Curriculum Implementation and Policy-Practice Alignment in Physical Education: Teachers’ Perceptions in North Macedonia

Physical education (PE) policy often translates inconsistently into classroom practice. This study examined PE teachers’ perceptions of curriculum implementation in North Macedonia using the newly developed Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Motor Development and Curriculum Implementation (PET-MDCI) questionnaire. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 232 primary school PE teachers from urban (n= 130) and rural (n= 102) schools. The PET-MDCI assessed five domains: Curriculum Implementation, Barriers, Enablers/Support, Teacher Self-Efficacy, and Policy-Practice Alignment. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and correlation analyses were conducted. Teachers reported moderately high curriculum implementation (M = 3.57 ± 0.66) and self-efficacy (M = 3.84 ± 0.70), while policy-practice alignment was the lowest-rated domain (M = 2.92 ± 0.84). Rural teachers reported higher barriers (M = 3.26 vs. 3.09; p = .014, r = .16), whereas urban teachers reported higher support (M = 3.82 vs. 3.36; p < .001, d = 0.76), self-efficacy (M = 4.06 vs. 3.55; p < .001, r = .37), and policy-practice-alignment (M = 3.25 vs. 2.50; p < .001, d = 0.98). Curriculum implementation did not differ between groups (p = .175). Younger teachers reported higher implementation than the oldest group (ANOVA p = .018, η² = .035). Support, self-efficacy, and policy alignment were strongly intercorrelated (r = .62 to .77); barriers correlated negatively with all positive domains (r = –.26 to –.45). Teachers perceive themselves as capable but face contextual constraints, particularly in rural schools. The newly developed PET-MDCI provides a useful framework for monitoring PE curriculum implementation.