Teachers' perceptions of the impact of block scheduling on physical education programs

One way schools have attempted to address the relationship between time and student achievement has been by restructuring the school day. Many schools have moved from a traditional method of scheduling to block scheduling. The purpose of this study was to examine physical education teachers' perceptions regarding block scheduling and physical education. Through the use of a survey, information was gathered concerning allocated class time, instruction and planning.; The surveys were sent to one-third of the physical education directors listed in the New York State Coaches Directory. Surveys were sent to all schools that had been identified as utilizing block scheduling. The remainder of the sample was randomly selected from schools throughout New York State. The first two sections of the survey contained questions designed to gather basic demographic information as well as information on allocated time for physical education and core courses. In the third section, statements were created to elicit physical education teachers' perceptions regarding block and traditional scheduling. The final section of the survey was a series of open-ended questions that allowed teachers to provide their opinions on block scheduling. The answers to the first three sections were reported in terms of ranges, means, and standard deviations. The open-ended questions at the end of the survey were analyzed using the constant comparison method.; The results from this study indicated that physical education classes were allocated less time than core courses in both block and traditional schedules. Physical education classes did, however, gain class time when block scheduling was implemented. The majority of the survey respondents would prefer to teach in a block setting. The most common reason for choosing block scheduling was the extra class time and/or teaching time provided in block scheduling. Many of the teachers who would rather teach in a traditional schedule dislike the infrequency of classes in block scheduling. Teachers did not report a perceived increase in student achievement when block scheduling was implemented. This may indicate that the quality of a program is more important than how much time is dedicated to a subject.