Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management

When We Were Clumsy: Some Memories of Adults who were Low Skilled in Physical Education at School
Luis M. Ruiz-Pérez, Miriam Palomo-Nieto, Miguel A. Gómez-Ruano, José A. Navia-Manzano

Abstract
One of the least commented and hidden aspect in Physical Education and Sport (PE&S)is the presence of low skilled students who are not able to learn satisfactorily the skills of their programs. The study of motor clumsiness has been confined to the therapeutic field. Thus, physical education teachers have accepted that problems of low motor competence were a matter of lack of motivation. This study presents the memories of adults who were low skilled in physical education classes when they were schoolchildren. The study included ten adults aged 25 to 56 who openly declared themselves as clumsy in the PE classes. They responded voluntarily to an interview related to their experiences, feelings and cognitions in these classes. The results showed that for these adults PE&S classes were experienced negatively, generating feelings of humiliation, indifference or rejection. Their teachers and classmates did not help to solve this problem, on the contrary they were part of the problem being a source of anxiety and difficulty. It can be said that these students were ignored by their teachers as well as that were mistreated by them and their peers. As a conclusion, PE&S subject should assume the presence of these students in their classes and to offer a teaching approach that help them to overcome their lack of competence with enriching experiences, adapting tasks and specific teacher’s methodologies.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpesm.v5n1a4