Influence of School leadership on Physical Education Curriculum Design at Primary level in schools of Karnataka

Abstract

Curriculum Development in Physical Education is the integral part of modern education system; which aims at fostering holistic approach towards achieving optimum fitness among students starting from the early age towards adolescence. However, the process is often shaped by certain demographic characteristics and professional backgrounds of the institutional heads. The present study focuses on investigating the influence of selected demographic determinants on curriculum development by eliciting responses by the Heads of institutions towards curriculum development in Physical Education. Methodology – A descriptive survey design was adopted. Sixty Heads of Institutions/Administrators/Principals from ICSE, CBSE and State Board Schools participated across four divisions of Karnataka (Belgaum, Mysuru, Gulbarga and Bengaluru). A validated questionnaire was formulated which comprised 47 opinion statements on five-point Likert scale was administered. Descriptive statistics was used alongside independent T tests and one way ANOVA which examined the differences in the demographic variables based on gender, geographical location, divisions and school affiliations were also considered for the analysis in this study. Results-The findings revealed a strong consensus among school administrators that Physical Education should be a compulsory subject for children aged 6–12 years. High mean scores indicated strong support for health and wellness promotion, motor development, age-appropriate curriculum design, inclusion of indigenous activities and yogic practices, and practical orientation of Physical Education. No significant differences were observed in opinion scores based on gender, geographical location (rural–urban), or divisions (p > 0.05). However, a significant difference was found across school affiliations (F = 3.2086, p < 0.05), with administrators from ICSE schools reporting higher mean opinion scores compared to CBSE and State Board schools. Online teaching of Physical Education received the lowest mean scores, indicating limited acceptance among school administrators. Conclusion- School leaders uniformly advocated for a structured, systematic, need-based, compulsory and a child centric Physical Education Curriculum for primary education targeted for the children aged between 6-12 years. The differences revealed across the school affiliations highlighted the significance of need based or essential contextualized curriculum framework. A strengthened infrastructure and a policy level support to enhance the standards of Physical Education curriculum in Karnataka is the need of the hour. This research proposes inputs valuable for designing a curriculum which is customised, need based, inclusive and sustainable Physical Education Curriculum in alignment with the Nation’s educational objectives.