Physical Education Class Hours in South America: A Literature Review of its Impact and Perception in the Ecuadorian Educational Community

Abstract

This research analyzes the Physical Education hourly workload within the South American context and its incidence on the Ecuadorian educational system to determine the influence of reducing physical education class hours on students in the preparatory, elementary basic, and middle basic sub-levels. Furthermore, it aims to propose a framework under the current curricular regulatory structures. The study adopted a mixed-method approach with a descriptive-documental and cross-sectional design. In the qualitative phase, a comparative bibliographic review of South American curricula was conducted. In the quantitative phase, the educational community's perception was diagnosed by applying a structured survey to a probabilistic sample of 160 students from the 06D02c02 Alausí – Chunchi Educational Circuit. The findings demonstrate that reducing physical education from five to two or three hours per week in the aforementioned sub-levels influences academic performance both in this specific subject and in other taught courses. Documental results show a regional trend toward holistic health, which contrasts with the reduction of the workload in the analyzed levels. Field findings suggest a discrepancy between the pedagogical autonomy allowed by law and the physical activity needs perceived by educational actors to mitigate sedentary behavior. It is concluded that there is a necessity to re-evaluate the distribution of school time to guarantee the biopsychosocial well-being standards promoted by international organizations.