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The aim of the study was to examine differences between Norwegian male and female preschool staff according to physical activity (PA) levels during preschool hours. Using a mixed-method design, accelerometers were used to examine objectively measured PA level among male and female preschool staff, while observations, interviews and questionnaires were used to support the accelerometer data, and identify patterns related to preschool staff and children's PA. The accelerometer data, observations, and interviews pointed towards male preschool staff as more physically active at preschool than female preschool staff. Observation and interview data further indicated that male staff interacted more than female staff in children's active play. The findings suggest that male preschool staff contribute especially positively according to children's PA in preschool, and that it is important to educate more male preschool teachers.

Based on the fact that many youth do not meet global health recommendations for physical activity (PA), and that schools constitute an arena in which all children may be reached, PA integrated into school settings is critical. Inspired by the theoretical framework of Gert Biesta and his three domains of education, i.e. qualification, socialization and subjectification, this study examines secondary school teachers' overall perceptions of the purpose of physically active learning (PAL) in secondary school. This is accomplished by using a longitudinal design, and interviewing 12 teachers three times -- before, during, and after a PA school intervention that they organized. The analysis of the teachers statements revealed two main purposes that are related to the domain of qualification, two to the domain of socialization, and none to the domain of subjectification. However, the analysis showed that some perceptions are implicitly related to the domain of subjectification. Our findings correspond with the leading discourse, which highlights the importance of public health and academic outcomes in terms of PAL. We suggest, however, that the aim of implementing PA in schools should comprise all three domains of education, and that teachers must achieve a successful balance between different aims, and make decisions based upon desired results in upcoming pedagogical situations.

Teachers' assessment enhances students' learning in many situations in physical education (PE). The present study aims to examine the issue of potential unequal assessment of students due to their different physical abilities in PE in upper secondary school, where the research question is: What experiences do students with high or low levels of physical fitness have of their PE teacher's assessment of and for learning? Individual interviews were conducted with thirteen boys and thirteen girls in the second year in upper secondary school to answer the question. Respondents were recruited on the basis of scores on physical fitness tests (measurement of oxygen uptake). Thirteen respondents scored on the lowest level and thirteen on the highest level of the fitness scale. Two main themes emerged from the analysis, revealing an unequal assessment of learning given to the students in the two groups, but a shared, equal experience of assessment for learning. Unfortunately, assessment for learning was experienced 'rarely or never', and the unequal assessment of learning did not favour the students with low physical fitness, who perhaps need more assessment than the students with high physical fitness. The study contributes new insight into students' experience of assessment due to unequal conditions for learning. The analysis revealed elements that were lacking in the PE teaching and assessment, especially for the students with low physical fitness. Another finding is that few students experienced that they owned their learning process, even though some students experienced to be in a learning environment, wherein the teacher gave them learning-promoting assessment. The study reinforces the finding in earlier research to integrate assessment for learning in theories of teaching in PE, and from this perspective we support further exploration of assessment for learning as well as the concept of assessment literacy.

The experience of well-being at school, both in the recesses and at school lessons, is of great importance for all students. The Norwegian school laws confirm that every student has the right to experience well-being at school, which will lead to healthiness and good learning. Literature search indicates that there is a lack of longitudinal studies in relation to the development of students' well-being at recesses and school lessons during lower secondary school and high school. Furthermore, few studies have examined the relation between well-being at recesses and school lessons, and gender and overweight respectively. By examining students' self-reported well-being in the recesses and during school lessons each year from the age of fourteen to the age of nineteen by using questionnaires, analyses show that the well-being both at recesses and at school lessons is at the same level during these six years at school. Furthermore, analyses show that there are no significant differences in reported well-being at recesses and school lessons between boys and girls. The same analyses show that overweightness has no negative influence on students' well-being. The report of good and very good well-being at school and the lack of group differences in well-being among adolescents indicate that the Norwegian school seems to create a good learning environment for students' in general.

Longitudinal studies on adolescents' enjoyment in physical education (PE) are lacking. This study examined students' self-reported enjoyment and predictors of enjoyment in PE in school among students from age 14 to 19, using questionnaires and interviews. From the results, enjoyment in PE increases among girls during high school, while students that participate weekly in organized sport report greater enjoyment in PE than those who are not, at the age of 14; but there is no such group difference in high school. Furthermore, the findings from the interview analysis highlight the importance of greater autonomy in high school.

