Assessment of Physical Education Teaching Methodology of the Secondary School Level in the Colombo District

The assessment of “teaching methods” is widely considered in the field of education as one of the measurement tools of successful teaching. This research, focused on the assessment of Physical Education teaching methodology, attempted to determine which factors can be used as tools for building positive teacher-student relationships. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the practices in accordance with accepted teaching methodology adopted in teaching Health and Physical Education, and to compare the guided methods with current practices of Physical Education teaching in Sri Lanka. An in-depth literature assessment was used to formulate a conceptual model of the observations and to broaden theory.

A qualitative research design was applied to examine the teaching methodology of secondary schools in the Colombo district teachers. The study population was the Health and Physical Education subject teachers who are currently teaching in the Colombo district. Thirty-one Health and Physical Education teachers (N=31) representing thirty-one schools (1 AB school type) in the Colombo Education Zone took part in the study, using a purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to collect data. The study provided conclusions after thematic analysis was used to analyze data and examine themes within the data.

The study revealed that the Physical Education teacher preparation education, the teacher’s innovative ability in application of different teaching methods for teaching both the theory and practical aspects of the subject, the curriculum, the teacher-student ratio per classroom, the facilities, and a suitable background were all identified as key elements of a successful teaching method. In addition, the results indicated reasons and factors affecting poor teaching methodology of the Health and Physical Education teachers of the secondary schools in the Colombo district.

Keywords: physical education; teaching methodology; assessment; teaching process