The Physiology Understanding (PhUn) Week is a national outreach event sponsored by the American Physiological Society. Our PhUn team conducted an event for 551 students (12.5 ± 0.9 yr old) in a middle school in Indiana. The aims of this program were to: (1) teach about the negative consequences of inactivity on cardiovascular (CV) health and…

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of four warm-up protocols on agility, strength, static and dynamic flexibility in primary school students. The participants were forty-four students of a primary school (19 boys and 25 girls) and the mean age of the children was 11.7±0.47. All of them executed, in four different days, one of…

This study used self-determination theory to provide a better understanding of learner motivation in a physical education program. Students participated in a sports unit with choice in activities, equipment, partners, and competition as opposed to a traditional teacher-led activity unit. The objective was to determine differences in motivation and…

Although physical education (PE) provides a school-based platform for the enhancement of learners' physical health, implementation challenges can have a detrimental effect on learners' motivation to participate in physical activities and their fitness levels. Within the framework of the Self-determination Theory (SDT), meeting learners' basic…

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the integration of tablets and a mobile application for fitness development into a PE lesson in primary education, in schools that did not apply a 'one tablet per child' policy, on students' intrinsic motivation for the PE lesson. Four 5th grade and four 6th grade classes (145 students aged…

A good fitness testing program can promote physical activity and fitness. There is no published research, however, that has examined the relationships between teachers' attitudes and students' performance on fitness tests. This study investigated the attitudes of urban middle school physical education teachers (N = 74) toward physical fitness…

Sport involvement may offer physical and psychological benefits to early adolescents beyond those accrued through physical activity (PA). Those benefits, though, may be moderated by gender. The purpose of this study was to examine these potential benefits in a middle school population. The sample consisted of 629 sixth graders enrolled in a…

In connection to studying the physical activity and psycho-physical achievements of the students from 7th grade, tests for physical capacity of boys were conducted at "Hristo Botev" Secondary School, Ruse. The tests are mandatory for all 7th grade boys. 102 students participated in two groups -- "A" and "C"…

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)…

This study explored the effectiveness of a stretching program on hamstring extensibility among Latino high school students in a physical education (PE) setting. Students, aged 13 to 15, in five required PE classes were assigned to either an experimental group (n = 60) or a control group (n = 42). Experimental students performed a 3-min stretching…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influences of a structured after-school program on student physical activity for third- through fifth-grade students at five schools in southern Colorado. The study utilized a pretest-posttest intervention design in which six elementary schools in a low socioeconomic status school district in southern…

Purpose: Physical education (PE) is an important context for promoting health-related cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth. Within PE, the lesson context and teacher behavior may be relevant for the promotion CRF; however, evidence is scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess whether students' CRF improvement in a school year…

The adoption of compensatory movement patterns occurs when limitations in mobility, stability, or motor control prevent proper motion from occurring. These dysfunctional movements may inhibit fundamental motor skill development and negatively influence perceived movement competence, impeding the development of physical literacy. Therefore, this…

In comparison to children, adolescents achieve significantly less physical activity (PA). Additionally, activity differences exist among genders and race/ethnicities. One means of influencing the PA habits of adolescents is high school physical education. Although PE class reaches students of all ages, genders, and races, motivation and…

This study examined the effect of a 10-week activity tracker, companion social website, and text messaging intervention on body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, physical fitness, and physical activity (PA) self-efficacy of children. Children (n = 98) were assigned to one of three groups: activity tracker group, text messaging group, and…