Modern technology; Pandemic; Physical education; Primary school; Secondary school; Teacher; Teaching; Computer Science (miscellaneous); Geography, Planning and Development; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Building and Construction; Environmental Science (miscellaneous); Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Hardware and Architecture; Computer Networks and Communications; Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Abstract :
[en] The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of implementation and Physical Education (PE) teachers’ perceived advantages, disadvantages, and encountered difficulties of online PE teaching during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 1148 professionally active PE teachers from Poland, North Macedonia, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Kosovo (613 female, 535 male). A cross-sectional online survey study was performed between May and September 2020 and was done online through an electronic questionnaire. Study results suggest differences in evaluation of online teaching between PE teachers from different countries: a positive evaluation of online teaching reported from teachers from Croatia, Poland, and Bulgaria, neutral in Turkey, and a negative evaluation during that period by teachers in Macedonia and Kosovo. Different ratings of advantages, disadvantages, and difficulties from the studied countries in online teaching in primary and secondary schools were also noted. A lack of proper equipment at home, a lack of proper training for information technology (IT) use, as well as use of different platforms for online teaching were among the highest-ranked difficulties during online teaching. The greatest concerns during online PE teaching were identified in terms of pupils’ safety, the intellectual property of resources, and the quality of curriculum delivery. The results from the study identify the most important areas of teachers work where PE should be supported regarding online teaching.
Disciplines :
Education & instruction
Author, co-author :
Korcz, Agata ; Department of Didactics of Physical Activity, Poznan University of Physical Education, Poznan, Poland
Krzysztoszek, Jana ; Department of Didactics of Physical Activity, Poznan University of Physical Education, Poznan, Poland
Łopatka, Marlena; Department of Didactics of Physical Activity, Poznan University of Physical Education, Poznan, Poland
POPESKA, Biljana ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Education and Social Work (DESW) > Teaching and Learning ; Faculty of Educational Sciences, Goce Delcev University, Stip, North Macedonia
Podnar, Hrvoje; Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Filiz, Bijen; Department of Coaching Education, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
Mileva, Eleonora; The National Sports Academy “Vassil Levski”, Sofia, Bulgaria
Kryeziu, Artan R.; Department of Sport and Movement Science, University for Business and Technology, Pristina
Bronikowski, Michał ; Department of Didactics of Physical Activity, Poznan University of Physical Education, Poznan, Poland
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
Physical education teachers’ opinion about online teaching during the covid-19 pandemic—comparative study of european countries
The results of the research showed that the problems of online PE teaching were assessed differently by teachers from the examined countries. A positive approach to online PE teaching in some countries (Poland, Croatia, and Bulgaria) collided with the more negative evaluation by the teachers in other ones (Turkey, North Macedonia, Kosovo). Such a result is due to several factors including previous experience with technology implemented in PE classes, specific national approaches to online teaching, as well as in different approaches in conducting online PE teaching during the first few months of pandemic, when the study was conducted. Namely, before the pandemic, reforms in the educational systems and especially in PE were happening in several counties including Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. With the national reform that is ongoing in Croatia since 2017, the educational system is reforming to be objective-based and goal-oriented. Reform activities require teachers to participate in many online lectures, workshops, and activities. These may explain the positive attitude of Croatian teachers to online PE teaching. A similar situation is noted for Poland and Bulgaria. In comparation to this, in Macedonia, the reform from 2016 required the use of technology in 30% of the curricula in all subjects, including PE as well. This was not well accepted by PE teachers, because it was not followed with specific guidance and instructions. We assume that this negative attitude also has its implications to the negative approach regarding online PE teaching. Another aspect is the support during the pandemic for online teaching. In Poland, Bulgaria, and Croatia, distance learning was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science and the relevant educational institutions that offered specific online educational platforms for training and teaching in this area. PE teachers were also supported by their school authorities and/or teachers associations. In many countries, this was also supplemented with online classes broadcasted on national TV. This was the case in Croatia and Turkey. Apparently, such support from relevant educational institutions was not provided for PE teachers in Macedonia and Kosovo, creating a feeling that teachers were left on their own. In North Macedonia, in the period when the study was conducted, there were no clear instructions for online teaching and no suggestions for any unified platform that ought to be used. In Macedonia, some positive individual initiatives from teachers and schools were noted, but it was rather down to some individual incidents, not a country-wide initiative. This is clearly reflected in the result, where, in Macedonia, none of the respondents marked the answer “very good”, and when analysing teachers’ answers for advantages and disadvantages of online teaching, it was noted that most of the respondents supplemented their answers with comments that “online teaching is only improvisation”, “face-to-face communication, group work and interaction is the essence of PE classes”, “doing it online, PE classes lose the essence”, “there is no advantage of online PE teaching”. In Kosovo, the activity of teachers and their skills in finding innovative approaches to conducting online PE education were relied on. Another reason for the difference in the responses may be the different cultural, social, and demographic characteristics of the teachers in the studied countries. Particularly, possible reasons can be identified in the working experiences of the teachers, the level of their IT skills, preparedness, and flexibility to apply new technologies, but also technical facilities that the teachers have at their disposal (computer, access to the Internet, good Internet connection, etc.). These elements can vary not just from country to country but also from different places within one country (urban and rural setting). Interestingly, difficulties in distance PE teaching were also reported by teachers in other countries, such as Norway [6] and Spain [7]. Difficulties in Norway were in the lack of competences for online teaching, the lower priority of the subject, issues related to the monitoring and control over children during PE classes, dependence on parents, and home circumstances [6]. Another group of difficulties is more related to teachers’ personal feelings during online teaching. According to Varea et al. [7], these include: less enjoyment, lower motivation for work, missing the personal contacts, feeling sad and depressed, etc. Furthermore, in the study that Varea et al. [7] conducted on a sample of pre-service teachers in Spain, it was reported that PE teachers miss their physical activity and direct contact with students as well. Their concerns are related to the teaching of a ‘hands on’ subject, such as PE, through digital technologies [7].
