Physical education teachers’ (lack of) gymnastics instruction: an exploration of a neglected curriculum requirement

ABSTRACT

Gymnastics is named as one of four or five broad movement domains within all of Canada’s provincial/territorial physical education (PE) curriculums. However, in practice gymnastics is afforded less relative instructional time than are all other movement domains. In light of this observation, we researched Atlantic Canadian PE teachers’ gymnastics instruction, aiming to answer three primary research questions: (1) Why does gymnastics occupy such a limited (relative) amount of instructional time?; (2) What value do PE teachers see in teaching gymnastics?; and (3) How can PE teachers develop the requisite competence and confidence to offer more gymnastics instruction in their PE programs? Employing a series of on-line focus group interviews with purposefully selected PE teachers, our results indicated that participants did indeed value gymnastics. Participants also believed the lack of gymnastics instruction was due to PE teachers’ strong focus on other areas/topics, as well as their lack of competence and confidence in teaching gymnastics. Herein, we offer a summary discussion of these results as well as suggestions for future practice and inquiry. The results and discussion should be of interest to those who share an interest in PE, curriculum inquiry, and gymnastics instruction, particularly within Western schooling contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Physical education
• gymnastics
• curriculum inquiry
• education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Daniel B. Robinson, PhD, is Associate Professor in physical education and sport pedagogy within St. Francis Xavier University’s Departments of Teacher Education and Curriculum and Leadership. He is also the Chair of Teacher Education at St. Francis Xavier University and the Chair-elect of Physical and Health Education Canada’s Research Council. Dr Robinson’s current research is focused upon physical literacy, social justice and critical pedagogy, immigrant newcomers’ physical activity, and physical education teacher education.

Lynn Randall, PhD, is Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton). She teaches undergraduate physical education pedagogy classes to pre-service teachers and graduate classes in current educational issues. Dr Randall’s current research interests focus upon physical literacy, teacher beliefs and understandings, and pre-service teacher education.

Erin Andrews, MEd, is a physical education teacher at Christina Gordon Public School with Fort McMurray Public Schools. She is also a graduate student in the Department of Curriculum and Leadership at St. Francis Xavier University. Ms. Andrews’s research, to date, has focused upon gymnastics instruction in physical education, outdoor pursuits in physical education, and higher education instructional models.

ORCID

Daniel B. Robinson http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4608-361X