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SpinEd is an international research project commissioned
by the International Council for Sports Science and Physical Education
(ICSSPE) and funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The project aimed to gather and present evidence regarding the benefits
of quality Physical Education and school sport (PESS) to schools and
the results were recently presented at the 2004 Pre-Olympic Congress
in Thessaloniki, Greece.
A major part of the project was to collect data regarding
pupils’ perceptions of the outcomes of PESS. This international
questionnaire study invited pupils from all over the world (n=3000) to
inform us of their feelings towards PESS, their perceived competence and
their views of the outcomes of PESS. A summary of the findings are presented
below.
Feelings towards PESS
The participants were invited to offer information
pertaining to the general feelings they had towards PESS and these
results are presented in Figure 1 below. Overall, there was an extremely
positive response to this question. A total of 86% of children and
young people had positive feelings towards the subject, whilst only
8% were not sure about how they felt and 6% had negative feelings.
![]() Responses were analysed according to age and
gender of participant. Pupils aged between 7-10 years old were more
likely to say that they loved PESS and less likely to give a negative
response, whilst those over 15 years old were least likely to say
they loved PESS and most likely to say that they liked it. Boys were
more likely than girls to claim to love PESS, whilst girls were more
likely to like PESS than to love it.
When asked why they had these feelings about
PESS, a range of answers were provided. Participants with positive
feelings towards PESS provided positive reasons, such as being able
to play their favourite sport, providing them with the opportunity
to play with their friends, helping them to be active and acquire
new skills. By far the most common answers were that PESS is fun and
that it helps them to keep fit and healthy. More specific responses
related to their teachers, the school facilities and school events
such as sports days. Some participants who were not sure about how
they felt towards PESS added that it depends upon certain factors,
such as the activity, their current state of health and whether they
had to go outside or to stay inside to do PESS. Although there were
far fewer negative participants, reasons included that they didn’t
like the choice of activities, that they felt embarrassed in PESS
and that they didn’t like getting changed. Interestingly, the
competition element of PESS was found to be both a reason to like
and dislike the subject. Perceived Competence
We asked the participants to rate their competence
in PESS. The overall responses to this question were also very positive,
with the majority of pupils either regarding themselves as excellent
or good at PESS. 13% more pupils rated themselves as good rather than
excellent. A relatively high number of children (20%) were not sure
about how to rate their competence and a small number perceived themselves
as not so good or poor at PESS (11%). These data are displayed in
Figure 2 below. ![]() In all countries higher proportions of children
in the 7-10 age group rated themselves as excellent and the older
age groups were more likely to rate themselves as good. Of those that
were unsure or negative about their competence, a higher number were
in the older age groups.
The analysis undertaken to explore any relationship
between perceptions of competence and gender were less striking, with
girls in certain countries, such as Japan more likely to rate their
competence as not so good or poor than girls in other countries. Indeed,
the ways in which participants expressed their perceived competence
could be a product of cultural exuberance compared with the relative
reserve of children in some countries. Perceptions of Outcome
The pupils were asked to agree or disagree to
a series of statements relating to the outcomes of PESS. These were:
that PESS helped them to keep fit and healthy; that it helped them
to be part of a group; that it prepared them for sports competitions;
that it made them proud to be part of the school; that it helped them
make new friends; that it made them respect themselves more; that
it encourages them to go to school; that it helps them respect others
more; that it helps them to do well in school; and that it helps them
do better at other subjects. The results are presented in Figure 3. ![]() The statement that elicited the most agreement
was that PESS keeps them fit and healthy (92%). A very high proportion
of pupils also agreed that PESS helped them to prepare for sports
competitions (83%) and that PESS helped them to carry on being physically
active (76%). The statement with which the greatest number of participants
from all countries disagreed was that PESS helped them to do better
at other subjects (44%). A relatively high proportion of participants
were not sure whether PESS helped them do well in school (21%), helped
them to be proud to be a part of their school (20%) and to do better
at other subjects (20%).
When analysed according to age ranges, the results
suggested that the 7-10 age range tended to be more positive about
the benefits that PESS can provide, and this was especially the case
in Japan. Also, where disagreement was expressed it was mostly from
pupils in older age groups.
Similar analysis was undertaken in terms of gender
and it is worth noting that only a few differences were observed.
In all countries, more girls than boys claimed to be uncertain about
the outcomes. Perhaps surprisingly, more boys than girls tended to
agree that PESS helped in certain social outcomes. For instance, in
Colombia, more boys than girls agreed that PESS helped them to make
new friends whilst more girls than boys in England disagreed that
PESS helped them to feel part of a group.
To conclude, the positive results indicate that
the majority of pupils do enjoy and value PESS. Yet younger students
of all countries were the most likely to be more positive about their
feelings towards PESS and more confident about their ability. There
were other areas of PESS that the vast majority of students in all
countries agreed upon, such as that PESS helped to keep them healthy
and fit. Questioning students about the outcomes of PESS is important
if we want to encourage them to remain physical active beyond their
formal education. It was especially interesting in this study to find
that despite living in a different country and attending different
schools with different curricula, there was a great deal of agreement
between the various samples of students. Further international research
is needed if we are to fully understand the relationship between pupils’
perceptions of PESS, the curriculum, schools systems and culturally
acceptable responses.
This website address for SpinEd is http://spined.cant.ac.uk/
and provides further information about all aspects of the project,
including the case studies that were completed in Europe, North America,
South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The website also includes
an on-line annotated international bibliography, relevant links and
an on-line guestbook where children are encouraged to participate
by publishing their thoughts on PESS in their school. We hope that
this web site will be useful for both participants of the project
and any one else who values the role of Physical Education and School
Sport.
Any comments or further ideas are welcomed and should
be sent to Harriet Dismore: hcd4@canterbury.ac.uk.
![]() http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-january2005.htm |