CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
Non-Traditional Activities and Their Influence on Middle School Physical Education
Students' Situational Interest
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of Master of Science
in Kinesiology
By
John Mercer
May 2011 This thesis of John Mercer is approved by:
)
Date
Date'
California State University, Northridge
11 Dedication
This thesis is dedicated to the friends and family that I, unfortunately, have not been able
to spend nearly enough time with over the past year.
Most importantly, this work is dedicated to the two most influential people in my life: my
Mom, Lisa and my Grandpa, Raymond. The indelible mark you have left on my life
motivates me to this day. You are missed more than words can ever express.
111 Acknowledgements
I want to thank my committee for all their encouragement, support, and feedback that brought this project to fruition; Dr. Abourezk, Dr. Romack, and Dr. Sariscsany. I have such admiration for the work you've done. The opportunities, insight, and motivation that you have provided me is greatly appreciated. Hopefully I can give back to the field a fraction of what you've given me. In addition, I would like to thank Dr.
Vrongistinos for his valuable contributions to the data analysis.
Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my friends for their words of advice, the ability to provide a good laugh, reminding me to stay 'H', and the unexpected statistics about New Hampshire or home runs. You have made the past year more enjoyable than I ever could have imagined.
lV Table of Contents
Signature Page...... 11 Dedication...... 11I Acknowledgements...... IV List of Figures...... VI Abstract...... vn
Introduction...... 1 Review of Literature...... 3 Interest ...... 5 Situational Interest ...... 7 Situational Interest in Physical Education.>: ...... 9 Non-Traditional Activities ...... 11 Purpose ...... 13
Methods ...... 14 Setting ...... 14 Participants ...... 17 Data Collection...... 19 One-on-One Interviews...... 19 Field Observations ...... , ...... 20 Situational Interest Scale Questionnaire ...... 20 Data Analysis-...... 21 Qualitative ...... 21 Quantitative ...... 22
Results ...... 24 Instant Enjoyment ...... 24 Attention Demand...... 35 Exploration Intention...... 42 Novelty ...... 49 Challenge...... 51 Variety ...... 57
Discussion...... 60 Limitations...... 70 References...... 72
Appendix A...... 77 Appendix B...... 80 Appendix C ...... , ...... 82 Appendix D...... 83 Appendix E ...... -...... 84 Appendix F ...... -...... 86 Appendix G...... 87
v Appendix H...... 90 Appendix I...... 91
Vl List of Tables
Table 1- Descriptive Statistics eighth grade students (Period A)...... 32
Table 2- Descriptive Statistics seventh grade students (Period B)...... 33
Table 3- Descriptive Statistics seventh grade students (Period C)...... 34
Table 4- Grand Means among classes and questionnaires...... 41
Table 5- Multivariate Tests; Between and Within Subjects...... 46
Table 6- Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons Test...... 47
Vll Abstract
Non-Traditional Activities and Their Influence on Middle School.Physical Education
Students' Situational Interest
By
John Mercer
Master of Science in Kinesiology
With the ever decreasing interest level of students in physical education and the repetitive learning tasks that are often associated with the curriculum we sought to investigate the impact of non-traditional activities on Situational Interest. Situational
Interest is a multi-faceted construct that derives from the relationship between a person and an activity. As practitioners strive to enhance the interest level of students in physical education examining the appealing characteristics that a learning task might offer has the ability to create an environment that evokes Situational Interest. The purpose was to study the impact of non-traditional activities in a traditional physical education environment and the effect on Situational Interest and its individual measures.
Data collection included interviews, observations, and the use of a questionnaire. The results suggest that a curriculum that emphasizes variety, provides novel learning tasks, and utilizes activities that are high in cognitive and physical demand have the ability to enhance Situational Interest and its individual characteristics. Providing meaningful learning experiences in physical education is essential to enhancing the interest levels of students and understanding the impact that a "new" physical education program has on
Situational Interest is essential to the development of the activities in physical education.
Vlll Introduction
Interest has the power to motivate the learner to pursue the outcome of knowing
and promote pleasant emotional responses (Dewey, 1913), and the consistent decline of
interest levels adds to the disengagement of students in physical education (Ennis et al.,
1997). A primary purpose of enhancing interest is to boost learning, regardless of content
or subject matter. With obesity rates on the rise and activity levels falling annually
(CDC, 2008) the public is becoming cognizant of the need for students to learn and value I physical activity. Because American teens and children spend about 32.5 hours a week at
school (Juster, Ono, & Stafford, 2004) it would seem that physical education is an ideal
environment to help meet these needs.
Physical education comes under much scrutiny because it frequently fails to
provide meaningful learning experiences. Many physical education programs offer a
very limited cirricula that fails to meet the needs and desires of students (Pennington,
1999). It is often addressed as the "business as usual" approach to physical education
where programs offer a traditional sport and exercise curriculum (Ennis, 2007). Some
students see no purpose for physical education and consistently mention boredom,
repetition, and lack of meaningful work as being responsible for dislike (Carlson, 1995).
Situations that seem un-meaningful to students can lead them to withdraw from class
mentally and physically. These same emotional responses and reasons for dislike have
been prevalent in physical education for decades (Ennis et al., 1997; Carlson, 1995;
Pennington, 1999; Chen and Ennis, 2004)
The physical education curriculum is often overlooked by teachers, parents, and
administrators as a determinant for students' lack of motivation and interest. Further
1 investigation into the curriculum and its individual learning tasks can help practitioners better understand the concept of interest and how it can be impacted by the activities provided in physical education.
2 Review ofLiterature
The largest decrease in children's physical activity is taking place between the
ages of9-15 years (CDC, 2008; Nader, Bradley, Houts, McRitchie, & O'Brian, 2008).
The longitudinal study measuring physical activity levels in children from ages 9-15
found that at 9 years the majority of children were above the CDC (2008) recommended
· 60 minutes of Moderate to Vigorous Activity (MVPA) per day. By the age of 15 only
32% of children met those guidelines on weekdays and only 18% on weekends. During
this time the majority of the population is enrolled in middle or high school and children
spend over half their day at school. With69.3% of elementary schools, 83.9% of middle
schools, and 95.2% ofhigh schools requiring students to enroll in physical education
(CDC, 2007) this environment seems ideal for students to learn about and value physical
activity. The American Heart Association (2009) recommends at least 225 minutes per
week of quality physical education which equates to 45 minutes per day. Along with this
decrease in physical activity there is a significant increase in obesity among adolescents.
