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Background: Although physical literacy is explicitly defined and integrated into Canadian provincial physical education curricula, limited empirical evidence substantiates the development of physical literacy in elementary physical education. Despite physical education curricular expectations, developing and assessing physical literacy in students may be difficult for teachers with little to no background in physical literacy or physical education. Purpose: The primary purpose was to explore the effect of a curricularly linked physical literacy enriched intervention in elementary school physical education. A secondary purpose involved an examination of the intervention's effects on sex differences. Design: A quasi-experimental controlled intervention trial with a matched comparison group was used to determine the impact of a curricular-based physical literacy enriched physical education intervention on students' development of physical literacy. Teachers (n = 6) and students (n = 131) from four Saskatchewan elementary schools participated in either a PLitPE (experimental) condition or a usual practice (control) condition. The PLitPE intervention was created using learning principles consistent with physical literacy and Self-Determination Theory. PLitPE instructional elements were developed with input from thirteen teachers who were members of the local school division's physical education professional learning community. An embedded professional development model was used where a mentor teacher was present to facilitate and support the implementation of the PLitPE intervention. The Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth tools were used to assess motor competence (PLAYfun), student self-description (PLAYself), and movement participation (PLAYinventory). Each domain of physical literacy (physical competence, psychological, and behavioural) was evaluated using these tools. Results: Significant differences, favouring PLitPE over control, were observed for average motor competence (M = 49.4, M = 40.0, p < 0.001, PLAYfun), movement vocabulary (M = 10.3, M = 7.5, p < 0.001, PLAYfun), environmental participation (M = 423.9, M = 390.1, p < 0.05, PLAYself), and a reduction of sex differences on average motor competence and movement vocabulary. Statistically significant relationships with low to fair correlations between PLAYfun and PLAYself variables existed. Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence supporting physical literacy enriched physical education. PLitPE developed the psychological domain (affective and cognitive) and significantly improved physical competence, however, the intervention did not manifest in improved behaviour. Concerning sex differences, the intervention yielded an equal and substantive improvement in both males and females in the intervention group. Future studies should consider the addition of reflective approaches, as well as the construction of positive challenges for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to examine the pedagogical practices that encourage students with severe disabilities' participation in an elementary physical education program through the lens of ableism. Focus group interviews were conducted with elementary students and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight educators in the school. Field notes were conducted and documents, including the lesson plan and journal entries were collected. Findings reveal the teacher's intentional instructional practices fostered students' engagement with peers and classroom activities. The results of this research augment the literature describing teachers' orientations and pedagogical innovation that serve the needs of students with disabilities within general physical education settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of cognitively challenging physical activity games on students' executive functions and situational interest in physical education. Participants were 144 fourth- and fifth-grade students (75 boys, 69 girls) from four elementary schools. A four-group, repeated measures, cross-over quasi-experimental design was used in this acute experiment including a physical education session. One fourth- and one fifth-grade class from each school were randomly assigned to Group 1 with cognitively challenging physical activity games, Group 2 with a session for teaching soccer skills, Group 3 with a session for teaching track and field skills, and Group 4 (waiting-list control group) with cognitively challenging physical activity games after the post-test. Pre- and post-test measures for executive functions and a post-test measure for situational interest were included. Group 1 students, who were involved in cognitively challenging physical activity games, improved their scores in the executive functions more than students who participated in the sessions with soccer or track and field skills and waiting-list control group students. The positive effects on students' executive functions were replicated when the cognitively challenging physical activity games session was implemented in the waiting-list control group. Some improvements on executive functions for students who participated in the soccer skills session were found. Students who played the cognitively challenging physical activity games reported higher scores on novelty compared to students in the soccer or track and field groups. These results support the effectiveness of the cognitive challenging physical activity games for triggering students' executive functions in physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a tactical games model instructional plan on game-play volleyball performances of elementary school students, taking into account their skill level. In total, 39 fourth-grade students (average age: 8.9 years) participated in a 13-week unit, in which each lesson exaggerated the use of small-sided games. In-game performances were assessed via the Team Sport Assessment Procedure, while students played a 10-minute modified game (four versus