Education Commons^™

Physical Miseducation: How Public Schooling In The Us Is Harmful To Students’ Bodily Well-Being, Rachel Fredericks

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper explores the history of physical education in the United States, as well as a general look into how public schooling affects how kids learn about and come to view their bodies. Theory and research by Michel Foucault, Elias Norbert, and Katy Bowman form the theoretical framework for this essay, and accounts of visits to a local elementary school to observe PE also grounds the work in present-day experiences. The work concludes that public schools in the US improperly teach students about how to listen to and care for their bodies.

The Effect Of Online Education On Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge Of Peer Tutoring, Dominic S. Ratto

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The purpose of this study was to find the effectiveness of online education compared to text-based education when teaching pre-service educators about peer tutoring in physical education. As students with disabilities are being more regularly included in general education classes, it is important that pre-service teachers have ample and quality opportunities to learn about important topics and strategies within education, such as peer tutoring. This study compared knowledge scores between the experimental group (online education) and the control group (text-based education). The online education group received the knowledge through podcasts that were created using Mayer’s principles for multimedia learning. No …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Middle School Students Toward Cooperative Activities In Physical Education, Damian Canny

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical education (PE) is recognized by public health officials as a medium capable of addressing various health-related behaviors, and middle school students perceptions and attitudes toward a cooperative PE curriculum have yet to be identified. This study sought to determine the perceptions and attitudes 10 middle school students have toward cooperative activities in PE class with the notion that the results would benefit both teachers and researchers. Two theories were used to guide this study: Bandura's social cognitive theory, and Harter's competence motivation theory. The research questions focused on identifying the attitudes and perceptions middle school students have toward cooperative …

Benefits Of Implementing Journaling Activities In Physical Education At The Elementary School Level, Ivy Ottmar

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Physical Education (P.E.) is at a risk of becoming obsolete at the elementary school level. This is an important problem that needs to be addressed because children need a daily physical outlet. But, it goes beyond just getting outside and moving. If journaling is integrated into the physical education curriculum, students can use this tool to reinforce what they are learning when they are exercising as well as communicate their feelings about physical education. After conducting literature reviews, interviewing elementary school staff, and implementing a journaling activity, the researcher found that journaling about P.E. was positive and beneficial for the …

The Importance Of Leadership: An Investigation Of Effects Of Transformational Leadership On Middle School Students Intrinsic Motivation And Expectancy-Value In Physical Education, Minhyun Kim

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

The leadership practices exhibited by physical education teachers have been found to have a significant impact on promoting students learning. The main purpose of this study was to explore: (a) differences on middle school students' perception regarding expectancy-value and intrinsic motivation according to their grade, gender, and ethnicity, (b) the relationship between physical education teachers' transformational leadership and middle school students' expectancy-value and intrinsic motivation. To conduct this study, three questionnaires were employed: transformational teaching questionnaire (Beauchamp et al., 2010), expectancy-value questionnaire (Duncan & Tammen, 1989), and intrinsic motivation index (Eccles & Wigfield, 1995). A total of 295 middle school …

Is There A Relationship Between Physical Fitness And Student Academic Achievement?, William Rushton Parker

Dissertations

The study utilized a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between students’ levels of fitness to students’ academic achievement as well as addressing the attitudes of elementary administrators, fifth grade regular education teachers, and elementary physical education teachers towards physical fitness and academic achievement. Instruments used in the study were the Mississippi Curriculum Test, 2^nd Edition (MCT2) and the FITNESSGRAM. The data from the FITNESSGRAM and MCT2 were archival, coming from the 2013-2014 academic school year. The MCT2 provided scores from the areas of language arts, mathematics, and science, and the FITNESSGRAM provided the fitness scores of those students. …

Distraction, Enjoyment, And Motivation During An Indoor Cycling Unit Of High School Physical Education, Kelsey Higginson

Theses and Dissertations

With the increased rate of overweight and obese youth in the United States many people began looking for ways to increase youth exercise quality and habits; one such way was by using an external distraction during exercise to increase personal motives toward exercise. This study involved 81 high school aged students enrolled in a required physical education class. Students rode an indoor cycling bike for 20 minutes while wearing a heart rate monitor. They were told to maintain a heart rate between their 70 and 79% maximum heart rate. Every 5 minutes students were asked to rate how hard they …

African American High School Girls' Perceptions Of Dance-Based Physical Education And Sport-Based Physical Education, Kimberly Ann Maljak

Wayne State University Dissertations

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2013), over the last 30 years childhood obesity has doubled in youth ages 6-11 and tripled in those ages 12-19. Furthermore, obesity trends are higher among minority females, specifically African American (AA) adolescent females. Lack of daily physical activity (PA) among youth is a key factor in rising obesity rates (National Institutes of Health [NIH], 2013; National Physical Activity Plan[NPAP], 2014), with a significant decline in PA among the AA female population (Kimm et al., 2002). Given what is known about the decline in PA among AA adolescent females, (Ennis,1999; …