Obesity rates among adolescents, age 12-19, in the United States has more than tripled in
the past 20 years, increasing from 5.0% in 1980 to 17.6% in 2006 (CDC, 2008; Ogden,
Carroll, & Flegal, 2008).
With significant decreases in activity levels along with the increase in obesity
among young people the need for stronger physical education programs is imperative.
Shepard and Trudeau (2000) found a positive relationship between the level of
participation in physical activity as an adult and positive attitudes towards physical
education classes as an adolescent. A significant link between student's emotional
responses to the physical education content with their motivation and academic
3 achievement in physical education was found (Chen, 2001). Not only are students more motivated to participate when responding positively to an activity but they are also more likely to succeed academically. Evidence indicates that a positive emotional response to content is linked to high levels of interest, motivation, and academic achievement in physical education. Even though there is a strong correlation between positive responses and interest there are a significant number of students that are not interested in the curriculum and feel that content is low in <;ognitive demand (Ennis et al., 1997; Chen &
Ennis, 2004; Chen, 2001).
Dyson (1995) interviewed physical education students and found they frequently enjoy challenging themselves in physical education and mustering the courage to,try new or risky activities. The oppottunities to challenge themselves and summoning that . courage made them feel good about themselves. In one West Virginia Middle School, students participated in an outdoor recreation course in their physical education class instead of participating in traditional team and fitness activities. Their activities included mountain biking, white water rafting, downhill skiing, archery, fly fishing, hiking, backpacking, orienteering, leave-no-trace camping ethics, and wilderness survival. When students were asked about their experience, most students mentioned enjoying the opportunity to try something new and participate in new activities (Pennington, 1999).
One student talked about the outdoor activities:
Also, you get to do fun things and you learn skills that you wouldn't otherwise, because there's not many places around here to pick up skills, like orienteering. This outdoor stuff is a lot better than basketball, it's just not up my alley. It's a nice alternative. (Pennington, 1999, pg. 37)
It's becoming clear that with declining activity and interest levels of adolescents in physical education (AHA, 2009; CDC, 2008; Nader et al., 2008) and the curriculum
4 failing to meet the desires of students (Ennis, 2007; Chen, 2001; and Shepard 1999) that traditional methods and curriculum associated with teaching physical education are becoming "outdated" and might not be providing students with meaningful experiences.
Interest, and it subsequent motivation, is an issue ofboth curriculum and mental disposition (Chen & Ennis, 2004). As students become disinterested with the content their motivation becomes adversely effected. If students are not eager to learn and participate in physical education, practitioners cannot expect the diminishing interest levels to abate in the foreseeable future. Researchers need to re-address the content so practitioners can motivate and increase the interest level of students. With enjoyment in physical education activities often associated with high levels of interest (Chen, Darst, &
Pangrazi, 2001) providing motivating activities is an essential part of successful physical education.
Interest
Children are more likely to direct their attention to activities they find interesting, and if children find activities interesting they are more likely to continue with these activities (Deci, 1992). Interest is defmed as an emotion derived from a positive person activity relationship established on a blend of unique characteristics, such as the features of an activity and the interaction between the person and the activity (Hidi & Anderson,
1992). Interest can be described as a psychological state that is built upon a person's synergy with his or her environment. Most parents can agree that when they recognize a child as being "interested" it can be quite difficult to divert their attention elsewhere.
Because interest is powerful in motivating children to engage in an activity there is a need to better understand the concept of interest.
5 Interest is a phenomenon that emerges from a person's interaction with the
environment (Krapp, Hidi, & Reniger, 1992). It can be easily described as the relationship between a person and an object, stimulus, task, or event. The concept of interest is often affiliated with intrinsically motivated behaviors because they are adopted out of attraction or curiosity (Deci, 1992). An intrinsically motivated person has completely immersed themselves in an activity because they are driven by interest or enjoyment in the task. Motivation, in this case, exists in an individuail rather than the extemal circumstances such as grades, rewards, or other extemal pressures. A high level of immersion and awareness during an activity is a prime example of a person being interested or intrinsically motivated.
Also associated with interest and motivation is the self-determination theory. This theory distinguishes between the dynamics of motivation that are associated with activities that people do at will and activities that they feel forced to participate in. A self-determined participant is engaged with a sense of aspiration, desire, and personal endorsement. In the self-determination theory, when a person relates to activities that provide a type of Novelty, Challenge, or aesthetic appeal that one craves at a certain point in time interest is the fundamental effect (Deci, 1992). Acknowledgement oflnterest as a fundamental effect of the interaction between a person and an activity can be used to examine that relationship. Understanding the concept of interest allows researchers and practitioners to further explore characteristics of activities in physical education that might develop student's interest levels. Characteristics might include activity choice, objectives of an activity, the Challenge provided, and oppmiunities to discover skills or tactics.
6 Interest is a psychological state that derives from interaction between a person and an activity and is conceptualized with two main factors: personal and situational interest
(Krapp et al., 1992). Personal interest is described as the personal preference to an activity or task. Someone's personal interest is based on prior knowledge, values, and passion about an activity or task. It is rooted on individual beliefs and experiences and because it stems from the individual it is quite difficult to invoke a change in personal interest. Personal interest is always evolving much like student's knowledge, values, and skills. Focusing and using someone's personal interest in education is extremely difficult
(Chen, Darst, & Pangrazi, 1999). That difficulty arises from the large number of students and the wide array of personalities that are associated with each individual class.
In Education, attempting to design and implement curriculum that targets the personal interests of students can be an overwhelming and an almost impossible task. If a physical education teacher has 45 students with various personal interests designing activities that target each student's interests is impractical. On the other hand, Situational
Interest (SI) is defined as the effect of appealing characteristics of an activity or learning task on a student (Hidi & Anderson, 1992). Situational Interest (SI) has a stronger potential for educators to use in designing curriculum, activities, and classroom strategies to enhance student's interest (Chen, 2001; Chen et al., 2001; Dec~ 1992; Hidi &
Anderson, 1992; Krapp et al., 1992).
Situational Interest
If students direct their attention to activities they find interesting, researchers and practitioners must better understand how characteristics of an activity appeal to physical education students. Because SI is the effect that appealing characteristics of an activity or
7 learning task has on a student (Hidi & Anderson, 1992), it is assumed that a better understanding of these characteristics can help teachers make better decisions when
designing curriculum. This may also lead to long-lasting interest into adulthood. SI is a psychological state that emerges when a student first encounters an activity and the characteristics that the activity offers whereas personal interest is based on the intrinsically motivating factors based on prior know ledge and experience with an activity.
Frick (1992) has described the concept ofSI as the "interestingness" of an activity.
