Students' perceptions of physical education

Abstract

The primary objective of a secondary school physical education programme should be to instil in the students a love for exercise and sport and to help them incorporate regular physical activity as an integral part of their lifestyle. Since its inclusion as a subject on the school timetable in Malta, physical education has never been given much serious attention or importance. Up to this day it is still regarded as recreational rather than educational. This study aims at discovering how Maltese students perceive physical education within the context of the Maltese educational set up, in the hope of adapting our programmes more to their needs. It aims at questioning and creating an awareness concerning the suitability of our PE programmes and the validity of our present goals. Physical education is very popular with the majority of Maltese students, many of whom think that the number of hours allocated for physical education at school should be increased. The majority also feel that physical education should be offered as an optional subject for certification. A large number of students also expressed their wish to practice some form of physical activity after school hours if the opportunity were available. In spite of the fact that physical education is very much at heart to Maltese students, the set up of our educational system is not at all conducive to the adoption of an active lifestyle. Neglect of physical education in the primary school results in a number of our students already feeling self-conscious and inadequate in the subject by the time they reach secondary school. This, together with poor facilities and outmoded methods of teaching, is in the long run alienating students rather than encouraging them to make exercise and sport a part of their lifestyle. We are therefore failing in our most important mission. This study proposes that a change in methods and content of physical education in Malta is necessary if we truly believe in the benefits of exercise on the physical and mental well being of our children. Above all it proposes a change in mentality - one that recognises and acknowledges the important role that physical education has to play in the future health of the nation.