ABSTRACT
This study evaluated the Physical Education instruction in public senior high schools of San Juan East and West Sub-Offices for the School Year 2022-2023. 17 SHS physical education teachers served as the respondents for the descriptive research design. Self-constructed questionnaire was used as the data gathering instrument to answer the research questions. Following tabulation, statistical treatment, analysis, and interpretation of the data, the following findings emerged.
Schools also recognized the vital role of curriculum and program objectives, qualifications of teachers, equipment and physical facilities, and recreation, sports, and wellness in implementing quality PE program in senior high schools. Teachers utilized cooperative learning strategies, considered students’ interests and capacities, and provided conducive learning environment to support quality physical education instruction.
Further, the PE program in SHS is properly supported by instructional leaders and school administrators. There is also a significant relationship between the PE instruction and the level of support of instructional leaders and school administrators. Finally, the contextualize action plan consists of several activities helpful in addressing the quality of PE program in the senior high school level.
Keywords: Physical education, SHS, contextualized action plan
INTRODUCTION
The new Senior High School (SHS) curriculum is a crucial step in enhancing the Philippines’ international standards and competitiveness. As a learner-centered curriculum, it establishes the foundation for students’ holistic development. This strengthens the idea that effective instruction and a positive learning environment are prerequisites for high-quality learning. Thus, school administrators and educational leaders must be prepared enough to deliver programs relevant to the curriculum.
Kress (2018) mentioned that learning is more effective in dynamic environments when teachers provide explicit active teaching than when they do not actively direct education and instead give students control over the substance of instruction. Physical education is one of the key disciplines in SHS where such notion is evident. Ultimately, it is anticipated that SHS graduates will learn the skills necessary for the twenty-first century while continuing to lead active, healthy lives.
Due to the delicate nature of how PE develops students’ mental, social, and physical faculties, many approaches are required to properly deliver its curriculum among SHS learners. Explicitly stated in its curriculum guide (DepEd, 2016), SHS PE program’s primary goal is to promote physical fitness and an active lifestyle among all types of learners. As a result, most of the learning activities in this course, such as sports and athletics, exercises for physical fitness, and leisure activities, are created to help students achieve the said goal.
In the Philippines, schools are given with a framework for promoting and funding an integrated PE and sports development program for learners. This initiative is strengthened by Republic Act No. 5708, also known as “The Schools Physical Education and Sports Development Act.” This action evidently shows the support of the government to physical development of learners. This also aids students in properly appreciating the value of social, mental, and physical growth.
Guided with such legal basis, the K to 12 PE curriculum highlights the importance of fitness and movement instruction as one of the foundations of development among learners. For achieving and maintaining fitness connected to health and maximizing wellness, the curriculum encompasses the values, knowledge, abilities, and experiences associated to physical activity participation (DepEd, 2016). It likewise acknowledges that the family, school, community, and greater society must all participate in fitness and good physical activity practices.
Like other subjects, teaching PE stresses the relationship between theory and practical abilities. Its goal is to increase students’ interest in and potential for success in activities and sports-related fields. It will advance students’ welfare by assisting them in developing a greater grasp of ideas and applications in the disciplines of human mobility and health. To attain these principles, the researcher believes that they must be combined with teaching strategies and procedures that are developmentally appropriate.
However, several problems, including teacher qualifications, instructional delivery, evaluation of students’ learning outcomes, and the availability of physical facilities and equipment, are preventing schools from offering a high-quality PE program. These issues could make it difficult to teach physical education and, as a result, affect students’ performance in the subject.
As observed by the researcher, some schools are having trouble finding trained PE teachers, which forces non-majors to teach the subject. In fact, one of the characteristics of a good PE program, according to Starck (2018), is the qualifications of the teachers. In addition, the availability of physical resources, facilities, and equipment hinders teachers’ capacity to give instruction and their ability to use the best techniques for their learners.
The availability of adequate instructional resources, sporting goods, and facilities makes it easier for students to put the theories and ideas of different sports into practice, which enhances their learning experience (Mendoza, 2020; Gonzales, 2019). The researcher believes that lack of the tools might lead to learners not participating or being engaged in the subject. According to Brubaker (2019), the availability of adequate facilities allowed students to participate in more sports and other physical activities.
Additionally, the nature of PE demands students to engage in a variety of performance tasks and gain skills that are challenging to measure using straightforward pen-and-paper evaluation instruments. It appears that some teachers struggle to choose the best technique for evaluating a particular performance, which leads to a poor assessment and insufficient feedback for learners.
Furthermore, the present SHS curriculum only allots one hour for physical education each week, leaving little time for teaching and implementing the curriculum’s suggested learning tasks and activities. Thus, some teachers placed less emphasis on physical education, which can be seen in the declining participation of learners in various physical activities and exercises. Although difficult, it is essential for school administrators and teachers to come to an agreement on the activities and initiatives that would promote the efficient execution of the PE program.
Hence, an effective PE program includes a wide range of activities that provide students the chance to receive the varied experiences they need for their overall growth. It thoroughly evaluates the goals and objectives of the curriculum, the methods used for teaching and evaluating students, the facilities, tools, and supplies, as well as the teachers and school personnel. To provide students with education that is worthy of them, it is necessary that school administrators and teachers collaborate.
The researcher was inspired to carry out this study because of the problems encountered by school administrators and teachers while implementing the PE program in SHS. As a PE teacher, the researcher is also interested in learning about different strategies that can maximize the use of the resources at hand. His own experiences increased his interest in analyzing the issues in the implementation of the PE program.
To develop a contextualized action plan that might help the SHS PE program at San Juan East and West Sub-Offices, it is deemed necessary to examine it first. Thus, the focus of this study is identifying the areas where PE program execution in the sub-offices falls short and developing strategies to reduce these problems. It is also important to consider the curriculum, program objectives, teacher qualification, equipment and physical facilities, recreation, sports, and wellness.
Since the coordinated efforts of educational leaders provide a high-quality PE program, the researcher thinks it is also crucial to evaluate the support given to the program by school administrators and instructional leaders. In turn, they may likewise use the study as benchmark for creating programs and projects that are important and pertinent to students’ growth.
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