Influence Of Teacher Participation On Student Fitness And Student Participation In Physical Education, Whitney Morris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical activity plays a key role in the health of children. Childhood obesity is increasing in the United States, and children are spending less time being physically active. Active participation by a physical education (PE) teacher in physical activities has been suggested as a means of promoting student fitness. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine whether modeling of physical activity by a PE teacher would increase student participation and physical fitness. Bandura's social learning theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. Participants included 311 4th and 5th grade elementary students enrolled in physical education classes. …

Experiences Of Middle School Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders In Adapted Physical Education, Arkansas Josephine Blagrave

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School-age children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are rarely asked to describe their experiences within the programs that they receive and are largely missing from the narrative of their own lives. Adapted physical education (APE), a subdiscipline of physical education, is one of the services frequently accessed by this population. Current literature on the experiences of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has focused on special education classrooms, sensory perceptions, and general physical education classes. However, no prior studies had addressed how school-age children with ASD perceive their APE experience. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to use …

Are Physically Active College Students More Successful Academically Than Their Inactive Peers?, Jared T. Meacham

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research project intended to explore the possible relationship between physical activity and academic achievement in college students. Using an anonymous online survey, data was collected over two semesters. Ten thousand currently-enrolled college students ages eighteen and older from all states and recognized territories of the United States participated. The survey gathered data concerning a student’s age, gender, race, body weight, height, geographic region of college attendance, cumulative GPA, and physical activity level. The FIT Index of Kasari was used to classify each student’s physical activity level. A quintile split by FIT score was conducted to determine if physically active …

Yoga And Adolescent Psychological Health, Depressive Symptoms, And Flourishing, Erin Curran Schulte

Dissertations

The purpose of this concurrent mixed methods study was to investigate the potential of yoga to increase positive psychological health, decrease depressive symptoms, and increase flourishing in nonclinical high school students. Yoga was incorporated as part of a physical education (PE) course at a suburban high school with high school students (n = 27). Another section of the same course without yoga served as the control group (n = 38). Both groups completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD) Scale to measure depressive symptoms, the Flourishing Scale for Teens, and the Positive Emotion, Engagement, Positive Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment …

The Effects Of Gender Grouping On Female Students’ Participation In Physical Education, Anthony Bender, Jill S. Litfin

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research was to determine if female participation would increase in a single-gendered versus a co-educational (co-ed) setting during seventh and eighth grade physical education. The action research project was completed in the Barnum Secondary School with 70 seventh and eighth grade females during competitive contact activities. All 70 females were given a participation questionnaire and 40 random females were observed during four weeks of activity. Data was collected using a participation questionnaire, a participation tally sheet, a video observation checklist, and a participation rubric. The results showed female participation increased in the single-gendered setting in …

Mastery Motivational Climate: The Key To Vocational Students' Enjoyment Of Physical Activity, Laura C. Hohengasser

Master’s Theses and Projects

This study examined the effect of a mastery motivational climate on vocational students’ physical activity enjoyment levels. Participants were 84 ninth graders (boys=53 and girls=31) aged 14 to 16 years from eight different school districts, who attended a vocational-technical school in New England. Surveys were used pre- and post-mastery climate exposure to assess students’ prior physical education experiences, perceptions of motivational climates, and levels of physical activity enjoyment. Results indicated that the sample of vocational students perceived a higher level of mastery motivational climate at the New England vocational- technical school with a higher level of physical activity enjoyment than …

The Effects Of Music On Physical Activity Rates Of Junior High Physical Education Students, Lindsey Kaye Benham

Theses and Dissertations

Music is used and can be found in everyday life and throughout society. With many studies pointing towards music being a motivating stimulus for exercise, it is plausible that music would positively affect the physical activity rates of junior high school students in physical education classes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of popular music on physical activity rates, via pedometry, and enjoyment levels of junior high physical education students. There were 305 junior high physical education students that participated in the study with 151 being male and 154 being female. This was a quasi-experimental …

Pe Central: A Possible Online Professional Development Tool, Amber M. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Bringing about positive teacher change in physical education is often a slow process not supported by traditional professional development practices. The purpose of this study was (a) to assess the usage and satisfaction with the online site PE Central and (b) to ascertain whether PE Central constitutes a valid source of professional development leading to changes in teaching practices and student learning outcomes. Participants (45 pre-service and 288 in-service teachers) completed an online survey assessing the effects of using PE Central on their perceptions of usage, satisfaction, professional development, teacher change, and student engagement. Results indicated no significant differences between …

The Prevalence, Beliefs, And Instruction Of Using Homework Materials As Reported By Physical Educators In Arkansas, Daniel Joseph Burt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to find out the prevalence of physical educators assigning homework to their classes (17.4%) and to identify factors that are related to whether physical educators assign homework. The questionnaire was completed by 144 employed physical educators from the state of Arkansas.

