Education Commons^™

Experiences Of Teachers Who Have Taught Physical Education Remotely: A Qualitative Study, Danielle Causer Brabston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand and describe the essence of the experiences of teachers who have taught physical education remotely. The problem is physical education is a core curriculum subject that is designed for in-person instruction and is not easily adaptable to an online setting. The central research question that this study sought to address was what are the experiences of K-12 physical education teachers who taught P.E. remotely? The theory guiding of this study is Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration as it details how people can adapt and adjust in response to stressful situations …

Influence Of Step Tracking And Heart Rate Monitoring On Student Participation, John Sparrow

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was driven by the teacher’s interest in introducing pedometers and heart rate monitors into the physical education setting. The goal was to see the influence they would have on student participation during class. The researcher used quantitative data collection over a two-week period. Data was collected using an Accusplit Eagle 120XL pedometer for steps and a Polar OH1+ heart rate monitor for heart rate. The research was conducted to analyze the influence pedometers and heart rate monitors have on student participation in PE. The researcher is a K-12 physical education teacher in his twentieth year of teaching. …

Integrated Health/Physical Education Lesson Plan, Mike Rerick

AI Assignment Library

This assignment uses AI prompts to assist teacher preparation students in creating lesson plans that integrate health or physical education learning outcomes with learning outcomes from traditional classroom core content.

The Impact Of Effective Motivation Strategies On Student Engagement In Secondary Physical Education Classrooms, Devin Wortman

Education Theses

Properly motivating students is not only the backbone of academic success but positive in-class experiences. When students are having more positive classroom experiences, they will ultimately be more motivated to engage and succeed. More and more students today are choosing not to take physical education in school. A lack of self-confidence and a general interest in the subject are two of the many factors associated with this problem. With the help of intrinsic motivation and self-determination theory, this thesis will seek to answer the question: What impact does effective motivation have on secondary students’ willingness to participate in physical education …

Gendered Pedagogy In Senior Secondary Physical Education Curriculum Enactment, Christopher Clark, Dawn Penney, Rachael Whittle, Andrew Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Arnold’s dimensions of movement (1979) and Wilcox’s embodied ways of knowing (2009) informed case study research which explored the influence of gender(ed) movement-based pedagogy and associated equity issues in Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physical Education (PE). VCE PE teachers from three schools provided documentation (course, unit, lesson plans, resources, assessment materials) and semi-structured interviews to investigate how teachers used movement and the role gender plays in influencing decisions and approaches relating to movement-based pedagogy. Gender discourses were evident in teachers’ decisions regarding the types of movement experiences included in VCE PE, pedagogical approaches and assessment contexts. Issues of safety …

A National Survey Of Gendered Grouping Practices In Secondary School Physical Education In England, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Gendered grouping practices and curriculum provision are matters of long-standing contention and debate in physical education (PE) policy, research, and practice internationally. In England, there is a long tradition of single-sex grouping in PE in secondary schools, with accompanying gendered patterns of staffing and many boys and girls taught different activities in the curriculum. Research on the incidence of single- and mixed-sex grouping in PE is however scarce, dated, and limited in scale. At a time when education, sport, and society are challenged to move beyond binary discourses and critically review structures and practices that uphold stereotypical and established …

A National Survey Of Ability Grouping Practices In Secondary School Physical Education In England, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This research sought to generate large-scale yet sophisticated data relating to ability grouping practices in physical education (PE) in secondary schools in England, with the intent of extending knowledge of the various ability grouping practices being adopted within and across schools. The prevalence of particular ability grouping practices, processes associated with their application, and factors influencing their use and non-use were explored. Data were collected via a web-based survey of all (3197 at the time of study) mainstream state-funded secondary schools in England. A total of 903 responses were received, giving a response rate of 28.2%. The findings reveal that …

Exploring The Re-Legitimisation Of Messages For Health And Physical Education Within Contemporary English And Welsh Curricula Reform, J. Stirrup, David Aldous, S. Gray, R. Sandford, O. Hooper, S. Hardley, A. S. Bryant, N. R. Carse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explores how messages for health and PE ([H]PE) within English and Welsh curricula are being re-legitimised through distinct performance and competence pedagogic models. Drawing upon Bernstein’s sociology of knowledge (Bernstein, 1996. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique. Taylor and Francis; 2000. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research and critique (revised ed.). Rowman and Littlefield) data was generated through a deductive content analysis of the contemporary statutory English National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) and the new Curriculum for Wales (CfW), Health and Well-Being Area of Learning and Experience (HWB-AoLE). Findings illustrate how the current English …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Feasibility Of E-Portfolio-Based Assessment Of Physical Literacy In Primary Health And Physical Education, Jaxon Hogan, Dawn Penney, Eibhlish O’Hara, Joseph Scott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Physical literacy (PL) is widely acknowledged as an integral component of high-quality physical education programmes. However, what constitutes appropriate assessment of PL remains a contested issue. This study drew on Whitehead’s conceptualisation of PL as a lifelong journey and investigated how primary school teachers can support students’ PL learning through innovative and engaging assessment methods. The study specifically examined the feasibility of using e-portfolios to facilitate quality PL learning and quality assessment in Physical Education (PE), from different stakeholder perspectives. Methods: This interpretive study employed a qualitative design and methods to investigate aspects of feasibility with three purposive participant …

