Physical Education Classes in Hungary

Abstract

In 1969 the Hungarian Ministry of Culture gave permission for the organization of physical education classes in primary schools. In 1973 this special education was also introduced in the grammar schools. The main purposes of the classes were: a) the proper selection of youth for competitive sport; b) the preparation of talented youth selected for sport activity in an appropriate organizational framework; c) the promotion of the students' continued studies in the types of school suitable to their plan for the future. Our purpose is to answer the following questions: 1. Which social strata take advantage of the "service" of P.E. classes and to what extent? 2. Where do pupils go after finishing primary school in P.E. classes? 3. What factors determine the selection of pupils for the P.E. classes? 4. In what way does scholastic achievement and suitability depend on social origin? In our research we used sociological approaches and methods.