THE EFFECT OF PUPIL VOICE ON THE PROVISION OF PHYSCIAL EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pupil voice on the provision of Physical Education (PE) in secondary schools in England and Wales. Eighteen participants were used in the study: fifteen pupils and three Heads of school PE departments. Semi-structured interviews were employed using three inductive themes, these were: pupil voice, physical literacy and child-centered approach. The interviews aimed to investigate the views and opinions of the pupils and Heads of the PE department on their perspectives and experiences of pupil voice, and to find out how it affected their PE lessons.

The study found that pupil voice plays a significant role in improving the provision of PE lessons. The teachers believed that a range of opportunities were available to the pupils to express their views in PE, however the pupils felt that more opportunities are required. It was noted that pupils gain a large range of lifetime skills when engaging with pupil voice and that pupil voice has helped to develop physically literate individuals. It was also highlighted that although teachers try to create child-centered learning environments within their PE lessons, there are still areas that they recognise could be improved, and pupil led sessions could gain prominence within the PE National Curriculum (NC).

Keywords: Pupil Voice; Physical Literacy; Child-Centered; High Quality Physical Education.