four). Data were collected pre- and post-intervention, and after the summer vacation (retention test). A 2 (skill level) × 3 (time) analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare students' performance, and the relevant effects were interpreted mainly by means of confidence intervals and effect size measures. At the end of the instructional period, all participants had an overall moderate to large improvement, and this global improvement seems to have remained at least until the end of the summer vacation. Lower-skilled students attained a larger and more established improvement than high-skilled students did. However, some detrimental effects on in-game students' performance existed at the end of the instructional period. Therefore, teachers have to take into account students' skill levels when designing their lessons because, if small-sided games are adequately considered and managed, students' learning processes can be enhanced. Furthermore, the students should be assigned appropriate learning activities to avoid summer learning loss in physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationships between student emotions in elementary physical education (PE) and their self-reported personal and social behaviors. Additionally, self-reported emotion and personal and social behavior differences were tested between students receiving a traditional multiactivity and games PE curriculum and those experiencing a Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model curriculum. Participants were 2nd and 3rd grade students (n =222) from two schools in the United States. Both schools had similar student demographics, school needs, and community characteristics. For secondary comparison analysis, school one (n =87) served as the comparative school receiving a traditional multiactivity curriculum and school two (n =135) received the TPSR model. Results showed that enjoyment and anger were predictors of students' behavioral engagement. Findings also disclosed a significant positive effect for enjoyment, perceived responsibility, and behavioral engagement favoring the TPSR group. The TPSR model may be positively associated with elementary students' beliefs about responsible behaviors, student enjoyment, and training students in positive ways to deal with anger. Overall, investigating the relationship between students' emotions and their personal and social development, as it relates to PE, may provide intervention to reduce some negative experiences students report in these environments. Likewise, positive emotional experiences may increase in-class engagement and the adoption of adaptive personal and social responsibilities within PE and potentially into other areas in and out of school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Korfball was invented in a mixed Primary School in Amsterdam in the early 1900s [IKF (2006). Korfball in the Mixed Zone. KNKV; Summerfield and White (1989). Korfball: A Model of Egalitarianism. Sociology of Sport Journal, 6, 144–151]. The main catalyst for the development of korfball was a need for a competitive mixed sport that relied on cooperation and meant boys and girls could participate on a level playing field [Summerfield and White (1989). Korfball: A Model of Egalitarianism. Sociology of Sport Journal, 6, 144–151]. Previous research into gender in physical education (PE) has found that young people gain gender-related understandings through PE [Azzarito (2009). The Panopticon of PE: pretty, active and ideally white. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 14(1), 19–39; Azzarito and Solomon (2009). An Investigation of Students' Embodied Discourses in PE: A gender project. Journal of Teaching in PE, 28, 173–191; Azzarito and Solomon (2010). A Reconceptualization of PE: The intersection of gender/race/social class. Sport, Education and Society, 10(1), 25–47; Chalabaev et al. (2013). The Influence of Sex Stereotypes and Gender Roles on Participation and Performance in Sport and Exercise: Review and future directions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14, 136–144; Wright (1995). A Feminist Poststructuralist Methodology for the Study of Gender Construction in PE: Description of a Study. Journal of Teaching in PE, 15, 1–24]. [Thorne (1993). Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School. Rutgers University Press] argues that to remove binary thinking and notions of hegemonic masculinity and femininity, PE lessons should promote equality between girls and boys, reflect cooperation and teamwork between all, and demonstrate to students that gender inclusivity is achievable. This paper will consider findings from a larger ethnographic study, in order to discuss how junior korfball players understand gender within their individual PE settings. It will also seek to discover whether players believe gender discourses can be negotiated in PE through the use of korfball. Players frequently referred to the limitations of their current PE experiences and suggested that the mixed element of korfball could provide opportunities for boys and girls to come together in PE. Players described how the structure of the korfball game reflects a need to use both sexes, which could improve mixed PE lessons. Players also discussed preconceived ideas about boys' games and girls' games, which led to problematic actions and interactions in current mixed PE settings. Findings suggest that embodied practices which demonstrate the abilities of girls, as well as boys, could lead to resistance of dominant discourses which reinforce gender difference and the physical inferiority of girls. They might provide a space which alters dominant discourse often reproduced in PE and sporting environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical education in elementary education usually provides children's first contact with sports. According to the trans-contextual model of motivation, physical education teachers can positively influence children's beliefs toward and actual leisure time physical activity behavior. