Minutes Of Physical Education Research Articles

Physical Education Access in U.S. Public Schools: A Multistate, Multiregion Study

Purpose: Our purpose was to gather and evaluate accurate, up-to-date information on physical education (PE) policy implementation across multiple U.S. states and regions. Methods: A U.S. Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy questionnaire was developed and completed by 4,845 public-school PE teachers from 25 U.S. states. The U.S. Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy assessed PE quantity (days per week and minutes per week), class sizes by grade level, and practices that limit PE access. Descriptive statistics and correlations of PE minutes per week with class size were calculated in aggregate and individually by state. Results: Aggregate PE quantities in elementary, middle school, high school, and for students with disabilities were well below the recommendations (150 min/week elementary and 225 min/week secondary) and varied between states. Average students/class varied by state, and significant positive correlations between weekly PE minutes and students/PE class were observed. Discussion: PE access is limited across the United States, and stronger commitment to PE policy and policy implementation is needed.

Physical activity level in physical education among 13-year-old Norwegian adolescents

Physical education (PE) provides opportunities for adolescents’ structured and regular physical activity (PA). The aims of this study were to examine how much of the PE time 13-year-old students were in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) level and differences between boys and girls PA level at PE. Furthermore, to examine associations between 13-year-old students’ MVPA level in PE, and minutes of weekly PE, general weekly MVPA, gender, and sport participation. To examine the aims of the study, 200 students used accelerometers for a week, and answered a questionnaire. A main finding was that PE only makes a minor contribution to youths’ fulfilment of PA recommendations, by comprising 4% of the adolescents general weekly PA level. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the students were in MVPA only 24% of the PE time. The boys had a higher general activity level in PE than girls, and lower sedentary activity and higher moderate activity in PE, compared to girls. Finally, the results showed that the MVPA level in PE was positively associated with more weekly minutes of PE, and activity level in general. Considering our findings, we argue that the PA level at PE contributes relatively little the adolescents’ general weekly MVPA level, and therefore, PE should primarily be viewed as a tool to inspire exploration and learning, and the joy of movement in and through various physical activities among both genders, and not primarily as a source for adolescents PA.

The Relationship Between Early Childhood Teachers’ Professional Development in Physical Education and Children’s Fundamental Movement Skills

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The influence of early childhood teachers’ professional development on fundamental movement skills remains unknown in the literature. The purpose of the present study was to examine how early childhood teachers’ professional development in physical education (PE) contributes to predicting children’s fundamental movement skills. For this purpose, sixty early childhood teachers from Spain completed the Questionnaire Professional Development in Infant PE (QPD-IPE) to assess the teachers’ professional development concerning PE. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 was applied to evaluate the fundamental movement skills of their children (N = 300). Two separate hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to examine the effect of teachers’ professional development in PE on locomotor and object control skills. The results illustrated that 18% of the variance in locomotor skills was predicted by minutes of PE, training and professional development, and external perception. Additionally, 22% of the variance in object control was predicted by minutes of PE, training and professional development, personal perspective, and years of teaching experience. Age and sex were controlled for in both models. Practice or Policy: Early teachers’ professional development should receive attention to support preschoolers’ fundamental movement skills.

