"Look at Yourself": Teachers' Reflective Practices Toward Enjoyment in Primary School Physical Education

BACKGROUND: Enjoyment is key in primary school physical education (PE), yet ensuring enjoyable PE experiences for all children is challenging. Reflection may help teachers improve lesson quality and foster PE enjoyment.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study explored Dutch primary school teachers' perspectives on enjoyable PE and reflective practices. An online questionnaire was completed by 173 teachers (70.5% PE specialists, 29.5% generalists) who teach at least one PE lesson per week. Teacher type differences were analyzed using Chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and logistic regressions.

RESULTS: Perspectives on reflective practices were similar among teacher types. Generalists reported more teacher- and policy-related barriers to providing enjoyable PE, while specialists cited child-related challenges. Most teachers reflected internally, with limited use of written reflection or feedback from children and colleagues. Specialists used professional networks and peer feedback more. Time constraints and low prioritization were key barriers to reflection.

IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY: Schools should allocate time and promote reflection tools. Generalists could benefit from coaching and targeted professional development. For specialists, teacher education might foster reflective practices using video and child feedback to improve child outcomes like PE enjoyment.

CONCLUSIONS: Tailored strategies are needed to strengthen reflection and improve PE quality to foster children's PE enjoyment.