Assessment in Physical Education in the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate in Spain: a qualitative study

Assessment represents an essential element in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of schools offering an International Baccalaureate education. This study explores the perspectives of four physical education (PE) teachers from an international school in Spain, through a phenomenographic analysis using in-depth interviews as the data collection tool. The results, organised around categories of description, show a number of tensions between national educational legislation and PYP guidelines. Some dysfunctions in the use of formative assessment and the pedagogical treatment of the assessment instruments used are also analysed. The problems encountered in the journey from assessment to marking are also explored, and finally the need is acknowledged for specific in-service training in assessment in the area of PE in the PYP. To date, we believe this is the first research worldwide on PE teaching in the PYP.