An Investigation Into Primary School Teachers' Perceptions About the Delivery of Physical Education (PE) Lessons Through Distance Learning, in the Republic of Ireland, During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

This chapter aims to share the researchers’ insights into the perceptions of primary physical education (PE) teachers about distance learning in light of the findings from a research project. This research project was undertaken to investigate and explore the perceptions of teachers in the Republic of Ireland (ROI), about the delivery of PE lessons through distance learning by using Google Classroom (GC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. To gather quantitative data, 22 teachers working in St Etchen’s National School (NS) engaged with an online questionnaire. The data collected was then used to form a focus group with 4 teachers working within the same school to gather qualitative data. The researchers also aimed to include a semi-structured interview with 2 members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), however, for some reason, neither of them could participate this time, and the researchers respected their decision given ethical considerations, this will be discussed later in the sections on METHODOLOGY and Ethical Considerations. This study sheds light on the significance of this research, the detailed challenges the PE teachers encountered, and the strategies they developed to effectively support their students. This chapter will provide the information in different sections with headings and subheadings for effective communication, which includes the background information and rationale, the research aims and objectives, the relevant literature, the employed methodology, and the results of the study followed by a conclusion and a list of future recommendations for primary PE teachers and school leaders to advance technology-enhanced learning.