Teachers' perceptions of the teaching situation in Physical Education in secondary education: a qualitative study

Physical Education is currently considered a subject of great importance for the physical and cognitive development of students. However, teachers seem to encounter several difficulties in actual practice. The objective of this study was to identify and classify the problems perceived by Physical Education teachers in secondary school. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 teachers aged 46.32 (SD=7,59) years old and 21.47 (SD=7,91) years of teaching experience from educational centres in the Community of Madrid. The results show a problem that is grouped into three main themes: first, teaching function; secondly, regulations and curricular organization; and finally, interaction in the classroom. Most noteworthy are low evaluation received by the teachers and the subject, the restrictions imposed by the regulations and the curriculum for proper practice, and the difficulties existing in the teacher-student interaction in the classroom. The information obtained coincides in some existing aspects of the literature that has addressed this topic and provides elements of interest for reflection on possible solutions for improving teaching quality processes.