Przemysław Kędra, Ph.D.

Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Physical Education and Health, Biala Podlaska, Poland

* Correspondence: przemyslaw.kedra@awf-bp.edu.pl

Abstract

Safety of physical education (PE) lessons poses a serious challenge to the functioning of the contemporary educational system. Research shows that there are numerous causes of accidents that result in injuries. This study sought to analyse PE teachers’ opinions regarding safety during lessons and potential risks associated with it. The analysis included 79 PE teachers employed in 17 schools. The author’s own questionnaire was used as the research tool. Prior to the research, the questionnaire was checked in terms of reliability. Over 67% of the respondents stated that students’ low physical fitness level was the main cause of accidents during PE lessons, while 58% of the study participants pointed to poor condition of sports facilities. It leads to a variety of injuries such as bruises, head and face injuries or sprains.  

Key words: injuries, school accidents, student, physical fitness level.

Background

Physical education (PE) plays an immensely important educational and health-promoting role.  It is an indispensable part of the health education system that is gaining significance due to numerous lifestyle diseases that already affect young generations. PE lessons are distinctive because of a higher risk of dangerous situations which may lead to injuries or even death. Statistical data show that accidents during PE lessons account for over 50% of all the accidents that take place in schools, and their number reaches tens of thousands. Therefore, safety of students during PE lessons constitutes schools’ primary responsibility, and it mainly falls on PE teachers.

This study sought to analyse PE teachers’ opinions regarding safety during lessons and potential risks associated with it.  

Research methods and organisation

         Seventy-nine PE teachers from 9 primary and 8 secondary schools from Lublin region participated in this anonymous study. The author’s own questionnaire was used as the research tool. Personal data collected in the course of the study included the length of professional experience and the type of school the teacher was employed in. The respondents were divided into 4 groups depending on the length of their professional experience. The division corresponded to the duration of particular stages of the professional promotion process. The questions included in the questionnaire concerned aspects of safety during PE lessons, causes of accidents and dangerous situations as well as professional skills of teachers.  

Results and discussion

The reliability score for all the analysed variables (expressed with Kappa coefficient) was equal to or higher than 0.93. The questionnaire was completed twice with an interval of one month. No significant differences between the results obtained in the two tests were revealed (p<0.05).

         Out of 79 respondents, 53 teachers (67.1%) claimed that low physical fitness level was the main cause of accidents during PE lessons. This view was expressed by teachers with the longest and the shortest professional experience. Poor condition of sports facilities was the second most common cause indicated by the study participants (58.2%). Too many students attending PE lessons was another frequent reason they reported (40.5%). It can be noted that together with an increase in the length of professional experience, there occurs a decrease in the number of teachers claiming that the lack of discipline on the part of students is the main cause of accidents (62.5 % vs. 50.0% vs. 45.0% vs. 39.1%) (Tab. 1).

         Afterwards, teachers were asked about the most common injuries picked up during PE lessons. In their opinion, students most frequently experienced lower limb bruises (41.8%), head and face injuries (34.2%) as well as upper limb bruises (30.4%). Other injuries that teachers mentioned were skin abrasions and wounds (26.6%). Lower and upper limb fractures were indicated as the least common injuries (Tab. 1).

Almost 47% of the respondents stated that in terms of safety, sports facilities available at school were satisfactory, while over 39% of the teachers considered them to be good. Only one in ten study participants claimed the facilities were very good, while very few of them (1.3%) were convinced they were in poor condition.   Similar responses were provided by teachers with the shortest and the longest professional experience (Tab. 2).

         Moreover, teachers were asked to self-assess their knowledge of legal regulations concerning safety. The largest group consisted of teachers who believed their knowledge was very good (39.2%) and good (31.6%). Only a few respondents stated their knowledge in this field was poor (3.8%) (Tab.2).

         More than 81% of the teachers with professional experience of less than 3 years and 50% of the teachers with experience of 4 to 6 years indicated that university studies were their main source of knowledge of safety regulations. In the group of respondents with 7 to 10 years of teaching experience as well as in those who had been working in this area for more than 10 years, the sources of knowledge included professional experience (50.0% vs. 56.5%, respectively), followed by courses and training completed during their professional careers (25.0% vs. 34.8%, respectively) (Tab. 2).

         Teachers were most often afraid that accidents during PE lessons would be caused by students themselves or would occur as a result of a random event (35.4%). It can be noted that with an increase in the length of professional experience, the percentage of teachers who claimed they felt no concern about potential injuries and accidents decreased (37.5% vs. 30.0% vs. 20.0% vs. 8.7%) (Tab. 2).

Table 1. The most common causes of accidents and injuries during PE lessons according to teachers, with regard to the length of their professional experience (n=79)

* it does not add up to 100% because more than one response could be provided

Table 2. Assessment of sports facilities, knowledge of safety rules and fears of teachers, with regard to the length of their professional experience

* it does not add up to 100% because more than one response could be provided

Summary and conclusions