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.
