Impact of the Gender of the Tunisian Teacher on the Representations of the Dynamics of Physical Education Sessions and Its Concretization

Abstract

Two major related and complementary functions within the competence of the teacher in his daily practice. A didactic function of structuring and regulating the content taught and a pedagogical function of management, relational and communicative regulation of events in the classroom ( Gal-PetitFaux & Vors, 2008 ) . In this study, we seek to clarify the influence of the gender of physical education (PE) teachers, on the one hand, on the representations that are made of the lesson dynamic, on the other hand, on teaching practice in the field. We worked with 30 PE teachers, divided into 15 men and 15 women. We filmed gymnastics sessions and did two types of interviews with the participants. Our results show that the PE teacher’s gender modulates their representations of lesson dynamics, but does not influence their teaching practice in the field. In terms of beliefs, women teachers report being more concerned with the organization and its relationships in the classroom. On the other hand, men say they are more technical. In practice, teachers use intervention strategies, during practical sessions, marked by regularity and typicality. They build a work environment that carries educational potential. They differentiate the learning content according to the individual skills of the students.