Difficulties Facing Students of the Health Sciences Department at the Faculty of Physical Education, Al-Marj, in Applying the Practical Aspect of the Gymnastics Course

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the difficulties facing students of the Health Sciences Department at the Faculty of Physical Education, Al-Marj (University of Benghazi), in applying the practical aspect of the gymnastics course, across five dimensions: teaching method, psychological factors, available facilities and equipment, curriculum structure, and safety and security factors. The researchers used the descriptive survey method with a sample of 30 students, drawn from a total population of 45 students enrolled during the 2025/2026 academic year, after excluding a pilot sample of 10 students used to validate the research instrument. Data were collected using a 49-item questionnaire covering the five dimensions, originally developed by Yassin Emad El-Din (2012) and psychometrically adapted to the Libyan context. Results showed an overall difficulty score of 70.85%, a statistically significant and high level. The dimensions ranked from most to least difficult were: facilities and equipment (75.56%), teaching method (70.94%), psychological factors (70.50%), safety and security (69.52%), and curriculum structure (68.22%). All five dimensions showed a high level of difficulty, confirming that the challenges students face are multidimensional in nature. The researchers recommended upgrading gymnastics equipment and facilities, diversifying teaching methods to accommodate individual differences, introducing psychological support programs to reduce anxiety, strengthening safety protocols, revisiting the curriculum structure, and conducting similar studies with larger samples in other departments.