Physical education class on high school in Caruaru´s state public schools: compulsory curriculum component or an optional? - doi: 10.4025/reveducfis.v22i1.9580

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the context of physical education classes in a representative sample of high school students of public network schools in Caruaru/PE, selected by two-stage cluster sampling. 600 students were interviewed through a questionnaire, previously validated. Participation, offering, content and waiving classes were investigated. The data was analyzed in SPSS 15.0 using chi-square and chi-square for tendencies tests (p<0.05). In the schools that offer the classes only 37.6% students participate and the remains claimed to be exempt. However, only 34% of the students qualified to be legally exempt. Only 14.3% of the classes are offered during regular school hours. Whenever classes are offered outside of regular school hours, the participation drops significantly, and the number of exemptions not provided by law increases. It has been observed that physical education has lost its class status, and in reality it has become optional despite being a mandatory curricular component.