ERIC Number: EJ1125019
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Feb
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1356-336X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Feeling Refreshed: Aotearoa/New Zealand Students' Perspectives on the Role of Healthy Behaviours in Schools
Banville, Dominique; Kulinna, Pamela Hodges; Dyson, Ben; Stylianou, Michalis; Colby, Rachel; Dryden, Craig
European Physical Education Review, v23 n1 p41-59 Feb 2017
The purpose of this study was to identify students' perspectives of the role of healthy behaviours in their well-being and school success. Since a number of studies focused on establishing the link between healthy behaviours and learning have relied on quantitative measures, it was deemed important to provide a different perspective on the topic and give students a voice. Participants were 50 Aotearoa/New Zealand nine- and 10-year-old students of various ethnic backgrounds from two elementary schools. Using situated learning theory to determine the impact a school environment that promotes physical activity has on students' perspectives, four categories were drawn from student focus-group interviews: (1) opportunities to be active, (2) roles of physical activity, (3) students' misconceptions of health concepts, and (4) students' support for health education and physical education at their schools. Students in this study were afforded multiple opportunities to be physically active and acknowledged the benefits these bouts of activities gave them while differentiating the types of opportunities and value they gained from them. Within their community of practice, students were sometimes "full" participants as their knowledge was fully constructed, and sometimes "peripheral" participants, needing more time, active engagement and content knowledge to better grasp some concepts. Little health education content knowledge was provided to classroom teachers, which might have caused some of the misconceptions held by students related to the impact of physical activity and nutrition on their brain function.
Descriptors: Role, Health Behavior, Foreign Countries, Well Being, Focus Groups, Elementary School Students, Learning Theories, Physical Activities, Misconceptions, Physical Education, Interviews, Health Education, Nutrition, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Correlation, Communities of Practice, Student Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A