Using discussion to inform action: Formative research on nature-based physical activity as a means of fostering relatedness for girls in physical and health education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1356336X2199118
Author(s):  
Jennifer Gruno ◽  
Sandra L Gibbons
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Outdoor Education ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Formative Research ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Resource Manual ◽  
Physical And Health Education

The long-standing challenges and issues associated with girls’ disengagement from secondary school physical and health education (PHE) are serious and well documented. This disengagement has provided the incentive for the examination of alternative strategies to facilitate girls’ engagement in PHE. This paper discusses the first phase in a formative research process designed to develop a resource manual to help teachers utilize nature-based physical activity (NBPA) as a means of fostering relatedness for girls in PHE. Participating teachers collaborated and generated specific NBPA ideas and pedagogical strategies during an all-day planning session. Four focus groups with the teachers ( N = 20) were used to identify ways to develop NBPA interventions. Five broad topics are reported: (a) defining NBPAs, (b) specific NBPAs to use in PHE, (b) how NBPA can foster relatedness, (d) how NBPA in PHE differs from outdoor education, and (e) barriers to implementing NBPA in PHE. This paper emphasizes the valuable contribution of formative research to the integrity and fidelity of an intervention as well as to quality practice in the implementation of theory-based PHE initiatives.

Does physical and health education classes improve physical fitness?

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Chow ◽  
Drew Hollenberg ◽  
Cooper Midroni ◽  
Stuart Cumner
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Interval Training ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
School Year ◽  
Healthy Habits ◽  
Physical And Health Education ◽  
High Intensity Interval

AbstractTraditional continuous exercise, as well as low-volume high-intensity interval training in adults, have shown to offer benefits to one’s cardio-metabolic health. With the benefits of physical activity being proven without a doubt, education curricula around the world have implemented physical and health education programs with the aim of promoting a healthy lifestyle through physical activity and healthy habits. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether physical and health education, alone without any change, improved heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SP) and diastolic blood pressure (DP) of adolescents at Crescent School. HR, SP and DP of students were recorded before and immediately after they ran 1 mile, and statistical analyses were conducted to determine whether there was any difference in HR, SP and DP from baseline at the beginning of the year to Term 2, the middle of the school year. While mile-run times did improve from baseline to Term 2, SP, DP and HR did not significantly change from one term to another. This study does suggest that SP, DP and HR are not affected by physical and health education classes, but it is important to keep in mind that the sample group was already a very healthy and active group.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Correlations among Secondary School Physical and Health Education Teachers’ Beliefs and Instruction

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken R. Lodewyk
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Need For Cognition ◽  
Physical Education Teachers ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Physical And Health Education ◽  
Tenth Grade ◽  
Realist Perspective ◽  
Simple Integration

This paper reports the underlying theory, methods, results, and conclusions of a study investigating relations among 26 ninth and/or tenth grade physical education teachers’ age, beliefs about knowledge, ability, and the need for cognition, and their preferred instructional methods and aims. Each has been associated with a variety of outcomes in physical education. Results revealed that most teachers preferred a relativist worldview and more highly valued curricular outcomes such as fitness, character, and community, to skill and knowledge. More autonomous practices were associated with a contextualist worldview and to a high belief in the need for cognition, and negatively to a realist perspective and to direct teaching. Finally, a contextualist worldview, a higher need for cognition, and higher incremental ability conceptions, and lower entity ability conceptions were statistically correlated to lower (more availing) beliefs in the simple-integration and stable-expertise of knowledge. Implications for scholars and practitioners are asserted.

Is academic performance an indicator for physical fitness?

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Chow ◽  
Cooper Midroni ◽  
Drew Hollenberg ◽  
Stuart Cumner
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
School Students ◽  
Physical And Health Education

Abstract Many studies have investigated whether elevated levels of physical activity and fitness improve academic performance in children, but only a few have examined whether it is physical fitness which varies with academic performance. The purpose of this study was to examine if academic performance is indeed an indicator for physical fitness. For this study, middle school students were recruited for the necessary values and information. The data acquired for academic performance were based off of a public honour roll list distributed within the school community and physical fitness was evaluated via mile-run time, resting, post-active blood pressure and heart rate. There were no differences in proportion across the academic cohorts for any measurements of physical fitness. There was no conclusion such as “students with higher academic performance are less physically fit”; all academic cohorts had relatively similar levels of physical fitness. This may be due to mandatory physical and health education classes, which all students attend; the physical fitness levels are similar due to similar training.

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