The influence of physical and health activities on the lifestyle of students

The purpose of the work: to investigate the impact of physical culture and health activities on the lifestyle of students and to determine ways to optimize it. Methodology: theoretical research methods were used, in particular, analysis and generalization of methodological, psychological-pedagogical and educational-methodical literature, which made it possible to reveal the influence of physical culture and health activities on the lifestyle of students, questionnaires to determine the health status and lifestyle of respondents. Scientific novelty: it is recommended to abandon the forced content of physical education and address the personality of the student, his interests and needs in the field of physical and spiritual education. After all, it is known that conscious motor activity and participation in physical culture and health activities are a necessary condition for the harmonious development of student youth, which acquires the quality of a purposeful influence on a specific person according to his needs, it was established that the main focus of further improvement of the physical education program in institutions of higher education should become an intensification of the educational process by conducting classes with physical culture and health activities.
 Conclusions: in this way, the analysis of literary sources and the results of the questionnaire allow us to draw the following conclusions: physical culture and health activities have a positive effect on the formation of the lifestyle of students of higher education institutions, but its organization does not correspond to modern reforms in the field of physical education and the need for significant changes and the introduction of new ways optimization, the essence of which should be reduced to the formation of physical culture of the individual and a healthy lifestyle. The motivation of students of higher education institutions for physical culture and health activities is facilitated by an interconnected system of academic classes and extracurricular forms of activity, namely: morning hygienic gymnastics, physical education minutes during independent classes, walks, classes in groups of general physical training, sectional classes in various types of sports , sports competitions, tourism, independent work on the development of physical qualities, etc.

COVID-19 pandemic and changes in children’s physical activity in a rural US community: a mixed methods study

ObjectivesTo examine differences in rural community children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and participation in out-of-school activities from fall 2019 to fall 2020 and explore enacted PA opportunity modifications post initial...

Physical Education for Manual Wheelchair Users in Quebec: A Description of Teacher Training and Child Integration in Elementary and High Schools

Pediatric manual wheelchair users (PMWUs) do not meet the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines. Consequences are significant in terms of physical, emotional and cognitive health. Physical education (PE) classes are an important facilitator to increased physical activity among children and youth with disability. However, many teachers do not feel adequately prepared to provide education to children with special needs. Indeed, many Quebec (Canada) schools do not meet the recommended minutes of PE per week and the provincially mandated education program targets typically developing children only. Study objectives were to describe (1) the PE teachers’ training in adapted physical activity and (2) the integration of PMWUs in PE classes within Quebec elementary and high schools. An online survey asked 47 questions about: (1) demographic and descriptive information, (2) integration of PMWUs in PE classes, (3) teaching strategies (4) evaluation methods, (5) use of reference tools and (6) interests and opinions. Complete responses were received from 136 PE teachers. Forty-nine percent of PE teachers received adapted physical activity training through their university curriculum and 14.9% took additional training after university. Eighty-six percent of PE teachers were interested in receiving education about manual wheelchair skills training. While 97% of PMWUs participate with or without assistance in PE classes, some PE teachers were not satisfied with how they adapted their PE courses for PMWUs, reporting that adaptations to classes and evaluations are primarily based on professional judgment. Most PE teachers who did not currently teach PMWUs would not feel equipped to adapt their classes to do so. More work is needed to develop programs to facilitate PE teacher training. Improved PE courses may in turn increase physical activity among PMWUs.

Does Additional Physical Education Improve Exam Performance at the End of Compulsory Education? A Secondary Analysis from a Natural Experiment: The CHAMPS-Study DK

It remains unclear whether the provision of additional physical activity in school improves academic outcomes. We conducted a secondary analysis of the Childhood Health, Activity, and Motor Performance School Study Denmark (CHAMPS-study DK), a natural experiment based on a trebling of curricular physical education, to investigate whether children receiving additional physical education performed better on their academic exams at the conclusion of compulsory education (i.e., 9th grade). Children from six intervention schools received 3–7 years of exposure to 270 weekly minutes of physical education (sports schools), while children from four control schools received the 90-min national standard (normal schools). Academic performance was based on the standard Danish 7-point scale (ranging from −03 to 12) and retrieved from national registries. The primary outcome was calculated as the average exam grade. Comparisons of participants at sports and normal schools were adjusted for individual socioeconomic factors and school-level academic environment. There were no differences in the pooled exam performance among 691 sports- and 510 normal-school participants (0.20 (95% confidence interval: −0.12 to 0.52)). Results for subject-specific exams indicated similar results. This analysis from a non-randomized natural experiment did not provide evidence that simply adding additional physical education is sufficient to affect academic performance relative to the national standard.

