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…

This self-study research focuses on one teacher educator's experience of learning to enact a pedagogy of facilitating teachers' professional development (PD) through a community of practice (CoP) for teachers who were learning to use the Meaningful Physical Education (PE) approach. Twelve teacher participants with a range of experience levels were…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the limited efficacy of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT)-based fitness education unit in middle school physical education (PE). Method: The study took place in six PE classes at one middle school located in the southern United States. The authors conveniently assigned the classes to…

In turning a spotlight on students in physical education, this paper seeks to extend applications of policy enactment theory, and particularly, the policy actor framework. Following the lead of Stephen Ball and colleagues, the research that this paper draws on examined the various dimensions of context shaping policy enactment in different…

This article aims to present evidence-based practices for developing physical education teachers' in-depth content knowledge (CK) that impacts their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and student learning in physical education. The article describes the critical aspects of each CK and PCK by identifying the components of each knowledge domain.…

Purpose: The study purpose was to examine performance differences in physical education among learners from two middle schools from two different states. Methods: Performance in physical education was represented by attitude toward physical education, knowledge of physical activity and fitness, and active living behaviors (i.e., physical activity…

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers have traditionally been trained as generalists. However, there is now a growing awareness of the potential importance of having pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of physical activity opportunities in the ECE curriculum. Furthermore, several scholars argue that movement content knowledge in physical…

Students' motivation to select a study program is an important factor that influences the professional development of student teachers. The exploratory study intended to clarify whether different study choice motivation profiles can be distinguished for PE students and how these profiles can be characterized. The analysis is based on 816 German PE…

Bodily movement is a central component in students' educational experiences in school-based physical education (PE) programs. PE unavoidably involves physical risk. In some respects, the risk of play, sports and adventure is portrayed as necessary and healthy for children's development. However, concerns about students' safety and teachers'…

The health and athletic performance benefits of strength training for adolescents have increased the demand for the development and use of strength and conditioning facilities (SCFs) within the high school setting. Despite the growing prevalence of these facilities, research on high school SCFs is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was…

We surveyed K-6 classroom teachers in four rural counties in Oregon to ascertain current nutrition and physical activity and/or physical education (PA/PE) instruction, barriers to teaching these subjects, and interest and need for professional development. Although most respondents reported teaching nutrition and PA/PE in their classrooms and…

It is an important research topic to what extent the training received by the prospective teachers in order to have positive attitudes towards the handicapped is successful. This study aims to evaluate the effect of physical education and sports course for the handicapped on the attitudes of sports science students towards the handicapped. In the…

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable common content knowledge (CCK) instrument for pre-service teachers who teach fundamental tennis in secondary schools. The instrument, called the tennis CCK test for pre-service teachers (CCK-Tennis), was administered to 117 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education…

This study examines, through the lens of gender, whether engagement in sports, self-efficacy and grade level affect academic achievements of adolescents. The study comprised 491 10th-12th grade students--218 males and 273 females; 170 participated in competitive sports, 185 participated in non-competitive sports, and 136 were not involved in…

Background/purpose: It has been suggested that cooperative learning (CL) is a model-based practice which can develop students' social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies in physical education (PE) (Casey, Ashley, and Javier Fernandez-Rio. 2019. "Cooperative Learning and the Affective Domain." "Journal of Physical Education,…