Prithwi Raj Subramaniam

Validation of scores from an instrument assessing student attitude toward physical education.

The purposes of this study were to develop an instrument to assess student attitude toward physical education and to provide psychometric evidence of reliability and validity of the interpretation of scores from the attitude instrument. The study was conducted in multiple phases: (a) elicitation study, (b) preliminary study, (c) content validity study, and (d) reliability and validity study. Participants for the elicitation study were 110 middle school students. Enjoyment and Perceived Usefulness emerged as the primary factors, whereas the physical education teacher, curriculum, and peers were found to be the primary subfactors through student elicitation. The preliminary study utilized 33 students. Participants for the content validity study were 35 experts in physical education pedagogy. The reliability and validity study involved 995 students (Grades 6, 7, and 8). Results indicate that this instrument produces reliable and valid scores based on the 2-component view of attitude. The hypothesized factor structure is a good fit to the observed data.

Task structures, student practice, and skill in physical education

Abstract Task structures and practice variables for students of differing skill levels were examined. Eight teachers and their middle school-aged students were videotaped during 2 class periods so that all instruction could subsequently be coded. Teachers ranked their students on perceived skill level. In each class, 3 students at each of the 3 perceived skill levels (high, medium, and low) were selected (N = 72). Process data were collected on the tasks that teachers implemented and on the appropriate and inappropriate practice trials executed by each of the selected students. Analyses occurred at different levels and indicated that task organization is associated with both the quantity and quality of student practice. Although the students of differing skill levels had similar numbers of practice trials, the relationships between trials and some organizational variables differed among skill levels.

Task Structures, Feedback to Individual Students, and Student Skill Level in Physical Education

Research on effective teaching has addressed many of the variables thought to enhance student learning. One variable that has received a great deal of attention in the literature is teacher feedback directed to individual students, because a role of the teacher is to monitor instruction and provide students with information that will improve their subsequent performance. Feedback, which has been studied in motor learning and physical education research, is an often prescribed part of teacher education and teacher evaluation. The ability to provide relevant feedback generally is regarded as an important aspect of good teaching. Results on the relationships of feedback to learning a motor skill have not been as strong as the prescriptions often given to teachers. Motor learning research (Magill, 1993) consistently has shown there are relationships between feedback and achievement. In the past few years, research on feedback in physical education has shown that the results from motor learning research may not be directly applicable to the physical education setting (Silverman, 1994). Research conducted in physical education has shown mixed results with regard to the effects offeedback (see Lee, Keh, & Magill, 1993). Silverman, Tyson, and Krampitz (1992, 1993) have suggested that feedback may only be responsible for a small percentage

Unlocking the Power of Situational Interest in Physical Education

JOPERD • Volume 81 No. 7 • September 2010 H ow do I develop and maintain my students’ interest in learning? What can I do to make my lessons more interesting? Finding the answers to these questions has become more challenging for teachers as the number of disengaged and unmotivated students in physical education gradually increases (Ennis, Cothran, & Davidson, 1997). This challenge is further exacerbated by school-age children’s lack of engagement in physical activity and their sedentary lifestyles. The role of interest in learning, advocated by Dewey (1913) as an integral component of the educational process, has gained renewed attention in physical education (Chen, 2001; Subramaniam, 2009). Understanding how interest develops and the pedagogy that nurtures its growth and development can help teachers become agents of change in curtailing the decline in students’ motivation to learn. The level of a person’s interest has a powerful influence on learning (Hidi & Renninger, 2006). Interest-based motivation, if used appropriately and under the right conditions, has the potential to evoke enjoyment of learning in the future (Xiang, Chen, & Bruene, 2005). Ennis et al. (1997) indicated that students’ lack of interest in learning tasks is one of the critical issues that contribute to their disengagement during class. Focusing on the creation of interest, therefore, is the bedrock for developing physically educated individuals as described in the national standards for physical education (National Association for Sport and Physical Education [NASPE], 2004).

A holistic Approach to Promoting Physical Activity Among School-Age Children

StRAtEgiES 23 There is widespread concern in society about the rising obesity epidemic and lack of physical activity among children and adolescents. Childhood obesity has tripled in the last two decades and obese children also are likely to become obese in adulthood (Strong et al., 2005). Children as young as 8 years old are beginning to suffer from obesity-related diabetes due to physical inactivity. If this unhealthy trend continues unchecked, this generation of children will become the first not to outlive their parents (McKenzie & Kahan, 2008). Needless to say, there is enormous health costs tied to hypokinetic diseases. As a result, the importance of physical activity to public health has become of prime importance in society today. Schools have been identified as one of the most costeffective institutions in the promotion of physical activity (Pate et al., 2006), and a high-quality physical education program (NASPE, 2004a) is the best avenue in promoting lifelong physical activity and health. However, with the limited time available to physical educators during physical education, students cannot attain the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity (NASPE, 2004a). Healthy People 2010 identified physical activity as the number one indicator affecting the health of individuals. And the goals state that individuals need to augment their daily dose of physical activity using physical activity as the medium to increase the quality of life (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2000). In order for these goals to come to fruition, students need to be provided additional physical activity opportunities before and after school, and promote physical activity at home and in the community (Corbin & McKenzie, 2008; Faber, Kulinna, & Darst, 2007; Lambdin & Erwin, 2007; Lee & Solmon, 2007). This effort requires physical educators and other school and community professionals to work as a cohesive unit. Therefore, this article focuses on the holistic approach to promoting physical activity.

Linking the Revised National Standards to Teaching Games for Understanding: An Eighth-grade Soccer Example

In the United States it is estimated that over 3 million children and young people currently participate in youth soccer programs. This number has the potential to increase following a surge of interest in the U.S. Mens National Team World Cup performance in Brazil in 2014, and the U.S. Womens National Team World Cup win in Canada in 2015. This is an ideal time to promote the inclusion of soccer in school curriculums and improve the way it is currently delivered. The two main goals of this articles are to (1) highlight reasons why soccer should be included in school curriculums to meet the new National Standards and promote lifelong physical activity, and (2) discuss why a tactical model such as teaching games for understanding (TGfU) is the recommended pedagogical framework for delivering the game-related components for student enjoyment and success.

Appropriate Instructional Practices in Elementary Physical Education.

Teaching and learning in physical education at the elementary level should be a time filled with excitement and fun for both teachers and students. Children by nature are inquisitive and bring an abundance of energy into the learning environment. Physical educators who are able to harness this student energy in positive ways are able to successfully engage students in fun and meaningful activities. Yet, we also hear of physical educators who have a difficult time making content meaningful to these young learners (Solmon, 2006). The purpose of this article is to provide preservice and beginning elementary physical educators with appropriate instructional practices for making learning experiences fun and meaningful for all children. The lack of engagement m physical activity among children has become a major health issue in the U.S . (NASPE & American Heart Association [AHA] , 2006; United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1996). Various agencies (Department of Health and Human Services, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Department of Education) have expressed their belief that physical