Stand-Out Sport Athletes’ Attitudes Toward Physical Education Timothy M. Church

1. Stand-Out Sport Athletes’ Attitudes Toward Physical Education Timothy M. Church Department of Physical Education and Health Education • INTRODUCTION • Assumptions about the success of physical education programs are frequently based on one visible factor: student behavior (Lee, 1997). • Increased knowledge of the variables that contribute to attitude formation, and awareness of how attitude and behavior connect, allows teachers and researchers to achieve a more complete understanding of student experiences and program influence (Carlson, 1995). • Student attitude has been investigated as a dependent variable within the physical education and physical activity setting (Carlson, 1995; Ennis, 1996; Portman, 1995; Robinson, 1990). • Attitudes provide valuable information relative to what students think and feel about physical education (Cothran & Ennis, 1998). • Students demonstrating unfavorable feelings toward physical education may also refrain from participating in physical activity outside of school (Carlson, 1995; Ennis, 1996; Portman, 1995; Robinson, 1990). • Low-skilled students experience negativity in physical education (Ennis, 1996; Portman, 1995). • Low-skilled students often do not receive adequate practice trials and feedback, and blame themselves for being unsuccessful (Silverman, 1993; Silverman et al, 1993). • Successful experiences change the overall attitude toward physical activity and students begin to enjoy physical education class (Ennis, 1996; Portman, 1995). • Low-skilled students and high-skilled students have different experiences in physical education (Silverman, 1993). • PURPOSE • To determine stand-out sport athletes’ attitudes toward physical education as compared to students not participating in interscholastic athletics. The study was additionally guided by the questions: • If standout sport athletes always experience success, are their attitudes toward physical education any different from low-skilled students? • Do students who excel in physical activity and always experience success have positive attitudes toward physical education? • Are students who always experience success bored with lower level physical activities required for physical education class? • RESULTS • •Significant (p> .57) differences were found among the variance of Enjoyment scores across the status of students. • No significant (p> .28) differences were found among the variance of Usefulness scores across the status of students. • Assumption of homogeneity was met for the dependent variable Enjoyment. • Assumption of homogeneity was met for the dependent variable Usefulness. • Independent groups T-ratio – Significantly higher mean difference (p< .04) was found in the enjoyment scores reported for stand-out sport athletes as compared to non-athletes. • Independent groups T-ratio - No significant mean difference (p> .09) was found in the usefulness scores of stand-out sport athletes compared to non-athletes. • DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS • Stand-out sport athletes experienced and produced higher Enjoyment scores than non-athletes (37.31 + 9.117 versus 34.74 + 9.107). • Data indicated stand-out athletes enjoyed physical education more than their non-competitive counterparts. • Stand-out sport athletes are reluctant to put more value in physical education than non-athletes (32.59 + 8.866 compared to 34.73 + 9.433). • Both groups had Enjoyment mean scores above Usefulness mean scores, suggesting individuals place more value in the pleasure rather than the perceived usefulness of physical education. • Student perception of physical education as being “just a break” from traditional classroom subjects may explain lower Usefulness mean scores. • A need exists for physical education teachers to examine curricula (Siedentop, 1987; Subramaniam & Silverman, 2000). • Student attitudes provide valuable information about what students think and feel about physical education (Cothran & Ennis, 1998). • Possible influence of student attitude as a mediating variable has not been fully explored in physical education pedagogy research, and when it has there have been questionable instruments employed (Brustad, 1991; Schutz, Smoll, Carre, & Mosher, 1985). • Attitudinal information could be used to make curricular changes and present subject matter in a more appreciated manner to students (Cothran & Ennis, 1998). • Students’ perceptions of subject matter and perceived Usefulness may change with an improved understanding of health issues surrounding a sedentary lifestyle (Carlson, 1995; Ennis, 1996; Portman, 1995; Robinson, 1990). • RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH • Student attitude has the potential of influencing student achievement (McConnell, 1986). • Inclusion of student attitude as a mediating variable in achievement could provide a more complete understanding of student learning. • If physical educators make efforts to keep curricula and lessons new, exciting, and educational, the perception and value of physical education as a subject matter may cease to be in question. • Student attitudes in physical education may possibly influence participation in physical activity outside the curriculum (Carlson, 1995; Ennis, 1996; Portman, 1995). • Further research investigating student attitude may provide physical educators with information that could promote an active lifestyle among youth. • METHODS • PARTICIPANTS • 104 stand-out athletes and 104 non-athletes (N = 208) • Physical education students (9-12th graders) from three suburban New England high schools • Male and female students representing the general population • TESTING INSTRUMENT • 20-item questionnaire developed by Subramaniam and Silverman (2000) • Questionnaire factors: 10 Enjoyment and 10 Usefulness • 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) • Single factor range: 50 as the high score and 10 as the low score • Instrument scores exhibited favorable psychometric properties of reliability and validity (Subramaniam & Silverman, 2000) • Instrument scores indicated high internal consistency of statistics (>.84) for both primary factors (Subramaniam & Silverman, 2000) • DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES • Initial contact and permission/approval from Principals and Directors of Athletics • Personal contact and questionnaire delivery to physical education teachers • Survey and informed consent cover letters provided for each student • Minor’s informed consent form provided for students under 18 years of age • Students over 18 years of age were asked to voluntarily sign the adult informed consent form • Physical education teachers administered the questionnaire during classes • Return visit one week from initiation of the study to collect completed questionnaires • Collected 766 completed questionnaires; random selection of 208 questionnaires • DATA ANALYSIS • Two independent groups t-ratios to compare mean scores on enjoyment and usefulness across two categories of students (stand-out athletes and non-athletes) • SPSS version 14.0 (alpha level of .05) • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Dr. Jeanne Raudensky • Dr. Mary Ann Coughlin • Dr. Betty Mann • Dr. Stephen Coulon • Dr. Prithwi Raj Subramaniam • Dr. Stephen Silverman