Describes adolescent girls' responses to an after-school physical activity program, examining how it functioned as a listening tool within a social marketing approach to promoting physical activity. Focus groups and interviews indicated that girls enjoyed and valued the program. Though the program did not increase girls' physical activity levels,…

Describes three main factors that influence girls' perceived efficacy regarding elementary physical education: the teacher (T), the learning environment (L), and the curriculum (C). When these factors are combined in a pedagogically sound manner, girls are more likely to respond by exhibiting better perceived efficacy. The teacher's role is the…

Describes the benefits of "topic teamwork," an interdisciplinary model designed to make integrative teaching a well-structured, cooperative effort involving all teachers and students. The article presents examples of and strategies for integrating physical education with other subject areas and for assessing topic teamwork, concluding that topic…

Highlights strategies that enable physical education teachers to help students with disabilities achieve their individualized education plan (IEP) goals within the general physical education setting, focusing on: curriculum design, class organization, writing inclusive IEP goals, and communicating with special educators on the IEP team. (SM)

Increasing numbers of home-schooled students who need regular physical activity indicate the need for home-school physical education (PE) programs on college campuses. This paper describes the development of one such program, highlighting: home schooling and clinical settings; procedures for establishing clinical programs; organizing clinical…

Surveyed public and private high school principals nationwide to determine their opinions on the past accomplishments and professional experiences needed by interscholastic athletic directors to successfully carry out their duties. Results indicated that the two most important types of accomplishments were successfully working with others…

Examines the impact of sport on character development, noting that historically British and American schools have valued sports for helping develop social character and citizenship. The paper discusses research on sport as a character builder, suggesting that the effect of sport on character depends on the positive or negative social contextual…

Discusses whether character can be measured, describing moral development research, and noting how moral educators use many tools, types of research designs, and qualitative and quantitative methods in trying to understand moral education. The paper examines the role of moral education in the development of personal character, discussing moral…

One strategy for enhancing cognitive outcomes in physical education (PE) is placing PE learning centers in elementary classrooms. The center should have games (e.g., board games, card games, and puzzles) that were created or modified to focus on PE concepts. The article describes two board games created for use in PE learning centers. (SM)

Sport education is a curriculum and instruction model that provides authentic sport experiences for physical education students. Its key features derive from how sport is conducted in community and interschool contexts. Ideally, it combines direct instruction, cooperative small-group work, and peer teaching. Its goals are to help students become…

It is important to individualize exercise programs to safely achieve exercise goals. The article reviews several key points to help exercise leaders individualize new exercise programs or rejuvenate routine workouts, focusing on cardiorespiratory and muscular training. The article emphasizes that individualizing exercise programs reduces injury,…

One alternative teacher preparation method is the University of Arkansas' five-year Master of Arts in Teaching program, which involves graduate level coursework and a fifth-year public school internship following receipt of a Bachelor's degree in education. Benefits include university/school collaboration, increased field experience, and improved…

Examines several issues related to job security for physical educators, such as how to gain support from principals and administrators, how to gain support and be involved in the total school program, how to identify the qualities of a successful physical education program, and how to seek help from higher education. (SM)

Presents a proactive, nonjudgmental strategy for encouraging students to reflect on the development of moral character by developing physical education skills. The strategy involves a working conception of character as habit; good habits for moral behavior; understanding why doing good can seem so difficult; and developing personal character that…

Describes the implementation of a character education program in one New Jersey school system. The program, developed by school and community members, includes all value-related issues and occurs throughout the system (including school buses, playgrounds, and extracurricular activities). Adults model good values, and children are taught values…