Post-Primary School Pupil’s Interest In Physical Education: Age And Gender Differences

  • : Ms Word, Ms Word Format
  • : 90 Pages
  • : ₦3000
  • : 1-5 Chapters
  •  
  • Click to DOWNLOAD Materials

POST-PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPIL’S INTEREST IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: AGE AND GENDER DIFFERENCES

Background of the study

The lack of physical activity among children is of increasing concern, with surveys showing a decline in children’s participation in both organised sport and recreational activities (ABS, 2010). The 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey found 31% of respondents between 9-16 years of age did not met the National Physical Activity Guidelines of at least one hour of moderate to vigorous activity each day (Department of Health, 2013). Of greater concern was that the average time spent doing moderate to vigorous physical activity decreased with age. Australian Federal and State governments are aware of the problem and continue to invest significant amounts of money to address the emerging obesity issue in Australia, particularly with regards to children. The Australian Sports Commission’s Sporting Schools and Kids at Play are two government funded programs (Federal and State respectively) specifically designed to encourage active play and children’s involvement in physical activity. However, there are concerns that not all children are targeted by these programs and it is unknown whether they are effective in sustaining children’s long-term involvement in physical activity. The Australian Government’s Healthy Weight 2008 National Action Agenda (National Obesity Taskforce, 2008) determined there was a need for a nationwide strategic approach to address the challenge of overweight and obese children. Part of this framework is to ensure children have the opportunity to maintain healthy weight through their everyday contacts and settings. The National Action Agenda has, therefore, focussed on the family and the school environment, through Physical Education, as two key settings to increase the knowledge, skills, attitudes and intentions of children and young people regarding their physical activity and healthy eating. Physical Education currently sits within the Health and Physical Education curriculum for all children enrolled in ACT schools. The ACT Government’s rationale for the curriculum is based on the premise that children need to develop knowledge and skills that will support lifelong physical activity. As described in the Physical Education and Sport Policy, the ACT Government “recognises the importance of providing students with opportunities to participate in physical education and sport [and the] important role [this curriculum] plays in building students’ confidence, lifelong health and fitness.” (www.education.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies accessed online 1 September 2017) . This is important as a growing body of research identifies school-based Physical Education programs as key to introducing or reinforcing a lifelong physically healthy lifestyle for children (Sterdt et al., 2013; Light, 2010; Norton et al., 2003; Biddle, 2001; Duda, 2001). Research has also shown that the early years are important for laying the foundations for children’s later health and well-being; if they are not comfortable engaging in physical activity at a young age it is more difficult to engage them as they mature (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2006). Investigating how Physical Education is delivered remains a particular area of interest given many primary schools do not have a dedicated Physical Education teacher, with this area of the curriculum often being taught by the classroom teacher. Previous studies suggest many teachers find the Physical Education curriculum uninteresting or difficult to teach for a number of reasons. These include but are not limited to feeling physically unfit themselves, lacking confidence to teach gross motor skills and game development, or not valuing this core learning area as much as academic and other in-class activities (Rainer et al., 2012; Sherman et al., 2010; Morgan and Bourke, 2008; Dwyer et al., 2003). This thesis considers teachers’, parents’ and children’s perceptions toward and attitudes of Physical Education and the role of motivation, social learning and self-perception in encouraging lifelong behaviours that promote health and well-being. Healthy habits are established during childhood, with parents and schools providing the education and support to ensure children understand why it is necessary to remain active through life. Understanding the position of the Physical Education curriculum within the school community can provide some insight into the level and type of instruction children receive, how these messages are reinforced through the behaviours of parents and teachers, and how children perceive their own involvement and participation.

1.2     Statement of the problem

Educators and parents have been known to hold strong beliefs about academic practices that are unsupported by research. The benefit of such academic practices may have been proven false or there may be insufficient research or conflicting research in the field to substantiate them. One example is the belief that academic success is strongly and positively related to a student‟s age at entrance to school or compared to the age of classmates (Grissom, 2004; Lorne, 2001). Some parents “wonder whether they should delay enrollment even when their child seems ready for kindergarten” (Oshima & Domaleski, 2006, p. 212), especially after reading newspaper articles or hearing stories heralding successes for young children whose parents delayed their entry into school (Graue & DiPerna, 2000). Numerous studies regarding school entrance age and student success have been published, yet experts do not agree on the extent to which student age affects student success, or if it produces a consistent affect at all (Beattie, 1970; Ede, 2004; Gray, 1985; Griffin & Harvey, 1995; Grissom, 2004; Hedges, 1978; May, Kundert, & Brent, 1995; Meisels, 1995; Quinlan, 1996).