Meaningful content of physical education minutes in primary school lessons in the context of some research

Meaningful content of physical education minutes in primary school lessons in the context of some research

INFLUENCE OF ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN EUROPEAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

The purpose of higher education is to produce active and intellectually well-rounded individuals yet, the transition to higher education seems to have deleterious effects on university and college students’ (UCS) fitness levels and physical activity (PA). The aim of this quantitative research was to analyse the influences of organisational factors on the implementation of physical education (PE) among UCS in European tertiary institutions. A purposive sampling method was employed. Seven academic peers gathered information on characteristics of tertiary institutions, sport and leisure facilities, types and characteristics of PA programs available for UCS in 66 European tertiary institutions. The results suggested that the curricula requirements for PE in public tertiary institutions were similar to private establishments, with minor administrative variations. Public tertiary institutions had significantly higher number of PE hours and PE sessions per semester, PE minutes per academic hour, duration of PE session, number PE teachers and number of students per one PE teacher. Universities had significantly higher number of PE semesters, PE minutes per academic hour, and hired more PE teachers. The organizational differences between public and private institutions might be explained by a lack of clear guidelines regarding PE curricula in higher education across European countries, and greater autonomy of the private tertiary institutions. Moreover, PA programs in higher education adhere to minimum requirements of the syllabi, which restrict total amounts of PE among UCS. Thus, it is recommended PE classes should become obligatory, with extended hours, appropriately qualified teachers and improved financing. Keywords: higher education, university college students (UCS), physical education, European tertiary institutions, PE curriculum, organisational factors

Time-Based Changes In Physical Education Offerings In Response To A Legislative Mandate

Physical education (PE) remains one of the most effective strategies for promoting school-based physical activity. Fewer than 10 states mandate public schools meet current public health recommendations for PE. Moreover, it remains unknown how implementing such mandates affects PE offerings. In 2007, Oregon passed legislation requiring elementary schools to provide 150+ min/week of PE by fall of 2017. No funding was offered to support this mandate. PURPOSE: To evaluate time-based changes in PE offerings among Oregon public elementary schools for 8 years (2009-10 to 2016-17) preceding required compliance to the legislative mandate requiring 150+ min/week of PE. METHODS: A total of 752 Oregon public elementary schools reported yearly minutes of PE offered and the total number of school weeks in session per year. Mean PE min/week were calculated by dividing yearly PE minutes by weeks in session. Additional publicly available explanatory variables including rurality (rural vs. non-rural county designations) and school schedule (four vs. five-day school week) were collected. A linear-mixed effects model was fit to evaluate time based-changes in PE with min/week of PE as the dependent variable, school year, rurality, and school schedule as fixed effects, and school as a random effect. RESULTS: Although significant year-to-year variability in PE minutes was observed (p < 0.001), between 2009-10 to 2014-15 mean PE minutes remained relatively stable at 74 to 77 min/week before experiencing two larger year-to-year increases in 2015-16 (+3.9 min/week from 2014-15 to 80.8 ± 1.8 min/week) and 2016-17 (+4.0 min/week from 2015-16 to 84.8 ± 1.9 min/week). Schools located in rural counties were offered significantly more PE than non-rural schools (80.7 ± 1.7 vs. 74.6 ± 1.8 min/week, respectively, p < 0.001). No significant difference in mean PE min/week was observed between four vs. five-day school week formats (77.7 ± 2.3 vs. 77.5 ± 1.3 min/week, respectively, p = 0.924). CONCLUSION: Despite having a 10-year lead-in period to increase PE time to 150+ min/week, Oregon elementary schools were only offering about half the required PE min/week (56.7%) in the year prior to mandatory compliance. Unfunded mandates requiring large increases in PE offerings may not effectively increase PE min/week to the required level.

Comprehensive Policies to Support Comprehensive Practices: Physical Activity in Elementary Schools.