Because SI can be difficult to conceptualize researchers have developed a framework to actualize its existence. Deci (1992) developed a multi-dimensional construct that helps illustrate a structure of motivation and SI. Deci (1992) argued that situational interest needs to be delineated as three categories ofthe person-activity interaction: (a) activity feature, (b) mental disposition, and (c) interactive feature.
Activity Feature consists of two components; Novelty and Challenge. Novelty, which is defmed as the state ofbeing new or unique, is developed from a lack of knowledge about a learning task or activity. Novelty of a learning task has the ability to spark exploratory behavior in a participant (Spielberger & Starr, 1994). Based on
Novelty, the unknown aspects about an activity can persuade a participant to explore and build understanding, skills, and knowledge about that activity. Challenge is the level of difficulty one encounters when engaging in an activity. Challenge is subjective in nature and is relative to each individual's ability level. Harter (1978) suggests that Challenge is a key factor that can attract students to engage in a learning task.
Mental Disposition consists of three components that help lead a participant to becoming situationally interested: (a) Exploration Intention, (b) desire arousal, and (c)
8 time alteration. Exploration Intention is the intent to search or explore a learning task for
the purpose of analysis or discovery. Desire arousal is the psychological state in which a
person is more inclined to satisfy themselves towards accomplishing a learning task or
the individual characteristics of that task. Finally, time alteration is the lack of attention
towards keeping track of time due to focus towards a learning task. Together these
components arouse a person's perception of SI and may increase the person's intrinsic
motivation to engage in an activity (Deci, 1992). These components have a power of
stimulation that can be observed in brain teasers, obscure mathematical problems, and
puzzles (Mitche~ 1993).
The third and fmal category, Interactive feature consists oftwo functional
components: (a) Attention Demand and (b) sense of delight. Both of these occur when a
person engages in an activity. These components serve as the groundwork in which a
person analyzes and actualizes the amount of enjoyment offered by an activity (Chen et
al., 2001).
The three categories of SI work together and play their own individual role in
illustrating a person's level of interest and motivation in an activity. SI is measured in
terms of the framework's three categories and their individual components to produce valid data (Chen et al., 2001). Most research on curriculum design and learning tasks in relation to SI has been conducted in writing and mathematics. Lack of interest in learning tasks in physical education is a major problem that adds to the disengagement in learning (Ennis et al., 1997) resulting in a need to better understand how students perceive physical education activities.
Situational Interest in Physical Education
9 Chen et al. (1999) were the first researchers to investigate SI in physical
education. They concluded that SI is an observable multi-dimensional construct. The
framework established by Deci (1992) and refined for physical education by Chen, Darst,
and Pangrazi (1999) was used to guide their research. Chen et al. (2001) developed the
empirical model that adapted Deci's model to the physical education setting. Chen and
Darst (200 1) determined that SI is a function of learning task design in physical
education. In order to facilitate SI in learning physical activity the empirical model
consists of five components, as opposed to the seven established by Deci, (Chen et al.,
2001). The five components ofSI in physical education are: (a) Novelty, (b) Instant
Enjoyment, (c) Exploration Intention, (d) Attention Quality, and (e) Challenge. The
relationship among these components supports the idea that, in physical education, SI can
be conceptualized in research as an independent construct (Chen et al., 1999).
Because the conceptualized theory of SI in physical education is wmthy of
consideration when designing learning tasks, a better understanding of activities and their
characteristics that increase interest and motivation is needed. With physical education
classes sometimes enrolling a large number of students looking at the design of a learning task as a means to enhance SI might prove to be more beneficial than attempting to target the personal interest of students. By using the framework established by Deci (1992) and
later modified by Chen et al. (1999) to assess Sl in physical education researchers can begin to examine interest as a multi-dimensional concept that can be enhanced through the characteristics of an activity. A better understanding of it's individual components can be used to more effectively design learning tasks that emphasize Novelty, Instant
Enjoyment, Exploration Intention, Attention Quality, and Challenge.
10 Non-Traditional Activities
Students continually become less interested in physical education activities as they progress through middle and high school (Ennis et al., 1997) and with the repetitive nature of activities taught in physical education a substantial gap between declining interest levels and the activities offered exists. The majority of physical education classes in the United States teach traditional games and fitness activities (Roslow Research
Group, 2009). The Physical Education Trends in Our Nation's Schools: A Survey of
Practicing K-12 Physical Education Teachers (2009) study found that 10 ofthe top 12 activities taught in physical education classes are either team invasion games such as basketball, soccer, and football, or physical fitness activities such as running and jump roping. With physical education teachers offering similar activities students might be participating in the same activities numerous times as they move through their elementary, middle, and high school.
Physical education is often scrutinized for the repetition in their curriculum and the lack of meaningful work. Math students for instance are not emolled in introductory algebra four consecutive years. Likewise, Social Science classes don't teach the intricacies of the civil war year after year. However, the majority of physical education teachers teach the same sports year after year. Math students might become experts in introductory algebra but there is exponentially more mathematical content to be presented such as geometry, advanced algebra, and statistics. Much like Social Studies and Math
Physical Education content includes a variety of activities and learning tasks that can be presented over time, much of which falls in the non-traditional category. Activities might include: cycling, orienteering, team-building or cooperative activities, Pickle Ball,
11 Racquetbal~ Ultimate Frisbee, hiking, backpacking, and many more.
The 2009 study Physical Education Trends in our Nation's Schools noted that
50% of practicing middle school physical education teachers taught 14 different activities
(Roslow Research Group, 2009). Activities and the percentage of educators using these
14 activities in their curriculum are as follows: Basketball (93%), Personal Fitness (89%),
Volleyball (93%), Jump Rope (85%), Soccer (85%), Baseball and/or softball (85%),
Football (88%), Dance (67%), Disc Sports (74%), Hockey (73%), Tennis (53%), Track &
Field (60%), Weight Training (63%), and Team Handball (50%). Fifty percent or more of physical educators included these activities in their curriculum on a yearly basis.
Activities taught by less than 50% of physical education teachers include anything from comprehensive individual fitness activities, adventure education, individual and dual sports, and cooperative activities. Because students are repeatedly participating in these activities they are not being exposed to additional activities.
Researchers are beginning to look at the impact of non-traditional activities.
Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom are using non-traditional recreational activities and seeing success in terms of student engagement, enjoyment, motivation, and overall interest in the curriculum (Beedie, 2000; Boyes, 2000; Chappell
& Wiggins, 1997; McCracken, 2001; Mitchell, 1993; Wigmore & Sterling, 1999). A qualitative inquiry looking at faculty perspectives about the integration of the Fit for
Future curriculum in the United States illustrated a theme that activities such as hiking, rollerblading, rock climbing, cycling, swimming, and walking have potential to motivate students toward lifetime activities and wellness (Chase, Ballard, Repovich, & Morely,
2003). Limited study has been published on the impact of non-traditional activities and
12 their possible impact on student enjoyment, motivation, and interest. Non-traditional activities in physical education can lead to the fulfillment of needs for lifelong activity and, without question, can provide a sense of Novelty that can lead to increased interest
(Ballard & Chase, 2004). Physical education classes are often associated with a multi activity curriculum that uses 4-5 week unit plans traditionally focusing on one team sport.
Cuniculum providing a sense of "newness" and Novelty has the potential to also provide renewed interest to the educator (Ballard & Chase, 2004). It appears that non-traditional activities have a unique opportunity to enhance interest in both the student and the educator. Advantages of non-traditional activities and the benefits of increased interest and motivation in physical education creates a need to understand what characteristics of physical education activities appeals to students.
Student's interest and motivation in physical education has been studied extensively, however, what type of activities may increase their interest and motivation is still unclear. Particularly in activities that are taught by less than half of practicing physical education teachers. Both of these factors influence learning outcomes and students are more likely to learn what interests them. With higher learning achievements attributed to student motivation levels (Chen, 2001) a better understanding of activities is needed in order to maximize these factors in physical education..
Purpose
The primary purpose ofthis study was to better understand how and what type of non-traditional physical activities influence SI among middle school physical education students. This study explored student's value orientations regarding non-traditional
13 activities and their effect on student's SI. As middle and high school student's obesity
rates increase during this time there is also a decrease in the interest in physical education
activities and overall physical activity. Yet, secondary physical education still provides
an environment that promotes health and lifelong movement (Nader et al., 2008; Ogden,
Carroll, & Flegal, 2008). Because the majority of physical education classes in the
United States teach traditional games and fitness activities (Roslow Research Group,
2009) a better understanding of non-traditional physical education activities is needed. I Understanding the effect of non-traditional activities on SI in middle school physical
education is essential to making strides towards the promotion of lifelong physical
activity.
Methods
Setting
The study was conducted at Duneberry Academy a Southem Califomia Middle
School servicing grades seventh through eighth. Duneberry is one of six district area
middle schools enrolling approximately 800 children during the Fal1201 0. Students were
required to take physical education during the seventh and eighth grades. The school's
population was classified as 48% Caucasian, 38% Hispanic or Latino, 5% Asian, 4%
African-American, 3% Filipino, and< 1% American Indian or Pacific Islander. All of the
student participants were able to read and speak English.
Observations and student participants were enrolled during the Fal1201 0 semester
in a class designed using non-traditional activities, or activities taught by less than 50%
of practicing physical educators, throughout the duration ofthe study. Rather than
focusing on traditional team sports taught by the majority of physical educators their
14 program emphasized alternative ways to promote individual fitness (President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 2009). Students participated in a variety of individual and cooperative activities. There was an emphasis on learning fitness concepts, body systems, nutrition, and health issues. Some of the facilities and activities in their "new physical education" program included; HopSports Exercise Training System, a state of the art fitness· center, FitnessGram computer lab, circuit training weight room, TRIKKE's and
Triton cruising bikes, Body Blades, Racquetball, the use ofheart rate monitors to .track individual fitness, Frisbee Golf, track and field, fitness conditioning, and walking with pedometers. Appendix B further elaborates on the facilities and equipment utilized at
Duneberry. The physical education department has been recognized for their innovation in curriculum and approach to physical activity. They were recognized as a Presidents
Council on Physical Fitness Demonstration Site in 2009.
During this study, in the Fa11201 0 semester, classes participated in a weekly physical education schedule that changed daily and rotated between team, individual, and dual activities (see Appendix C, D, and E). The following illustrates the 3 week schedule that they followed during our study. The Survivor program was included in both seventh and eighth grade curriculum. "Survivor Week" is a cooperative Challenge program that focused onteamwork and cooperation while developing physical and cognitive ability, physical fitness, and self-esteem This week of team building activities consisted of novel and creative activities that promoted team building, group cooperation, and peer exploration. Examples of some ofthe activities include Alligator Alley, Bowling
Basketball, Sharks and Minnows, and Tennis Hockey. The physical education department followed a rotating schedule which gave the students the opportunity to
15 participate in a different activity each day. Daily activities and weekly schedules for the administration of questionnaires and observations were as follows:
Day 1: Observations Period A & B-Basketball, Jump Rope, and Weight room 3 minute individual interval circuit training. Students rotate between stations for 3 minute intervals. Period C- Fitness Center. Individual Fitness lesson that uses various exercise machines and interactive video games.
Day2: Periods A & B-Track and Field activity. Period C-Cardio-Vascular Assessment Day
Day3: Observation and Administration of Situational Interest Scale (SIS) questionnaire. - Periods A&B-Cardio-vascular and muscular endurance circuit training. The use of Heart Rate monitors as a method of assessing individual activity levels. Periods C-Football activity. Students are divided into groups based on desired level of competition.
Day4: Periods A & B-Aerobic/Cardio Vascular assessment. PeriodC-Circuit training using Body Blades
DayS: Observation and Administration of Situational Interest Scale (SIS) questionnaire. Periods A & B-Fitness center. Individual fitness activity with the use of Heart Rate monitors as a method of assessing activity levels. Period C-Video guided Insanity lesson. Individual fitness while using a video to guide the activity.
Day6: Observations Periods A & B-Track and Field-50m sprint lesson. Period C- Fitness Center. Individual Fitness lesson that uses various exercise machines. Students rotate between stations on 3 minute intervals.
Day7: Periods A & B-Track and Field activity. Period C-Cardio-vascular Assessment Day
Day8: Observation and Administration of Situational Interest Scale (SIS) Questionnaire Periods A &B only. Periods A & B-T-Bow individual video guided cardio-vascular activity.
16 Period C-Substitute Teacher, no questionnaire. Basketball Free play activity
Day9: Observations Period A & B- Aerobic activity, Choose-your-grade run Period C-Circuit training using Body Blades
Day 10: Periods A & B- Fitness Center. Individual Fitness lesson that uses various exercise machines Period C- HopSports video guided individual fitness activity.
