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ASSESSMENT OF THE CONSTRAINTS TO TEACHING AND LEARNING OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN FIRST CYCLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to obtain information regarding the constraints to teaching and learning of Physical Education in first cycle public schools in Ghana. The population for the study was made up of head teachers of first cycle schools, classroom teachers of first cycle schools and physical education tutors in Colleges of Education in Ghana. A questionnaire with 40 items was developed by the researcher. It has the reliability coefficient of 0.71 (Cronbach) 0.75 (Spearman-Brown) and 0.73 (Guttman Split-Half). One major hypothesis and eight sub-hypotheses were formulated to test if the variables selected for the study were significant constraints to teaching and learning of Physical Education in First Cycle Public Schools in Ghana One sample t-test was used for analysing the data . All the hypotheses were tested at the alpha level of 0.05. The results of the study revealed that all the variables tested were significant constraint to teaching and learning of physical education in first cycle schools in Ghana. .(t=34.594, df =1314, p<0.05) They included, Attitude of heads and classroom teachers towards the subject,(t=1.96,df=1314, p<0.05) the lack of trained physical education personnel in the first cycle schools to teach the subject,(t=27.375,df=1314,p<0.05) the nature of Physical Education programme in the colleges of education in Ghana,(t=19.321,df=1314,p<0.05) the lack of facilities to conduct Physical Education classes,(t=72.322,df=1314,p<0.05) the lack of equipment needed to teach physical education in the basic schools in Ghana,(t=35.153,df=1314, p=0.05) the non-externally examined nature of Physical Education in the basic schools in Ghana,(t=40.289,df=1314 p<0.05) the large class sizes that the first cycle public schools in Ghana possess.(t=5.567,df=1314 p<0.05) and the funding (budgetary allocation) to ix First cycle Public Basic Schools in Ghana.(t=20.278,df=1314, p<0.05) In view of the findings, it was recommended among other things that every student-teacher in the colleges of education in Ghana should offer Physical Education as a core subject for the first two years of their studies since eventually they would end up as classroom teachers and would be required to teach Physical Education. Also the Physical Education bias programme should be reintroduced in some selected Colleges of Education in Ghana so as to train more specialists teachers for the basic schools. Furthermore, the Ghana Education Service (GES) will do well to revive all its sports shops in the regions and districts so that sports equipment can be bought by the schools and the money deducted from their capitation grant. It is again recommended that apart from Physical Education being a core subject in the basic schools, it must also be made an elective subject so that it can be externally examinable in the first cycle schools in Ghana.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

The joy and honour in the teaching profession is not debatable, since this has been known all along from time immemorial. Aristotle is quoted by Bucher and Koenig (1983) as saying that “those who educate children well, are to be honoured more than those who produce them, for those who produce children give them only life, but those who educate them give them the art of living well”.

Education is a process of change or modification of the individual from his/her own reactions and interactions with the environment to make him/her accept and be accepted into any society in which the individual finds himself/herself.  This change or modification is in the area of physical, emotional, moral, social and intellectual. The imparting of knowledge alongside all these domains makes the individual a “whole” or “a living human being”.  One subject through which the aim of education is formally accomplished is physical education.

Physical education according to Wuest and Bucher (1999) is an educational process that uses physical activities as a means to help individuals acquire skills, fitness, knowledge and attitudes that contribute to their optimal development and well being. This educational process is an on-going process of learning that occurs throughout the lifespan of the individual. According to Kirchner and Fishburne (1995), the aim of physical education is to produce individuals who have good health, (physically fit) acquire attitudes (such as honesty, sportsmanship, fair play, courtesy, desire of physical activities) acquire knowledge in physical education and acquire movement skills.

Physical education has as its primary goal, the improvement of the well being and quality of life of individuals who take part in physical education programmes. This can be accomplished by socializing individuals into the role of participants who will make a long-term commitment to participation in enjoyable and meaningful physical activity and sports experiences. The main purpose of physical education is to provide people with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to participate in regular physical activity throughout their life span, so as to bring about the development of the “whole person”.  Involvement in high quality physical education and sports programmes benefit people physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. To achieve these acknowledged objectives of physical education, means there must be a commitment to the development of a whole person.

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