Schools are a setting in which students learn about the importance of lifelong physical activity (PA). Best practice guidelines indicate that schools should provide students with adequate physical education (PE) minutes and opportunities to engage in PA throughout the school day. Data from the nationally representative School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study in 2014-2015 were utilized to assess PA practices (including PE) at 412 public elementary schools. These data were linked to state- and district-level policy data from the National Wellness Policy Study to examine the relationships between state law and school district policies and school practices. Just over half of the schools were in a state with a policy regarding PE minutes. The comprehensiveness and strength of PA policies were higher at the district level than the state level, but were still low overall. Comprehensiveness of PA policies at the state level, but not at the district level, was related to schools within those states that provide more PA practices. Existence of PE and PA policies at the state level appears to be an important predictor of school PA practices. Having more comprehensive policies at the state level may be an important facilitator of school implementation of comprehensive PA practices.

The Association Between State Physical Education Laws and Student Physical Activity

This study examined the association between state physical education time requirements and physical activity and physical education outcomes among high school students. State physical education time requirement laws for 2004-2016 from the Classification of Laws Associated with School Students database were linked with 2005-2017 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey data using state and year identifiers. Analyses were conducted between 2018 and 2019 to assess associations between physical education time requirement laws and physical activity or physical education outcomes using multinomial logistic regressions, while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, year-fixed effects, and state confounders. State laws requiring ≥90 minutes of physical education per week were associated with 3.1 percentage points lower probability of no days of physical activity ≥60 minutes (95% CI= -5.0, -1.1), 3.7 percentage points lower probability of no days of moderate exercise ≥30 minutes (95% CI= -6.2, -1.3), 4.2 percentage points lower probability of no days of vigorous exercise ≥20 minutes (95% CI= -5.2, -3.3), and 19.3 percentage points lower probability of not attending physical education class (95% CI= -34.4, -4.2). The laws were associated with a 2.4 percentage point higher probability of daily moderate exercise ≥30 minutes in male students (95% CI=0.6, 4.2) and a 3.4 percentage point higher probability in female students (95% CI=1.9, 4.9), with larger associations for female students (p<0.01). Findings from this study help support the role that physical education state requirements can play in enhancing adolescents' ability to meet recommended amounts of daily physical activity and the related public health benefits.

Exploring the Relationship Between Self-Determination Theory and Physical Education Teachers Meeting Recommended Weekly Physical Education Minutes

Physical activity (PA) continues to decrease and obesity rates continue to rise among children and adolescents. Researchers, along with other organizations, have recommended schools to be ideal venues to help increase overall childhood PA. However, research reports K–12 physical education (PE) is not required in the majority of states and most students do not achieve the recommended amount of weekly PE minutes. This can have a devastating effect on not only the students but also the teachers. PE teachers need to have competence, autonomy, relatedness, support, and resources available to teach an effective PE curriculum. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate if schools are meeting recommended total weekly PE minutes and the effect of meeting recommended total weekly PE minutes on PE teachers’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In this study, the majority of PE teachers worked in schools that met the recommended weekly PE minutes, but teachers who worked in schools that did not meet the recommended weekly PE minutes felt that there was a lack of resources at their schools and felt they were less competent in their abilities to implement effective PE courses. If teachers are not given the proper amount of time or resources to teach the necessary content, then they will not believe they are competent to teach a course that is effective.Subscribe to TPE

Impact of Litigation on Compliance With California Physical Education Laws in Elementary Schools.

