consistent with the Department of Higher Education’s call for a teacher to be knowledgeable about the school curriculum, unpack its specialised content, use available resources appropriately and design suitable learning programmes (Department of Higher Education and Training
This study reveals that educators perceive significant challenges regarding PE implementation, especially in low quintile schools. However, best practices such as collaborations with various external stakeholders, such as NGOs and knowledgeable community members, can help to alleviate some of the challenges that schools face in providing PE.
Teachers are most pivotal for good practices, but it is clear that lower quintile schools especially are severely restricted by a lack of resources, and an often hostile or unsupportive environment in these schools. These foster an academically biased ideology and culture, focusing on the avoidance of ‘social ills’ rather than on positive and holistic development. There are ample examples of best practices, such as collaborations with various external stakeholders (e.g. NGOs and knowledgeable community members) that can assist to alleviate some of the challenges these schools face in teaching PE. Well-trained and motivated teachers are effective and most valuable in ensuring meaningful PE practices and, as such, can convincingly overcome multiple challenges.
This study recommends that educators, especially the teachers, must be comprehensively consulted on key decisions that affect PE, as their views carry influence on the delivery of PE in schools. The study further recommends the forging of educator partnerships between schools and other institutions that are well-resourced and schools that are ill-equipped to facilitate the sharing of resources. Further studies on PE should explore ways in which educators can be equipped to innovatively improve PE delivery through improvisation, strategic school–community partnerships and resource mobilisation.
The author would like to thank the researchers of the South African University Physical Education Association (SAUPEA) in their national research project:
The author declares that no competing interests exist.
C.J.R. is the sole author of this article.
Funding was received from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and was acknowledged.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of any affiliated agency of the author.