Contextual and Enabling Factors for Empowerment and Quality Enhancement of the Physical Education Subsystem

Abstract

This study aims to identify the contextual, professional, and institutional factors that enable empowerment and quality enhancement of the physical education subsystem within the education system. A qualitative research design grounded in an interpretive paradigm was employed. Data were collected through content analysis of key policy documents and relevant studies, as well as semi-structured interviews with education experts, policymakers, senior administrators, physical education specialists, and university faculty members. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The data were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that quality enhancement of the physical education subsystem depends on three interrelated domains: individual and social factors influencing student participation and psychosocial well-being, professional factors related to teachers’ autonomy and competencies, and institutional and participatory capacities involving schools, families, and local communities. Insufficient alignment among these domains undermines the effectiveness of physical education. Empowering the physical education subsystem requires a holistic and multi-level approach that simultaneously addresses student needs, teacher professional development, and institutional collaboration to achieve sustainable quality improvement.