FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN VENEZUELA

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. The aim of this study is to verify the similarity or find out the discrepancy between the prescribed curriculum and the real curriculum taught in the classroom in the subject of Physical Education in the Primary Schools of Venezuela. For this purpose, the topic is revisited from a general curricular perspective that includes three common approaches: the technical, the interpretive and the hermeutical or critical. The proposals and normative Curricular Plans of the state of Venezuela for Primary Education are then reviewed and described in terms of these three approaches, with a focus on the technical approach. The METHODS used was an evaluation of the programs using Stuflebeam´s CIPP model. We also administered questionnaires to a representative sample of teachers and complemented these with qualitative instruments such as observation and interviews. The study evaluated elements such as physical aptitude, body rhythm, and outdoor activity at three different stages – the planning of teaching, the relationship between classroom practice and the prescribed Curricular Plan, and proposals for improvement. RESULTS. The research findings indicate that there is a significant disparity between what is prescribed and what is taught, and that this gap varies depending on the the category analyzed within the curriculum of Physical Education. DISCUSSION. This article is relevant in that it reveals the need to bring the reality of the classrooms closer to what is officially regulated. The representativeness of the sample would be greater if this study were reproduced in other states of Venezuela.