Day 11: Observation and Administration of Situational Interest Scale (SIS) questionnaire. Periods A & B-"Survivor Week-Bowling Basketball" Period C- "Survivor Week-Relay Word Search" Performed in the Fitness Center
Day 12: Periods A & B-"Survivor Week" Period C-"Survivor Week"
Day 13: Observations Periods A & B-"Survivor Week-Alligator Alley" Period C- Administration of Situational Interest Scale (SIS) questionnaire, Period Conly. "Survivor Week-Sharks and Minnows"
Day 14: Periods A & B-"Survivor Week" Period C-"Survivor Week"
Day 15: Periods A & B-"Survivor Week-Activity inside the Fitness Center" Period C-"Survivor Week"
The study was conducted in three coeducational physical education classes. All 7 and gth
grade students enrolled in their grade appropriate physical education class were included.
All participants, and their guardians, signed an Informed Consent Form and Subjects Bill
of Rights (see Appendix G).
Participants
One hundred and one students agreed to participated from three separate classes.
Participants ranged between 12-15 years of age. In addition, two credentialed male
17 education teachers participated in the study. Mr. V has 15 years of experience teaching physical education and Mr. L has 14 years in the profession. All participants, and school site, are referred throughout the study using fictitious names. Period A was an gth grade class with 49 students (19 female and 30 male). Thirty-three of the 49 students (67%) provided consent to participate (12 female 21 male). Period B was a seventh grade class with an enrollment of 51 students (25 female 24 male). Ofthose enrolled in Period B, 31 students (61 %) provided consent (10 female 21 male). Period C was a seventh grade class with 54 students. Thirty-seven of the students (69%) participated (15 female and 22 male). Instructors for Period A, B, and C were Mr. V, Mr. V, and Mr. L, respectively. In tota~ 101 students agreed to participate (37 female 64 male).
Given the number of student participants the chances of interviewing all students to thoroughly understand their experiences in physical education would have been impossible given the time line ofthe study. In order to better understand their experience a sample of students were interviewed. Six students ofvarying activity levels were selected from Periods Band C to participate in one-on-one interviews. Students were randomly selected based on their teacher's evaluation of their physical activity levels in relation to their physical education class. Teachers classified students as being of high, moderate or low activity levels. Classification of activity levels was based on data collected from heart rate monitors and teacher observations throughout the semester.
The use ofheart rate monitors is routinely used in each class as a method to assess physical activity levels. Heart rate monitors were used prior to data collection for this study, and did not need to be introduced by the researcher. The group that was identified as highly active consisted of two males (Shawn and Brian) and two females (Jackie and
18 Beckie). The moderately active group consisted of 4 males (Daniel, Justin, Jeff, and
Travis). Students classified as low activity consisted of two males (Robert and Tim) and
two females (Paige and Julia).
Data Collection
Data regarding students SI was derived from multiple sources: One-on-One
. interviews, Field Observations, and administration of the Situational Interest Scale
Questionnaire (Chen et al., 1999).
One-on-One Interviews
Interviews play a central role in the data collection process (Creswell, 2007). All
interviews were semi-structured and utilized open-ended questions to better understand
the participant's experience in physical education. Interview topics focused on the
participants experience and participation iri non-traditional activities. Approximately five
open-ended questions were used to allow the researcher to ask supporting questions (sub
questions). Appendix B provides an overview of the interview protocol. Interview
questions were structured as a narrowing ofthe central topic and question (Creswell,
2007) to understand all aspects ofSI in the non-traditional curriculum. Because SI is a
multi-dimensional construct the interview questions were guided by the five dimensions
ofSI: (a) Novelty, (b) Challenge, (c) Exploration Intention, (d) Instant Enjoyment, and (e)
Attention Demand (Chen et al., 1999). All interviews were recorded via a Panasonic
digital audio recorder, transcribed, and then imported into NVivo9. NVivo9 is a
computer software package used to assist in the analysis of qualitative data. NVivo9 is
intended to manage the data and assist in the categorization of codes. In addition, NVivo9
assisted in the coding of frequency, consistency, and links among interview responses.
19 Initially, coding was done within each participant. Then, codes were cross-referenced
across all participants to examine the links and consistency among responses. Appendix
G outlines the structure and the questions used in the one-on-one interviews.
Field Observations
Nine field observations were conducted on Periods A, B, and C while the classes were in session. Observations provided a descriptive account of the environment in a continuous sequence. Observations began at the onset of instruction and continued until students were dismissed to the locker room Observations lasted approximately 40 minutes. During .observations field notes were maintained in a record book. Field notes detailed observation dates, class time, type of activity, student responses to the content, routines, and other events that stood out to the researcher such a<; student's interactions with the teacher or observer, conflicts between students, and anything else that may haye imJ4acted the results. Notes were taken to help describe the effect of the learning task on
Novelty, Challenge, Exploration Intention, Instant Enjoyment and Attention Demand.
Field notes also included questions that emerged during the observations, personal reactions, and memorable moments that occurred.
Situational Interest Scale Questionnaire
Participants from each class were asked to fill out The 20-statement Situational
Inter~stScale(SIS) (Chen, et al., 1999). The questionnaire which was developed by
Chen et al. (1999) used confirmatory factor analysis to validate the use of the SIS is a physical education setting. They developed, revised, and established that the SIS is able to empirically demonstrate Situational Interest in physical education. For each statement students evaluate how well each statement describes their feeling about an activity.
20 Responses are based on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very untrue) to 5 (very
true). Statements are based on the five dimensions ofSI: Novelty, Challenge,
Exploration Intention, Instant Enjoyment, and Attention Demand (Chen et al., 1999).
Each dimension is represented by four statements to elicit students overall SI following
an activity in physical education. A copy of the SIS can be found in Appendix A.
The SIS was given to each class once per week following one randomly selected
lesson. Prior to each week five numbers were placed in a randomizer that selects a / number based on the selections provided. That number was associated with the
corresponding day of the week. The lesson taught that day were selected as the lesson
that preceded the Questionnaire. Questionnaires were administered immediately
following the lesson and before students were dismissed to the locker room.. Each ..
questionnaire was then subjected to descriptive statistical analysis.
Data Analysis
Qualitative
Continuous analysis of data, identification and coding of student's interview
transcripts, and analysis of field notes was completed. A deductive approach to code,
analyze, and categorize participant interview responses based on the five components of
SI was used. Interview responses were given an initial code based on their responses to
questions about the individual components ofSI. Those responses were then re-analyzed
to ensure their location in the appropriate code. Once the appropriate code was
determined responses were cross-referenced among participants to determine ifthere
were relationships between the individual components. Queries ran in NVivo9 helped
determine frequency, consistency, and links between responses. Also, student responses
21 were analyzed to look for themes that emerged outside oftl;le components ofSI to better
understand the impact of a non-traditional curriculum. New codes were created based on
data that did not specifically fit into the components of SI. Data was managed using
Nvivo9 Qualitative software.
