Student’s Opinion about Physical Education
Today education has become a token of an advanced, healthy and competent society. In fact, modern education more than ever before is aiming to provide experiences that will be useful in life. In the process of deciding which activities are effective and should be included in the high school curriculum, a clash between opinions often arises. People especially disagree on the question of the necessity for physical education. Very fast modernization has changed people common life, various economical and sociological alterations released us from hard manual work, but it also clamp down muscular activity. This curtailment disarrayed balance of biological organism, and now our body is more vulnerable. Part of diversiform illnesses progress among youth (also schoolchild and students); it is related with insufficient physical activity. So does it mean that physical education must be added in high school program? What do students think about this?In order to find out their opinion, the research was carried out. Investigators used triangulation, as they wanted to check the validity of research findings. They chose two methods, which seemed most reliable for them. One of them was questionnaire (watch annex 1) with open-ended questions. Student ought to select answer which suited his opinion. If he didn’t find proper answer, he could write down his own. Advantage of this method is that everything is done in anonymity, so student is not afraid of giving answer which could not be pleased of his teacher or criticized his contemporaries. Besides, for researchers it is rather easy to count value and compare answers of many students. Furthermore, investigators can not influence respondent’s answers. About 50 students from different Kaunas Technological University faculties were surveyed. In fact, all questions had more or less similar answers.In order to itemize findings, investigators chouse one more method – structured interview. Interviewer read out the same list of questions (Annex 1) to the students. But this time, there were no any answers given. So the respondent must answer in his own words, interviewer can give him an explanation or example for some questions. This method is more reasoned, answers are more various and it is possible to investigate more respondents. However, there are more minuses, because not all students want to talk, they don’t have time. Besides interviewer must to have uncommon communicational abilities, he can’t influence respondents’ answers.
To sum up, most of students’ opinion about Physical Education is the same. As one student told me: “Physical Education lessons are just waste of time, I’d better have more mathematic, English or informatics’ lectures”. Many students think that Physical Education lessons are boring and unnecessary, they also are not interested in any sport branch. It seems, that students hate Physical Education! That’s what this research shows (Annex 2).However, elders disagree; public opinion research is different too. Notably injurious for children’s and teenagers organism is lack of physical activity. As a cause of tiredness, various illnesses are inadequate of physical activity. So implements, which help to develop positive students’ opinion about Physical Education, activity and health, must be incorporated to scholastic institutions curriculums. Besides, the students who play sports and are still forced to participate in gym class are often more active in the class. Most of the time, however, they receive the same grade as someone who does not perform to the level the student athlete does.Annex 1Student’s opinion about Physical Education
1. Do you attend Physical Education lessons?• Yes • No
2. Is Physical Education lessons interesting for you?• Yes • No • Sometimes
3. Did you used to like Physical Education at school?• Yes • No • Sometimes
4. Are you interested in for sport?• Yes • No
5. Do you do morning exercises?• Yes • No • Sometimes
6. Do you practice sport after lectures?• Yes • No
7. Do you like to take part in various competitions?• Yes • No • Sometimes
8. Is Physical Education necessary in high schools?• Yes • No • Sometimes
9. Why Physical Education is necessary (unnecessary)?• It is healthy • It is interesting • It is waste of time• Other ________________________________________________________________
10. Should we have Physical Education in higher courses?• Yes • No
11. Why we should (shouldn’t) have Physical Education in higher courses?• _____________________________________________________________________
12. What should students do during Physical Education lessons?
• Have a lot of exercises • Play various games • Do aerobics, yoga, dance• Talk about Physical Education • Other_________________________________________________________________13. What should Physical Education teachers do to attract students?• Give more exercises • Give interesting exercises, games • Don’t do anything, the lessons are interesting enough• Other ________________________________________________________________
Annex 2
Literatūros sąrašas
Algirdas Beriūštis, Kęstutis Kardelis, Antanas Goštautas – Moksleivių nepamokinio fizinio aktyvumo formos. V.Tamašauskas – Humanistiškas studentų fizinis ugdymas