Opinions On Education And Children’s Education For Life Through Physical Education Means

Abstract

Nowadays, the need for education in general and life coaching for children in particular is more present than ever because of the population’s decrease in interest for education. In this context, studies and publications reveal that some of the causes of this negative phenomenon are of several categories like: family, education system, curriculum, level of didactic tasks, even the whole Romanian society. As part of a larger project, the present paper aims to highlight the opinions of teachers and parents about the influence of dynamic games on improving motor skills, self-confidence and group integration, support for lifelong learning and an active lifestyle in the future. Dynamic games represent a very useful and pleasant part of Physical education. The questionnaire, as the main method of research, was applied to 40 teachers and parents of pupils from the “Alexandru Costescu” Middle School, Bucharest. The questionnaire has three sections and 14 items as follows: first, 5 items for education, second, 3 items related to education for life, and the last part, 6 items concerning Physical education and dynamic games. The results were synthesised and statistically processed by quantitative and qualitative analysis. Opinions are positive for movement in general and games recommended for children.

Keywords: Educationeducation for lifephysical educationdynamic games

Introduction

In the context of the attention paid by the European Commission to the health and welfare of their citizens, a special place is taken by the raising, development and integration of children and youth through programs belonging to the education sphere. So, one of the European general objectives referring to education and life coaching is centred on the active citizen and the social cohesion by the integration of this citizen into community.

Education plays a highly important part starting with the pre-school level and going on throughout the entire life. The right to education is a fundamental human right stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 26), according to which “Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. […] Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality” (United Nations, 2012). In conformity with this Declaration, Romania included a reference to the right to education in the article 32 of the Constitution: “The right to education is ensured by the compulsory general education, high school and vocational education, higher education and other forms of training and refresher courses” (Camera Deputaților, 1991).

Education - as a process and an outcome of all actions meant to develop the children’s and young people’s capacity for knowledge - is a field that entailed numerous studies and research. Actually, the importance and role of education in people’s lives, as revealed by research, has led to the extension of the periods allocated to education and to the lifelong diversification of education types.

Referring to the basic concept of education, Arung (2016) says: “Education is simply to humanise the human beings. This is crucial definition since people do not understand what education is. In fact, people see education for merely just a formal activity. They tend to ignore the basic concept of the education itself”. Starting from this reference, we believe that education for life is a significant component of the concept. It ensures the transfer of knowledge, skills and abilities created and assimilated in school to actions and responses required by concrete situations of real life.

In our opinion, the school and the teachers, through the specific teaching-learning activities and the extracurricular and complementary activities, have a decisive role in the identification and development of children’s potential “for personal growth and well-being, as well as in helping them to acquire the complex range of knowledge, skills and key competences that they will need as citizens throughout their personal, social and professional lives” (Council of the European Union, 2009).

In conformity with all the elements shown above, the “Alexandru Costescu” Middle School of Bucharest implements the “Education for life” program at primary and middle school levels. This is a program complementary to the compulsory school activity and gives the opportunity of formal and non-formal learning in order to consolidate competencies, implement remedial learning and accelerate learning by educative, recreational and leisure time activities. “Education for life” is a program that lends support to students and their families and to teachers and school as well. Our approach correlates with the purpose and objectives of the program, as we intend to highlight the influence of means specific to Physical education (especially dynamic games) on the full and normal development of schoolchildren, improving their physical and mental potential, taking into account the child’s own pace, emotional needs and fundamental activity specific to the age. It is generally known that playing means to fulfil some established objectives by the means and contents appropriate to the age; it means to create situations similar to real-life situations by respecting certain rules. Speaking about the play, Buhler wrote: “The child who plays will learn to accept and fulfil a duty” (Todea, 2002, p. 11). Each movement has a clear role in the content of the dynamic games. “At the same time, they focus on the overcoming of different challenges or obstacles in order to reach the intended target in the ever-changing conditions of the game environment” (Motroc, 2009, p. 199).

Problem Statement

Research questions

Our study was based on the following question: What are teachers’ and parents’ opinions about the impact of dynamic games on both the body and personality of schoolchildren participating in the study, and also on their ability to use what they have learnt in various life situations?

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to highlight the teachers’ and parents’ opinions on education and its contribution to children’s education for life, extracurricular sports activities and the dynamic games programs in the instructional-educational process meant to improve their performances in terms of school results and personal level as well.

Research Methods

Findings

We will show hereby the percentage, score and rank for section A of the questionnaire, “Opinions about education (schooling system)” (Table 03).

The table above shows the percentages and scores for each item, in each response variant, the score (“Total”) obtained for each item representing: the agreement of subjects with the content of the questionnaire items – if the score is positive, or their disagreement, if the score is negative.

In the opinion of the subjects, it is compulsory to complete all the education cycles in order to ensure the students’ quality of life (A 4), an item for which the strongest agreement was manifested (Rank 1). This one was followed by item A2, according to which: “Education has a decisive contribution to the formation of students’ behavioural skills” (Rank 2), then by item A1: “Education is important for students’ personality development” (Rank 3); rank 4 is occupied by the item according to which “Education ensures the social integration of students”, and rank 5, by the item A8, stating that “The intellectual particularities of primary school students are important in the educational process”. The next items show that intellectual particularities (A5) and motor particularities (A6) of primary school students are important for the educational process (both with rank 6.5); the item that has received the smallest agreement from the participants in the research is A7, according to which the life abilities of primary school students are important in the educational process (9 points).

