Investigating Institutional Barriers and Frequency of Teaching the School Physical Exercise and Sport Programme in Public Primary Schools of Three Selected Districts

The process of teaching and learning physical exercise and sport (PES) programme in public primary schools is largely influenced by the availability of institutional resources. It is widely acknowledged that the PES programme is an essentialcomponent of basic education curriculum that promotes fitness, social wellbeing and academic achievement. Institutions that have adequate teaching and learning resources for the PES programme are able to spark the interest of students as well as motivate them (students) to engage in a lifetime physical activity (PA) for health and wellbeing. Despite these benefits, there are concerns about lack of teaching the PES programme in public primary schools. The absence of instructional resources is a potential threat to effective implementation of the PES programme in schools. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1) examine perceived institutional barriers that impeded teaching of PES programme, 2) determine the order of magnitude by which these perceived barriers impeded lesson delivery in PES and 3) explore the relationship between perceived institutional barriers and the frequency at which PES lessons were taught in the public primary schools. The study design was cross- sectional descriptive survey. We acquired ethical clearance from Institutional Review Board of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Multistage sampling technique yielded a sample of 172 subjects out of estimated population of 300 from three selected districts. Validated and reliable self-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Pre-data analyses were performed to screen and clean data from probable errors during data entering All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 17). The findings of the study suggested that institutional barriers negatively impacted the frequency of teaching PES programme in public primary schools. The study found that lack of resources such as equipment, facilities, and supplies were the major barriers to the implementation of the PES program. Lack of equipment ranked the highest institutional barrier to effective teaching of PES programme, while large class ranked the least. Negative correlation was found between institutional barriers and frequency at which PES lessons were taught. The institutional barriers which included inadequate supply of equipment, facilities and supplies have practical and policy implications. The findings of this study suggested that policies should be developed to ensure that PES programme is taught regularly in public primary schools. We recommend that policymakers should address these institutional barriers by allocating adequate funds, providing a comprehensive curriculum, and training for teachers to effectively teach the school PES programme. Doing so will ensure that children in basic schools have access to effective PES programmes that will enhance their overall development.