Perceptions of Secondary Physical Education Teachers on Standards-based Learning in the United States

This qualitative research aimed to explore perceptions of secondary physical education (PE) teachers on standards-based learning in the United States. A total of 18 individuals (male=8, female=10) were purposefully selected and participated in formal interviews that were deductively and inductively analyzed. The themes that emerged indicated there were favorable sentiments among participants about standards-based learning due, in part, to a deeply held conviction to a localized curricular approach. They, however, were concerned that the flexible PE standards have resulted in several issues such as inconsistent policy guidelines for curricular implementation, disparate program quality across states, and a limited range of teacher knowledge about standards-based education. The profession of secondary PE must provide unified, explicit standards-led guidelines for local curricula and promote quality teacher education programs aligned with the standards, thereby establishing a systematic foundation in the field. Further, standards-based reform for secondary PE would have to be consultative, requiring collaborative efforts among multiple levels of scholarly and administrative groups to lead to substantial, meaningful development.