Attitudes toward p.e. and ohysical activity patterns of students enrolled in the classes of teachers of the year

Introduction

Teachers play a significant role in the development of student attitudes towards physical education through the instruction and curricula they provide. Equally, teachers influence subsequent student participation in physical activity outside of the school setting (Solmon, 2003). An examination of student’s attitudes toward physical education in classes taught by Teachers of the Year (TOY) (Demarco, 1999) and the impact of these teachers on student physical activity is the focus of this study.
Methods
300 middle school students completed the Student Attitude Toward Physical Education Survey (Subramanian and Silverman, 2000) and The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (Kowalski, Crocker, and Kowalski, 1997). Equally, qualitative data via interviews, observation, and document analysis were collected with students, teachers, and other individuals with TOY specific pedagogical information. Survey data will be analyzed descriptively and via analysis of variance while qualitative data are inductively analyzed using constant comparative methodology.

Results

Although the study is in progress and final results will not be known until January of 2004, it is hypothesized that both male and female students are very satisfied and will have positive dispositions toward Physical Education in the classes of teachers of the year. Whether or not this translates into significant levels of physical activity outside of the school setting will be uncovered. Finally, it is hypothesized that teachers of the Year display behaviors and attitudes that mirror those found by Demarco (which is?) as well as promoting exemplary curricula.

Discussion/Conclusion

Again, while the study is still in progress, it is hypothesized that the results will agree with previous findings (Silverman & Subramanian, 1999) that suggest that exemplary teachers can influence the development of positive attitudes toward PE. It is anticipated that students’ involvement in physical activity will be mixed as result of being in the TOY classroom. The challenge of the meaningful impact of PE experiences in classes taught by TOYs and related factors will be discussed.

References

[1]. Demarco, G. (1999) Teaching Elementary PE, 10, 11-13
[2]. Kowalski, K.C., Crocker, P.R.E., and Kowalski, N.P. (1997) Pediatric Exercise Science, 9, 342-352.
[3]. Silverman, S. and Subramanian, P. (1999) Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 19, 97-125
[4]. Solomon, M. (2003) In Silverman and Ennis, Student Learning in Physical Education. (pp. 147-163) Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
[5]. Subramanian, P. and Silverman, S. (2000). Measurement in Physical Education & Exercise Science, 4, 29-43