Excuses in Physical Education Made by Primary School Pupils of Fourth and Fifth Class

Researches show that children are mostly active at gym/sport in the school. So it is extremely important that they participate in physical education and aren’t making excuses or aren’t passive. Excuses for physical education were in the Slovenian area already a subject to a number of researches; however all deal with pupils in third triad and/or high school pupils. This research is the first of its kind dealing with younger pupils. Despite the fact that participation in physical education is a duty and right of every pupil, some pupils in physical education do not want to participate. Therefore, we wanted to find out how much and in what way the pupils of fourth and fifth class are making excuses for physical education. In the sample 319 pupils of fourth and fifth class were included. We found that absences of school children were within the expected range, because most children aren’t long-term ill. Young pupils are expected to make excuses less often than older pupils, because the need for physical movement in this period is strongly expressed. When pupils excuse, this is most often due to illness or because of unsuitable premises and lack of time for personal hygiene after hours of physical education. Pupils in the case of non-participation in physical education often tell teacher the real reason, but often also bring an apology from parents. When pupils don’t participate in physical education, they mainly observe it; less frequently the teacher finds another occupation for them.