Eastern Cape teachers’ perceptions of their pedagogical content knowledge in Physical Education

Abstract

In South Africa, the Physical Education (PE) curriculum has been reimplemented after an absence of more than a decade. The new South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) stipulates that thirty minutes to two hours’ teaching time per week be allocated to PE. The reintegration poses challenges, as teachers are under- and unqualified, with low self-efficacy and actual ability in PE-based pedagogical content knowledge. The lack of qualified specialist PE teachers is a current national dilemma. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of Eastern Cape teachers’ Physical Education qualifications and self-efficacy in pedagogical content knowledge. Forty-two teachers from eight primary and secondary schools, both low- and highresourced and from both urban and rural areas, were purposively sampled. The Sport in Development Impact Assessment Tool, a structured questionnaire, was used to gather quantitative data. Descriptive statistics indicated that most teachers had no formal Physical Education qualifications (76.2%) or had not participated in Physical Education informal training (69.0%) or non-formal training (76.2%). There were variations in the teachers’ confidence levels regarding Physical Education-based pedagogical content knowledge. Only 31.8% were very confident. Most teachers (80.0%) believed that teacher training was a problem. It is imperative to improve teachers’ PE-based self-efficacy and professional competence through continuing professional teacher development.