Logistic regression, an independent samples t test, and a chi-square test were used to analyze if specific predictors, school demographics, and the personal beliefs of physical educators affected using homework in physical education. No statistical significance was found in the demographics or predictors, but nine of the beliefs selected indicated that a physical …

A Comparison Of High School Physical Education And Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Kathryn Anne Holt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Physical education is recommended for its potential to promote and provide physical activity. However, in high school settings students can commonly participate in other specified physical activity related programs in lieu of physical education and these programs are referred to as physical education waivers. Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is a common physical education waiver program. Although the criteria used to establish JROTC as a waiver program for physical education is unclear, anecdotally similar accrual of physical activity appears to be a main rationale. The primary purpose of this study was to examine student physical activity levels, lesson contexts, …

Teachers' Perceptions Toward The Secondary Physical Education Program In The State Of Kuwait, Khaled A. Al-Kandari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the perceptions of physical education teachers and supervisors toward the secondary physical education program in eight domains in the State of Kuwait. Stratified and cluster sampling were used to select two schools of female teachers and two schools of male teachers from each district (6 districts); therefore, 24 schools were selected randomly. One hundred thirty-eight physical education teachers were selected and 66 supervisors were selected. A four-point rating scale (i.e., strongly disagree to strongly agree) and open-ended questions were included in the survey. Cronbach's alpha reliability, descriptive statistics, and independent sample t …

Effect Of Handedness On Gross Motor Skill Acquisition Among College Undergraduates, Anthony Paul Parish

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is little applicable research investigating educational adaptation for handedness and even less research dealing with physical skill development. Given that PE teachers and students frequently rely on demonstrations to enhance learning, this study sought to determine if the congruence between teacher and student handedness is important? It was hypothesized that performance and form scores of left-handers that see a right-handed demonstration would be significantly higher than those of right-handers that see a left-handed demonstration.

A lacrosse shot was demonstrated to a group of 69 college-aged participants that were equally split in numbers between male and female and left and …

The Integration Of Technology Within Physical Education Teacher Education: Perceptions Of The Faculty, Helena Baert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, the national Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) standards included a more integrated approach to teaching pre-service teachers about technology and stated that teacher candidates should be able to plan and implement technology infused learning experiences that meet lesson objectives. With the inclusion of the 2008 standards, PETE faculty have the task to create instruction that effectively integrates technology. This study investigated the preparedness for technology integration of 198 teacher educators within nationally recognized PETE programs. The study utilized survey research design to identify current technologies used, analyze current level of technology proficiency in relationship to the level of …

Parental Perception Of Childhood Obesity And The School's Role On Prevention And Interventions In Childhood Obesity, Monique Jones

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Childhood obesity is a major health crisis that is becoming an epidemic among children and adolescents. Interventions must begin early and focus on prevention strategies to achieve the goal of increasing quality years of life for today's children and families. Parents with children in a local after school Boys & Girls club were surveyed regarding their perception of childhood obesity, the causes of childhood obesity, and the school's role in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. More than 90% of the participants identified inactivity, poor eating behavior, eating too much, and lack of money to buy nutritious foods as …

A Pilot Study Examining High School Physical Education Teachers' Understanding And Use Of Mosston's Style(S) Of Teaching, Greg L. Pierce

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to develop a questionnaire that could lend insight to physical educations teachers’ perceptions and use of Mosston's Teaching Styles. The researcher designed a pilot study in which he distributed the questionnaire to six teachers from three Santa Barbara District High Schools. Results show that the six teachers were familiar with all Mosston’s Styles. However, citing circumstances such as class time and class sizes, the participants in this study did not use all of Mosston’s Styles. These results may be useful for physical education teacher educators to help them understand teachers’ knowledge of Mosston’s Styles, …

Impact Of Golf Video Games On Teaching Golf In Physical Education, Ann Pohira-Vieth

Dissertations

Although technology has become an integral part of many classrooms across the country, the incorporation of technology through the use of video games in physical education is also becoming a mainstay in multiple school districts. In West Virginia public schools, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) has entered the physical education classrooms as a way to help curb obesity (“Study Shows Video,” 2008). Schools in Arkansas, Missouri and Hawaii have also followed suit by adding DDR to the physical education curriculum (Gallaway & Lauson, 2006). Even though the incorporation of video games into educational programs is becoming more prevalent, there is a …