At the time of this study, Georgia‟s entrance age policy for first grade required the student to be six years old on or before September first of that school year (Georgia Department of Education, 2010e). However, states differ on school entrance age policies, from the August first cut-off date used by Indiana, Hawaii, and Missouri, to the January first cut-off date used by Connecticut and Vermont (Education Commission of the States, 2010). This disagreement among various states and other education experts can lead to confusion for parents, teachers, and education policy makers.

1.3     Objective of the study

  1. To determine the value primary school teachers place on Physical Education and their perception of the role of Physical Education in a child’s overall physical and mental development
  2. To determine the value parents place on Physical Education in their child’s overall physical and mental development.
  3. To determine how children perceive their participation in Physical Education

1.4     Research Question

1What is the value primary school teachers place on Physical Education and their perception of the role of Physical Education in a child’s overall physical and mental development

  1. What is the value parents place on Physical Education in their child’s overall physical and mental development?
  2. What is how children perceive their participation in Physical Education?

1.5     Research Hypothesis

  1. There is no significant different of primary school teachers place on Physical Education and their perception of the role of Physical Education in a child’s overall physical and mental development
  2. There is no significant different of the value parents place on Physical Education in their child’s overall physical and mental development.
  3. There is no significant effect of how children perceive their participation in Physical Education

1.6     Significance of the study

The findings of this study would be beneficial to the researchers, Ministry of health, students, and environment al policy makers.

The findings would provide useful information to the environmental managers on the appropriate water pollution strategies to be adopted that will bring about effective control of water pollution.

This study would also be significant in the sense that its finding would serve as reference materials for future researchers to carry out further studies in the field of knowledge under study

The Ministry of Health would benefit from the findings of this study in view of the revealed indices or how efficacious water pollution affect ecosystem which will form the basis of their seminar/workshop on teachers training and retraining. Finally, the outcomes of this research would to be of immense benefits to students of Faculty of environment and policy makers because its revealed information on water pollution and their corresponding impacts.

1.7     Scope of the study

The study was delimited to post-primary school pupil’s interest in physical education: age and gender differences

1.8     Limitation of the study

Glatthorn and Joyner (2005), defined study delimitations as “the boundaries of the study, and ways in which the findings may lack generalizability” (p. 168). The primary delimitation of this study was related to the participants themselves. Students who were eligible to start school in a given year yet were enrolled in the following year were removed from the study, as well as any student receiving services for gifted, English as a second language, speech, or special education. Any possible implications drawn from this study must take into account the study population and may not apply to other diverse populations not related to the population studied by the researcher.

A second delimitation of this study was related to the student assessment tool, the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The Georgia CRCT is specifically correlated to test the Georgia Performance Standards (Georgia Department of Education, 2010b) and may not correlate to student curriculum from other states, thereby limiting generalizability to other locations (Dworkin, 2005).

Definition of Terms

In this thesis, the following terms will be used, based on the definitions given below:  Physical Education relates specifically to the subject called Physical

  • Education. In New Zealand the subject that incorporates Physical Education is called Health and Physical Education. However, in this thesis Health and Physical Education will be stated as Physical Education due to the health components of the curriculum being taught in other subjects at the school involved in this study. Other aspects similar to Physical Education will be described as physical activity, sport, or fitness.
  • Physical activity includes any action that a person participates in that involves bodily movement.
  • Sport refers to games where individuals or teams compete against one another.
  • Fitness is a component of Physical Education that involves completing exercises to stay healthy.
  • Hauora is a word from the Māori language that embodies spiritual, mental and emotional, physical, and social well-being. Hauora and well-being, though not synonyms, share much common ground. Within Hauora are four categories that are mentioned below. These definitions have been taken and adapted from the New Zealand Ministry of Education Te Kete Ipurangi website (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2010):
  • Taha Tanana refers to physical well-being and how the body moves, develops and grows.
  • Taha Hinengaro refers to mental and emotional well-being and effectively expressing thoughts and feelings and using a clear thinking process.
  • Taha Whānau refers to social well-being and relationships, interactions with others and the feeling of belonging.
  • Taha Wairua refers to spiritual well-being, and the values and beliefs involved with personal meaning in life and identity.
  • Intermediate refers to years seven and eight of the New Zealand schooling system.

Perceptions in this thesis will refer to how students and teachers think and believe and the way that they view and understand things. Other words often associated with perceptions are attitudes, beliefs and conceptions, however perceptions is the term that will be used in this thesis.

POST-PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPIL’S INTEREST IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: AGE AND GENDER DIFFERENCES

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply