Perceptions of basic school teachers on why physical education as a subject is not taught in Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of Central Region, Ghana

Abstract

The physical, social and emotional benefits of Physical Education (PE) have well been established. Nevertheless, the subject is, most of the times, not taught by teachers. This study therefore, aimed at investigating why PE as a subject is not taught in basic schools in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District (TAM) of the Central Region. The study particularly focused on investigating whether attitude of teachers, training and abilities of teachers, nature of school curriculum and availability of facilities and equipment are factors which affect the teaching of PE in basic schools. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey which utilised primary data collected from a total of 536 basic school teachers in the TAM district. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine whether or not attitude of teachers, training and abilities of teachers, nature of school curriculum and availability of facilities and equipment affect the teaching of PE. The results revealed a statistically significant association between attitudes of teachers and the teaching of PE. Teachers who have positive attitude towards PE are more likely to teach the subject compared with their colleagues who have negative attitude towards the subject (OR=2.446; p<0.05). Training and abilities of teachers and the nature of school curriculum were also found to be significantly associated with the teaching of PE. Teachers who found the school curriculum as overcrowded (OR=0.186; p<0.001) or demanding (OR=0.466) are less likely to teach PE. The study recommends that the Ghana Education Service through its PE Directorate should embark on or strengthen sensitization for teachers at the district level to develop positive attitudes towards the teaching of PE.