TEACHERS’ PREFERENCES OF TEACHING GYMNASTICS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION: DIFFERENCES IN LENGTH OF TEACHERS’ CAREER LEVELS
TEACHERS’ PREFERENCES OF TEACHING GYMNASTICS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION: DIFFERENCES IN LENGTH OF TEACHERS’ CAREER LEVELS

Summary/Abstract: Teachers (educators) maintain the misunderstanding that teaching gymnastics in primary ed-ucation is full of challenges (risks, complications). Regardless of whether you are a beginner and/oran experienced teacher in primary education, leading students (pupils) to mastering gymnasticsmay be challenging. Because many gaps remain in literature, in terms of Slovak scale (to the bestof the authors' knowledge), the present study was aimed at analyzing and comparing teachers'preferences of teaching gymnastics in primary education. A 3-question survey (teachers' prefer-ences of teaching gymnastics) was carried out during 18 weeks (June 1 – September 30, 2023),aiming at 1246 (100%) teachers in primary education: (i) Beginning teachers (490, 39.32%); (ii)Experienced teachers (756, 60.68%). Descriptive (percentage – %, arithmetic mean – x̄) and infer-ential (chi-square test – χ2) statistics was used to evaluate the data (Ibm Spss Modeler). 30.50%(380) of teachers in primary education believe that teaching gymnastics (dance) is demanding,compared to outdoor adventure (108, 8.60%) (χ2(4) = 3.08 E-05; p = 26.04). 786 (62.34%) of teach-ers in primary education use traditional gymnastics equipment, compared to 1.92% (24) who donot teach gymnastics (at all) (χ2(3) = 19.54; p = 0.0002). 42.78% (532) of teachers in primary edu-cation believe that material equipment (available) in teaching gymnastics in sufficient, comparedto 20.14% (250) who take the opposite view (insufficient) (χ2(3) = 0.64; p= 1.68). Despite the chal-lenges, incorporating gymnastics in primary education may offer advantages, in particular, devel-oping coordination and balance, fostering teamwork and cooperation. Adequate preparation andaccess to resources may help teachers navigate the challenges of teaching gymnastics and providelearning experiences.

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