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Article Title: The Status of Physical Education and Its Relation to Attitudes towards the Teaching of the Subject in Masvingo Urban Primary Schools
by Jenet Mudekunye and Josiah Chaonwa Sithole

Abstract:
The study aimed to determine the status of Physical Education and its relation to the teaching of the subject in Masvingo urban primary schools. The study adopted the descriptive survey design in which a questionnaire and the structured interview were used as data collection instruments. Five degreed primary school Heads and thirty teachers were purposively sampled from a population of three hundred and one teachers (301) and twelve Heads from twelve Masvingo urban primary schools respectively. The study established that Physical Education enjoyed varied statuses from one school to another. At some schools it enjoyed a low status whilst at a few schools it enjoyed a high status. Overall, Physical Education enjoyed a low status in the urban primary schools. Owing to the low status, teachers had generally negative attitudes towards the teaching of the subject though a few had positive attitudes towards it. The findings call for, among other things the desirability of teaching Physical Education seriously as an important subject on the curriculum. The research is significant in that it sensitizes teachers, school administrators and curriculum developers on challenges posed by Physical Education in the primary school system. In academia, it stimulates debate which may lead researchers to enquire into why Physical Education is neglected as a subject in the primary school curriculum in Zimbabwe.

Keywords: physical education, curriculum implementation, attitudes, status, teaching, physical education goals.

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