The benefits of recess can be reaped by all students regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or gender and at relatively little cost. The purpose of this study was to examine physical activity (PA) variables related to the recess PA patterns of third and fourth grade children and the social preferences and individuals influencing their PA…

In 2004, Congress passed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act that requires schools to implement a wellness plan. Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory (EST) (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, 1979), the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the legislation, discover what measures have been taken to enact the legislation, gauge how the…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine overweight students' perceptions of and experiences in physical education. Specifically, the applicability of learned helplessness as a framework to understand their experiences was explored. Participants were seven female and five male high school students whose body mass index was at or higher…

Grounded in social cognitive and self-determination theory, one purpose of the large-scale investigation reported in this volume was to determine whether elementary-aged children (7-12 years old) are progressing toward attainment of the psychomotor assessments that have been recommended for predicting achievement of National Association for Sport…

Biddle (1997) claims that examining the reasons that children give for being physically active, or their participation motives, is a useful foundation for understanding the decisions that children make about engaging in activities. Unfortunately, little has been heard about children's motivation to be physically active from their own voices. The…

The purpose of this monograph was to present evidence for determining whether school-aged children were progressing toward attainment of the national physical education standards. Developed by a team of experts, the standards describe what students should know and be able to accomplish as a result of quality physical education (National…

Described misconceptions of elementary students participating in physical education, testing ways of recording and classifying types of misconceptions. Data from observations, videotapes, interviews, and document analysis indicated that misconceptions fell into categories representing motor skill execution and confusion over terminology, strategy,…

This study investigated a teacher education program that was documented as strongly influencing graduates' teaching beliefs and actions. Interviews, observations, and document analyses found nine features explaining this phenomenon (thematic approach, cohort groups, programmatic reinforcement, professional development courses, professional conduct…

A study of the impact of teacher education programs on 20 student teachers found that the degree to which students incorporated general pedagogical knowledge into teaching was contingent on placement, setting, support of the cooperating teacher, influence of pupils, and level the student teacher was teaching. Participants had greater difficulty…

Examines four stages of socialization that influence beliefs, behaviors, and perspectives of prospective teachers (pretraining, preservice, field experiences, and induction) and supports the notion that a dialectical process exists during the four stages--a contest between societal expectations and the individual inclinations of prospective…