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An evaluation of the athletic program in the junior high schools of Tucson, Arizona Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors McConnell, George Ellison, 1915- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 02/10/2021 18:11:19 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/553834 AN EVALUATION OF THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM IN THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS OF TUCSON, ARIZONA by f)Uir George E. McConnell — i------------------- A Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Department of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate College University of Arizona 1951 Approved llx-nnoCo"' .u v J 0.1 il'J.'JuH rro.ivor.rb:-' ""to dor -.ionqoG to .3f.iTr.Cr.riIi-'i L:J J't.nq n.r. Z r < ? 7 ? / / £ 5 7 ACKNOWLEDatENT The ivriter is grateful to Dr. Emil Larson for his assistance and counsel in the organization of this study. ............ The writer is also indebted to Dr. Fred E. Brooks for his aid in the initial preparation of the study. 219186 Chapter Page V. (continued) The Program To Promofe Health Habits ............ 55 The Promotion Of Leisure Time Activities ............ 62 VI. EVALUATION .......................................... 65. Objectives .......*....... .... ................. 65 Number Of Participants . - 66 • ' Publicity ........................................ 69 Awards ........................................... 71 Development'Of*Effective-Citizenship- ;• 73 . Team-Leadership ............................. • - Development of Officials ......... ^ Development of Followers ................... 75 Promotion Of Health ............. i * *i. ± .* 78 ‘-■ Leisure-Time-Activity ............................ 80 SUMMARY...... ...................................... 83 Conclusions i t . .< 83 The Program as Developed in S c h o o l ............. 83 The After-school League Program................ 8It The Varsity Program............................ 85 J - Objectives ..............................i.i.iiii 86 Evaluation..................................... 86 Recommendations 88 BIBLIOGRAPHY 90 iii TABLES i. Number Page I. DIVISIONS FOR TOUCH FOOTBALL, TUCSON AFTER-SCHOOL LEAGUE BASED:ON- COEFFICIENTS COMPUTED BY ADDING ONE-HAIF THE WEIGHT TO THE HEIGHT (INCHES) ............ 3h II. DIVISIONS FOR BASKETBALL, TUCSON AFTER-SCHOOL -' LEAGUE BASED ON HEIGHT: ONLY ............................ 3h- III. NUMBER OF TEAMS COMPETING IN TUCSON JUNIOR HIGH - ' SCHOOL AFTER-SCHOOL LEAGUE ............................. 36 IV. EVENTS INCLUDED IN TUCSON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TRACK ■ MEETS . .... .. ..... .... .. .. .. ... ........... la V. BASIS FOR SCORING SPORTSivLANSHIP POINTS IN FOOTBALL, - TUCSON JUNIOR HIGH ATHLETIC LEAGUE ..................... hh VI. SPORTSMANSHIP CHECK LEST - BASKETBALL - TUCSON JUNIOR jHIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC LEAGUE ........................... VII. ; ITEMS . ON WHICH SPORTSMANSHIP POINTS MAY BE DEDUCTED : WEST SUBURBAN CONFERENCE (iLLDtolS) .................... h? VIII. BOYS LEAGUE SPORTSMANSHIP CONTEST BOYS LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA.... ............................ 1,8 - EXHIBITS Types of Publicity Given In Tucson Newspapers...... 9$ CHAPTER I ' INTRODUCTION General Value Of Physical Fitness Programs In the discussion of modern education there are many opinions con­ cerning the place that, physical activities should be given in the total picture. For some, athletics remain a "frill" to be dealt with only superficially and having few values other than big muscle development— and this reserved for the few who need it the least. For others, such programs, if they have value, should be made available to as many as wish to participate, while another group would say that an athletic pro­ gram should be incorporated into the curriculum with all or nearly all students participating. One of the most commonly heard criticisms of modern athletics is that they do not reach enough people and that too often attention is "limited to the performances of a few carefully trained members of the student body".^ Figures compiled in World War II indicated that the physical fitness programs in our schools were not far-reaching enough. By emphasizing a broader physical program, includ­ ing team play and competition involved in our athletic sports, much can be done to counteract some of the influence of wealth and easy living which tend to lower the strength, vigor, and stamina of our people.