The Influence Of Physical Education On The Engagement In Physical Activity

Abstract

The current state of sports in the higher education institutions in Israel is far from ideal, and in the past decade has been in a state of decline. In Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the sports departments were closed almost entirely, in Ben-Gurion University of the Negev there are still few optional sports courses that students can take part in, and only in the Technion in Haifa there are some mandatory sports courses. In other colleges in Israel, there are only competitive sports teams. In 2001, the mandatory sport program in Tel Aviv University was cancelled due to budget cuts, thus saving 2 million Israeli Shekel (NIS) per year. Before the cancelation of the program, Tel Aviv University was one of the strongest competitors (normally ranking first or second place in any competition) among the academic institutions that took part in sports competition events. The study aimed to explore the significance of mandatory sports courses in undergraduate programs in higher education, and to investigate the impact of physical education units in higher education as a pedagogical program on promoting a culture of physical activity among students. The study employed a mixed-methods research approach, combining qualitative with quantitative research methods. In the first stage of the study, interviews with sports unit managers were employed, and in the second stage a closed-ended questionnaire was distributed to 200 participants. Content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data while statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data.