Lesbian, Anorexic, Disabled, And Big: Other Ways Of Being A Female Physical Education Teacher, Gustavo González-Calvo, Valeria Varea

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Research has shown that Physical Education (PE) is a white, male, and able body-dominated profession, particularly in Spain. When some female pre-service PE teachers, who had a difficult relationship with their bodies and sports abilities, enrol in such a degree, some of these problematic relations come to light. Participants for this study were four female pre-service teachers who self-identified as lesbian, anorexic, visually impaired, and big respectively. Data were collected through participant-produced texts, graphical representations, and interviews. The authors then reconstructed the participants’ stories which are presented in the form of narratives. The conceptual tool of embodying norm-criticality helped us …

Barriers And Challenges For Visually Impaired Students In Pe - An Interview Study With Students In Austria, Germany, And The Usa, Sebastian Ruin, Justin A. Haegele, Martin Giese, Jana Baumgärtner

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Physical education (PE) is an important part of school education worldwide, and at the same time, almost the only subject that explicitly deals with body and movement. PE is therefore of elementary importance in the upbringing of young people. This also applies to children with visual impairments. However, existing findings on participation and belonging in PE as well as on physical and motor development reveal that this group of children and adolescents is noticeably disadvantaged in this respect. Against this background, this paper aims to explore fundamental barriers and challenges across different types of schools, types of schooling, and countries …

What Sort Of ‘Inclusion’ Is Continuing Professional Development Promoting? An Investigation Of A National Cpd Programme For Inclusive Physical Education, Kyriaki Makopoulou, Dawn Penney, Ross Neville, Gary Thomas

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Inclusion is positioned at the forefront of global educational reform. The study reported focused on a national Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for Inclusive Physical Education (IPE) in England. The research was designed to critically explore how CPD providers (i.e. tutors) variously conceptualised and practiced inclusion in the context of running a day-long CPD course for physical education teachers. Using qualitative methodology, data were collected via course observations (n = 27), informal interviews with tutors (n = 10), and a tutor questionnaire (n = 18). Findings suggest that although tutors’ theoretical interpretations of inclusion were largely consistent …

‘The Participation Group Means That I'M Low Ability’: Students’ Perspectives On The Enactment Of ‘Mixed-Ability’ Grouping In Secondary School Physical Education, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mixed-ability grouping is widespread in primary schools and in several subject areas in secondary schools in England. Notwithstanding, there is scant research on mixed-ability grouping in the education literature, particularly in terms of its impact on students’ experiences. The research reported in this paper employs enactment theory to provide original insights into the diverse practices and complex contextual factors that shape students’ perceptions and experiences of mixed-ability grouping in physical education (PE). Enactment theory acknowledges that school decisions about grouping policy are impacted by wider education policy and other contextual influences, and that the expression of grouping policies in specific …

Stop Fearing Blindness! Visually Impaired People Reflect On The Ethics Of Sighted Prospective Teachers Simulating Visual Impairment, Anthony J. Maher, Justin A. Haegele, Andrew C. Sparkes

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Disability simulations have developed as a popular professional development tool to help increase knowledge and awareness of disability and facilitate pedagogical learning among prospective and pre-service teachers. The aim of this research is to explore the ethics of sighted people simulating visual impairment from the perspective of visually impaired people. Participants were nine visually impaired adults who read vignettes narrating simulation experiences of prospective physical education teachers in a university setting before being interviewed about their perceptions of what they had read. Interviews were conducted via telephone, and were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic analysis. The themes constructed and …

How Physical Activity Implementation Strategies Changed During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Schools Enrolled In The Let’S Go! Program, Alexandra Peary

