Perceptions of the benefits and limitations of hybrid physical education lessons that combine virtual professors with an in-person professor

Exploring teachers’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid physical education classes is a vital knowledge area because the lack of a solid empirical framework on the effectiveness of structured digital tools in hybrid learning creates significant gaps. These gaps impact the development and consistency of blended teaching methods in physical education. This study aims to examine the perceptions of pre-university and university teachers regarding the benefits and limitations of hybrid physical education (PE) lessons by implementing a six-session program focused on the use of digital tools and the efficient organization of hybrid learning. A total of 323 teachers participated in the questionnaire titled “Benefits and Limitations of Hybrid PE Lessons Combining Virtual Professors with In-Person Professors” (QHPEL), which included Scale A (Benefits, 13 items) and Scale B (Limits, 15 items). The study results showed very high internal consistency and reliability for the two QHPEL scales. After the training, the effect sizes for Scale A (0.867) and Scale B (0.774) were very large and large, respectively. The final benefits perception score significantly improved to 49.544 ± 10.127, indicating high appreciation, while perceptions of limitations improved to a medium level at 42.796 ± 15.083. The differences observed between assessments confirm the intervention’s success and highlight the transformative potential of integrating digital technologies into the PE educational process. The hybrid model, which combines the strengths of virtual and in-person teaching, emerges as a dynamic and adaptable solution. The development and implementation of a six-session hybrid-learning program dedicated to PE teachers from the pre-university environment demonstrated its effectiveness by reducing perceptual limitations.