School physical education (PE) is one of the most effective public health tools to increase youth physical activity, yet compliance with PE mandates is low. In an effort to ensure adherence to state PE law, a 2013 lawsuit was filed against 37 California school districts that were found to be noncompliant. This study sought to assess school personnel's perceptions of the lawsuit's impact on PE mandate compliance, understand barriers and facilitators to lawsuit compliance, and identify potential unintended consequences of the lawsuit. Phone interviews (n = 97) were conducted with personnel in districts/schools that were parties to the lawsuit and in matched control districts/schools that were not parties to the lawsuit. Interviewees reported that PE minutes increased in schools that were parties to the lawsuit, primarily due to settlement requirements mandating PE tracking and reporting, thereby increasing accountability for PE. Time lost on paperwork was the most often cited barrier to compliance. Unwillingness to participate in PE-related research for fear of incrimination was the primary unintended consequence. When existing PE minute laws are not implemented or enforced, greater accountability is needed. In this case, litigation appears to be an effective accountability mechanism to increase compliance with law.

Are educators ready to shift to the kinesthetic classroom?

Despite a growing body of evidence highlighting the ever-increasing obesity epidemic and the health consequences related to poor diet and sedentary behavior, mandated physical education minutes are...

Evaluation of Let's Move! active schools activation grants

Let's Move! Active Schools (LMAS), now Active Schools, is a national initiative in the United States (US) that aims to engage schools to increase students' opportunities to be physically active. This evaluation describes changes in school-level practices related to physical education (PE) and physical activity (PA) among schools that received an LMAS-partner grant from ChildObesity180 or Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP60). ChildObesity180 and FUTP60 asked grantee schools to complete nine common questions, between October 2013 and August 2014, before and after receiving the grants to assess progress in implementing practices for PE and PA. “Yes” responses indicated presence of PE/PA-supportive practices. For schools with complete pre and post data (n=972), frequencies of “yes” responses were calculated for each practice at pre/post. Schools receiving a FUTP60 partner grant reported statistically significant improvements from pre to post across five practices for PE and PA, and ChildObesity180 grantees reported significant increases on all practices except daily recess, which was already in place at 95% of schools at pre-survey. Schools across both grant programs reported the largest increases for promoting PA via messaging, implementing classroom PA breaks, and providing PA before and after school. Schools in both programs reported smaller, but statistically significant, increases in requiring the recommended minutes of PE. This study illustrates the feasibility of offering small grants, at a national scale, for schools to make changes that support PA throughout the day. Results suggest that schools can shift PA policies and practices over the course of a school year.

Breaking News: High Schools Surpass Elusive Goal for Physical Education Minutes per Week!

There are many excellent high school physical educators who continue to make a good-faith effort to provide their students with very good physical education experiences. But high school physical education programs in part have been hijacked by interscholastic athletics. For well over two decades now, experts have argued how school physical education should be a central player in improving the nation's public health (including strength development). This implies a focus on all students, not just the athletes. Moreover, the 2016 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth gave schools a D+, in part because over 50 percent of the high school students reported participating in only one physical education class in the previous week — despite the national recommendations for daily physical education. Reducing the inequities because of athletic mission creep would be one way of improving this grade in the future. It is time for strength development and sport programs to return to their rightful “extracurricular” place in schools — that is, outside of regular school hours. It is time to eliminate the systemic athletic inequity that has crept into U.S. high schools.

Energy expenditure estimates during school physical education: Potential vs. reality?

Schools are salient locations for addressing the high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Most US states require some physical education (PE) and the energy expended during PE has potential to positively affect energy balance. We previously used 2012 data to examine state policies for PE to calculate estimated student energy expenditure (EEE) under potential (i.e., recommendations followed) and existing conditions. Since then, data have been updated on both state policies and the conduct of PE. Based on updated data, we used PE frequency, duration, and intensity, student mass, and class size to calculate EEE for the delivery of PE under (a) national professional recommendations, (b) 2016 state policies, and (c) school-reported conditions. Although increased from four years ago, only 22 states currently have policies mandating specific PE minutes. EEE over 10years shows the enormous impact PE could have on energy balance. For the average recommended-size PE class, resultant annual EEE based on professional recommendations for min/week far exceeded those based on average state (n=22) policy for min/week by 44.5% for elementary, 62.7% for middle, and 59.5% for high schools. Since 2012 more states adopted policies for PE minutes than dropped them, however, EEE over 10years showed a net loss of 1200kcal/student. With no overall recent improvements in state PE policy and professional recommendations currently not being met, PE remains an underutilized public health resource for EEE. Strong policies, coupled with enhanced accountability of PE teachers and administrators, are needed to ensure PE exists in schools.