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a dance-based physical education program on motivation regarding physical education lesson participation, as well as leisure time physical activity participation. The sample consisted of 252 pupils attending Grades 5 and 6 of elementary school (Mage = 10.48 years, SD = 0.50 years). Participants were randomly assigned into three groups. The first group attended a physical education lesson based on various forms of dance, the second one attended lessons with Greek traditional dances only, and the third group served as active control group that attended the typical curriculum. The intervention lasted six weeks. Before and after the intervention, students completed survey-based measures of motivational climate, motivational regulations in physical education and leisure time, enjoyment, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and intentions toward leisure time physical activity. In support of the trans-contextual model, results showed that students in the dance intervention programs scored significantly higher in perceptions of motivational climate and beliefs toward leisure time physical activity. The findings of the study suggest that dancing lessons at school can bolster more positive attitudes and beliefs toward physical education and leisure time physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A considerable amount of evidence supports the value of teaching physical education (PE) and the Common Core in unison. This study investigated mathematics concepts taught during fitness segments in elementary PE. Specifically, we studied student perceptions about linking PE activities and mathematics. We wanted to determine if math concepts could be added to the fitness portion of elementary PE classes without a reduction in the amount of physical activity performed, and if student absorption of mathematics knowledge increased by combining the two fields. Fifty-five upper elementary-age students (8-12 years old) of various ethnic backgrounds from one school in Arizona participated. They wore pedometers and also completed mathematics worksheets preintervention and postintervention. Results showed that 54 of 55 students had extremely positive perceptions, indicating their enjoyment of mathematics as a part of the fitness activity. The students completed the math problems during the fitness segment, with a significant increase in mathematics knowledge. We did not find significant differences between step counts in the regular fitness and mathematics fitness segments. The students enjoyed the mental challenge of mathematics content while being physically active in the fitness segment of the class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concerns that current forms of physical education teacher education (PETE) are not adequately providing teachers with the tools necessary for working with the realities and challenges of teaching physical education in contemporary schools has led some scholars to advocate for an approach that prioritises meaningfulness in physical education. There is, however, little empirical evidence of how future teachers might be taught to facilitate meaningful physical education experiences. Purpose: This paper describes a pedagogical approach to PETE to support pre-service teachers (PSTs) in learning how to facilitate meaningful experiences in physical education. We aim to contribute new understanding through sharing pedagogical principles that support PSTs’ ‘Learning About Meaningful Physical Education’ (LAMPE). Participants and setting: The research team consisted of three physical education teacher educators: Tim and Déirdre who implemented LAMPE pedagogies and Mary who acted as meta-critical friend (pseudonyms used for the review process). Results from the LAMPE innovation reported here are taken from implementation across four semesters of two academic years 2013–2015. Déirdre implemented LAMPE in an introduction to teaching physical education course for pre-service generalist elementary teachers. Tim implemented the approach in an undergraduate developmental games course for future physical education teachers. A total of 106 PSTs participated in the research. Data collection and analysis: Data included teacher educator reflections and non-participant observer data from 33 individual lessons, over 7 hours of transcribed teacher educator Skype conversations, 8 ‘turning point’ documents, 15 sets of PST work samples, and transcripts of individual (n = 10) and 9 focus group interviews (n = 18 participants) with PSTs. Data were analysed inductively. Triangulation of multiple data sources and an expert member check supported trustworthiness of the LAMPE approach and data analysis. Findings: We share five pedagogical principles that reflect how PSTs were supported to learn how to facilitate meaningful physical education experiences. Pedagogies included planning for, experiencing, teaching, analysing, and reflecting on meaningful participation. Implementing pedagogies aligned with these five pedagogical principles helped participants learnwhymeaningful participation should be prioritised as well ashowto facilitate meaningful physical education experiences. Conclusions: Pedagogical principles of LAMPE have been constructed from empirical evidence of both teacher educator and PST experiences that supported learning how to promote meaningful physical education. This research contributes new understanding of how to support PSTs in learning to teach with an emphasis on facilitating meaningful physical education experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: An objective database for physical education (PE) is important for policy and practice decisions, and the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) has been identified as an appropriate surveillance tool for PE across the nation. The purpose of this review was to assess peer-reviewed studies using SOFIT to study K-12 PE in U.S. schools.Method: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses informed the review, and 10 databases were searched for English-language articles published through 2016. A