Purpose: Informed by the constructivist learning theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of three continuing professional development (CPD) approaches on student learning in a healthful living physical education curriculum. Methods: Physical education teachers (n = 19) received one of the following CPD trainings: (1)…

We used mixed methods to identify middle school students' conceptions and misconceptions of energy in the domain of health and fitness. We selected a total of 24 middle schools from six school districts in a Southeastern state of the U. S. through stratified sampling. Students were first given a standardized knowledge test to establish their…

Purpose: Guided by the declarative-procedural knowledge framework, the study attempts to identify middle school students' declarative (knowing what) and procedural (knowing how) fitness knowledge and the relationship between the two. Methods: A sample of students (n = 291, age 11-14 years) from 24 middle schools took a grade-relevant standardized…

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which practicum teaching could lead to value orientation change of preservice physical education teachers. A group of preservice physical education teachers (N = 28) in China were randomly assigned to practicum-teach either a health-related fitness unit or a traditional sport unit. Their…

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the extent to which a concept-based physical education curriculum, specifically the Science of Healthful Living (SHL) curriculum, influenced middle school students' knowledge, motivation for physical education (PE) and physical activity (PA), and out-of-school PA. Methods: A static group comparison design was…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the 3-year trajectory of students' interest in learning physical activity (PA) knowledge during middle school and the effects of gender and prior knowledge on the trajectory. Methods: Using a repeated-measures design, a cohort of 447 sixth-grade students' interest in learning PA knowledge was…

Purpose: It is argued that the constructivist physical education has the potential to overcome socioeconomic (SES) constraints and promote learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which school SES-related class environmental factors influenced student learning in a constructivist physical education context. Methods:…

One primary goal of physical education (PE) is to promote students' lifelong physical activity (PA). This goal implies that PE should not only improve students' PA in PE classes but also promote their PA outside of the school known as the "PE effect." Purpose: In this study, we proposed a two-pathway model of the "PE effect"…

Acquiring scientific knowledge about physical activity is necessary for students to become physically literate for life, and cognitive engagement and cognitive levels of tasks are two components that often determine the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition. This study sought to determine the extent to which students' cognitive engagement in…

Purpose: Based on the theorized concept "Curriculum Safety Zone (CSZ)," this study was conducted to identify the factors for breaking CSZ by contrasting the experiential accounts of two pre-service teacher groups who taught within or outside of their CSZ. Method: Pre-service teachers (n = 14) from a sport-centered PETE program were…

Purpose: It has been acknowledged in physical education (PE) that knowledge empowers learners to develop a physically active lifestyle In this study, we consider Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) as a valuable extension of the constructivist learning theory to help articulate the role of three pivotal instructional factors, content knowledge, learners,…

There are substantial differences between the Chinese and US education systems. One difference is in the design and use of assessment due to differences in educational policies. This study described the differences in student learning outcomes, instructional approaches, and learner motivation in physical education as consequences of the policies…

Based on the value orientation theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of value orientation incongruence between physical education teachers and an externally designed curriculum on student learning in a concept-based fitness-centered physical education curriculum. Physical education teachers (n = 15) with different value…