Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Competitive Activities: An Examination Through Social Media

This study investigated physical education Facebook social media platforms to analyze comments by in-service teachers regarding their perceptions and experiences using competitive activities during secondary physical education classes. The last 5 years’ worth of initial postings and successive comments by a member and group members were examined. The community of practice framework guided this study. Data were compared with appropriate practice in sport. Over 745 lines of data, teachers’ responses were analyzed using NVivo (version 10.0). The first theme focused on the real game and the athlete. The second theme discussed separating genders; this theme had two subthemes, including (a) skill and gender: coed is great if you have skill and (b) gender-specific activities. The third theme focused on inappropriate activities, toughening up students, and that keeping score is fun. Results indicated teachers’ shared and conflicted perceptions that involved skill and gender during competitive activities.