Verbal Aggressiveness and Argumentativeness in Physical Education: Perceptions of Teachers and Students in Qualitative and Quantitative Exploration

Abstract

This study is aiming at examining 1) physical education teachers’ self-perceived verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness, 2) students’ perceptions about verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness developed by their teachers, in order to assess the communicational accordance between students’ and teachers’ perceptions in elementary, junior and high schools. A combination of qualitative (study 1) and quantitative methods (study 2) has been implemented for this purpose. Fifteen PE teachers (6 females and 9 males), participated in the qualitative study; and 894 students (442 males, 452 females), participated in the quantitative study. According to the study 1, argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are features that co-exist to a person’s behavior. Five communicational PE teachers’ profiles have been detected (“high argumentativeness-low verbal aggressiveness” “moderate argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness”, “moderate argumentativeness-low verbal aggressiveness”, “low argumentativeness-high verbal aggressiveness”, “low argumentativeness-moderate verbal aggressiveness”). According to these, PE teachers who are capable of arguing are less likely to expose a verbally aggressive behavior. Determinants of this are students’ behaviors, attitudes and disagreements or conflicts. When arguments are avoided, verbal aggressiveness is enhanced. Verbal aggressiveness plays the role of discipline. The prompt transition from argumentativeness to verbal aggressiveness is explained by the fact that teachers can’t interpret the difference between attacks on a position. According to the study 2, the findings supported the differences in verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness between schools, showing at the same time students’ perceptions about their PE teachers. PE teachers’ reports about the perceived verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness were aligned in the vast majority of the profiles with their students’ perceptions.