Abstract

Aiming at a wider spread of the net of schools, implementing Olympic Education program in Lithuania, essential appears the need to clarify the preconditions to appear for such movement in schools – current participants of the project, as well as to establish the effect of the program both for the students and teachers. The aim of the research was to establish the factors having positive and negative effect on successful Olympic Education program implementation in Lithuanian schools of general education. The method of semi-structured interview and questionnaire poll was applied in the research. The group of investigated consisted of persons, having pedagogical education, employees of Lithuanian schools of general education (n=55), teachers of 12 school subjects. Structured interview method was employed to interview 5 pedagogical workers – Olympic Education project coordinators (two of them working in school administration and three – as teachers of Physical Education). For data analysis, Content analysis and mathematical statistics methods were applied. Data was analyzed using SPSS Statistics 8.0 programs. Significance for statistical difference was established by χ2 test. Significant difference was considered at p < 0,05. The performed research disclosed that teachers who carry out Olympic Education program in Lithuanian schools, see its implementation as very successful or successful. For such schools, specific educational environment bears the following characteristics: the program is being coordinated by physical education teachers or heads of the schools; school facilities are appropriate and accessible; the majority of the teachers indicate their ability to teach integrated Olympic Education program being at a proper level; rather active is participation of colleagues. It was established that one of the most important factors for successful Olympic Education program implementation in Lithuanian schools of general education is a positive change in pupils’ behaviour, which manifests itself in pupils’ higher activeness, acquisition of organizational skills, increased level of self-perception, expressed through perception of public spirit, nationality, moral behaviour in sport. Other factors to stimulate Olympic Education program implementation were as follows: program unites school community, appears perception of meaningfulness of Olympic Education program activities, share of good practice, growth of teachers’ self-evaluation. The results of the research disclosed the factors of negative influence on Olympic Education program implementation being weak pupils’ motivation for learning, dull family members’ participation in project activities, teachers’ worry about unknown activity, teachers’ distrust in own competence, as well as first wrong opinion about Olympic Education program. Verf.-Referat