The aim of this article is to shed light on the lifeworld of thirteen-year-olds with high and low activity levels in relation to movement activities. Insights on this topic could serve as important resources for all those who contribute to the development and life quality of young teenagers through various contexts involving movement activities. The empirical material is based on individual interviews with four young teenagers. Two of the teenagers were characterized by a high physical activity level, and two by a low physical activity level. The analysis process has been carried out in accordance with the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. The study uncovered both unique and parallel meaning-making dimensions among the participants, but a pattern of several dissimilarities distinguished the highly active from those with low activity. Among those with high activity 'finding oneself in the activity', 'to be better', 'interplay', and 'self-regulation' were identified as meaning-making dimensions. Among those with low activity, 'ambivalence', 'to be good', 'interplay', and 'self-regulation' were identified as meaning-making dimensions. Meaning-making, in terms of interplay and self-regulation, expressed a partly polarized picture of the lifeworld of young people with high and low activity levels in relation to movement activities. The identified meaning-making dimensions have been interpreted and discussed in accordance with physical literacy (Whitehead, 2010. "Physical literacy: Throughout the lifecourse." Routledge), as an expression of individual stances in a journey of bodily formation. In light of this perspective, the importance of gaining experience with a wide range of activities in different activity contexts, in addition to experiencing self-confirming and competent interplay with the surroundings, are highlighted as important meaning-making dimensions in a positive and confirming relationship to movement activities.

Previous research shows that students have a widespread understanding about the purpose of physical education (PE), including learning about movement, health and also PE as a break from other school subjects. The present study aims at examining more closely the break perspective in light of interview data from 26 students, whose statements in interviews that focused on PE in upper secondary school in Norway, reveal that the view of PE as a break from other school lessons is also a valid understanding among students when they are approaching the end of PE in their schooling. We have asked what kind of learning the students' views on PE as a break from other school subject "are," or "may" be, in light of the Norwegian curriculum in PE in upper secondary school and to changes in the 2012 curriculum, which aimed to reduce performance stress and too much hunt for good grades. We present two interpretations of the interview texts -- PE as 'the movement moment' in everyday school life, and participating in fun activities together with good friends, and a third interpretation, which we describe as a relatively invisible view of knowledge goals among the students about training and lifestyle and critical awareness about sport cultures in the society. We argue that a view of PE as 'a movement moment' in everyday school life contributes to modifying the view on PE as a break from other school subjects and to seeing it as a relevant learning perspective. On the other hand, a modified break perspective should be merged with knowledge and critical lenses on training, health, lifestyle and sport cultures in society, so that the students' views on the purpose of PE all in all contain important knowledge and reflections they should have, according to the Norwegian curriculum in PE.

The study examines the association between students' level of physical fitness and experiences of being 'seen' by their physical education (PE) teachers, by interviewing 26 high school students (13 with low physical fitness, and 13 with high physical fitness). The analyses indicated that being 'seen' in PE seems to be related to experienced opportunities for students to display their skills, teachers' caring behaviours, feedback from teachers, and the quality and tone of dialogue with teachers. The results showed that, whereas all 13 students with a high level of physical fitness experienced being 'seen' by their PE teachers, only six students with a low level of physical fitness had the same experience. These findings suggest that PE teachers possess a limited narrative of their students with a low level of physical fitness. The results may also indicate the prevalence of a pedagogical approach, according to which teachers focus more on physically-fit students. Overall, teachers seem to play a key role in determining whether students experience being 'seen'. The results have important implications for both teacher education and PE education in schools.