^ TI Bowen, Wilbur F., and Mitchell, Elmer D., The Theory of Organized Play, p. 1U7. (New York, 1930). " ------ --- ------- - 2. Brace, David K., "Physical Fitness in Our Schools", American School . .Board Journal, 109:28-29. (August, I9J4U) ~ 2 The Situation In Tucson The boys' athletic program in the junior high schools of Tucson, Arizona includes the seventh, eighth, and ninth grade boys in the six junior high schools of the Tucson Public Schools, Total active enroll­ ment of boys in these six schools (Catalina^ Dunbar, Mansfeld, Roskruge, Safford, Wakefield) in May of 19$0 was 1780. Four of the schools are located within the city limits of Tucson and within a distance ranging from six-tenths of a mile to one and seven-tenths miles from each other. Two of the schools, Catalina and Wakefield, are located beyond the city limits and are some three miles from the nearest centrally located schools and seven miles apart.' - The Catalina and Mansfeld student bodies are made up of pupils whose ethnic extraction is predominantly Anglo-American. The student bodies at Wakefield, Roskruge, and Safford range from 1*0 to 9$ per cent Spanish-American. Dunbar is a Negro school with a junior high enroll­ ment of 90 boys. There are no gymnasiums at any of the schools; all six of them have outside courts for basketball and volleyball; only two of them, Catalina and Wakefield, have large play areas on the school grounds and only Wakefield and Mansfeld have adequate shower and dressing room facilities. At each of the schools, except one, there are two men who devote their full time each day to teaching physical education and working in the after-school athletic activities. At the other school, Dunbar, the physical education is taught by one who divides his time between it and 3 academic work and he is joined by another academic teacher in the athletic program. For some eighteen years the athletic program in these schools has ' been developing along the lines of mass participation. An attempt has been made to deny to no physically fit boy the right to play on an ’ organized team in wholesome competition with teams from the other schools. In the year 19W-19$0 an average of 700 boys participated .. regularly in touch football, basketball, softball, baseball, and track. This represented-39 per cent of the boys enrolled in these schools. To evaluate this program, it is necessary to first define the term ••athletic11. To some the word means a highly competitive type of inter­ school participation in which great stress is placed on winning teams. In this discussion the term will be used to include those organized games and sports in which the junior high school boys are participating, as a recreational program, in the hours following the closing of the regular academic school day. The Problem The purpose of this study is twofold. The first is to determine the soundness of the objectives of the Tucson junior high school athletic program in the light of opinion by authorities in the field of health, athletics, physical education, and recreation. The second is to determine the effectiveness of the program as it actually operates. The Procedure In order to seek answers to the above, it was necessary to test u the philosophy and objectives set up for the Tucson program against the opinions of - authorities in the field. Doing this involved the study of pertinent literature, both past and current, on the subject. Conversa­ tions with workers in related fields and with interested laymen were carried on whenever possible in order to obtain the various viewpoints. Data concerning the historical background of the Tucson program were obtained by consulting the sport pages of the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Daily Citizen. In addition, interviews with Mr. Lowell C. Bailey and Mr. Gerald Houck, two of the men who assisted in founding the present program, were carried on in gaining information concerning the development. * Recent records compiled by the writer, as director of the program, were consulted in outlining the material dealing with the manner in which the program functions. The figures concerning weekend and summer playground participation were obtained from the City Recreation Depart­ ment. Limitations Of This Study Mainly, the study deals with only those organized after-school-hours athletic activities in which the Tucson public junior high school boys participate. However, the subject cannot be completely divorced from the class physical education program since some of the teams participat­ ing after school are organized from groups who are together in physical education classes. Some of the problems arising out of the after-school play are often taken up in the physical education classes for discussion. This study is limited also by a lack of exact objectives that are measurable by statistical method. Objectives for the Tucson program have

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