Teachers' characteristics as factors of the school sport quality in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

Within the system of school sports, insufficient attention in the literature is paid to those who lead and carry out this process - physical education teachers. The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of teacher characteristics on the quality of school sports in the Republic of Serbia, as well as the importance and satisfaction of teachers with various organizational and management tools as agents of intrinsic motivation and their connection with the quality of school sports. For the purposes of the research, a questionnaire was constructed from which the variables of the general characteristics of teachers and the variables of the school sports quality were selected, as well as 12 variables which evaluated their satisfaction with certain aspects of motivation for the good quality work and commitment in school sports. It was observed that in 80% of cases the participation of students in sports competitions does not exceed 25%, while the principle of "all or no one" (25% or 100%) was observed among teachers. On the other hand, significant correlations were identified between the majority of the examined quality variables and the aspects of motivation, above all with the factors of teamwork, work autonomy, and school affirmation. In addition, our comparative analyses determined the influence of teachers' age and work experience on participation in sports programs. Based on all the above said, it can be concluded that the means of motivation of teachers, as well as their work experience, can be the basis for maintaining positive trends in the quality of school sports in Serbia.