Inspired by theory from research on professions and literature, wherein Aristotelian perspectives on professional knowledge are examined, a student's narrative of social exclusion in physical education (PE) class in upper secondary school is used to discuss a theoretical issue of what characterizes teachers' professional practice that results in a positive change as experienced by this student. The student told that the teacher helped her so that she started participating in the PE classes and experienced constructive learning processes after being excluded socially in the class. The analysis reveals that the student's story implies a narrative about a teacher's autotelic acts, as well as phronesis and praxis. Autotelic acts are closely connected to phronesis and praxis, which are Aristotelian concepts. Professional knowledge and practice that includes phronesis and praxis, means the ability to promote what is good for each individual and make wise choices of actions, but not only for a teacher him- or herself. Phronesis and praxis are here understood as moral and intellectual 'goods', which are fundamental for moral awareness in a disposition to do the right things in the right place and time and in the right way for the student in the PE teaching. These acts are autotelic. Moreover, a closer look is taken at the knowledge base for professional practice in PE to substantiate phronesis, praxis and autotelic acts. Here it is argued that practical synthesis is constructivist for in-depth discussions on phronesis, praxis and autotelic acts. It avoids reductionist effects, opens up the discussion and gives additional fruitful directions for further research on these Aristotelian perspectives on professional knowledge in PE.

The aim of the study is to shed light on how physical education (PE) is experienced among a varied group of adolescents in school, and to nurture debate related to the relationship between adolescents' lived experience of PE and their identity-formation processes. Nuanced insights can help to increase teachers' ability to perceive, react to and deal appropriately in relation to fostering healthy lives in young people, in and through PE and physical activity (PA). The empirical material is derived from interviews with four adolescents, firstly in year 7, followed-up in year 8. Two of the teenagers were characterised by a high level of PA, two by a low level. The analysis was carried out using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. The findings give a glimpse into the unique lived experience of PE of four pupils in modern society, and into how their meaning-making experiences of the subject seem to be situated in its context, as much as in wider contexts of family, and the PA related values, norms and discourses extant in their local communities. From their unique lived experiences of PE of the four participants, two overarching themes emerge. The first, 'PE is "a bag of sweets with more sweet than sour flavors", reflects the participants' experience and understanding of PE as predominantly positive. The second theme, 'PE is in negotiation with football culture', reflects that the culture of football, as a sport-related framework for the understanding of content and mastery, appears to have a special significance for the participants' meaning-making in physical education. Our findings also point to the importance of acknowledging that meaning making experiences in PE are embedded in the wider and overall context of the life of each individual.

Traditional Norwegian "friluftsliv" activities are closely related to traditional outdoor recreational activities existing worldwide. These activities are unique in that they tend to reach adolescents whom organized sports do not. Therefore, the Norwegian government has focused on traditional friluftsliv activities in its public health efforts. However, there is a paucity of knowledge in the extant literature regarding which factors predict inactivity in these activities and to what extent. To fill this gap, 557 Norwegian adolescents (ages 16-19 years) answered a questionnaire probing their activity levels in six traditional outdoor recreational activities, and 18 possible predictors of inactivity in these activities were examined. The main finding from the logistic regression analyses was that if the respondents reported that their family members were not active in a traditional outdoor recreational activity, the probability of being inactive increased dramatically. This prediction also applied to all six activities. The results indicate that the way youth think about their families in relation to traditional outdoor recreational activities profoundly affects the level of activity of youth in these activities.

Previous research shows that understanding pupils' emotional affiliations with content in physical education (PE) is important. Findings point out the importance of the teacher signaling that the pupil is seen beyond the skill and knowledge aspects in class. However, the research literature does not offer very many detailed elaborations on the pupil's own experiences of being seen. Contrasting interview data material from 26 pupils (age 17-18) in upper secondary school has been analysed to categorize the concept of 'being seen' by the PE teacher in class. In the analysis we found two main themes from the interviews that highlight a wide range of emotions the pupils might have. The first theme illuminates the positive experience of being seen, and such related aspects as learning-promoting feedback, respect and trust. The second theme demonstrates extremes when it comes to being seen: Not being seen at all or seen too much. Either way, PE classes will be experienced as demanding and in part difficult, albeit in different ways. We found that the feeling of being seen--or, for some pupils, ignored--appears to be a relatively stable feeling once it has taken root, eventually becoming an understanding. Moreover, being ignored means there will be low expectations of being seen in the future, unless the teaching practice is changed, and this emotion gives a poor foundation for well-being and learning. The analysis also shows that even if the sense of being seen is the pupil's property and indisputable, teachers (and researchers) must have a critical attitude to the pupils' narratives of being seen, as this feeling may be based on a skewed pre-understanding of the teacher.

