Date

5-16-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Katelynn Wheeler

Keywords

Remote education, online physical education, physical education, remote physical education, online learning, physical education teachers

Disciplines

Education | Health and Physical Education

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand and describe the essence of the experiences of teachers who have taught physical education remotely. The problem is physical education is a core curriculum subject that is designed for in-person instruction and is not easily adaptable to an online setting. The central research question that this study sought to address was what are the experiences of K-12 physical education teachers who taught P.E. remotely? The theory guiding of this study is Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration as it details how people can adapt and adjust in response to stressful situations and adverse events. I chose a phenomenological research method with an exploratory focus. This study was vital to understanding the experiences of teachers who taught physical education in a remote setting. This type of design was most appropriate for this study because understanding the perspectives of the participants was important to be able to identify the unique challenges of the group being studied. The sample size was 10 participants from schools across the United States who have taught physical education remotely for at least one year in a traditional K-12 school. The data collection included answers from the individual interview questions, and information gathered from the focus groups and questionnaires. To analyze the data, I used a form of manual coding. I looked for themes and patterns and significant statements. I then created a list of non-overlapping statements about how the interviewee experienced the phenomenon being studied. This information was used to draft answers to the research questions. The findings indicated that although teaching physical education remotely is challenging, teachers can adapt and find creative ways to address these challenges in order to provide the best possible educational experience for the student, even when teaching physical education remotely.

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