Researching the Behavior of Students Regarding the Multicultural Approach during of Physical Education Lesson in Greek Elementary School

Abstract

In recent years in Greece the systematic introduction of refugees and immigrant students has resulted in a change in the cultural environment in the field of primary education which in turn has influenced the teaching methods of the courses in an effort to in a better way approach the new situation. Physical Education as a school subject is a valuable tool for adaptability and approach to the new situation by introducing students with different cultures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the behaviors that are displayed during the physical education course by native students at primary schools for classmates of different nationalities. For the completion of the study, a sample of 1045 students of 5th and 6th grade was approached by random sampling representative from all regions of Greece. The data collection tool was a behavioral self-assessment questionnaire that has been used in another relevant research in the Greek scientific field. The analysis was performed with the IBM SPSSv21 Statistical Analysis package. From the results of the work, it seems that there are significant differences between the students of the 5th / 3rd grade and those of the 6th grade, as well as between boys and girls in the multicultural approach during the practice of physical-sports activities. In particular, 5th graders place more emphasis on rewarding good effort, positive reinforcement and motivation as well as accepting the rights of others, while 6th graders display more inappropriate verbal behavior and annoyance on others. The behavior of irresponsibility seems to be displayed to a greater extent by boys than by girls, while the latter ones exhibit the behavior of helping others to a greater extent.