Physical Education Teachers and Students Perceptions regarding the Inclusion of Physical Education Subject in the General Certificate of Secondary Education in Jordan

The purpose of this study is to determine the views of teachers and students on establishing physical education in general secondary certificate examination. Two main areas were investigated: the views of PE teachers, and the students' perceptions of selecting or not selecting PE as an examination subject. Information was obtained from an English school on the logistics of implementing GCSE PE and compared with data gathered from Jordanian schools. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used. The study indicated that PE would be preferred as a GCSE option by Jordanian PE teachers. The main reasons for this were changing the attitudes of Jordanian society, motivate students in pursuing healthy lifestyle as well as providing some professional development for the teachers themselves. The study also showed that if students had negative experiences of PE in the first three grades, they will likely continue to have a negative perception of it through out their school career