An examination of whether there is a need for Maltese children to learn to swim and provisions to be taken

Abstract

The survey was carried out on a sample of 236 children (118 boys and 118 girls) attending Years 4, 5 and 6 classes in ten State Primary schools. Private schools had been left out for the simple reason that children attending these schools came from different catchment areas while those attending State Primary schools were all from the same locality. Chapter one is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the introduction of swimming in Malta; in the second part, the general aspects of swimming in Malta have been tackled and the last part deals with the values of swimming as a sport for all. Chapter two concentrates on an outline of the survey, how the questionnaire was made up and it includes the observations or visits of the ten State Primary schools. These schools were divided into two sections: Schools that are located near the sea and Schools that are located in towns or villages away from the sea. Chapter three focuses on the analysis and discussion of results of the questionnaires. It presents a comparison between The last chapter proposes various personal suggestions and recommendations to help the children to swim in a better way, based mainly on the results of the childrens' questionnaires.