STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF FITNESS AND THEIR PHYSICAL EDUCATION EXPERIENCES
written by Charity Bryan, Department of Kinesiology, University of Louisiana - Lafayette

INTRODUCTION
Many recent research efforts have focused on ways to help children and adolescents be more physically active, both during and outside of the school day. Physical activity has been shown to be increasingly important for all segments of the population, and the Physical Activity Guidelines (United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2008) clearly recommend at least 60 minutes per day of physical activity for children and adolescents. One way to help children and adolescents meet this requirement is to effectively utilize the time they spend in physical education class (USDHHS, 2008).

Student attitudes and perceptions of their physical education classes have quite an impact on the degree to which students participate and gain benefits from their physical education classes (Lee, Kang, & Hume, 1999; Silverman & Subramaniam, 1999). The purpose of this study was to examine students' perceptions of their physical education class, their own level of fitness, and their participation in physical activity outside of school. In addition, students were asked what they learned during a physical education unit which utilized pedometers for tracking student activity.

PARTICIPANTS
Students participated in physical education classes at one of two suburban middle schools in the Southeastern United States. The curricular emphasis in the physical education programs of both school were traditional sports based and physical activity programs. A total of 48 students (23 male and 25 female), were selected to participate in interviews regarding their fitness level, physical education class, and physical activity level. Equal numbers of students were selected for interviews based on fitness level (determined by BMI and Hoosier Endurance Shuttle Run scores), gender, and ethnicity.

DESCRIPTION OF QUESTIONS
Students provided responses to a total of 24 questions regarding: (1) their physical education classes, (2) physical activity patterns outside of school, (3) perceptions of their own levels of fitness, and (4) use of pedometers during the their physical education class.

DATA ANALYSIS
The constant comparative (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) method was used to analyze data so that the information gleaned could be unitized and categorized in a meaningful way. Using this approach, the researchers were able to identify overarching themes that surfaced based on student responses.

RESULTS
Physical education classes. Most students reported enjoying their physical education class very much. When asked why they enjoyed their classes, students most often responded that they either had "a good teacher" or because they very much liked the activities they participated in during class.

Physical activity. Most boys (65%) and girls (76%) in the study stated that they were more physically active outside of the school day. When asked why this was the case, females in the study said that they can participate in activities in which they are successful (i.e. they are "good" at those activities), or because they like the activities they do outside of school better than those in physical education classes.

Boys tended to site reasons of autonomy and variety for their increased participation outside of school than in their physical education classes. Specifically, boys said "no one tells me what to do" and "there is more variety at home" when explaining their activity patterns. One interesting finding for both genders was the fact that they had more time to participate in an activity when it was outside the school day. The limited number of minutes in physical education seemed to be a barrier to participation for some participants in the study.

There was, however, a distinct difference that emerged for participants who reported being more active in physical education than they were outside of the school day. The physical education participation points were largely the reason that females were more active in physical education than outside of school.

Boys who were more active in physical education said it was because "we are told to be active," or "we get in trouble if we don't." Physical educators need to be aware of the unintended consequences of maladaptive behavior patterns that often result from an environment where students feel forced to participate, or do not have some level of autonomy in their physical education classes.

On a more positive note, some boys reported their increased level of activity in physical education was because they were "with other people" such as their friends. This comment suggests that physical educators cannot underestimate the role of social support in physical activity settings. Only 4% of girls and 9% of boys reported equal amounts of physical activity both in physical education and outside of school time.

Fitness levels. All participants in the study indicated that they valued fitness as a contributor to a healthy life, however, participants in the "low fit" (based on BMI and cardiovascular measures) category had a tendency to over estimate their actual fitness level. All "fit" boys in the study were able to correctly self-identify as "fit," however, this was not the case with some of the unfit boys. Five of the 12 unfit boys reported to the research team that they "were physically fit" while only one unfit girl stated she perceived herself to be physically fit.

Pedometers. When students were queried about using pedometers in their physical education classes, many students told the research team they "did not learn anything new" from this technology. However, it was quite clear based on participant comments that they understood the pedometers were keeping track of the number of steps they took during class, and that it was definitely better to "take more steps."

DISCUSSION
The participants in this study made it very clear that their attitude toward their physical education class is largely the result of their connection with the teacher and the types of activities offered in class. It is also important for physical educators to understand that students may misperceive their own level of fitness, and this is more likely to be the case with unfit students. It is critical that physical educators foster positive, respectful relationships with their students and let their students know that they care. Creating a climate where students want to participate in physical education, instead of feeing like they have to participate, is also key to engagement and adaptive behaviors.

In addition, providing some level of choice regarding activities will hopefully help students find something they enjoy doing in physical education and may increase their activity level. Traditional sports units (i.e. flag football in fall, basketball in winter, and softball in spring) do not meet the needs or interests of most students in physical education. Variety in activities and some level of choice/autonomy in classes are crucial to student engagement.

References

Lee, H. J., Kang, S. & Hume, D. (1999). Students' attitudes toward physical education in
     a junior high school. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 70 (Suppl. 1), A-94.

Lincoln, Y.S. & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills: Sage
     Publications, Inc.

Silverman, S., & Subramaniam, P. R. (1999). Student attitude toward physical education
     and physical activity: A review of measurement issues and outcomes.
     Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 19, 97-125.

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2008). 2008 Physical Activity
     Guidelines for Americans. Washington D. C. Health and Human Services

Bio: Dr. Charity Bryan is an Assistant Professor and Department Head in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Dr. Bryan's research interests are in Physical Education pedagogy, childhood and adolescent physical activity, and childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity. Dr. Bryan's other published work has appeared in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, and Focus on Elementary, among others.

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