Guragai, M. Nepalese Medical Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ways Forward. J. Nepal Med. Assoc. 2020, 58, 352–354. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
WHO. Responding to Community Spread of COVID-19: Interim Guidance. 2020. Available online: https://www.who.int/docs/defaultsource/coronaviruse/20200307responding-to-COVID-19communitytransmission-final.pdf (accessed on 3 March 2021).
UNESCO. COVID-19 Educational Disruption and Response. 2020. Available online: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse (accessed on 3 March 2021).
Daniel, S.J. Education and the COVID-19 pandemic. Prospects 2020, 49, 91–96. [CrossRef]
Reimers, F.M. What the Covid-19 Pandemic Will Change in Education Depends on the Thoughtfulness of Education Responses Today. Worlds of Education. 2020. Available online: https://www.worldsofeducation.org/en/woe_homepage/woe_detail/16727/%E2%80%-9Cwhat-the-covid-19-pandemic-will-change-in-education-depends-on-the-thoughtfulness-of-education-responses-today%E2%80%9D-by-fernando-m-reimers (accessed on 3 March 2021).
Roe, A.; Blikstad-Balas, M.; Dalland, C.P. The Impact of COVID-19 and Homeschooling on Students’ Engagement with Physical Activity. Front. Sports Act. Living 2021, 2, 589227. [CrossRef]
Varea, V.; González-Calvo, G. Touchless classes and absent bodies: Teaching physical education in times of Covid-19. Sport Educ. Soc. 2021, 26, 831–845. [CrossRef]
Gobbi, E.; Maltagliati, S.; Sarrazin, P.; Di Fronso, S.; Colangelo, A.; Cheval, B.; Escriva-Boulley, G.; Tessier, D.; Demirhan, G.; Erturan, G.; et al. Promoting Physical Activity during School Closures Imposed by the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Physical Education Teachers’ Behaviors in France, Italy and Turkey. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 9431. [CrossRef]
Lau, P.W.; Lau, E.Y.; Wong, D.P.; Ransdell, L. A Systematic Review of Information and Communication Technology–Based Interventions for Promoting Physical Activity Behavior Change in Children and Adolescents. J. Med. Internet Res. 2011, 13, e48. [CrossRef]
Mannocci, A.; D’Egidio, V.; Backhaus, I.; Federici, A.; Sinopoli, A.; Varela, A.R.; Villari, P.; La Torre, G. Are There Effective Interventions to Increase Physical Activity in Children and Young People? An Umbrella Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 3528. [CrossRef]
Koh, K.T.; Tan, L.Q.W.; Camiré, M.; Paculdar, M.A.A.; Chua, W.G.A. Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of factors influencing the adoption of information and communications technology in physical education in Singapore schools. Eur. Phys. Educ. Rev. 2021. [CrossRef]
Daum, D.N.; Buschner, C. The Status of High School Online Physical Education in the United States. J. Teach. Phys. Educ. 2012, 31, 86–100. [CrossRef]
Kooiman, B.J.; Sheehan, D.P.; Wesolek, M.; Retegui, E. Moving online physical education from oxymoron to efficacy. Sport Educ. Soc. 2017, 22, 230–246. [CrossRef]
Mosier, B.; Lynn, S. An initial exploration of a virtual personal fitness course. Online J. Distance Learn. Adm. 2012, 15, 1–11. Available online: http://www.westga.edu/~{}distance/ojdla/fall153/mosier_lynn153.html (accessed on 3 March 2021).
Williams, L. A Case Study of Virtual Physical Education Teachers’ Experiences in and Perspectives of Online Teaching. Ph.D. Thesis, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA, 2014.
Williams, L.; Martinasek, M.; Carone, K.; Sanders, S. High School Students’ Perceptions of Traditional and Online Health and Physical Education Courses. J. Sch. Health 2020, 90, 234–244. [CrossRef]
Declaration of Helsinki. Available online: https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/(ac-cessed on 21 October 2020).
Naydenova, K.; Chernev, K. Distance learning in the conditions of COVID-19, the point of view of students and pupils. Pedagogy 2020, 92, 260–267.