Honors College

Childhood obesity is a serious public health issue in the United States. Many children fail to meet the recommended daily physical activity of 60 minutes. Poor metabolic health at a young age puts children and adolescents at a significantly higher risk of developing chronic health issues in adulthood. With the potential to further exacerbate the obesity epidemic, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic challenged students’ abilities to participate in structured physical activity, such as recess and physical education, due to school closures, strict social distancing guidelines, and hybrid or remote models of learning. This lack of structure and opportunities for …

Increasing Student Participation In Elementary Physical Education, Andrea K. Garcia

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Participation In Physical Education And The Effect On Mental Health, Kacie O'Connor

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review is an examination of the effects physical education has on students’ mental health. The importance of youth’s mental health is a critical topic. Physical activity is a large part of having good mental health. This literature review aims to provide insights into the effects physical activity and physical education have on students/youth mental health. The mental health issue in the United States is higher than ever before and needs to be addressed. Researchers have determined physical activity is consistent with increased mental health in students. Regular physical activity, whether it is in a physical education class or …

Healthy Living Club, Odessa Ohrt, Elisha Reiners

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

Throughout the semester we explored various aspects of living a healthy lifestyle, we started in the topic of MyPlate and introduced the five food groups, touched on other elements of a healthy life (such as exercise, sleep, and the nine dimensions of wellness). Towards the end of the semester, we incorporated cooking lessons that taught the students safe kitchen habits and where their food comes from. We tried to incorporate physical activity, visual, audio, and hands-on elements into each club meeting.

'It's Better Than Going Into It Blind': Reflections By People With Visual Impairments Regarding The Use Of Simulation For Pedagogical Purposes, Anthony J. Maher, Justin A. Haegele, Andrew C. Sparkes

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Disability simulations have been advocated as a tool to facilitate pedagogical learning among prospective physical education (PE) teachers. However, much of the research currently available neglect the views of people with disabilities about the development and use of such simulations. To address this omission, this study used vignettes and telephone interviews to elicit the views of nine people with visual impairments (VI) regarding the value (or not) of simulating this impairment with prospective PE teachers. Data were analysed thematically and the following themes were constructed in the process: (1) Involving people with VI in simulations; (2) Diversity and complexity of …

"...And After That Came Me". Subjective Constructions Of Social Hierarchy In Physical Education Classes Among Youth With Visual Impairments In Germany, Martin Giese, Sebastian Ruin, Jana Baumgärtner, Justin A. Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to reconstruct subjective constructions of experiences in PE and feelings of being valued within PE classes in Germany by students with visual impairment (VI). Two female and two male students (average age: 19.25 years) participated in the study from the upper level. For the reconstruction of experiences of feeling valued, episodic interviews with a semi-structured interview guide were used. The data analysis was conducted with MAXQDA 2020 based on content-related structuring of qualitative text analysis with deductive-inductive category formation. To structure the analysis, the main category, feelings of being valued, was defined by two …

Health-Related Fitness Knowledge Growth In Middle School Years: Individual- And School-Level Correlates, Xihe Zhu, Justin A. Haegele, Haichun Sun

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: Health-related fitness knowledge (HRFK) has been an essential concept for many health and physical education programs. There has been limited understanding and longitudinal investigation on HRFK growth. This longitudinal study examined HRFK growth and its individual- and school-level correlates in middle school years under 1 curriculum condition: Five for Life.

Methods: Participants were 12,044 students from 47 middle schools. Data were collected at both individual/participant and school/institution levels. Individual-level variables included gender, grade, and HRFK test scores. School-level variables included percentage of students receiving free and reduced meals (FARM), student-to-faculty ratio for physical education, and school academic performance …

Recommendations For Administrators’ Involvement In School-Based Health Promotion: A Scoping Review, Collin A. Webster, Genee Glascoe, Chanta Moore, Brian Dauenhauer, Cate A. Egan, Laura B. Russ, Karie Orendorff, Cathy Buschmeier

Faculty Publications

School administrator involvement is recognized as a key factor in the extent to which school health promotion programs and initiatives are successfully implemented. The aims of this scoping review are to: (a) Identify existing documents that contain recommendations regarding the involvement of school administrators in school-based health promotion; (b) distill and summarize the recommendations; (c) examine differences in the recommendations by targeted professional level, professional group, health promotion content focus, and by whether the recommendations are evidence-based or opinion-based; and (d) evaluate the research informing the recommendations. We drew upon the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension …

Exploring Hpe Teachers' Self-Efficacy Toward Technology Integration, Danielle Werner