total of 704 records identifying SOFIT were located, and 137 full texts were read. Two authors reviewed full-text articles, and a data extraction tool was developed to select studies and main topics for synthesis.Results: Twenty-nine studies that included direct observations of 12,256 PE lessons met inclusion criteria; 17 were conducted in elementary schools, 9 in secondary schools, and 3 in combined-level schools. Inconsistent reporting among studies was evident, including not all identifying the number of classes and teachers involved. All studies reported student physical activity, but fewer reported observer reliabilities (88%), lesson context (76%), teacher behavior (38%), and PE dosage (34%). The most frequently analyzed independent variables were teacher preparation (48%), lesson location (38%), and student gender (31%).Conclusions: SOFIT can be used reliably in diverse settings. Inconsistent reporting about study procedures and variables analyzed, however, limited comparisons among studies. Adherence to an established protocol and more consistent reporting would more fully enable the development of a viable database for PE in U.S. schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A relationship exists between attitudes toward physical education and future physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in attitude toward physical education as students progressed from upper elementary school (Grade 4) through middle school (Grade 8).Method: Three cohorts of students (Cohort 1, Grades 4-6, n = 96; Cohort 2, Grades 5-7, n = 71; and Cohort 3, Grades 6-8, n = 73) were each followed for 3 years to examine changes in attitudes toward physical education.Results: After an initial increase from Grade 4 to Grade 5, a significant decrease was observed from Grades 5 to 8 in students' positive attitudes toward physical education, with a faster rate of change for girls than boys.Conclusion: This longitudinal study provides further insights regarding the attitudes of students as they progress from Grade 4 to Grade 8 and expands on previous findings identifying decreasing positive attitudes toward physical education as students age, particularly for girls. The results provide evidence to support targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We examined the effect of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) on gross motor skills in children. Methods: Participants were 959 children (1st-6th grade; Mean age = 9.1 ± 1.5 years; 406 girls, 553 boys) recruited from 5 low-income schools receiving a year-long CSPAP intervention. Data were collected at the beginning of the school year and at a 36-week follow-up. Gross motor skills were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development (3rd ed.) (TGMD-3) instrument. Multi-level mixed effects models were employed to examine the effect of CSPAP on TGMD-3 scores, testing age and sex as effect modifiers and adjusting for clustering of observations within the data structure. Results: There were statistically significant coefficients for time (β = 8.1, 95% CI [3.9, 12.3], p < .001) and an age × time interaction (β = -1.7, 95% CI [-2.3, -1.1], p < .001) on TGMD-3 total scores. Significant improvements were also seen for locomotor skills and ball skills sub-test scores. Conclusions: Children showed improved gross motor skill scores at the end of the 36-week CSPAP that were modified by age, as younger children displayed greater improvements in TGMD-3 scores compared to older children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary physical education (PPE) is increasingly being recognised for the role it can potentially play in setting a foundation for lifelong engagement in physical activity. However, the majority of the literature continues to focus on the negative features of the subject within the primary context. Whilst acknowledging the existence of these barriers, this paper sets out to take a proactive approach by presenting a conceptual framework for PPE that seeks to support a renewed and positive vision for the future. Based on ideas from complexity thinking, the framework represents a move beyond the more positivist and linear approaches that have long been reported to dominate practices in PPE and recognises learners as active agents engaged in a learning process that is collaborative, non-linear and uncertain. While acknowledging the contested nature of the complexity field, the paper explores how key principles, including self-organisation, emergence, similarity, diversity, connectedness, nestedness, ambiguous bounding, recursive elaboration and edge of chaos, offer a lens that views PPE as a complex system. With the children's learning positioned as the focus of PPE in the educational setting, the paper discusses how complexity principles interweave with the ecological components to help us better understand and more creatively engage with the complex nature of PPE developments. Specifically, these components are identified as PPE learning experiences and their associated pedagogy, teachers and their PPE professional learning and key environmental factors that include the physical environment and key stakeholders who influence developments across the different levels of the education system. The paper concludes by suggesting that this complexity-informed PPE framework represents an open invitation for the all those involved in PPE to engage in a collective process of exploration and negotiation to positively influence developments in PPE. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines physical education (PE) curriculum development in an elementary school. Our goal was to understand the daily construction of a curriculum. We sought to analyse the theoretical and methodological framework and documents that a PE teacher uses each day while putting a curriculum into practice (lived curriculum). The data collection instruments included participant observation, interviews and document analysis. The analytical process revealed the influence of internal and external factors that affect both the authorship and the autonomy of a teacher working on the daily construction of a lived PE curriculum and that create tensions, struggles and conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: California elementary schools are mandated to provide students with regular physical education. This pilot study compared an evidence-based physical education program to a modified version of the program that was cheaper, and emphasized brief, simple physical activity classroom breaks at teachers' discretion. Methods: Participants were 523 3rd through 6th grade students and their parents who completed pre-test and post-test surveys. Results: Relative to control students, intervention students demonstrated greater reductions in overweight/obesity status and parent-reported screen time, but also a decrease in parent-reported frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. Conclusions: Modifications to an existing physical activity intervention may be made to reduce costs and facilitate teacher implementation. Additional resources may be needed to impact nutrition behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have highlighted the applicability of approach and avoidance constructs in achievement goals as people aim to either prove their competencies or avoid doing so. This is even more apparent in higher education. The aim of this paper is to determine the implementation of a questionnaire on achievement goals for students with a specialization in Physical Education at the Universidad de Granada, and compare the results with sporting, academic and professional variables, using 140 students from the aforementioned specialization in two universities. The results showed that the students opt for mastery rather than performance, with similar values found between approach and avoidance. No links were found between the scale and the rest of the variables analyzed, and therefore it may be considered that motivational trends follow two differentiating paths. These findings highlight the need to rethink motivational strategies in order to redirect avoidance-prone students and encourage, insofar as is possible, students' commitment and adherence to the learning process in physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service teachers' (PTs) ability to deliver feedback, which has been used as a process variable in identifying teacher-effectiveness and an established NASPE standard for beginning teachers. These questions guided the study: 1. Will overall feedback interactions delivered by PTs reach 45 per video? 2. What is the nature of the feedback interactions provided by physical education pre-service teachers? The participants in this study were nine college-aged PTs enrolled in a required Elementary Physical Education Practicum and Methods course taught twice per week to students in Grades 3 to 6 and videotaped four times. Analysis of the videotapes was performed using the Studiocode analysis program. PTs surpassed the 45 feedback interactions by delivering an average of 56 feedback interactions per lesson. Delivery of corrective feedback was reduced from 34.78 interactions in pretest to 32 interactions during posttest. Congruent feedback increased from pretest to posttest from 6.22 to 8.55 interactions, respectively. Individual interactions were reduced from pretest (39.55) to posttest (26.55), and small group interactions increased from pretest (17.55) to posttest (21.66). Analysis of videotapes should continue to be integrated during field experiences to augment PTs pedagogical skills. Future research should be focused on the effects of specific feedback protocols on PTs delivery of feedback during field experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elementary school physical education can play a prominent role in promoting children's leisure-time physical activity. The trans-contextual model of motivation has been proven effective in describing the process through which school physical education can affect students' leisure-time physical activity. This model has been tested in secondary education, but there is no evidence on the applicability of the model in elementary education. In the present study, we assessed the effect of motivation in elementary school physical education on leisure-time physical activity motivation and the related decision-making process. The sample consisted of 241 pupils (M = 11.52, SD = .51) recruited from elementary schools in Northern Greece. Participants completed a questionnaire including measures of physical education and leisure-time physical activity motivational regulations, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions toward leisure-time physical activity. The results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that motivational regulations in physical education best predicted the respective leisure-time physical activity regulations. In addition, leisure-time physical activity motivational regulations predicted intentions toward physical activity. Multiple mediation analyses indicated that the effect of leisure-time physical activity motivational regulations on intentions was partially mediated by perceived behavioral control. The findings support prior research and demonstrate an important mechanism of how motivation in elementary school physical education can influence leisure-time physical activity. Autonomous motivation in elementary school physical education led to higher students' intentions toward physical activity outside the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unqualified paraprofessionals are teaching many elementary physical education (PE) programs around the United States. These teachers have neither the experience nor the education to provide quality instruction to students. Few researchers have identified the essential nature of teacher feedback in teaching motor skills, and it has been hypothesized teachers with little training may be less likely to give effective feedback to students. The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and type of reinstruction strategies used by paraprofessionals and licensed teachers in