Esporte no ensino fundamental: presença e valores

Abstract

Informal observation of the behavior of students newly enrolled in high school during sport activities in Physical Education classes revealed pupils apparently constrained, inhibited, away from the group, as if they would not want to take part in the game. Such apparent lack of motivation and interest in sports practice raised the curiosity of understanding how students see Physical Education classes in elementary school as to technical, tactical, performance, competition and sporting rules as well as the values they learn. This understanding is described in this study based on a research whose starting point is the following question: as knowledge of physical education, sport in its different themes is actually being learned in classes at the fundamental level? The research aimed to identify and analyze learning evidence of sports knowledge through the perception of former students from elementary level. As a bibliographic and descriptive research, it followed qualitative approach. Data come from questionnaire (with closed and open-ended questions) applied to students of public and private schools of Itumbiara, state of Goiás. They were analyzed through a statistical description and the technique of units of meaning. Results show, among other aspects, that the advances produced by theoretical thought on physical education teaching have changed little the hegemony of so-called traditional sports in classes. Physical education’ contents students are provided with are still restrained to indoor soccer, volleyball, and handball. Underlying the lack of opportunity to experience other modalities would be the lack of infrastructure, organization, and content planning. In addition, sports practice still would retain certain elements of high performance sports such positive results as the ultimate end of sport practice in schools. These results allow saying that the physical aptitude still permeates Physical Education classes, above all because it lacks practice opportunities that could encourage students to enjoy the culture of the sport so that that learning sports meant to incorporate useful values to reinforce man’s cultural and human condition.