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Challenges of physical education, sports, and recreation in Ecuador: The teaching competences

Abstract:

This work belongs to the reflexive critical paradigm of educational research, and aims to identify the shortcomings and strengths of the implementation of the subject Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation in Ecuador; analyze them based on their context; and propose successful alternatives. Participants were seven hundred students from primary and secondary education and university, as well as parents and teachers in current professional practice, who were randomly selected from 45 public and private schools located in the province of Manabí, Ecuador. The Satisfaction Analysis Questionnaire in Physical Education was applied, together with the Teacher Competencies Model of Marchesi. Among the main findings, insufficient levels of satisfaction of students' and parents' expectations are shown in regard to sports practice carried out at the participating schools. In addition, the self-evaluation of teaching competencies revealed a tendency toward the low levels in most of the categories studied; results that are confirmed by data from the observation of classes. These results allow us to infer that we should work on improving the knowledge of public administration regarding education, motivation to teaching, and curricular innovation, so to overcome the current limitations. Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation subject taught in the Ecuadorian education centers can be positively transformed by strengthening teachers' competences, as well as it can be enhanced through a more committed participation of students' parents.