Compared to elementary physical education, high school physical education has historically lacked quality. Students struggle to find relevance in the subject, team sports dominate the curriculum, and teachers generally do not actively teach to the extent of their elementary counterparts. Though the need for change has long been acknowledged,…

We have each been given a name. With this given name, we are known among our families, friends, and other associates. Our name becomes an integral part of our identity. A common and important place where a person is addressed by name is the educational setting, more specifically a school setting, including physical education (PE) classes. The PE…

The world requires that people interact with those they work with, live with, and play with. Because of these interactions with others, it is important that people exhibit proper social skills to get along and be successful in everyday activities. Within an educational context physical education (PE) class is a prime place for students to learn…

The successful inclusion of children with disabilities into general physical education (PE) depends in large part on the attitudes and competence of general PE teachers. Unfortunately, many PE teachers' undergraduate preparation is insufficient when it comes to including children with disabilities. In-service professional development can provide…

Paraeducators are often utilized in physical education environments to assist instructors as well as students with disabilities; however, there is little research on the utilization of these professionals within this setting. This study explored paraeducators' perceived roles and competencies in physical education from the perspectives of both…

Adventure education (AE) is a student-centered curricular model built upon acceptance where various types of learners can experience challenge, success, emotional growth, and peer interaction. Most studies focus exclusively on the perspectives of the instructors, whereas this study includes parental perspectives of children with disabilities and…

Classroom management is an important aspect for a K-12 teacher in any content area. The same applies in physical education (PE). In PE, there are large spaces, students are moving, and in many cases, equipment (basketballs, rackets, Hula-Hoops, etc.) is involved, thus making PE a unique challenge in regard to classroom management for PE teachers.…

Few states have implemented an evaluation system to measure teacher efficiency through the use of student growth measures within physical education. Evaluation procedures can be extensive and have the potential for reduced active student learning time in addition to reduced teacher discernment. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to…

Physical education teachers use motivational strategies that can (positively or negatively) affect their students' level of motivation and engagement. Indeed, according to their experiences and beliefs, some teachers may focus on strategies that thwart, rather than support, students' psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness).…

Research indicates physical education can foster personal and social development. However, few studies have examined teacher beliefs about delivering this aspect of the curriculum. To move research and practice forward, it is important to understand educators' self-efficacy beliefs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the…

The term "physical literacy" has been integrated into national physical education standards. This study was designed to better understand how preservice physical educators put physical literacy into practice and prepare to be role models within the school context. Sixty preservice physical educators (46 males, 14 females, aged 19 to 25)…

The physical education context is fun yet challenging. There is the potential for teachers to offer a multitude of games and activities for students. Thus, PE teachers should put the students in the best position to learn the content. One method involves PE teachers putting students in small-sided groups during games and activities. The purpose of…

This study examined preservice teachers' instruction of goals in specific learning domains in physical education class and students' interpretation of these goals. Four preservice physical education teachers (all male) from a large urban university taught two lessons to eight sixth-grade students at an urban K-6 elementary school. The theory of…

The purpose of this study was to create a valid and reliable volleyball common content knowledge (VB-CCK) test in secondary physical education contexts in the United States. Two physical education teacher educators served as content experts and developed test items for the VB-CCK test. We then established content validity with a group of…

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of improving a physical education teacher's content knowledge and, in turn, the teacher's instructional effectiveness and student learning in an upper elementary physical education setting. Four classes were randomly assigned to either a comparison condition (n[subscript 4th] = 9 students;…