Gender, physical education and the perception of teachers: an exploration

Abstract

COVID-19 has accentuated new methodological and epistemological-ontological questions in Physical Educa-tion. It is not only a didactic problem but sits alongside other central important issues waiting to be resolved, such as gender discrimination. This contribution presents evidence, gathered from twenty-eight P.E. teachers, on the subject of gender and the awareness that derives from it. This evidence deals with the tendencies towards competitiveness and performance inherited from sport, historically a male domain. Physical Education, due to its educational role, must address the issue of gender, in order to outline original and up to date strategies. The gender-related data from the questionnaire demonstrate that for the didactic orientation criteria applicable to Physical Education to be determined, teacher training needs to be initiated in the reflective laboratory, allowing for the fact that professional experience gained in school or through university training does not explore these issues in depth.