Elementary Physical Education Program Research Articles

초등체육 국가교육과정 도입에 관한 미 교사들의 인식

Grounded in the theoretical model of systemic school reform (SR), the purpose of this investigation was to examine teachers’ perceptions on a unified national curriculum for elementary physical education (PE) in the United States (US). In total, 15 elementary PE teachers (female=8, male=7) were purposefully selected to participate in formal interviews. The interview data inductively analyzed were reinterpreted and tested based on the SR model. The themes that emerged indicated a nationwide curriculum has the potential to help students enhance fundamental motor skills and basic movements by unifying primary components of education. However, it would not function well in the US in which constitutional power is shared among national, state, and local governments. The longstanding tradition of polyphonic federalism would prompt greater policy variability among elementary PE programs in attempts to minimize these differences. Curriculum reform for elementary PE must occur through careful revisions for the current model of standards-based learning, but not total standardization for curricula.

Educating students with severe disabilities through an inclusive pedagogy in physical education

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to examine the pedagogical practices that encourage students with severe disabilities’ participation in an elementary physical education program through the lens of ableism. Focus group interviews were conducted with elementary students and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight educators in the school. Field notes were conducted and documents, including the lesson plan and journal entries were collected. Findings reveal the teacher’s intentional instructional practices fostered students’ engagement with peers and classroom activities. The results of this research augment the literature describing teachers’ orientations and pedagogical innovation that serve the needs of students with disabilities within general physical education settings.

Talking without words

This case study explored the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in a general elementary physical education program. Qualitative methods were used to capture the communication protocols and instructional practices used by the physical education (PE) teacher and Individual Education Plan (IEP) team members in one fourth grade and second grade physical education classroom. Data from three primary sources including field notes, interviews and a journal were analyzed to address questions of interest. Findings revealed four primary themes. The first “Collaboration-Needing to Know What I Don’t Know” described the process the PE teacher used in gaining information on her students with disabilities. The second, “Community in the Classroom,” revealed the value system shared by the IEP team members. The third theme, “The Role of Modeling” articulated the value of appropriated practices between teachers and students. The final theme, “Talking Without Words” highlighted the communicative processes and shared language between the students with and without disabilities.

Talking without words

This case study explored the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in a general elementary physical education program. Qualitative methods were used to capture the communication protocols and instructional practices used by the physical education (PE) teacher and Individual Education Plan (IEP) team members in one fourth grade and second grade physical education classroom. Data from three primary sources including field notes, interviews and a journal were analyzed to address questions of interest. Findings revealed four primary themes. The first “Collaboration-Needing to Know What I Don’t Know” described the process the PE teacher used in gaining information on her students with disabilities. The second, “Community in the Classroom,” revealed the value system shared by the IEP team members. The third theme, “The Role of Modeling” articulated the value of appropriated practices between teachers and students. The final theme, “Talking Without Words” highlighted the communicative processes and shared language between the students with and without disabilities.

No Need for Training Wheels: Ideas for Including Balance Bikes in Elementary Physical Education

Although it was invented nearly two centuries ago in Germany, the balance bike is only now beginning to make its presence known in the United States. A balance bike is a bicycle with no pedals — propelled by running or walking — and is designed to teach young children how to ride a bike in less time by allowing them to practice balance and steering with minimal risk of falling. The use of balance bikes is gaining traction as the “new” way to transition children to riding a bicycle without the need to use training wheels. However, the implementation of a balance bike unit is surprisingly lacking in the vast majority of elementary physical education programs. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to the balance bike, highlight the benefits of implementing it in the elementary physical education curriculum, and offer a four-lesson, ready-to-use balance-bike unit plan.

Creating a Positive Social-Emotional Climate in Your Elementary Physical Education Program

Creating a positive social-emotional climate must be the backbone of a quality elementary physical education program. The need to belong, have friends, and feel emotionally safe are basic needs everyone has, but meeting these needs in the classroom can be challenging at times. Strategies regarding how to implement a positive social-emotional climate, examples, and reasons for its importance will be provided in this article.

