Ron E. McBride

Children's Motivation in Elementary Physical Education: An Expectancy-Value Model of Achievement Choice

Abstract This study examined childrens motivation in elementary physical education within an expectancy-value model developed by Eccles and her colleagues. Four hundred fourteen students in second and fourth grades completed questionnaires assessing their expectancy-related beliefs, subjective task values, and intention for future participation in physical education. Results indicated that expectancyrelated beliefs and subjective task values were clearly distinguishable from one another across physical education and throwing. The two constructs were related to each other positively. Childrens intention for future participation in physical education was positively associated with their subjective task values and/or expectancy-related beliefs. Younger children had higher motivation for learning in physical education than older children. Gender differences emerged, and the findings provided empirical evidence supporting the validity of the expectancy-value model in elementary physical education.

Children's Motivation in Elementary Physical Education: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract The present study examined relationships among variables drawn from achievement goal theory and the expectancy-value model of achievement choice as well as mean level changes of these variables over time in elementary physical education. Participants (N = 207) completed questionnaires over a 2-year period: once while in the second and fourth grades and again when they were in the third and fifth grades. Results indicated that achievement goals, expectancy-related beliefs, and subjective task values were related to one another and were predictive of childrens intention for future participation in physical education. Childrens subjective task values of physical education decreased over time. Children in Cohort 1 (across second to third grades) generally had stronger motivation for learning in physical education than children in Cohort 2 (across fourth to fifth grades). Findings suggest the importance of integrating achievement goal theory and the expectancy-value model of achievement choice in understanding student motivation.

Teacher and at-risk students' cognitions during open-ended activities: Structuring the learning environment for critical thinking

Abstract This study examined how a teacher structured the learning environment to foster critical thinking with a group of at-risk students in a nontraditional classroom setting. Forty-three boys attending an outdoor summer camp and their instructor were observed and videotaped during participation in critical thinking activities. Of these, four boys and their instructor participated in stimulated-recall interviews. Student scores increased significantly on a critical thinking test and the teacher used certain behaviors significantly more than others in structuring the learning environment. Content analysis of the interviews yielded three broad constructs or quintessential eroles that appeared to represent student and teacher retrospective constructions of the learning environment.

Dispositions toward critical thinking: The preservice teacher's perspective

This study examines the critical thinking (CT) dispositions of 202 preservice physical education students in the US. All were juniors or seniors and enrolled in physical education secondary teaching methods classes. Results provided evidence of a positive inclination toward CT on six of seven subscales and the total score of the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI). When compared with other university populations, the preservice physical education sample generated higher scores than community college students, but were generally outscored by students from a private 4-year university cohort. Knowledge of the CCTDI data can be used to assist physical education teacher educators as they prepare teachers capable of fostering CT in their students.

Motivational Climates in Ten Teachers' Elementary Physical Education Classes: An Achievement Goal Theory Approach

Using achievement goal theory as a theoretical framework, in this study we identified and described motivational climates in second- and fourth-grade elementary physical education classes. Participants were 10 physical education specialists from 6 schools and their intact second- and fourth-grade classes. Videotaping of teachers (4 lessons per teacher) and teacher and student interviews and questionnaires were used for data collection. The data revealed that, for the majority of lessons at both grades, the teachers provided students with a variety of activities, made learning meaningful, recognized and evaluated students based on effort/mastery, used heterogeneous grouping, and provided sufficient practice time. All these are mastery-focused practices. The teachers, however, recognized/evaluated students in public ways more often than privately and seldom allowed students choices in their own learning, characteristics of a performance-focused climate. Taken together, the findings indicated that the motivational climate these teachers created was neither mastery nor performance focused but a blending of the 2 approaches.

An Analysis of Preservice Teachers' Dispositions Toward Critical Thinking: A cross-cultural perspective

This study examined and compared the critical thinking dispositions (CT) of 218 American and 234 Chinese preservice physical education teachers. All were juniors or seniors and enrolled in physical education secondary teaching methods classes at the time of the study. Results provided evidence of a positive endorsement toward CT by the American sample, and a slight resistance by the Chinese participants on two of the four subscales from the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI). The American sample scored significantly higher on two of the four subscales. Some of the differences between the two populations may stem from the duality of individualism-collectivism represented in Western and Asian cultures, respectively. Similarities noted between the two populations in CT dispositions, however, appear to transcend cultural differences and may serve as the basis for future research.

Reliability and Validity Evidence for Achievement Goal Models in High School Physical Education Settings

Although empirical research in academic areas provides support for both a 3-factor as well as a 4-factor achievement goal model, both models were proposed and tested with a collegiate sample. Little is known about the generalizability of either model with high school level samples. This study was designed to examine whether the 3-factor model (Mastery Goals, Performance-Approach Goals, and Performance-Avoidance Goals) or the 4-factor model (Mastery-Approach Goals, Mastery-Avoidance Goals, Performance-Approach Goals, and Performance-Avoidance Goals) is appropriate in high school physical education settings. The factorial validity of the models and internal consistency reliability were tested with confirmatory factor analysis, invariance testing, and tests of internal consistency across 2 samples. The results reveal that the items from the 4-factor achievement goal model can produce internally consistent and valid scores for high school students in physical education settings; the 4-factor model provides a better fit to the data than the 3-factor model. The multistep invariance analysis, however, reveals only metric invariance across 2 school samples.

Thoughtful Decision Makingin Physical Education: A Modest Proposal

A number of research agendas including teaching games for understanding, invasion games tactics, cooperative learning, seeking solutions to ill-defined problems, and examining learners use of domain specific knowledge share thoughtful decision making as a common denominator. For the most part, each of these research strands have been investigated individually with little effort to link findings to a larger construct addressing thoughtful classrooms. This paper discusses the agendas and proposes a schema whereby thoughtful decision making represents a common conduit that might well lead to a more inclusive and informative theoretical model in physical education.

The Differential Effect of Indirect Instruction in the Teaching of Sport Skills on Critical Thinking and Self-esteem of Early Adolescent Boys Placed at Risk

The purpose of this study was to examine the differential effect of sport skills instruction (SSI) and sport skills instruction plus initiative games (SSI +) on the critical thinking (CT) and self-esteem scores of early adolescent boys placed at risk. Students in the SSI + group ( n = 36) participated in initiative games classes in addition to their sport skills activities. Students in the SSI group (n = 44) participated in the sport skills activities only. Since the boys were divided by age (10-11 & 12-13), the influence of age on the dependent variables was also investigated. Classes taught by the initiative games teacher were student-centered while the sport skills classes were teacher-centered. Significant differences between teacher behaviors occurred in interaction patterns, instructional strategies, and management concerns. There were no differences on self-esteem scores. The results supported the addition of initiative games to SSI to foster CT with this group of participants.

Students’ attitudes toward an after-school physical activity programme

Though considerable research on student attitudes has been conducted in physical education, little information exists concerning student attitudes toward after-school physical activity programmes. This study assessed students’ attitudes toward their after-school physical activity programme located in southwest Texas, USA. Participants included 158 students in grades three to six, with ages ranging from eight to 12 years. They completed a five-item attitude questionnaire drawn from the attitude literature. Twenty students were also randomly selected and interviewed individually. Both the questionnaire and interview data indicated students in this study had positive attitudes toward their after-school physical activity programme. The interview data further revealed that students had positive attitudes primarily because they had fun, played a variety of games, and benefited from participation in the physical activities. Students’ attitudes were also examined in relation to their attendance of the programme. No significant relationship was found between the two variables.