Parent/Carer values and attitudes towards physical education and school sport in Australian Government primary schools

Abstract

With ongoing concern about the health and fitness of Australian children, there is considerable debate in Australian education on the organisation and structure of Australian Health and Physical Education and School Sport. Much debate was generated by the implementation of the new Australian Curriculum in 2015 and a significant body of academic literature emerged. However, there was clear neglect of one of the key stakeholders – parents/carers. Scholars have mostly failed to adequately understand and document the role of parents/carers in supporting Health and Physical Education and School Sport. To redress this neglect, this study investigated the values and attitudes of parents/carers towards physical education and school sport in New South Wales primary schools. The quantitative research collected data from 626 parents/carers whose children attended 111 primary schools in NSW, Australia using a questionnaire based on the validated instrument developed by the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. There were four key finding. First, the primary school students of parents/carers who had participated in primary school sport themselves were more likely to participate in school sport. Third, parent/carer values towards sport have no relationship with children participating in school sport. Third, primary school students who participated in school sport were more likely to concurrently play community club sport. Fourth, parent/carer lack of time and child disinterest were the most common reasons for lack of involvement in community sport. These findings shed some light on a neglected area of Australian HPE research, parents/carers. The research also highlights an urgent need to implement policies and practices to increase sporting participation for a large percentage of youth who have very little meaningful experiences in sport.