The Secondary School Curriculum: Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the perspective of teachers and students within the same secondary schools on the physical education (PE) curriculum offered. Method: Semistructured interviews with secondary school PE teachers and a focus group with their students were conducted within a large school district located on the east coast of the United States. The collaborative qualitative analysis procedures suggested by Richards and Hemphill were used. Results: Three main themes were identified: (a) fitness with two subthemes of (i) what fitness means and (ii) fitness in PE, (b) the PE curriculum, and (c) curriculum decisions. Discussion/Conclusion: Teachers discussed wanting students to be active and improve their cardiovascular fitness and, from their own account and that of their students, acknowledged “rolling the ball out” so that students could play and not be bothered with drills and learning tasks. This lack of instruction, unfortunately, left low-skilled students more vulnerable.