Abstract
Background
Competitive activities and games in physical education classes can be beneficial for several aspects. However, the teachers often believe that proposing such kind of activity is too risky.
Aims
The paper reports the development and validation of an instrument to assess primary teachers’ beliefs about competitive activities in physical education (PE) and aims to provide evidence for the construct validity and reliability of the instrument.
Methods
The study is based on a mixed methods design consisting- of literature review and thematic analyses for the item generation and organisation in themes, and a quantitative part for the examination of the psychometric properties. The quantitative part involved a sample of 433 participants, consisting of in-service primary school teachers and Primary Education Science students. Two hundred seventy-one participants reported to have experience in competitive sports.
Results
Literature review identified 16 eligible papers, and 37 items were extracted and organised in themes. Thematic Analysis suggested two themes: benefits and risks of competitive activities. Confirmatory Factor Analysis allowed for item reduction and supported two dimensions with eight items each. MANOVA highlighted being in-service teachers and having experience in competitive sports to be two predictive criteria of lower beliefs of risks.
Conclusions
The Benefits and Risks of Competitive Activities in Physical Education (BRCA-PE) scale demonstrated construct validity for use within an Italian speaking population. This instrument could be useful in informing teacher education programmes.