Member checking was carried out following transcription of the interviews to
maintain reliability. Once the interviews were transcribed and initially reviewed, students
were asked to verify their responses, and clarify responses that may have been unclear.
The time between interview and member checking was approximately three weeks.
Students were given a copy of the interview transcript and asked to review their
responses and point out anything that might have been unclear. Students were also asked
to clarify responses that might have been difficult for the researchers to interpret. •.. ··
Field notes were a descriptive account of each lesson and were intended to
supplement the interviews and questionnaires. Once the interviews were transcribed,
coded, and re-analyzed the observations were examined to link student responses to what
was observed by the researchers. Because the field notes detailed activity type, student
responses to the content, and events that stood out to the researchers based on the
individual components ofSI the observations were linked to the initial codes and assisted in the development of accurate and consistent data. An example ofthe an observation
and the field notes used is located in Appendix I.
Quantitative
Data from the SIS was analyzed using a repeated measure multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). A Scheffe Post Hoc test determined if and where differences between groups existed. Student responses represented the dependent variable. The
22 components of SI(Instant Enjoyment, Attention Demand, Exploration Intention, Novelty, and Challenge) consists of four questions for each component with responses rated on a
5-point Likert Scale. The highest possible score for each component is 20 and the lowest possible is 4. Statistical analysis followed the interview process. The MANOVA and
Post Hoc tests analyzed the relationship between components and aided in the exploration of the impact of various learning tasks on Situational Interest.
Qualitative research is confmed to its context and provides a detailed and rich description of information (Hare, M. K. & Graber, K. C., 2000). The procedures used throughout data analysis were followed to enhance the accuracy and consistency of the data. Triangulation was used to strengthen reliability. Sources of triangulation included the :interviews, member checking, observations, and questionnaires that were used to supplement the interview responses. Observations and field notes were intended to provide prospective into the classroom setting, attempt to visualize the appearance of SI themes, examine interactions between components ofSI, and support the statements made in the interview. The SIS quantitatively illustrated individual components o~SI and supported findings from other means of data collection. Interviews provided rich, clear, and descriptive insight from a sample of participants. Member checking corrected and clarified misrepresentations of students responses in the interviews and helped researchers ensure the consistency of the themes.
23 Results
The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of non-traditional curriculum and activities on student's Situational Interest (SI) in middle school physical education. Also of interest was the influence of non-traditional activities on the individual components of SI and how these components interact to enhance SI. Each SI
. component is addressed individually using data collected from the interviews, observations, and questionnaires, in addition, to how those components work together to influence SI.
Instant Enjoyment
Instant Enjoyment is an interactive feature ofSI and is integral in the groundwork in which a person actualizes their enjoyment offered by an activity (Chen et al., 2001).
Instant Enjoyment.was talked about most often by the students which is represented by having the highest number of coding references. It was also most often identified-as being influenced by other components ofSI. In addition to the high frequency of reference in the one-on-one interviews students emphasized that Instant Enjoymertt was important when participating in an activity.
During the interview process students were asked about their enjoyment in physical education. Consistently students addressed the likelihood to be involved and participate in an activity when they had higher feelings of Instant Enjoyment. Jackie, a highly active student in physical education, addressed her enjoyment in physical education and the exploration of a learning task that comes as a result of enjoying an activity:
" .. .if it's something that I really enjoy then I'm going to go explore it, like ifl found a new material I like in the fitness center I could go to a gym and use it
24 even more, it's not just in PE where we get our physical education."
Brian, another highly active student, gave the following response to a question asking about activities that he didn't enjoy in physical education:
"Like if we're just sitting there playing basketball there's not really, once you've played basketball for a while it kind of gets boring. So then there is no point to it, you're not trying to do anything with the basketball."
As a follow up question Brian was asked to compare the lack of enjoyment in basketball to activities that he did enjoy:
"Like for bowling basketball it's a lot easier, it's a lot funner because you're not just sitting there playing basketball you're bowing and you're interacting with other people, kind of have to you want to win something and if you're just playing basketball with another friends you're just kind of shooting hoops and not having a competition."
Jeff, a moderately active student, gave more insight into enjoyment in physical education when responding to a question asking him to share what makes him have fun in physical education:
"Urn, like do you know what's it called, the game we played, the sharks and minnows or something, yeah. I like doing that, it excites me and I enjoy that stuff because I like exercising like I said earlier and, urn, it requires lots of thinking and strategy so, yeah, I have to a lot for my brain in order to figure out what to do or not."
Similar responses came from students across all activity levels. Tim, a low activity student, talked about his enjoyment and how it related to being physically active in physical education:
"My enjoyment is I know I'm getting healthy as I do these activities every day, 5 days a week and I'm doing a lot of PE so I know it's good for my body. I just have fun when I do some activities."
Initially it appeared that Instant Enjoyment might be a standalone component but through further analysis of the data it was more often addressed with other components
25 then by itsel£ As Brian and Jeff mentioned above, when talking about their enjoyment,
they made direct references and used examples from activities that were new to them
(Novelty) in order to talk about their enjoyment in physical education. Also, as Jackie
talked about her enjoyment she made a specific reference to her exploration of the
learning task when she had high feelings of enjoyment. The link to Novelty was
something that was evident among other students as well. Travis, a moderately active
student, told how he felt when he participates in an activity that is new:
"It's a lot funner than doing something like old, cause like we go play hockey ·that's a lot funner than going out and running or like doing something like we already did."
Tim talked about the weight room and how it impacted his enjoyment:
"It's really new and I always want to do things in the weight cause I'm not allowed to go to the gym with my mom yet so, and the weight roomit's just really fun and people are next to you and you're building some muscles and it's kind of, and yeah so I definitely sad at the end of that one cause that defmitely fun."
In addition to hearing students talk about their enjoyment and the link between
other components of SI a clear trend developed within the interviews. A significant relationship between feelings of enjoyment and interaction with their peers or friends in physical education was observed. Alll2 students mentioned that part of their enjoyment was due to interacting, working together, and play~ng with their friends. Daniel, a moderately active student, described his experience in "Alligator Alley" a "Survivor
Week" cooperative activity that emphasized teamwork and peer exploration. In
"Alligator Alley" students attempted to cross a river as a group without being bitten by the alligators. The alligators positioned themselves on the banks of the river and rolled balls at the feet of the runners in attempt to capture them. There were numerous safe spots on the river where students could not be captured and working together as a team
26 was essential. Daniel responded as follows:
"Urn, I feelpretty excited that I like get to come to school and learn something new that I can go home and play with my friends that I can play with my friend with, urn, it's really a lot of fun to me."