elementary PE settings using a modified self-assessment feedback instrument (SAFI). Two licensed PE teachers and two paraprofessionals from the same school district in the western United States were observed four times using the SAFI tool. All 20 lessons were analyzed to understand the differences in the type and frequency of feedback between licensed PE teachers and paraprofessionals. ANOVA results indicate a significant difference between the type and frequency of feedback given by the groups. Overall, licensed teachers most commonly employed a constructive criticism strategy for providing feedback (43.6%), and paraprofessionals primarily engaged in behavior modification (75.1%). Additionally, licensed PE teachers gave more than twice as much feedback as paraprofessionals. These findings make clear the crucial nature of undergraduate PETE programs in providing licensed teachers with the skills and experience necessary to deliver appropriate feedback in elementary PE settings. Policy makers must be aware of the discrepancies between unqualified individuals and specialists to make the best policy decisions for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A project named “Physical Education in the of elementary school: a proposal for social inclusion through motor activities”, which was part of a State Government program “ University Without Borders “ was developed in two cities with low HDI (Human Development Index) in west Paraná State, where physical education classes began to be taught by licensed teachers, rather than teachers with other backgrounds. The aim of this paper is to investigate the importance of the licensed Physical Education teacher, with a graduate degree, to teach classes in the early years of elementary school, taking into account the experience acquired in these municipalities. The methodology of this descriptive research was guided to two aspects. First, in the form of standardized tests with 340 children; and second, in the form of a questionnaire conducted with parents (16), directors (2), teachers (11) and students who attended the project (340). The test results showed that there was an increase of children’s development in relation to the initial diagnosis (beginning of school year) when compared to that achieved at the end of the year, considering the standard scores for dribbling, throwing, kicking, tests of balance, body structure, spatial awareness, fine and gross motor skills. The questionnaires results demonstrated that children improved in social-affective, cognitive and motor aspects, as a result of lessons ministered by teachers of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current concerns about a childhood obesity crisis and children's physical activity levels have combined to justify fitness lessons as a physical education practice in New Zealand primary (elementary) schools. Researchers focused on children's understandings of fitness lessons argue that they construct fitness as a quest for an ‘ideal’ (skinny or muscular) body. The conflation of fitness with thinness, however, is complex and problematic. In this paper, we draw from research conducted with a class of primary school children in New Zealand. Drawing on the theoretical tools of Foucault and utilizing a visual methods approach, we examine how children experience school fitness lessons and construct notions of fitness, health and body. The children's responses illustrated that obesity discourses and body pedagogies ‘collided’ in a way that shaped understandings of fitness lessons in ways inextricably connected with the avoidance of being fat. The children assumed that fitness lessons increased fitness and that being fit was demonstrated by a ‘correct’ corporeal appearance. We argue that body pedagogies inside and outside the school gates shape children's ideas about the body in ways which exclude other understandings of bodies, health, and physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Music is a pervasive presence in society and is routinely used to influence human behavior in a variety of settings and for a variety of purposes including exercise behaviors and physical education (PE) classes. However, little evidence exists to support what effect, if any, music has on learner outcomes in PE. The effects that playing music during elementary PE lessons had on children's physical activity (PA) rates were examined in this study. Physical activity rates (via pedometry) of elementary PE students (Grades 3 to 5, n = 115) were measured under two treatment conditions (music or no music) and across two lesson types (walking or Frisbee) in a crossover design. Data were analyzed using a within-and-within repeated measures ANOVA. Findings indicate that including music throughout PE lessons significantly increases PA for both genders and across both activities (p < .000). Also, a significant music-by-activity type interaction effect was noted (p < .000), indicating that music has an increased effect as the nature of the activity becomes more vigorous. A significant gender effect (p < .000) was also noted. Using music may be a beneficial environmental change that will increase PA in elementary PE and is more pronounced as intensity increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of fitness software FitnessGram. Topics discussed include physical education in children in schools, childhood obesity and antiobesity programs. Other topics such as American cultures, social stigmatization and health promotion are also discussed. Parenting and exercising are also mentioned.