Kretschmann / Wrobel Attitudes and Perceptions toward Physical Education: A Study in Secondary School Students

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-3-95489-965-4
Verlag: Anchor Academic Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 155 Seiten

Physical education teaching and learning efforts obviously target the student. Like parents, teachers, administrators and any other directly or indirectly involved parties, students do have opinions based on their experience on their respective physical education classes and physical education in general. These opinions, or so-called attitudes, are important to research due to their potential of giving insight to the learner’s perspective. This study investigated German secondary school students’ attitudes toward physical education. Results have the intention to reveal what attitudes towards physical education German students have and which factors influence these attitudes. The study sample contained students from the different secondary school types. The students were surveyed via questionnaire that was developed based on validated research instruments from prior studies in the field. Data was analyzed integrating independent variables such as students' gender, physical education grade, grade point average, body mass index, socioeconomic status, type of school, citizenship, and the exercise and physical activity behavior of students, their parents and their peers.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kretschmann, Rolf

Wrobel, Daniel

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Lehrerausbildung, Unterricht & Didaktik Allgemeine Didaktik Sport (Unterricht & Didaktik)

Leseproben

Text Sample:

Chapter, 1 Introduction:

Investigating physical education means to take all involved parties and individuals into account. Physical education teachers and their students will usually come into one’s mind when thinking of direct involvement in regular physical education classes. Parents, principals, administrators, college level lecturers and professors, and policy makers may also be considered for mutual interactions and discourse regarding physical education.
Although students are certainly the primary recipients of physical education teaching efforts, only few research-oriented efforts have been attempted to tackle the students’ perspectives regarding physical education on the contrary (Dyson, 2006). Despite the rich empirical research tradition on physical education, there is only little research on the point of view of the students, and their perceptions and attitudes towards physical education (Graber, 2001).
In 2006, the DSB published the SPRINT-Studie as one of the most recent and most frequently discussed German empirical investigation of physical education classes. The study examined several aspects of physical education classes such as curriculum, state of sports facilities and others (cf. Brettschneider & Kuhlmann, 2006, 12ff). The point of view of the students and their perceptions and attitudes towards physical education, however, was severely neglected. Besides the SPRINT-Studie (Deutscher Sportbund, 2006), almost no studies in the field of physical education classes exist in Germany. In contrast, on an international level, many investigations have been conducted, all of which focus on different aspects of physical education.
Those studies, which are concerned with the perceptions and attitudes of students towards physical education classes basically solely focus on the methods to examine perceptions and attitudes and the general shape of perceptions and attitudes (cf. e.g., Phillips & Silverman, 2012; Subramaniam & Silverman, 2000).
The importance of students’ positive attitudes towards physical education emerges out of the suggestion that students who developed a positive attitude to physical education and physical activity will more likely adopt a physically active lifestyle (Solmon & Lee, 1996; Wallhead & Buckworth, 2004). In addition, a positive attitude to one subject, in this case physical education may also indirectly influence students’ attitudes towards school and education in general (Bibik, Goodwin, & Orsega-Smith, 2007), as well as academic achievement (Howie & Pate, 2012).
The influence of different factors on the perceptions and attitudes of students was hardly taken into account. Since other studies in the field of physical education have shown that e.g., gender has a major influence on self-perception or motivation, it seems to be logical to conclude that several factors do influence the perceptions and attitudes of students, as well. The important question that needs to be examined therefore is, which factors influence the students' perceptions and attitudes towards physical education classes.
Starting from this question, several other important questions arise: how can perceptions and attitudes be measured? What are attitudes and perceptions? How can we define perceptions and attitudes? Are those perceptions and attitudes also influenced by the degree of physical and sporting activity? Are they influenced by the parents' or the friends' point of view.
These questions are especially interesting for teachers and future teachers. They should know how attitudes are formed and how they are developed in reality. This knowledge should help to understand complex contexts of physical education classes, as well as the varying behavior of students. Besides, it would be helpful to know how the different aspects of physical education classes influence the perceptions and attitudes of students. Content of the curriculum or the behavior of the teacher may be such aspects, only to name a few. The present study's underlying idea of perceptions and attitudes consisting of two components could reveal, which aspects students place value on and by which aspects they are influenced emotionally. The answers to the above questions should also make teachers more sensitive to the reasons of students' behavior.
The here presented study is interested and concerned with those questions, as well. Its purpose is not only to find out how perceptions and attitudes of students are shaped, but to a greater degree to reveal which factors influence the perceptions and attitudes of students. The present study therefore picks up the above raised questions to further investigate the field of physical education classes. In the first part, the theoretical foundation for the study will be presented. On the basis of current literature, the current status of research in the field of physical education will be reviewed to lay ground for the empirical part of the study. First, key terms and concepts that are important for the investigation of the perceptions and attitudes will be defined to mark the boundaries of the research. Since the purpose of this study is to provide results not only for the German research field, but on an international level, the subject of German physical education is defined thoroughly. The paper will then turn to the current findings related to motivation, self-perception, health, and eventually to the perceptions and attitudes in the context of physical education classes. It is then discussed, how methods and instruments can be used to assess and measure attitudes and perceptions. In the second part of the paper, the actual empirical study will be presented. It contains the above raised research questions and underlying hypothesis and describes the procedure of the study. Therefore, the methods and instruments that have been used to conduct the present study are expounded. Afterward, the results of the study will be described and analyzed, before, in the last part, the results will be discussed regarding the purpose of the study and in the context of existing literature and already conducted studies.

Über Autor(innen)

Rolf Kretschmann is currently a secondary school teacher in Germany, teaching Physical Education and Philosophy. He is a former Professor of Kinesiology and Director of Physical Education Teacher Education at the University of Texas, United States. His research focuses primarily on educational technology, health promotion and interventions, as well as evidence-based practices in physical education.

Daniel Wrobel is currently a secondary school teacher in Germany, teaching Physical Education and English.