When asked about the activities that required him to work with others and achieve a goal
Jeff responded, "Because I get to work with other people and I feel I work better with
other people."
When talking about the individual fitness activities such the weight room and
fitness center, HopSports, TRIKKES, Tritons, and circuit training (Appendix B elaborates
on the facilities ofthe physical educations program) students addressed that they worked together with their peers, but instead of working together towards a shared goal, they
enjoyed pushing themselves toward their own personal achievement. When asked about what type of enjoyment they got from participating in these activities Justin, a moderately
active student, gave the following response:
"I get a lot of excitement because most of them I get to go with some of my friends I get to use some of the equipment that I never really got to sometin1es. Yeah, just kind of rising up to just exploring or doing all the stuff"
Jackie was then asked about how an activity caught and grabbed her attention:
"I'm really interested in activities that we can do with a partner or a friend so if it's like a solo activity it's like you don't get to enjoy it with someone else. It's just your own stuff And then it's like more joyful when I haven't done it before because it's like the Hopsports that was fun because we we're like trying our best even though we weren't very good at 'it but we were still getting physical activity at it. It's still fun ifl know how to do something because I get to practice my skills and stuff" ·
Not only was this interaction with their peers and subsequent enjoyment evident in the interviews but classroom observations provided descriptors of a cooperative environment. Numerous activities were noted as having high enjoyment but the most
27 significant feelings of enjoyment came from group/cooperative type activities and individual fitness activities. During these activities the classroom environment, tended to have more students that were laughing, smiling, and engaging with their peers in a positive way. In addition, when exploring the various skills, strategies, and tactics associated with different activities the students were more likely to smile, laugh, and be more enthusiastic. Throughout "Survivor Week", which was based on teamwork and group cooperation, while students participated in these activities they were highly focused on performing individual activity tasks and tended to explore strategies more than traditional team and individual sports.
This variation between learning tasks was evident when comparing the Bowling
Basketball activity to a Track and Field lesson that focused on the 50 meter sprint.
Throughout the Bowling Basketball activity students were focused and attentive during instructions. During the activity they were intent on learning the strategies and tactics through "trial-and-enor". If they found that one strategy didn't work they were observed giving feedback to each other to find another way to complete task or activity. Trying to discover alternative strategies or tactics is a critical aspect of exploration in SI. Not only were students helping each other learn and complete the task but they were directing their attention to their peers and working as a group. They would cheer, encourage, and help their peers.
During the Track and Field lesson students were aligned in running lanes and given instruction on the techniques and procedures of running a 50 meter sprint. There was no requirement on time or emphasis on "winning" and competition. These practice trials were aimed at giving students the opportunity to practice the sprint. Once students
28 completed the 50 meters they made their way to the back of the line and waited for their opportunity to run again. This sequence continued throughout the remainder of the lesson. Initially, students ran approximately four times and once students completed their fourth trial they had the opportunity to forego the rest of the lesson and sit at the back of the line. The teacher gave feedback to some ofthe.students on their running technique and as the lesson progressed some students tended to place an importance on competing against each other. During competition between these students there were 12 students
(24%) at the back of the class was wandering, talking to the friends, and focusing on everything but the learning task. There was no exploration of the skills among the majority of students and even the students that were actively engaged in competition appeared more interested in the outcome of the race then attempting to discover various strategies or techniques. There is a discrepancy between the cooperative activity aimed at improving group interaction and the traditional individual sport type activity. That discrepancy was most evident when looking at Exploration Intention and Attention
Demand during the activity and its relationship with Instant Enjoyment. When students were directing their attention to the activity and exploring strategies or tactics they appeared to enjoy themselves more. When students were wandering, directing their attention elsewhere, and not exploring aspects of the activity they appeared to enjoy themselves less.
Results from the questionnaires suggested that a correlation does exist between
Instant Enjoyment, Attention Demand, and Exploration Intention. The means, which are represented in Table 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the correlation between components. This particular data set represents the descriptive means of each group of students (Periods A,
29 B, and C) following each randomly selected lesson (Questionnaires 1, 2, and 3) and the
corresponding activity. Results are calculated in terms of the individual components of
SI. A positive relationship between components among all three groups was supported.
As Instant Enjoyment fluctuates depending on the learning task there is subsequent movement in both Attention Demand and Exploration Intention. Exploration Intention represents the desire to explore the nuances of an activity and derives fi·om the mental disposition of a student whereas Attention Demand helps develop and quantify the attention directed towards an activity. This relationship between components demonstrates the importance of task design on the development of enjoyment through participation.
From the data collected and researcher observations it was determined that Instant
Enjoyment was most commonly elicited from factors of an activity that encouraged exploration. Those feelings of enjoyment also influenced the attention that students directed to the learning task. When these three features of an activity were present the student's Instant Enjoyment is higher. Instant Enjoyment is not necessarily determined by intrinsic factors but rather can be viewed as a product that can emerge when an activity has more newness (Novelty), encourages exploration, and requires more attention.
Consistent with the findings ofChet et al. (2001) Instant Enjoyment is a source ofSI and is influenced by these factors. Instant Enjoyment is more than a stand-alone concept but rather a concept that is heavily influenced by the interaction of Novelty, Exploration
Intention, and Attention Demand during an activity. In addition to the interaction of those components the peer/cooperative interaction can assist in the development of Instant
Enjoyment. Although peer interaction or ''working with friends," as most students called
30 it, is not a component of SI it can aid in the development of Instant Enjoyment and the components that it is derived from. The process of interaction between these factors influences Instant Enjoyment and overall SI.
