English

Abstract

A well-designed, high quality physical education (PE) website is beneficial for establishing communication, presenting a positive image, encouraging and improving parental involvement, encouraging students to take control of their own health, collaborating with other educational resources, and most important, improving student learning. However, there is a dearth of research in which PE program websites have been examined. We investigated and described the online presence of PE programs by examining the prevalence, content, and design quality of public school PE program websites in the state of Alabama. Data collection included a review of all public school websites (N = 1,280) in Alabama for the presence of webpages and websites dedicated to PE programs. PE program webpages and websites (n = 84) were analyzed according to content, control, consistency, and corroboration features. Findings revealed an exceptionally low prevalence and quality of PE program websites or webpages in Alabama public schools. The results of this study underline the continued need to create and maintain professional websites for all PE programs that are educational and can be used as a tool, as a supplement to instruction, and to enhance student learning and teaching effectiveness.