Introduction: Teaching in higher education is still mainly executed as lectures, even though research about student-active instruction methods points to more motivated students, higher enjoyment, and more optimal learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to obtain better insight into how physical education (PE) students assessed their learning outcomes in relation to the use of different pedagogical approaches. Methods: A master’s course in PE was planned and implemented using the following eight different learning approaches: lectures; practical exercises about themes in lectures; discussions during lectures; discussions outside of lectures; planning and exercises for peer students; individual work preparing to write an academic text; individual work writing the academic text; and reading for an exam. The study constituted a mixed methods study, which used quantitative data from students’ evaluation of eight different learning approaches on a Likert-type scale, and in-depth qualitative data from follow-up interviews with some of the same students, with the aim of explaining the main findings. Quantitative data about the students’ reflections on the learning outcomes of the different learning approaches were collected among 59 different students at three different times (2021, 2022, and 2023), after finishing a course in the fifth semester in a master’s program in PE. Results: The findings showed that the students reported achieving the highest learning outcomes from practical exercises and attaining the lowest learning outcomes from lectures. In depth interviews among seven randomly selected students were also used to obtain reflections from the students about the different learning approaches. Quantitative analyses again revealed that practical exercises produced the highest learning outcomes, while lectures resulted in the lowest learning outcomes. Qualitative analyses of the in-depth interviews indicated that practical activities enabled students to relate theory to practice, make them active, and are associated with future work, while the quality of lectures depended on characteristics of the teacher and were often experienced as long and unstimulating. Discussion: According to the results, we recommend that student teachers in higher education acquire the ability to plan and execute practical lessons in relation to themes focused upon in lectures and involve students more in discussions during lectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research from several countries has documented a decline in physical activity (PA) levels and in participation in organized sport with increasing age, indicating that organized sport may be of importance to adolescents' cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how regular participation in organized and unorganized PA affected the development of adolescents' CRF (peak oxygen consumption [VO[subscript 2]peak]), when controlled for sex interaction. Method: Data on direct measures of VO[subscript 2]peak and participation in organized PA among adolescents organized into 3 groups (participation in organized sport, participation in unorganized PA, and no weekly PA) were collected from 76 students (39 boys and 37 girls), when they were aged 14 and 19 years old. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between VO[subscript 2]peak values in the 3 groups at both 14 years of age, F(2, 73) = 7.16, p < 0.05, n[superscript 2] = 0.170, and 19 years of age, F(2, 73) = 14.00, p < 0.05, n[superscript 2] = 0.300, independent of sex at both 14 and 19 years of age, F(2, 73) = 0.05, p > 0.05, n[superscript 2] = 0.02, and F(2, 73) = 0.05, p > 0.05, n[superscript 2] = 0.00. Adolescents participating in organized sport also had statistically significantly higher VO[subscript 2]peak values than adolescents participating in unorganized PA and those with no weekly PA, at both 14 and 19 years of age. Conclusion: From a health perspective, in terms of CRF, the findings highlight the importance of encouraging adolescents to participate in organized sport and to refrain from dropping out of organized sport programs.