Teaching Elementary-age Youth Catching Skills Using Theoretically Based Motor-development Strategies

Participating in general physical activity during childhood may not be the strongest predictor of lifetime physical activity. Children must develop motivation to participate in physically active endeavors and become excited about being active. These feelings toward physical activity may be best obtained by teaching with a more deliberate emphasis on the developmental stages of skill acquisition. This article describes a method for teaching catching skills that is grounded in the cognition and motor-development tenets of refinement and proximodistal development. The preparatory body movement skills — the focus stage — should be a primary objective for physical education teachers and their early elementary-age students during catching instruction. The focus stage includes information gathering, foot movements, body adjustment, and arm motions. Focusing on the actual catch — the control stage — skips vital aspects of a mature catching skill that likely would lead to greater understanding and skill in the future. The control stage involves grasping an object using the hands and fingers. This article describes specific planning characteristics, teaching behaviors, and catching lesson content physical educators can use to revolutionize their elementary physical education programs.

Games of Survival: Traditional Inuit Games for Elementary Students by J. Issaluk

Issaluk, Johnny. Games of Survival: Traditional Inuit Games for Elementary Students. Iqaluit, NV: Inhabit Media, 2012. Print.Johnny Issaluk is an Inuit athlete who has competed in traditional Inuit games since age 16 and has won at national competitions. He grew up in Igluligaarjuk on the coast of Hudson’s Bay and now coaches younger athletes in Iqaluit. In this book he provides a visual guide to how the games should be played. The book is also designed to help preserve the traditions of the games for future generations. Issaluk tells us that being part of the book is one of the “biggest accomplishments” of his life.The Inuit games “were used not only for fun, not only for celebration, but for survival”. Each game is designed to improve a hunter’s agility, strength or endurance. The book is made up of photographs of people performing the movements for each game, accompanied by text that explains both how to play the game and why it was played. For example, the Alaskan High Kick, an agility game, is first described in a paragraph followed two pages show two different people performing the kick and step-by-step instructions. In describing the Hand Pull, a strength game, Issaluk explains how to perform it, but also tells us that “the hand pull was traditionally used to strengthen the wrists and the grip, so that a hunter could hold a walrus in one place until the animal got tired.”While the instructions are clear, the images will be most helpful to anyone trying to understand the games or teach them to elementary school children. The children in the photographs are dressed in bright colours and presented against a stark white background, so that there is nothing to distract or confuse the viewer. Sometimes sequences of movements are illustrated. In other cases, the same movement or position is shown with several different participants or from different angles, so that it will be easy for readers to replicate it.There are few books that teach how to play Inuit Games. This one is high quality and authentic. It would be an excellent tool for use in an elementary level physical education program. Highly recommended for public and school libraries.Recommendation: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

Children’s Perceptions of a District-Wide Physical Education Program

Couched in attitude theory, this follow-up study examines children-voiced perceptions of enjoyment and usefulness toward a district mandated elementary physical education (PE) program. Attitudes of 277 5th and 6th grade males and females from four representative schools from within a district were assessed in a mixed methods study. Survey results were analyzed to examine between groups, schools (based on SES), and gender differences. Twelve males and twelve females were selected from lowest and highest survey responders for follow-up interviews. Survey results indicated a generally positive attitudes (enjoyment: M = 2.71, SD = 0.35; usefulness M =2.69, SD = 0.35) with significant enjoyment differences (F(3, 266) = 5.627, p ≤ .001) noted between schools. Qualitative results define quality PE as enjoyable and useful when it (a) provided a fun, social, learning environment and activities, (b) made an impact on healthy knowledge and behaviors, and (c) consisted of well managed classes taught by engaging teachers.

Physical Education and Blood Lipid Concentrations in Children: The LOOK Randomized Cluster Trial

