Xihe Zhu

Implementation Challenges for a Constructivist Physical Education Curriculum.

Background: Curriculum fidelity describes the extent to which a curriculum is implemented faithfully as planned. Curriculum fidelity issues may arise when teachers implement the curriculum inconsistently due to differences in philosophy, barriers in the setting, or other local concerns. Purpose: The study examined challenges that a teacher faced in implementing a constructivist physical education curriculum that had fidelity implications. Research design: Ethnographic case study design was employed in the research. Participants and setting: One physical education teacher, ‘Daniel’, and his students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades participated in the study as they were involved in a curriculum intervention in a large urban school district in the US. Daniels school was randomly assigned to an experimental group to implement a physical education curriculum based on health/fitness-related science. Data collection: The researchers observed 75 lessons taught by Daniel using non-participant observation techniques and conducted two structured interviews with Daniel and eight interviews with his students. Data analysis: Constant comparison with open and axial coding was used to analyze the observation and interview data. Findings: Two thematic challenges emerged: (1) school contextual constraints that limited the fitness science learning environment in physical education, and (2) Daniels personal values and preference for a recreational rather than a science-based physical education program. These challenges impacted Daniels decisions when teaching the curriculum.

Learning Science-Based Fitness Knowledge in Constructivist Physical Education.

Teaching fitness-related knowledge has become critical in developing childrens healthful living behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a science-based, constructivist physical education curriculum on learning fitness knowledge critical to healthful living in elementary school students. The schools (N = 30) were randomly selected from one of the largest school districts in the United States and randomly assigned to treatment curriculum and control conditions. Students in third, fourth, and fifth grade (N = 5,717) were pre- and posttested on a standardized knowledge test on exercise principles and benefits in cardiorespiratory health, muscular capacity, and healthful nutrition and body flexibility. The results indicated that children in the treatment curriculum condition learned at a faster rate than their counterparts in the control condition. The results suggest that the constructivist curriculum is capable of inducing superior knowledge gain in third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children.Teaching fitness-related knowledge has become critical in developing childrens healthful living behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a science-based, constructivist physical education curriculum on learning fitness knowledge critical to healthful living in elementary school students. The schools (N = 30) were randomly selected from one of the largest school districts in the United States and randomly assigned to treatment curriculum and control conditions. Students in third, fourth, and fifth grade (N = 5,717) were pre- and posttested on a standardized knowledge test on exercise principles and benefits in cardiorespiratory health, muscular capacity, and healthful nutrition and body flexibility. The results indicated that children in the treatment curriculum condition learned at a faster rate than their counterparts in the control condition. The results suggest that the constructivist curriculum is capable of inducing superior knowledge gain in third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children.

Student teachers’ reflection during practicum: plenty on action, few in action

This study describes student teachers’ reflective practices during practicum in a physical education teacher education program. An instructor and her 12 student teachers were the participants. Data were collected using non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews and student artifacts. I analyzed the data using constant comparison with open and axial coding based on Schön and van Manen’s reflection model. Two salient themes emerged. First, student teachers tapped into different types of experiences during practicum for reflection, primarily reflection on action. Second, reflection in action appeared to be vague and difficult for student teachers due to ‘too many things going on’ in teaching. Plenty of opportunities for reflection on action were reported, yet few for reflection in action were identified. There is a need for more experiences to engage student teachers in reflection in action and deeper reflective practices.

Measurement Invariance of Expectancy-Value Questionnaire in Physical Education

Expectancy-Value Questionnaire (EVQ) measures student expectancy beliefs and task values of the domain content (Eccles & Wigfield, 1995).In this study the authors examine measurement invariance of EVQ in the domain of physical education between elementary and middle-school students. Participants included 811 students (3rd–5th grades) from 13 elementary and 903 (6th–8th grades) from 13 middle schools. Students completed the EVQ in their physical education classes within the same semester. A series of hierarchical steps for testing the measurement invariance were conducted based on means and covariance structures. The results suggest that the questionnaire possesses configural and metric invariance, but noninvariant item intercepts between these two groups of students (|∆CFI | > .05). EVQ can be used to measure expectancy-value constructs in physical education for both middle-school and elementary students. Yet the noninvariant item intercepts posted questions on how the measured construct difference should be interpreted.

Physical Activity and Fitness Knowledge Learning in Physical Education: Seeking a Common Ground.

Motivation to learn is a disposition developed through exposure to learning opportunities. Guided by the expectancy-value theory of Eccles and Wigfield (1995), this study examined the extent to which expectancy belief and task value influenced elementary school students’ physical activity and knowledge learning in physical education (PE). Students (N = 753) from 15 US public schools contributed student-level and class-level data. With a 2-level design, the data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Physical activity (t = 3.18; p < .01) positively predicted fitness knowledge. Attainment value (i.e. perception of importance) as the only expectancy-value construct, significantly predicted fitness knowledge (t = 3.07; p < .01), when physical activity was held constant. As the physical activity intensity increased, the positive prediction of attainment value to knowledge attenuated and then turned negative (t = –3.10; p < .01). The study indicated that although a physically-active context helps students to make sense of fitness knowledge, a vigorous context shifts their motivation away from cognitive learning, toward physical participation. To resolve the difficulty of attaining learning objectives both physically and cognitively, PE teachers may want to maintain an active learning context with moderate physical intensity. Future research should address the effect of learner motivation on dual or multiple learning outcomes in PE.