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 1-minute stretching programme and 5 weeks of detraining on sit-and-reach score among schoolchildren aged 5–6 years in a physical education setting. Forty-five schoolchildren 5–6 years old from two classes were clustered randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 23) or a control group (n = 22). During the physical education classes, the students of the experimental group performed a 1-minute stretching programme twice a week for 8 weeks. Subsequently, these participants underwent a 5-week detraining period. The classic sit-and-reach test was performed at the beginning and at the end of the development programme, as well as at the end of the detraining period. The results of the two-way ANOVA showed that the intervention programme increased significantly the students’ sit-and-reach scores ( p < 0.001). However, after 5 weeks of detraining, children’s flexibility reverted back to the baseline levels ( p > 0.05). Although an only 1-minute stretching programme seems to develop the schoolchildren’s flexibility, after the 5-week detraining period students’ score reverts back to its initial level. This knowledge could help physical education teachers to design programmes that permit students to increase and maintain flexibility levels along the entire academic year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In physical education, it has become necessary for children to learn kinesiological knowledge for understanding the benefits of physical activity and developing a physically active lifestyle. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which cognitive assignments about healthful living and fitness contributed to knowledge growth on cardiorespiratory fitness and health. Fourth grade students (N = 616) from 15 randomly sampled urban elementary schools completed 34 cognitive assignments related to the cardiorespiratory physical activities they were engaged in across 10 lessons. Performance on the assignments were analyzed in relation to their knowledge gain measured using a standardized knowledge test. A multivariate discriminant analysis revealed that the cognitive assignments contributed to knowledge gain but the contribution varied assignment by assignment. A multiple regression analysis indicated that students’ assignment performance by lesson contributed positively to their knowledge growth scores. A content analysis based on the constructivist learning framework showed that observing–reasoning assignments contributed the most to knowledge growth. Analytical and analytical–application assignments contributed less than the constructivist theories would predict. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Elementary physical educators promote their content to help students learn in the psychomotor, affective, and cognitive domains. One of the best methods to reach this is by implementing appropriate instructional practices. For this study, 2,479 elementary-aged students participated. Students were surveyed (survey of 24 statements) to ascertain their knowledge of appropriate instructional practices in elementary physical education. A majority of students incorrectly identified 11 of the 24 survey statements. For example, elementary-aged students feel it is appropriate to have captains pick teams in front of the whole class and that it is appropriate to play dodge ball. With these results, elementary physical educators have a great opportunity educate and expose their students to appropriate instructional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers structure class in elementary physical education and the impact their decisions have on the amount of appropriate practice students receive. Participants for this study were 10 third grade physical education teachers and their students. Each teacher taught two successive skill-related lessons of their choice that were at least 30 min in length. Nine randomly selected students were identified in each class. Videotaped instruction was coded for teacher and class variables and the amount of individual student practice. Overall, teachers in this study were efficient managers of their time and their students. As a result, students in this study received high levels of appropriate practice. In addition, a positive relationship was found between the number of tasks and the amount of appropriate practice students received, and time spent in games and lead-up games was related to inappropriate practice. The data also indicated that teacher use of initiation was positively related to the amounts of appropriate and total trials. When teachers had large groups practice, students had more inappropriate trials than when individual or reciprocal strategies were employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A school district received a Physical Education for Progress grant (PEP). PEP grants are part of the Carol M. White Program and are administered by the U.S. Department of Education. These grants are available to local educational agencies to initiate, expand, or improve physical education (PE) programs. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of the impact of the PEP grant on PE programs of four elementary schools in one school district through interviews with teachers and principals. Qualitative data analysis procedures were used to explore views on how the PEP grant had impacted PE programs. Several themes emerged during the interviews, including (a) the development of an expanded and innovative curriculum, (b) the inclusion of children with special needs, (c) increased motivation levels in students and teachers, (d) a focus on interdisciplinary teaching, (e) increased use of technology, and (f) the PE teachers becoming leaders in the school and district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary physical education teachers' content knowledge of physical activity and health-related fitness. Sixty-four female and 24 male teachers completed the Appropriate Physical Activity and Health-Related Fitness test. Descriptive statistics results indicated that the mean percentage score for the test was 57.6%. Results from the ANOVA indicated gender and level of education were unrelated to content knowledge of physical activity and health-related fitness. Years of teaching experience was found to significantly influence content knowledge of physical activity and health-related fitness. It is recommended that ongoing professional development activities be provided to improve the leaching of physical activity and health-related fitness in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]