Sport and religion have been linked in many societies and are still a part of many traditions today. In recent years, the topic of prayer in interscholastic sport has received public attention due to many high-profile court cases. "Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe" (2000) was the landmark case that prohibited school officials,…

Musical theater is a unique genre within the field of the performing arts. Research of injury epidemiology and treatment efficacy is growing in the field of dance, but little is published specific to the field of musical theater. One study has reported that injury rates in musical theater are high and that injuries occur often to the foot and…

The number of students with disabilities pursuing higher education has increased in the past decade. However, there is little information as to whether or not college basic instruction programs (CBIPs) are providing appropriate physical activity courses for individuals with disabilities. Those who teach CBIPs may have limited background or…

As a result of their participation in K-12 physical education, students should obtain high levels of physical activity and learn motor and/or sport skills. How to accomplish these outcomes in the context of K-12 physical education is a continuous challenge for teachers. The purpose of this article is to introduce the play community model, which…

Problems in gender equity exist in dance education just as they do in other professions. There is a need for strategic recruitment efforts and research on how to attract more males into the dance profession.

Call it physical activity, call it games, or call it play. Whatever its name, it's a place we all need to return to. In the physical education, recreation, and dance professions, we need to redesign programs to address the need for and want of play that is inherent in all of us.

The purpose of Russell and Limle's (2013) study was to determine whether youth-sport specialization and retrospective recall of youth-sport experiences were related to participants' perceptions of and participation in sport and physical activity as young adults. A significant number of participants (76 percent) reported specializing in…

In our concern about making physical education classes more active, has the message about activity overshadowed the message about helping students learn something in physical education?

This article provides a brief history of African and African-derived dance and culture and highlights the physical health, dance education, historical, and cultural benefits of a school-based program that incorporates African dance as its core component. The article also includes the phases of the programming and brings attention to potential…

This article invites the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the aesthetics of African-based dance through the elements of tradition, transformation, and social justice. A discussion of the aesthetics of African dances within Africa and throughout the African diaspora opens the doors to present these dances in a K-12 setting, to explore a…

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets offer applications (apps) that make digital movement analysis simple and efficient in physical education. Highly sophisticated movement analysis software has been available for many years but has mainly appealed to coaches of elite athletes and biomechanists. Apps on mobile devices are less expensive…

Physical educators need to make an effort to catch students being good and recognize them for their positive accomplishments. Unfortunately, it is usually the students who act inappropriately who receive the majority of the teachers' attention. In order to help increase learning and improve performance and behavior, the physical educator must…

This article focuses on the challenges and triumphs of teachers who guide students with visual and auditory impairments to learn about and experience African-based dance as part of a healthy, active lifestyle. The teachers share insights they have gained in developing best practices by capturing the inherent nature of dance as kinesthetic…

In this article, the author explains how African dances are created in many social venues as a form of communicating within specific societies. However, from her travels, she has discovered that there are many misconceptions outside of the continent, and many people who view African dances as exotic or as only entertainment. The article discusses…

At a recent American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Leadership Development Conference, presidents-elect representing state, district, and national AAHPERD associations were asked to describe in one sentence why they do what they do. The 67 responses were entered into wordle.net that generated the 20-item…