The frequency of choices for Section B, “Opinions about education for life”, is shown in Table 04 .

The qualitative interpretation for Section B of the questionnaire, “Opinions about education for life” is shown in Table 05 .

The analysis of the results (depending on the score recorded) highlighted that the most powerful agreement (for the entire section B) was received by the item according to which the success in life means first of all: “Level of education” (68 points), then the items “Perseverance and discipline” (66 points) and “Sustained effort” (62 points) are the condition of success. The poorest agreement was related to the fact that “Money” (5 points) would mean success in life.

The review of the responses to item B9 reveals that the participants in this research think that the success in life firstly means: “Level of education” (68 points), followed by: “Starting and maintaining a family” (57 points), “Social prestige” (44 points), “Successful career” (39 points) and “Money” (5 points).

In the case of item B10, referring to the conditions required for success, the strongest agreement was manifested for “Perseverance and discipline” (66 points), followed by: “Sustained effort” (62 points), “Emotional balance” (60 points), “Ability to make decisions and assume them” (57 points), “Order in one’s own activity” and “Motivation” (56 points each of them), “Existence of education programs to this purpose”, “Self-achievement aspiration”(54 points each of them), “Existence of short-term, medium-term and long-term action strategies” (51 points). The lowest agreement was manifested for “Development and support of interpersonal relationships” (46 points).

For item B11, “In your opinion, the school trains students for life by…”, the strongest agreement was shown for “School classes” (59 points), followed by “Extracurricular activities (camps, competitions, trips etc.)” (58 points) and “School after-school” (57 points).

The frequency of choices for Section C, “Opinions about physical education and its contribution to students’ education for life”, is shown in Table 06 .

We present hereby the qualitative interpretation for Section C of the questionnaire, “Opinions about physical education and its contribution to students’ education for life” (Table 07 ).

Group C contains the scores recorded for the items related to Physical education and its contribution to the development of students’ personality and their education for life. Speaking of the whole section C of the questionnaire, the highest score was received by item C17.1 (70 points), according to which physical education, through the dynamic games, contributes largely and very largely to the development of “Courage; Perseverance; Will; Discipline”; the lowest score was obtained by item C14.6, stating that “Money or other material rewards” would be “the suitable reward at Physical Education that is important in the education for life”.

For item C14, “Which would be the suitable reward at Physical education that is important in the education for life?”, the participants in the research manifested the strongest agreement for “Accumulated knowledge, abilities and competencies developed” (61 points), followed by: “Encouragements, praises, congratulations” (58 points), “Diplomas, medals, cups” (57 points), “Image of the student within the classroom” (46 points), “Grades” (25 points) and “Money”(4 points).

Item C17 evaluated the opinions of teachers and parents related to the attitudinal and motivational characteristics developed by Physical education through the dynamic games organized during the class. The most powerful agreement was shown for “Courage; Perseverance; Will; Discipline” (this item was the most appreciated within the entire questionnaire, receiving 70 points), followed, in the order of scores, by the qualities: “Involvement in reality, proper behaviour (observance of the rules)”, “Integration into a group, good social presence and collaboration” (62 points for each of them), “Motivation and self-motivation”, “Awareness-raising, control and self-control” (61 points for each of them), “Management of emotions and self-acceptance ability”, “Self-control in situations of success or failure” (56 points for each of them), “Knowledge of one’s own aspirations and limits” (55 points).The lowest score at this item was for “Resistance to frustration and stress”(52 points).

Conclusion

This paper revealed the teachers’ and parents’ opinions about the importance of the education for life, especially about the implications of Physical education through extracurricular sports activities and dynamic games programs, in the modelling of students’ personality and their personal and school performances, in the case of primary cycle students of the “Alexandru Costescu” Middle School of Bucharest.

All items have recorded positive scores, indicating the participants’ agreement with the statements included in the questionnaire items. Taking into consideration the whole questionnaire, the highest score (namely 70 – Rank 1 at the level of the whole questionnaire) is obtained by the statement that Physical education, through the dynamic games organized during the lesson, develops the following attitudinal and motivational traits: “Courage; Perseverance; Will; Discipline”. The participants in the research also expressed a strong agreement concerning the following statements: “For the quality of life, it is compulsory to cover all the education cycles” (namely 68 – Rank 2.5 at the level of the entire questionnaire) and “In your opinion, the success in life means: the level of education” (namely 68 – Rank 2.5 at the level of the entire questionnaire).

The lowest rank in terms of the participants’ agreement with the statements of the questionnaire was item C14.6, stating that “Money or other material rewards” (4 points) would be “the suitable reward at Physical education that is important in the education for life”. (The positive score highlights that the participants in the research express their agreement regarding this statement, but, in comparison with the other items of the questionnaire, this is the smallest value). The last but one rank is taken by the statement: “For you, the success in life means: Money”.

Taking into account all responses to this questionnaire, we notice the general tendency of parents and teachers to appreciate more the mental traits (personality, character) and less the material factors.

Acknowledgments

This study was conducted under the aegis of the Doctoral School of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Bucharest.

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