Undergraduate Kinesiology Students Research Articles

Associations between Kinesiology Studentsʼ and their Parentsʼ Body Mass Index, Physical Activity Levels and Fitness Beliefs

Two of the Leading Health Indicators of Healthy People 2010 are physical activity (PA) and overweight and obesity. These two indicators are related, in that, overweight is due to an imbalance between dietary intake and energy expenditure. Physical inactivity places individuals at risk for obesity and developing chronic diseases later in life. Understanding the determinants of PA is critical for treating and preventing obesity. Research indicates that parents' PA behaviors and beliefs have an impact on their children's PA behaviors and attitudes but these findings are varying and somewhat limited. PURPOSE: Thus, the purpose of the present study was to determine if the parents of students interested in kinesiology or exercise science had similar physical activity behaviors and fitness beliefs. METHODS: Undergraduate kinesiology students (n = 70, 29 females and 41 males) and their parents (70 mothers, 70 fathers) completed surveys to assess self-reported body mass index (i.e., calculated from self-reported height and weight), PA levels, and fitness and PA beliefs. RESULTS: Participants indicated that their inability to set reachable goals, lack of confidence, and lack of support from others were the greatest barriers when considering PA. Males (fathers and sons) indicated that increased energy, better control over their weight, and clothes fitting better were the most important benefits of PA; whereas females (daughters and mothers) indicated that improved body image, clothes fitting better, and better control over their weight were the most important benefits of PA. Kinesiology students' PA levels were associated with their belief that they would have more energy if they exercised (P < .01). Kinesiology students' internal control fitness beliefs were associated with their mothers' and fathers' internal control fitness beliefs (P < .01). A repeated measure MANOVA revealed that the kinesiology students had higher PA levels and were less likely to believe that chance influenced their PA levels than their parents (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Besides being positive role models by participating in habitual physical activity, kinesiology students should learn how to help others set manageable goals that improve perceived competence in being physically active. These skills could then be taught to family members to help improve their PA and fitness levels which may lower their risk of becoming obese and developing chronic diseases.

Effects of Cooperative Learning Strategy on Undergraduate Kinesiology Students' Learning Styles

A growing body of research supports cooperative learning as an effective teaching strategy. A specific cooperative learning strategy, Team-based Learning, was applied to a convenience sample of four undergraduate sophomore-level motor behavior courses over four semesters from Fall 2002 to Spring 2004 to examine whether this strategy would affect students' learning styles. The data from the Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Style Scales indicated that this teaching strategy was associated with a significant decrease in the negative Avoidant and Dependent learning styles and an improvement in the positive Participant learning style.