An Empathetic Approach To Physical Education Teacher Education, Tony Monahan

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Based on the theory that a more student-centered approach in physical education classes might encourage more students to engage in lifelong physical activity and, thereby, lead a healthier life, this study was undertaken to determine the effect of a semester-long empathy-focused educational intervention on empathy levels in 59 college-level students studying in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Programs at three East-coast universities. ANCOVA results revealed statistically significant findings in "Higher Order" empathy levels in the experimental groups, and analysis of essays written for the study also suggested a change in experimental group subjects' personal view of PE toward an empathetic …

The Physical Educator's Perception Of The Adequate Implementation And Overall Impact Of The Healthy Students Act Of Mississippi, Carol Johnson Barnes

Dissertations

Obesity is an epidemic among Americans that is threatening the health status of citizens and having a major impact on overall physical and psychological well being. Physical education can play a vital role in containing obesity by contributing to the development of physical fitness and assisting students in planning a healthy lifestyle. The "Healthy Students Act of Mississippi" was passed in 2007 and implemented in the public schools in the fall of 2008. This new legislation requires participation of physical activity-based instruction in the public schools.

The subjects for this study consisted of 111 individuals charged with the responsibility of …

Direct Observation In High School Physical Education, Nicole Jennifer Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to analyze existing data collected using direct observation in a high school setting in order to understand more about the quality and contribution of physical education to public health goals. The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) was utilized to collect data related to student activity levels, lesson contexts, and teacher promotion of physical activity behavior. Two cross-sectional samples were observed in the spring 2005 and spring 2007 from seven high schools in a large urban school district in the eastern United States. In total, 164 lessons were observed yielding over 75 hours …

Physical Education Content Knowledge And Physical Activity Behaviors Of Mississippi High School Students, Christina Leigh Lumpkin Martin

Dissertations

The present study investigated physical education content knowledge, physical activity behaviors, and body mass indexes of 386 Mississippi ninth (n=236 ) and twelfth (n=150) grade students with a goal of establishing evidence-based needs to modify physical education curricula. Results of this study suggested that a significant, direct relationship did exist in the Assessment of Sub-disciplinary Knowledge in Physical Education: Exercise Physiology (ASK PE: EXP);(Ayers, 2004) scores and scores from the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (M4<2^4);(Aaron & Kriska, 1997) for both ninth and twelfth grade students. Findings also suggested that physical education content knowledge (exercise physiology) is more likely to contribute to twelfth grade reported physical activity scores than ninth grade reported physical activity scores. However, ninth graders were more active than twelfth graders. This is possibly explained by the small difference (5%) in ASK PE: EXP scores between ninth (M ASK PE: EXP score = 52%, SD=.22) and twelfth graders (M ASKPE: EXP score = 57%, SD = .21). As a whole, results indicated that Mississippi ninth and twelfth grade students' average ASKPE: EXP score was lower (M = 53%, SD = .22) than students in 16 other states (M = 62%, SD = 7.65). Further, majority of Mississippi high school students are performing significantly below the established, research-based cutoff score of 62% (observed N below 62% = 236 and observed N above 62% = 150). This is notable, because findings also suggested that students who scored higher (M knowledge = 76%, SD = .08);(M activity = 8.6 hours/week, SD = 9.7) or above 62% on the ASK PE: EXP were more likely to be active during a weekly basis compared to those who scored lower (M knowledge = 39%, SD = .14);(M activity = 5.8 hours/week, SD = 9.8) or below a 62% on the ASK PE: EXP. With this noted, it was recommended that Mississippi high schools evaluate the current physical education programs, and strive to implement curricula that can provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to make lifelong healthy decisions.

The Personal Development Of Those Who Teach It, Dean Goldspink

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study sought to discover what primary and secondary Health and Physical Education teachers knew about personal development. Specifically, whether these teachers actively pursued their own personal development and whether they conceived of the Health and Physical Education learning area as a personal development curriculum. Further, the teachers were asked if they saw a relationship between teaching a personal development curriculum and their own pursuit of it through a process of proactive life management. A descriptive-objective research design was confirmed as a suitable approach to provide a detailed description of the personal development of Health and Physical Education teachers.

Eating Disorder Risk In Subgroups Of College Freshman Women, Karen E. Gochnour

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this study was to identify subgroups within the college population having a heightened risk for eating disorders. The information for this analysis was retrieved from an existing data set. The two variables that were compared were self selection of college major at the initial collection during freshman year. The sample size of 1,924 was used to see if subgroups of college majors had a heightened risk. Twenty groups composed of similar majors were studied. The majors of Dance, Dietetics, Physical Education, and Communications had heightened risk according to analysis percentage of each group in the clinical range …