Honors Projects

The digital age has specifically called on physical educators to enhance their instruction using various digital tools (Krause, 2017). Although it is evident that physical educators need to incorporate technology, few studies have examined in-service physical education teachers perceived self-efficacy to integrate technology in their curriculum, and how mastery, vicarious, and social persuasion experiences impact overall self-efficacy. The purpose of this research is to analyze health and physical education (HPE) teachers’ self-efficacy toward technology integration in the physical education classroom, with a specific focus on how teachers’ present self-efficacy to integrate technology in physical education is related to prior training …

Technology And Its Impact On Physical Education, Koriene Gallagher

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review discusses the necessity of technology in physical education classrooms. The review first looks at the history of technology in education and the theoretical framework of technology in physical education. Then the review will discuss the impacts of implementing technology into the physical education classroom including the positive and the negative impacts. Today there are teachers who believe technology should be in physical education and there are others who believe it should not be implemented in physical education. The review will also discuss the teacher's role in technology in physical education. Technology in physical education classrooms can help …

Students’ Perceived Experiences Of Competitive Activities Through Electronic Platforms, Eve Bernstein

Publications and Research

The purpose of this study was to understand students’ experiences through digital YouTube clips focusing on middle school competitive activities in physical education class. This study was guided by the transactional framework, which states that individuals and institutions, in this case students and competitive activities in physical education class, create certain transactions, and these transactions are shared. Twenty-six YouTube posts were examined. The data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to find patterns in the posting of students’ experiences of participating in these activities. Three major themes of the digital clips clearly emerged. These themes included (a) perceived skill …

Bruchlinien Der Inklusion, Justin A. Haegele, Martin Giese, Wesley J. Wilson, Felix Oldörp

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

This paper will call for action in one space that is commonly among the first to act as a testing ground for integrated education, physical education. The purposes of this article are twofold: (1) to provide a brief review of research examining integrated physical education from the viewpoints of those with disabilities and (2) to provide several points of reference for future research in this area of inquiry. In addressing these purposes, we first present a review of scholarship salient to the subjective experiences of students with disabilities in integrated physical education. Then, to illustrate and extend this research, an …

Personal And Social Development In Physical Education And Sports: A Review Study, Katrijn Opstoel, Laurent Chapelle, Frans J. Prins, An V. De Meester, Leen Haerens, Jan Van Tartwijk, Kristine De Martelaer

Faculty Publications

This review provides an overview of the existing literature on school-aged children’s and youth’s (i.e. 6- to 18-year-olds) personal and social development within the context of physical education and sports. A total of 4359 non-duplicate articles were retrieved from six databases. After the title, abstract and full text screening, 88 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included for further analysis. Articles had to be published in a peer-reviewed journal between 1 January 2008 and 6 December 2017. The 88 studies used several study designs, methods and instruments to investigate a variety of concepts related to personal and social development. …

‘It’S A Challenge’: Post Primary Physical Education Teachers’ Experiences Of And Perspectives On Inclusive Practice With Students With Disabilities, Ona Mcgrath, Susan Crawford, Dan O'Sullivan

Publications

Internationally, several studies have indicated insufficient emphasis on the theory and practice of inclusion in relation to disability, in both initial teacher education and continuing professional development programmes for Physical Education (PE) teachers. This has resulted in some negative attitudes and perceived lack of competency among teachers in relation to inclusive practices in PE. There is a lack of in-depth studies in this regard from an Irish perspective. This current study sought to explore seven PE teachers’ experiences and perspectives in relation to the inclusion of students with disabilities in four post primary schools using a multiple case study design. …

Developing Kinesthetic Classrooms To Promote Active Learning, Brian Culp

Faculty Articles

The use of kinesthetic movement in the classroom toward improving health and educational outcomes among youth has been a topic of discourse in recent years. School initiatives that have infused movement as part of the curriculum have shown to increase efficiency in learning, while decreasing stress and contributing to a positive classroom climate. One question that is worthy of exploration pertains to how future professionals in the fields of physical education and health can promote kinesthetic movement in schools and communities. This article discusses how a university kinesthetic classroom prepares future professionals to be advocates for school health using active …

Movement-Versus Sporting-Based Physical Education In Elementary Schools: Does Either Ensure Quality?, Joseph John Scott

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Within the physical education literature, there remains to be contentions between the effectiveness of sporting- and movement-based approaches. Whilst both have noted strengths and weaknesses, there is little research into whether either is leading to quality physical education in Australian elementary schools. This paper therefore examines two of the common models based approaches to teaching physical education in elementary schools against the five interrelated propositions of the Australian Curriculum to determine if either pedagogical approach is leading to quality physical education. This paper draws on current literature, curriculum frameworks and pedagogical recommendations to determine the value of a models based …