Overweight, obesity, and screen-time viewing among Chinese school-aged children: National prevalence estimates from the 2016 Physical Activity and Fitness in China—The Youth Study

Purpose This study presents the most recent estimates of prevalence of overweight, obesity, and screen-time viewing among Chinese school-aged children. Demographic differences in these estimates between sexes and resident locales were also examined. Methods Cross-sectional analyses of 116,615 Chinese school children 9 to 17 years of age who participated in the 2016 Physical Activity and Fitness in China—The Youth Study project. Outcomes were the prevalence of childrens overweight (85th ≤ body mass index (BMI) < 95th percentile) and obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile) (defined by the Working Group on Obesity in China) and not meeting screen-time viewing recommendations (“not meeting” was defined as more than 2 h per day of viewing activities after school). Analyses were conducted on the whole sample and by school grade cohorts (primary, junior middle, and junior high schools), sex, and residence locales (urban, rural). Results Overall, 14.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 13.8%–15.0%) of children and adolescents were overweight, 11.9% (95%CI: 11.0%–13.0%) were obese, and 36.8% (95%CI: 34.7%–38.9%) did not meet screen-time viewing recommendations. Across the 3-grade cohorts, boys were more likely to be obese than girls, and primary and junior middle school children living in urban areas were more likely to be obese than those living in rural areas. Primary and junior middle school boys were less likely to meet screen-time recommendations than girls, and junior high school children living in urban areas were less likely to meet screen-time recommendations than school children of the same grades living in rural areas. Conclusion In 2016, the prevalence of obesity among Chinese school children was about 12%, and about 37% of them did not meet screen-time viewing recommendations. The prevalence of obesity and sedentary behavior was generally higher among boys than among girls, and it was higher for children living in urban areas than for those living in rural areas.

Exploring Students' Conception and Expectations of Achievement in Physical Education

Achievement in a domain is normally defined by the experts within the curricula. This exploratory study reported student conception of achievement in physical education, attempting to address two questions: (1) what do students expect to achieve and (2) how do students view the achievement in physical education. Students (N = 48) purposefully selected from seven classes participated in the study. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from three sources: curriculum documents, observation, and cognitive interviews with a ranking task sheet (Willis & Schechter, 1997). Student rankings were analyzed descriptively. The interview, observation notes, and documents were analyzed using constant comparison (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Students reported multiple conceptions of achievement, and each achievement statement was ranked the highest by certain students. Overall, trying to stay in shape and having fun were rated the highest expected achievements by students in physical education. This finding provides insights on student conception of achievement yet creates a dilemma on the evaluation of achievement.

Motivational cost aspects of physical education in middle school students

Expectancy value theory presumes that learners’ motivation is determined by their expectancy beliefs and task values associated with learning tasks. This study examined students’ cost and its relation to expectancy beliefs, other task value components in physical education. Middle school students (N = 593) from 11 schools completed the expectancy-value questionnaire. Qualitative analysis of students’ responses to open-ended questions showed motivational cost originated from curriculum content, instructional conditions/elements, physical discomfort, lack of social support and competence and teacher factors. Chi-square analysis suggests that students’ motivational cost is associated with their hypothetical choices of attending physical education. Motivational cost was found to be negatively associated with other task value components, but not with expectancy beliefs.

The meaning of physical education and sport among elite athletes with visual impairments

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the meaning that elite athletes with visual impairments ascribed to their school-based physical education (PE) and sport experiences. A convenience sample of four elite male goalball athletes with visual impairment voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews and reflective field notes, and an interpretive phenomenological analysis was conducted for theme development. Member checking, peer debriefing, and communicative validity were utilized to ensure trustworthiness. Even though the participants’ experiences varied due to their personal and contextual characteristics, four interrelated themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) PE teachers are central to PE experiences; (b) internalized exclusion; (c) athletic identity struggle; and (d) extracurricular opportunity. These themes are discussed in relation to the existing literature. Implications with regard to the education of PE teachers and the need for school-based PE and sport programming to better serve students with visual impairments are highlighted.

High school students’ experiences in a Sport Education unit: The importance of team autonomy and problem-solving opportunities

This study examined high school students’ experiences in a Sport Education unit being implemented with smaller teams and fewer roles. The participants included one physical education teacher and her 70 ninth-grade students. Each week, we conducted two to three observations and four to six informal interviews with the participants for over eight weeks. We also conducted a structured interview with the teacher and four interviews with 12 students. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using open and axial coding. Two themes emerged from data analysis. First, Sport Education transformed students from passive into active learners, reflected in team autonomy and problem solving. Second, smaller teams produced higher engagement especially in those students who rarely participated in the traditional team sport unit, reflected through their willingness to ‘work together’ to be successful. The results point to the importance of team autonomy and problem-solving opportunities that transformed students into active learners.