Dawn Therese Rasmussen Lecturer Faculty of Education National University of Samoa

1. IA AO SAMOA IMPLEMENTING THE SAMOA SECONDARY SCHOOL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM: a peg in the ground Dawn Therese Rasmussen Lecturer Faculty of Education National University of Samoa

2. RESEARCH PROJECT • PURPOSE OF THE STUDY • To find out how the teachers in Samoa were implementing the Samoa Secondary Schools Health and Physical Education Curriculum. • Problems encountered in the implementation • Why it has taken a long time for schools to accept and teach physical education • Attitudes and perceptions of teachers towards physical education • Teachers knowledge and understanding of physical education

3. BACKGROUND • HISTORY OF EDUCATION • NEW ZEALAND ADMINISTRATION • INTRODUCTION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION • THE HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM

4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS MAIN QUESTION • What are the barriers Samoan physical education teachers perceive that hinder the implementation of the Samoa Health and Physical Education Curriculum?

5. SUB QUESTIONS • What do the Samoan principals and physical education teachers perceive the Health and Physical Education Curriculum to be? • a. Do the principals and physical education teachers consider that they have adequate knowledge to implement the Health and Physical Education Curriculum? b. What specific knowledge do the Samoan principals and physical education teachers consider that they require to teach the Health and Physical Education Curriculum • What pedagogies are Samoan physical education teachers using in their physical education classes? • Do Samoan principals and physical education teachers consider that they are resourced appropriately to implement the Health and Physical Education Curriculum?

6. METHODOLOGY CASE STUDY Two Schools OBSERVATIONS Teachers • Teachers • Principals SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS Interpretive Paradigm THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

7. FINDINGS THEMES • Perception of health and physical education • Knowledge of Health and Physical Education • Pedagogical approach • Resourcing and Training.

8. WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION TO BE RECOGNISED • Examinations played an important role in the delay in being recognised as a subject • There was no curriculum although it was one of the several curricular subjects in the school program. • Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture did not play their role in ensuring that physical education was being timetabled and taught effectively and efficiently in the schools • Physical education is viewed as “sports only and one that is of no use in particular for economical reasons

9. WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW • Increase in schools including it as a subject. • Increase in schools including health and physical education for Year 12 School Certificate Examination. • 2010 inauguration of the Y13 Health and Physical Education as an examination for Samoa National Pacific Senior School Certificate

10. CONCLUSION FAAFETAI SOIFUA COME AND VISIT US IN SAMOA