Relationships Among Tasks, Time, and Student Practice in Elementary Physical Education.

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]