Impact of a university physical conditioning sport education season on students’ fitness levels

Abstract

Objectives: Basic activity programmes are offered in numerous universities, with the primary objective of increasing involvement in different physical activities while instilling the value of lifetime fitness. Although these programmes have been shown to be beneficial, there is a lack of research focused on their effectiveness of improving physical activity levels. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine changes in college-aged students’ aerobic fitness levels following participation in a university physical conditioning course. Methods: Participants in this study were 47 university students from two physical conditioning courses, one taught using Sport Education and another taught with direct instruction. Student’s aerobic fitness levels were assessed through the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) and the one-mile run prior to and following the 5-month course. Results: Results indicated a significant difference between groups on the total number of laps completed during the PACER test. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that students who participated in the Sport Education physical conditioning course experienced significant improvements over time for both tests and a significant improvement over traditional instruction in the number of PACER laps run.