Research Paper on "Female Participation in Secondary Physical Education"

Research Paper 20 pages (6258 words) Sources: 20 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Girls' Perceptions of Physical Education

Bruce Yockey

Credibility and Trustworthiness

Ethics

When properly balanced with other educational and life objectives, physical education can play an important role in prompting lifelong health and activity. However, some recent research has suggested that many young women in the Canadian secondary education system do not choose to enroll in physical education beyond the point required to fulfill mandatory course expectations (Friedman, 2002; Gibbons et al., 1999; Humbert, 1995). Some preliminary evidence exists which suggests that these young women have become disillusioned with physical education in early adolescence, however more research needs to be done in order to identify and correct the reasons for this mid-adolescence rejection of physical education. This research identifies reasons that Canadian high school girls are reluctant to enroll in physical education class and defines those factors that contribute to student resistance to involvement in physical education classes. Through a mixed method study including quantitative and qualitative data presented in a variety of ways, the research will address this critical concern and offer suggestions for improvement in educational curriculum and culture designed to improve participation among girls.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the PE experiences of female students in middle adolescence (grades 8 and 9, junior high school). In order to achieve that end, the study will present an approximate (systematic) replication of a study completed by Gibbons and Humbert (2008) titled "What are Middle-School Girls Looking for in Physical Education?" The present study differs from that previous one, only in the fact that the participants will be from grades 8 and 9 girls from segregated physical education classes, whereas the earlier subjects were from grades 6 and 7 girls from coeducational physical education classes. Additionally, the participants in this study come from one school, whereas the original study had subjects from five schools.

The study has the following research objectives:

1. identification of physical activity preferences and patterns of early adolescent females (both curricular and extracurricular)

2. identification of barriers toward participation in physical education

3. examination of early adolescent females' knowledge and perceptions of the contribution of physical activity to health.

The study's results have implications for physical education curricula, as well as for motivational and participation programming for adolescent females.

Definitions

The primary academic concept considered in the research is physical literacy. A physically literate person is defined as someone who has, "the motivation, confidence, physical competence, understanding and knowledge to maintain physical activity at an individually appropriate level, throughout life" (Whitehead, 2007, p.1). Defined operationally, the term signifies "the ability and motivation to capitalise on our movement potential to make a significant contribution to the quality of life" (p. 1).

Delimitations

This study is limited in scope by a relatively small sample size. The sample universe consisted of the approximately ninety girl students enrolled in segregated compulsory physical education classes at John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford, Saskatchewan.

Limitations

The study's significance is ultimately limited to the degree that its use of written questionnaires, focus group interviews and one-on-one audio-recorded interviews admits the possibility of bias or inaccuracy. A number of factors could have impacted the research in this regard. First, there is no guarantee that the participants were honest and accurate when completing the questionnaires and interviews. Second, participants may have had medical conditions that affected their physical education experience. Third, not all participants had the same physical education teacher. Finally, due to space requirements at the school, certain girl classes were required to share the gym with a boy's class. And of these factors could have influenced the physical education experience of girls in those situations.

Assumptions

The researcher assumes that students have responded in an honest manner and to the best of their ability during the collection of data. The researcher assumes that despite having varied instruction from different teachers, all participants are receiving the same amount of physical education class time. A third assumption is that there will not be a strong sentiment that highlights the girls' perception that their teachers attended more closely to the needs and interests of their male counterparts. In this study the classes are segregated by gender.

Conclusion

The goal of physical education is to develop students who are physically literate. Children attain physical literacy by mastering fundamental movement and sport skills. Quality Daily Physical Education (QDPE) programs develop physically literate students in a process that begins in primary school and continues into high school. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that Canadian adolescent female students do not enroll in high school physical education classes. These low levels of physical activity among girls and young women in Canada, documented by Gibbons and Humbert, among others, provide great cause for alarm.

A national physical education and health survey titled The Health Behaviour in School -- Aged Children (HSBC) was conducted in Canada, and showed that, in the average week, fewer than 40% of early- and mid-adolescent female youth reported being physically active for 60 minutes or more each day (Boyce, 2004). Tremblay and Willms (2000) found that obesity among children and youth aged 7 -- 13 tripled from 1981-1996. These and similar statistical findings indicate that young females are not participating in physical education to an adequate degree. This must be understood and corrected, since it has been shown that young females who are not physically active are less likely to be physically active as adults (Shepard & Trudeau, 2000; Thompson, Humbert & Mirwald, 2003; Trudeau et al., 1999; Wallace, 2003). In order to ensure that the problem of reluctant participation in physical education by late-adolescent females is understood and corrected, this research will provide a variety of fieldwork analyses conducted with mid-adolescent girls, before they reach the point that their reluctance is expressed in coursework choices.

Literature Review

A review of the literature was conducted to lay the groundwork for the fieldwork and analyses. Because this research is concerned with physical education participation in the experience of mid-adolescent females in Canada, with an ultimate goal of influencing greater participation and curriculum alignment that facilitates such participation, the following areas were focused on:

1.

Physical Education's role in adolescent and lifelong health

2.

Female experience in Physical Education.

There is a significant amount of research dealing with each of these topics. In order to focus the review of the related literature, the researcher attempted to utilize those studies which addressed specifically the concerns of improving participation of female adolescents in physical education.

Physical Education and Health

Gibbons and Humbert (2008) point to the link between physical education and health when they write that "School physical education has the potential to play an important part in both stemming the decline of physical activity and promoting lifelong physical activity" (p. 1). It is in this dual role that physical education makes perhaps its largest contribution to physical health. It provides opportunities for students to exercise now, as well as inspiration and guidance, for them to participate in physical activity later in life. School-based physical education, of course, is not the only possible source of physical activity leading to improved health. However, McKenzie (1999) reviewed data from a variety of sources and found that in order to get the kind of physical activity prescribed by national standards for physical activity -- that is, in order to get the kind of activity which ensures that it ultimately leads to health improvements -- student participation in physical education classes is perhaps the only realistic avenue that many children have for achieving exercise goals.

Obesity and Activity. By providing opportunities for exercise in real time, physical education offers students the chance to improve health now. This is very important since numerous studies have been conducted to show that students, while among the most active groups in the population, often do not get enough of the right kinds of activity (McKenzie, 1999). For example, Stone, McKenzie, Welk, & Booth (1998) conducted a study of students across a variety of developed countries and found that fewer than half of students got enough exercise to cross a threshold the researchers defined as healthy. Gibbons and Humbert report further that, although young girls (for example) could articulate the need for physical education and its links to weight control and physical health, they did not think they got enough exercise in their physical education classes and elsewhere to achieve the goals they knew to be important. Physical activity seems to be on the decline as students spend their time playing video games, surfing the internet and watching TV (Tremblay and Willms, 2001), and this has important implications for adolescent health.

Tremblay and Willms (2001), conducted a study of obesity and body mass index among Canadian school-aged children. They took nationally representative data from the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey and the 1996 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. They then performed regressional analysis to assess changes in body-mass index scores for children from age 7-13 over the 15 years. They found that the rate… READ MORE

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