Abstract:
A sample of Year 8 and Year 9 Health and Physical Education teachers (n=43) described the swimming programs offered and identified the planned outcomes, issues of concern and pedagogies employed. Physical educators see developing student confidence as the most important outcome. Staff/student ratios, staff qualifications, and coping with varied swimming ability levels are issues of concern. Teachers classified nearly half of the students who at best can swim 50 metres of freestyle. As a consequence of participating in HPE swimming teachers believed that more than half of the students improved a little and/or didn't improve much at all. The provision of different activities and groups, according to ability in one class, are most commonly employed by teachers to accommodate differing student ability levels.