The status of physical education curriculumin six Arab countries: International perspective

Abstract

This study examines the status of the Physical Education (PE) curriculum for students between the ages of 1 2 -1 5 in Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain , Yemen, and Jordan as viewed by the PE teachers. The questionnaire used consisted of 34 items plus two open-ended questions. Two hundred and twenty six teachers were randomly selected. The results showed that the majority of teachers in all the countries studied concentrated on (1) physical skills more than teaching the theory of PE and promoting a healthy lifestyle, (2) team activities as opposed to individual activities, and (3) command styles were used during PE lessons with no assessment of theoretical skills. Therefore, in order to raise the status of P E in these countries the study makes the following recommendations: (1) teaching a balance of both theory and practice in PE classes and (2) increasing student participation in PE by selecting a wide of variety of team and individual activities.