Bronikowska, M.; Krzysztoszek, J.; Łopatka, M.; Ludwiczak, M.; Pluta, B. Comparison of Physical Activity Levels in Youths before and during a Pandemic Lockdown. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 5139. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Zheng, C.; Huang, W.Y.; Sheridan, S.; Sit, C.H.-P.; Chen, X.-K.; Wong, S.H.-S. COVID-19 Pandemic Brings a Sedentary Lifestyle in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 6035. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
MacPhail, A.; Tannehill, D.; Avsar, Z. European Physical Education Teacher Education Practices: Initial, Induction, and Professional Development; Meyer & Meyer Sport: Maidenhead, UK, 2019.
Hall, C.M.; Bierman, K.L. Technology-assisted interventions for parents of young children: Emerging practices, current research, and future directions. Early Child. Res. Q 2015, 33, 21–32. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
González, C.S.; Gómez, N.; Navarro, V.; Cairós, M.; Quirce, C.; Toledo, P.; Marrero-Gordillo, N. Learning healthy lifestyles through active videogames, motor games and the gamification of educational activities. Comput. Hum. Behav. 2016, 55, 529–551. [CrossRef]
Edginton, C.R.; Chin, M.K.; Demirhan, G.; Asci, H.; Bulca, Y.; Erturan-Ogut, E. Global forum for physical education pedagogy 2016—Technology, networking and best practice in physical education and health: Local to global. Int. J. Phys. Educ. A Rev. Pub. 2016, 3, 28–48.
Gallè, F.; Sabella, E.A.; Ferracuti, S.; De Giglio, O.; Caggiano, G.; Protano, C.; Valeriani, F.; Parisi, E.A.; Valerio, G.; Liguori, G.; et al. Sedentary Behaviors and Physical Activity of Italian Undergraduate Students during Lockdown at the Time of CoViD-19 Pandemic. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 6171. [CrossRef]
Maltagliati, S.; Carraro, A.; Escriva–Boulley, G.; Bertollo, M.; Colangelo, A.; Papaioannou, A.; Fronso, S.; Cheval, B.; Gobbi, E.; Sarrazin, P. Changes in physical education teachers’ motivations predict the evolution of behaviors promoting students’ physical activity during the COVID-19 lockdown. SportRxiv 2021. [CrossRef]
Santillán-Marroquín, W. El teletrabajo en el COVID-19. CienciAmérica 2020, 9, 65–76. [CrossRef]
Aperribai, L.; Cortabarria, L.; Aguirre, T.; Verche, E.; Borges, Á. Teacher’s Physical Activity and Mental Health During Lockdown Due to the COVID-2019 Pandemic. Front. Psychol. 2020, 11, 577886. [CrossRef]
Glapa, A.; Grzesiak, J.; Laudanska-Krzeminska, I.; Chin, M.-K.; Edginton, C.R.; Mok, M.M.C.; Bronikowski, M. The Impact of Brain Breaks Classroom-Based Physical Activities on Attitudes toward Physical Activity in Polish School Children in Third to Fifth Grade. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 368. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Popeska, B.; Jovanova-Mitkovska, S.; Chin, M.-K.; Edginton, C.R.; Mok, M.M.C.; Gontarev, S. Implementation of Brain Breaks® in the Classroom and Effects on Attitudes toward Physical Activity in a Macedonian School Setting. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1127. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Mok, M.M.C.; Chin, M.-K.; Korcz, A.; Popeska, B.; Edginton, C.R.; Uzunoz, F.S.; Podnar, H.; Coetzee, D.; Georgescu, L.; Emeljanovas, A.; et al. Brain Breaks®Physical Activity Solutions in the Classroom and on Attitudes toward Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial among Primary Students from Eight Countries. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 1666. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Jakobsson, J.; Malm, C.; Furberg, M.; Ekelund, U.; Svensson, M. Physical Activity During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Prevention of a Decline in Metabolic and Immunological Functions. Front. Sports Act. Living 2020, 2, 57. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Jurak, G.; Morrison, S.A.; Kovač, M.; Leskošek, B.; Sember, V.; Strel, J.; Starc, G. A COVID-19 Crisis in Child Physical Fitness: Creating a Barometric Tool of Public Health Engagement for the Republic of Slovenia. Front. Public Health 2021, 9, 644235. [CrossRef]
Moore, S.A.; Faulkner, G.; Rhodes, R.E.; Brussoni, M.; Chulak-Bozzer, T.; Ferguson, L.J.; Mitra, R.; O’Reilly, N.; Spence, J.C.; Vanderloo, L.M.; et al. Impact of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on movement and play behaviours of Canadian children and youth: A national survey. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2020, 17, 85. [CrossRef]
López-Gil, J.; Tremblay, M.; Brazo-Sayavera, J. Changes in Healthy Behaviors and Meeting 24-h Movement Guidelines in Spanish and Brazilian Preschoolers, Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Children 2021, 8, 83. [CrossRef]