Background and ObjectivesElevated blood lipids during childhood are predictive of dyslipidemia in adults. Although obese and inactive children have elevated values, any potentially protective role of elementary school physical education is unknown. Our objective was to determine the effect of a modern elementary school physical education (PE) program on the blood lipid concentrations in community-based children.MethodsIn this cluster-randomized controlled trial, 708 healthy children (8.1±0.3 years, 367 boys) in 29 schools were allocated to either a 4-year intervention program of specialist-taught PE (13 schools) or to a control group of the currently practiced PE conducted by generalist classroom teachers. Fasting blood lipids were measured at ages 8, 10, and 12 years and intervention and control class activities were recorded.ResultsIntervention classes included more fitness work and more moderate and vigorous physical activity than control classes (both p<0.001). With no group differences at baseline, the percentage of 12 year-old boys and girls with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, >3.36mmol.L−1,130 mg/dL) was lower in the intervention than control group (14% vs. 23%, p = 0.02). There was also an intervention effect on mean LDL-C across all boys (reduction of 9.6% for intervention v 2.8% control, p = 0.02), but not girls (p = 0.2). The intervention effect on total cholesterol mirrored LDL-C, but there were no detectable 4-year intervention effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides.ConclusionsThe PE program delivered by specialist teachers over four years in elementary school reduced the incidence of elevated LDL-C in boys and girls, and provides a means by which early preventative practices can be offered to all children.Trial RegistrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ANZRN12612000027819 https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=347799.

Using the School Nurse to Support Your Elementary Physical Education Program

Using the School Nurse to Support Your Elementary Physical Education Program

Models for Curriculum and Pedagogy in Elementary School Physical Education

The purpose of this article is to review current models for curriculum and pedagogy used in elementary school physical education programs. Historically, physical educators have developed and used a multiactivity curriculum in order to educate students through physical movement. More recently, a variety of alternative curricular models have been developed, used, and in some cases carefully evaluated. I discuss the following models for physical education and the research supporting their effectiveness: (a) sport education, (b) tactical games, (c) updated multiactivity, (d) movement education, (e) personal‐social responsibility, (f) outdoor recreation and adventure education, (g) health‐related physical education, and (h) interdisciplinary. In addition, methods/models for teaching physical education are briefly discussed.

Research on the Outcomes of Elementary School Physical Education

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of objective assessments of the short‐ and long‐term outcomes of elementary school physical education programs. Evaluations have used a variety of designs, including longitudinal and tracking studies as well as correlational analyses. The short‐term effect of physical education on health and physical fitness is well documented. To date, most long‐term data add little to the understanding of long‐term effects, because researchers have rarely used an experimental design. Nevertheless, the available literature suggests that physical education should offer instruction in a variety of lifelong physical activities and sports, in order to reach children with differing interests. There is also an urgent need to perform quasi‐experimental follow‐up studies in various populations, assessing the extent to which benefits are modulated by changes in the type, duration, and frequency of the physical education program.

Research on Effective Teaching in Elementary School Physical Education

The perspective of this article is that the purpose of the elementary physical education program is the development of a physically active lifestyle. We discuss the relative contribution of the development of motor skills, fitness, content related to encouraging participation, and the affective goals of the program to the development of a physically active lifestyle. Teaching must be effective if children are to acquire the skills to lead a physically active lifestyle. We explore the research base identifying effective teaching in an elementary school physical education setting in terms of academic learning time and management roles and communication and content‐development skills of the teacher. Similarities and differences between teaching in a gymnasium and in a classroom are identified.

Examination of curricula, teaching practices, and assessment through National Standards

This study examined to what degree the existing curricula, teaching practices, and assessments in 15 elementary physical education programs were aligned with the National Standards for Physical Education (NASPE, 1995) in the USA. Fifteen elementary physical education teachers voluntarily participated in this study. Data were gathered through observing 48 lessons while taking field notes, conducting 15 formal interviews with the teachers and collecting curriculum guides, unit and lesson plans and assessment sheets. The findings indicated that 12 teachers intentionally or unintentionally aligned their curriculums with the National Standards by designing an essential scope and progressive sequence for their programs. The teachers addressed Standards 1 and 2 in 35 observed lessons by providing outcome-oriented learning experiences that help students become competent in and knowledgeable about a variety of movement forms. Five teachers used assessment as an integral part of instruction to enhance the students' skill competency and knowledge acquisition. This study suggests that professional development plays a paramount role in equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary for implementing the Standards in practice.

