Upper Primary School Student Attitude Towards Health and Physical Education Programme in Bhutan

Abstract

Student attitude toward Health and Physical Education (HPE) formed during childhood can influence the choices they make in daily lives to be active or to remain sedentary. Therefore, this study investigated the attitude of upper primary students toward HPE for the first time in the Bhutanese education system ever since the programme was introduced in 1999. This is important for Bhutan whose vision is to promote gross national happiness. The study employed a quantitative approach with a survey design consisting five major themes- attitude towards HPE, perception of teacher’s instruction, perception of benefits of HPE, attitude towards participation in HPE classes, and perception of support system for resources. A total of 1087 upper primary students (male= 568 & female= 519) responded to the survey from seven dzongkhags. The findings generally showed a positive attitude and much higher perceptions of HPE. More specifically Class V students showed much higher perceptions on benefits of HPE compared to Classes IV and VI, while students in urban schools revealed a positive attitude towards HPE compared to semi-urban students. Implications of the study and recommendations for improvement are discussed.