Primary School Physical Education at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Could Online Teaching Undermine Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Work Engagement?

Erica Gobbi,Maurizio Bertollo,Selenia Di Fronso,Attilio Carraro,Alessandra Colangelo

doi:10.3390/su13179830

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate whether primary school classroom teachers reported changes in physical education teaching self-efficacy (SE-PE) and work engagement (WE) during the first COVID-19 wave. A total of 622 classroom teachers filled in an online questionnaire on SE-PE and WE, referring to before and during the lockdown, and on perceived digital competence. While controlling for perceived digital competence, a mixed between-within Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (RM-MANCOVA) was performed, using a factorial design with two time categories (before vs. during the lockdown) and three age categories (≤40 vs. 41–50 vs. ≥51 years). The RM-MANCOVA revealed that perceived digital competence significantly adjusted teachers’ SE-PE and WE values (p < 0.001). The analysis yielded a significant multivariate main effect by time (p < 0.001) and by time × age categories (p = 0.001). Follow-up univariate ANCOVA showed significant differences by time in teachers’ SE-PE (p < 0.001) and WE (p < 0.001), with a reduction in both values from before to during the lockdown. A Bonferroni post hoc pairwise comparison showed teachers’ SE-PE significantly decreased in all age categories (p < 0.001). The present findings confirm the importance of promoting SE-PE among primary school teachers, regardless of the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers’ self-efficacy and WE are essential to master the challenges of PE teaching.

Highlights

As in many countries worldwide, Italy was strongly affected by COVID-19 (official data: http://opendatadpc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/b0c68bce2cce478eaac82fe38d4138b1), and in March 2020, in the attempt to contain the global pandemic, the Italian government temporarily closed the educational institutions
Amid school closures, teaching Physical Education (PE) confronted teachers with an unprecedented challenge, while struggling with the lack of governmental guidance and concerns related to COVID-19 pandemic consequences
Primary school teachers were invited to complete once a 15-min-long online questionnaire, available from the end of April 2020 to the end of May 2020. This period corresponded with the school closure imposed in Italy to contain the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Introduction

As in many countries worldwide, Italy was strongly affected by COVID-19 (official data: http://opendatadpc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/b0c68bce2cce478eaac82fe38d4138b1 (accessed on 4 June 2020)), and in March 2020, in the attempt to contain the global pandemic, the Italian government temporarily closed the educational institutions. While supporting students’ learning and development, teachers faced considerable challenges in adapting to online teaching. Teachers, students, and their families had to cope with a completely new situation [1], which led to the implementation of new strategies, radically changing the processes of teaching/learning and interpersonal communication [2]. Amid school closures, teaching PE confronted teachers with an unprecedented challenge, while struggling with the lack of governmental guidance and concerns related to COVID-19 pandemic consequences. Teachers needed to radically transform the discipline contents, methodologies, practices, and communication strategies [9]. Italian secondary school PE teachers provided their pedagogical contents increasing the use of digital technologies (e.g., live streaming classes or video tutorials) and renovating the pedagogical formats used in their classes to promote students’

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