Beliefs about constructivist-oriented teaching practices: A study with elementary physical education teachers

Abstract

The aim was to identify the beliefs about teaching practices oriented to constructivism by Elementary Physical Education teachers of the Florianópolis Metropolitan Nucleus, in Santa Catarina, Brazil. In this quantitative and descriptive study, 129 Physical Education teachers from Elementary School answered a questionnaire to characterize the participants, and a translated and adapted version of the Constructivist Teaching Practices Inventory in Elementary Physical Education - CTPI-EPE. Descriptive statistic and binary logistic regression analysis were used, with the aid of the open source software "R", version 3.6.1. The results revealed that regardless of personal, academic and professional characteristics, Physical Education teachers investigated perceive their teaching often oriented towards constructivism. It stands out, teachers with a temporary job often have beliefs related to teaching practices oriented towards general constructivism; teachers who did not participate in courses on sports education have beliefs oriented to the development of social cooperation; and professors with a temporary relationship and with a lato sensu graduate program had a greater chance of promoting students' personal relevance in their classes.