Lived Experiences of Physical Education Instructors in Facilitating Distance Learning Education

Abstract

The global emergency of Covid-19 triggered an unprecedented shift in education that brought new challenges to students and educators alike. In particular, physical education instructors face a unique set of challenges as the most subscribed pedagogical strategies revolve on on-site setting. This study explored the lived experiences of physical education instructors in distance learning education in one of the missionary universities in Baguio City, Philippines. Employing a phenomenological design, data were gathered using semi-structured interviews to explore the struggles and successes in the experiences of physical education instructors who taught combative sports in a distance learning education setting during the academic years covering 2020 through 2022. Processing the interviews revealed themes about the specific struggles experienced by physical education instructors in relation to distance learning education. On the other hand, it revealed that these struggles gave rise to successes borne out of the need to address the identified struggles. Understanding both struggles and successes of physical education instructors is necessary as these could be critical in the successful online implementation of physical education programs, particularly in fitness-combative sports. It is recommended that a study be conducted on the coping mechanisms of fitness-combative sports instructors in dealing with the struggles in online teaching; furthermore, there is a need to examine how documented successes can be fostered to improve distance learning education.