Towards Enhancing Quality Physical Education Lessons: The Role of Improvisation

Abstract

The role of improvisation is crucial in the formation of new ideas, and it is paramount where real objects are difficult to come across. However, there is little literature on the role of improvisation in the classroom teaching and teacher education context and how its practices in teaching could enhance education, as well as students learning in different contexts and domains. Therefore, this study examined the perceptions of student-teachers at colleges of education in Ghana on the role of improvisation in enhancing quality Physical Education lessons. The study adopted a qualitative approach as the research design to collect data from 10 student-teachers. The instrument used to gather the data was semistructured interviews while purposive and random sampling techniques were employed to select the participants. Thematic analysis was the main tool for the data analysis. The study revealed five themes namely: (1) promote understanding and maximise learners’ participation, (2) Reduce cost and expenditure, (3) Assist to achieve learning objectives (4) Promote creativity and innovation and (5) Make the learning experience real. These themes provide evidence of the role of improvisation in enhancing quality physical education lessons among college of education students in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The study recommends that teachers should be creative and have in-depth knowledge of improvisation to assist in effective teaching and learning to improve learners’ experiences.