Physical Education Policies and Practices in California Private Secondary Schools.

Physical education (PE) is mandated in most states, but few studies of PE in private schools exist. We assessed selected PE policies and practices in private secondary schools (grades 6 to 12) in California using a 15-item questionnaire related to school characteristics and their PE programs. Responding schools (n = 450; response rate, 33.8%) were from 37 counties. Most were coeducational (91.3%) and had a religious affiliation (83%). Secular schools had more PE lessons, weekly PE min, and smaller class sizes. Most schools met guidelines for class size, but few met national recommendations for weekly PE minutes (13.7%), not permitting substitutions for PE (35.6%), and programs being taught entirely by PE specialists (29.3%). Private schools, which serve about 5 million US children and adolescents, may be falling short in providing quality PE. School stakeholders should encourage adoption and implementation of policies and practices that abide by professional guidelines and state statutes.

Highlights in this issue

This issue contains a minitheme on weight issues and obesity that is introduced by Carl-Erik Flodmark 1. Jeroen de Munter et al studied the prevalence of obesity in Swedish children in 2003 and 2011 and found that it remained stable 2. Kerstin Ekbom and Claude Marcus show that it seems to be an association between vitamin D deficiency and prediabetes in obese children 3. Meanwhile, Pernilla Danielsson et al report promising results from a behavioural treatment programme that reduced obesity in half of the 220 children after five years 4, with Ane Sofie Kokkvoll commenting on the study 5. The minitheme continues with two other papers that show that healthcare professionals and parents could not rely solely on their visual assessment of a child's weight status. Gianni Bocca et al asked Dutch healthcare professionals to rate pictures of children from underweight to obese, with only 44–52% correctly identifying obese children and most rating the children lighter than they were 6. In the second study, Diego Christofaro et al found that overweight parents were twice as likely to underestimate the weight of their teenage children 7. A previous paper in Acta Paedatrica by Diana Schwilling et al reported that listening to live harp music may reduce stress levels in very preterm infants 8. In this issue, Lena Uggla et al report that twice-weekly music therapy lowered the heart rate of children undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplants, compared to controls receiving standard care. The effect was sustained for at least four to eight hours, indicating reduced stress levels and potentially lowering the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder 9. Töres Theorell comments on the finding 10. Feeding strategies for low-birthweight infants is a delicate balance between optimal growth and minimising the risk of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Sascha Meyer et al discuss their local feeding strategies and explain how a more careful feeding regime, based on a slow increment, resulted in a remarkably low incidence of NEC 11. In the accompanying editorial, Dirk Wackernagel discusses the current evidence on how to feed preterm infants 12. Readers may also be interested in the paper by Tjitske Nieuwenhuis et al, who found that children born preterm and full term had similar rates of feeding problem at three years of age 13, with Frans Walther and Roberta Pineda commenting on the finding 14, 15. In Jesper Fritz et al's intervention study, the amount of physical education (PE) in a school in southern Sweden was increased from 60 to 200 minutes per week over seven years. This resulted in increased gains in bone mass in the girls and enhanced gains in muscle strength in both genders, compared with control groups from three schools that continued with 60 minutes of PE per week 16. Luis Gracia-Marco comments on the findings 17. Readers may also be interested in the paper by Natascia Rinaldo et al, who found that a 12-week soccer training programme improved the body composition of pre-adolescent boys and increased their satisfaction with their body image 18. Figures: 1, 3, 4: IBL Bildbyrå, 2: Warschburger P, Kröller K. Pediatrics doi:10.1542/peds.2008-1845, 5: INA Agency.