Preliminary Study on Gross Motor Performance of Hong Kong Children Aged 6-8 Years

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese.Gross motor development is a critical component of elementary school physical education programs. This is also the foundation for active participation in later childhood and adult physical activities. This study aims to: (1) collect preliminary data on Hong Kong children's gross motor performance; (2) analyze Hong Kong Children's gross motor proficiency; and (3) introduce a gross motor test instrument to Hong Kong PE teachers. The Test of Gross Motor Development (Second Edition) (TGMD-2) (Ulrich, 2000) was chosen as the test instrument in this project. There were 15 girls and 15 boys selected for each age interval: 6-6 to 6-11, 7-6 to 7-11 and 8-0 to 8-11. Only 27.6% of the participants achieved the average level. 27.6% and 40% of them were below average and poor, respectively. No significant sex differences in the level of fundamental gross motor skills development. However, age differences were found in stationary dribble and overhand throw, 8 years old children got higher successful rate in the mature form of the two skills.大肌肉運動能力發展是小學體育課程的主要元素，這亦是青少年及成年時期積極參與體力活動的基石。本研究的目的是：(1)搜集香港兒童大肌肉運動能力數據；(2)分析香港兒童大肌肉運動能力表現；(3)介紹一套測試大肌肉運動能力的工具給香港體育老師。本研究選用了 '第二代大肌肉運動能力(TGMD-2)' 作測試工具。每一個年齡組別，即6-6至6-11，7-6至7-11及8-6至8-11均選取15男及15女作為研究樣本。總樣本為90人。研究發現，樣本中祗有27.6%在一般水平，另外27.6%及40%分別在低於及差的水平。在大肌肉運動能力的表現中，性別差異方面並不明顯。原地運球及擲球動作，年齡差異較明顯，八歲兒童成功掌握這兩個技能的百份比較年幼的兒童為高。

The Implementation of Cooperative Learning in an Elementary Physical Education Program

The purpose of this study was to explore (a) a teacher’s perspective of the implementation of cooperative learning in an elementary physical education program, and (b) the students’ responses to the implementation into their own physical education classes. Data collection included interviews with a physical education teacher and students in two mixed third- and fourth-grade classes and two fourth-grade classes, nonparticipant observation, fieldnotes, a teacher journal, and documents. Inductive analysis and constant comparison methods were used to analyze and organize the data throughout the research process. The findings revealed that the teacher and students held similar perceptions of cooperative learning. This was evident from the categories that emerged from the data: goals of the lessons, student roles, accountability, communication skills, working together, and practice time. This study demonstrated that the cooperative learning instructional format holds much promise for physical education, but that its implementation will likely not be smooth or trouble free.

Cooperative Learning in an Elementary Physical Education Program

Cooperative Learning in an Elementary Physical Education Program

Cooperative Learning in an Elementary Physical Education Program

Cooperative learning is an instructional format in which students work together in small, structured, heterogeneous groups to master content. The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret a teacher’s and the students’ experiences of cooperative learning in an elementary physical education program. A multiple-method design included interviews of a physical education teacher and 5th and 6th grade students, nonparticipant observation, field notes, and document analysis. Inductive analysis and constant comparison were used to analyze and organize the data throughout the research process. The findings suggest that the teacher and students held similar perceptions of the cooperative learning program. Themes emerged under four main categories: goals of the lessons; cooperative learning roles; benefits of cooperative learning; and implementation of cooperative learning. The teacher believed that the cooperative learning program allowed students of all ability levels to improve motor skills, develop social skills, work together as a team, help others improve their skills, and take responsibility for their own learning.

Characteristics of Elementary School Principals and Their Support for the Physical Education Program

The purpose was to describe the characteristics of elementary school principals who support elementary physical education programs. A statewide random sample of 500 elementary school principals and their respective elementary physical education teachers (n = 500) were mailed questionnaires. A total of 321 principals responded (64%) to a 20-item questionnaire which assessed their physical fitness and their perceptions of elementary physical education. A total of 340 physical education teacher (68%) responded to a 23-item survey assessing their perceptions of their elementary principals' support for the physical education program. The majority of teachers perceived their principals to be supportive of them and the physical education program. A series of t tests showed no significant differences in principals' age, gender, years of experience as a principal, or how important they thought health and physical education was compared to other subjects taught in the elementary school and how supportive of physical education the principals were perceived to be. Finally, a stepwise backward multiple regression analysis indicated that seven variables, including fitness of the principal and body mass index, did not explain more than 13% of the variance in teachers' perceived support by principals.