Based on the fact that many youth do not meet global health recommendations for physical activity (PA), and that schools constitute an arena in which all children may be reached, PA integrated into school settings is critical. Inspired by the theoretical framework of Gert Biesta and his three domains of education, i.e. qualification, socialization and subjectification, this study examines secondary school teachers' overall perceptions of the purpose of physically active learning (PAL) in secondary school. This is accomplished by using a longitudinal design, and interviewing 12 teachers three times – before, during, and after a PA school intervention that they organized. The analysis of the teachers statements revealed two main purposes that are related to the domain of qualification, two to the domain of socialization, and none to the domain of subjectification. However, the analysis showed that some perceptions are implicitly related to the domain of subjectification. Our findings correspond with the leading discourse, which highlights the importance of public health and academic outcomes in terms of PAL. We suggest, however, that the aim of implementing PA in schools should comprise all three domains of education, and that teachers must achieve a successful balance between different aims, and make decisions based upon desired results in upcoming pedagogical situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To optimize students' levels of skills, knowledge, and competence in higher education, teachers have been encouraged to work systematically to understand how their pedagogical approaches affect the students' learning process and learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a student-centered learning design (SCL) in the subject of PE. A total of 24 PETE students were given the responsibility to create the schedule for their own education in a subject for a semester. During the semester, the students wrote reflections note on three occasions related to their learning process and learning outcome. The thematical analysis of the reflection notes revealed two main findings concerning the learning process: an invitation to participate and develop professional ownership, and mixed reflections on the need for teacher scaffolding. Furthermore, the analyses revealed two main findings concerning the learning outcome: improved learning and meaningful learning. Our findings indicate that students' participation, motivation, enjoyment, and learning outcomes increased due to the use of SCL as a pedagogical strategy. These findings are supported by other investigations, identifying SCL as a preferred strategy according to students' learning process and learning outcomes. The main pedagogical implication of our findings is a recommendation to implement SCL as a pedagogical strategy for student learning in teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to examine differences between Norwegian male and female preschool staff according to physical activity (PA) levels during preschool hours. Using a mixed-method design, accelerometers were used to examine objectively measured PA level among male and female preschool staff, while observations, interviews and questionnaires were used to support the accelerometer data, and identify patterns related to preschool staff and children's PA. The accelerometer data, observations, and interviews pointed towards male preschool staff as more physically active at preschool than female preschool staff. Observation and interview data further indicated that male staff interacted more than female staff in children's active play. The findings suggest that male preschool staff contribute especially positively according to children's PA in preschool, and that it is important to educate more male preschool teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical education (PE) provides opportunities for adolescents’ structured and regular physical activity (PA). The aims of this study were to examine how much of the PE time 13-year-old students were in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) level and differences between boys and girls PA level at PE. Furthermore, to examine associations between 13-year-old students’ MVPA level in PE, and minutes of weekly PE, general weekly MVPA, gender, and sport participation. To examine the aims of the study, 200 students used accelerometers for a week, and answered a questionnaire. A main finding was that PE only makes a minor contribution to youths’ fulfilment of PA recommendations, by comprising 4% of the adolescents’ general weekly PA level. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the students were in MVPA only 24% of the PE time.The boys had a higher general activity level in PE than girls, and lower sedentary activity and higher moderate activity in PE, compared to girls. Finally, the results showed that the MVPA level in PE was positively associated with more weekly minutes of PE, and activity level in general. Considering our findings, we argue that the PA level at PE contributes relatively little the adolescents’ general weekly MVPA level, and therefore, PE should primarily be viewed as a tool to inspire exploration and learning, and the joy of movement in and through various physical activities among both genders, and not primarily as a source for adolescents PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' assessment enhances students' learning in many situations in physical education (PE). The present study aims to examine the issue of potential unequal assessment of students due to their different physical abilities in PE in upper secondary school, where the research question is: What experiences do students with high or low levels of physical fitness have of their PE teacher's assessment of and for learning? Individual interviews were conducted with thirteen boys and thirteen girls in the second year in upper secondary school to answer the question. Respondents were recruited on the basis of scores on physical fitness tests (measurement of oxygen uptake). Thirteen respondents scored on the lowest level and thirteen on the highest level of the fitness scale. Two main themes emerged from the analysis, revealing an unequal assessment of learning given to the students in the two groups, but a shared, equal experience of assessment for learning. Unfortunately, assessment for learning was experienced 'rarely or never', and the unequal assessment of learning did not favour the students with low physical fitness, who perhaps need more assessment than the students with high physical fitness. The study contributes new insight into students' experience of assessment due to unequal conditions for learning. The analysis revealed elements that were lacking in the PE teaching and assessment, especially for the students with low physical fitness. Another finding is that few students experienced that they owned their learning process, even though some students experienced to be in a learning environment, wherein the teacher gave them learning-promoting assessment. The study reinforces the finding in earlier research to integrate assessment for learning in theories of teaching in PE, and from this perspective we support further exploration of assessment for learning as well as the concept of assessment literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]