31 Table 1
Descriptive Statistics and the Effect of an Activity on the Components of SI for seventh grade students (Period A)
Instant Attention Exploration Enjoyment Demand Challenge Intention Novelty
Questionnaire Activity Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
1 Cardio-Vascular circuit training with 13.81 4.24 13.87 4.66 10.50 3.22 12.75 4.12 11.69 4.14 heart rate monitors 2 Individual fitness center activity with 13.50 4.05 14.25 4.25 10.25 2.93 11.68 3.87 11.06 3.53 heart rate monitors 3 T-Bow individual video guided 14.62 4.32 14.94 4.30 11.00 3.38 11.44 3,98 11.56 3.20 cardio-vascular activity UJ N Table 2
Descriptive Statistics and the Effect of an Activity on the Components of SI for 7th grade students (Period B)
Instant Attention Exploration Enjoyment Demand Challenge Intention Novelty
Questionnaire Activity Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
1 Cardio-Vascular circuit training with 15.12 3.15 16.00 2.02 10.08 2.64 15.04 3.29 14.72 3.20 heart rate monitors 2 Individual fitness center activity with 14.84 2.62 14.96 3.01 12.88 2.24 14.64 3.09 15.76 3.32 heart rate monitors 3 T-Bow individual video guided 15.28 3.07 15.32 3.22 11.72 2.91 14.24 4.05 15.36 3.45 cardio-vascular activity U-l U-l Table 3
Descriptive Statistics and the Effect of an Activity on the Components of SI for 7th grade students (Period C)
Instant Attention Exploration Enjoyment Demand Challenge Intention Novelty
Questionnaire Activity Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
1 Football activity, students divided 14.12 3.32 13.56 2.58 11.68 2.73 13.56 3.69 14.56 3.24 into competitive and non-competitive 2 Video guided, individual fitness 14.38 2.45 14.69 2.33 10.94 3.66 12.37 3.26 13.81 2.69 lesson 3 "Survivor Week" -Sharks and 15.63 2.85 14.44 3.97 10.75 3.00 11.63 3.12 14.00 3.54 Minnows (.;.) -+:>.
~IT Attention Demand
Attention Demand is based in the Interactive Feature component ofSI and
describes the degree of attention that a learning task requires during participation.
Attention Demand had the second highest number of coding references and the most
words coded. When students talked about Attention Demand and their focus during
physical education they tended to elaborate for longer periods of time and more in depth.
Attention Demand references a student's interaction with an activity and the individual
I factors that increased their attention and focus during participation.
During the interview process increased attention was linked to references that
indicate a sense of Novelty (newness) in an activity and the variety in an individual lesson
or on a day to day basis. Students were asked about their attention during their physical
education activities, what type of activities lead to a lack of attention or focus, and what
about activities helped focus or concentration. Students were allowed to explain
themselves through open-ended responses and follow up questions. Responses from
student interviews had a frequently recurring interaction between activities that are new
to the students and required more attention. During activities that were new or had a
sense of newness (Novelty) students tended to pay more attention during instruction and
throughout the activity.
From the student responses activities that were, as the students refer to them as
"old", seemed to lead lower reportings of attentiveness during the activity. Lack of prior
knowledge about an activity caught student's attention by providing a sense of Novelty
and as they progressed the lack of knowledge and expertise kept their attention as they
explored skills and components of an activity. As Brian, a highly active students, talked
35 about his feelings when he participated in an activity that he had not done before he made
references to the increase in focus:
"It's entertaining and it just it focuses me more... Cause like ifi know how to do something I'm kind ofbored about it because I just want to get to the point and if it's new I kind ofwant to learn."
This theme emerged across student with varying activity levels. When asked the same question Tim, a low activity student, responds as follows:
"I feel like I have to ask a lot of questions to understand it but usually I pay attention a lot so I know a lot like I know how to work what he is saying and things like that, but it makes me feel good, like I'm learning more, not doing the same things over and over again."
When asked if new and risky activities influenced his interest, Tim responded as follows:
"Yeah, it kind of makes it go higher I want to pay more attention cause it's just kind of, you have to pay attention a lot more so it just makes me want to be interested so I know how to do it and can get better at it."
When asked about her attention span during various types of activities Jackie, a high activity student, elaborated on the group/cooperative activities performed during
"Survivor Week".
"For the survivor week my attention span is way longer and it's like I'm paying more attention cause I like the things we do for survivor week. We play all these games and all the new stuff, not just like the things we do every week."
In addition to the Novelty of an activity contributing to higher attention a variety of activities in physical education demanded more attention. Duneberry's Middle School curriculum maximized the variety of activities that students were exposed to and students expressed having higher attention when they had numerous activities on a daily basis or in an individual lesson. Justin, a moderately active student, explained the attention achieved in the fitness center which had around 10 different types of machines or interactive areas that the students use once a week.
36 "My attention is usually kind of high because I like to do stuff and, yeah, sometimes when we do like, urn, when we do hula hoops and jump ropes sometimes I get bored so it's not that high."
"Usually on Fridays we go and we do the fitness center and that's one of my favorite ones."
"All the different activities that we can do ... We ride the bikes and we do stair steppers and dance-dance revolution and have the rock climbing wall."
Higher attention was found during participation in multiple types of activities. When
asked what type of activities kept his attention and concentration Jeff, a moderately active
student, gave the following response:
"Probably like the one we did today (they did an Insanity workout-Individual video fitness routine) because he like, Mr. V said we have to keep changing the routine and always focus in order to switch like fast and stuff, so, it's just kjnd of yeah... Because I have to focus, because ifl didn't I would probably be li.ke:way behind everyone and I wouldn't want that to happen, I would want to be with the rest ofthe group."
Beckie, a highly physically active student, described her attention through various
activities:
"Last year everyone didn't like it so their attention level was really lower and like this year everyone likes it because we do a whole bunch of different activities. He introduces new things to us and we enjoy that better so our attention level is like high and stuff."
The experiences in a variety of activities, when addressing Attention Demand, suggest that students are more likely to have increased attention and focus when they are presented with a variety of activities.
Using heart rate monitors during individual fitness activities tended to direct the majority of student's attention to their heart rate during activities. When using a heart rate monitor the goal or desired outcome for the lesson was to achieve and maintain student's target heart rate throughout the activity. This desired outcome for the student
37 increased attention and provided students opportunities to visualize physical exertion and
help conceptualize working towards desired heart rates. Students participated in
cardiovascular fitness activities with and without the heart rate monitors. When students were able to look at their heart rates during participation overall attention increased to a in high, moderate, and low activity students. Students focused on their personal workload and their heart rate responses focused their attention on achieving their target heart rate. Je~ a moderately active student, was asked to describe his attention while using the heart rate monitors:
"Very high because we use those to grade ourselves so I'm always checking my watch, I'm always making sure it's on properly because I want to get a good grade in PE ... We are graded if we stay in our heart healthy zone which is between 150 and 170 beats per minute so I usually just go, I try to let it go a little above but sometimes I get kind ,of carried away in the activity."
Daniel, a moderately active student, was asked the same question:
"It's probably kind if high because the Heart rate monitors, those are machines and those are, the more that you move, the more that you move the better you are but you have to keep it within a certain level and when you actually have a . machine on you when you do the activity, that's actually your grade so that makes you want to go and do good and actually participate and try in it cause what you do with the heart rate monitor on it, that's your grade that's your effort, that's you what you do."
While using the heart rate monitors students were observed being more focused on their individual performance rather than outside distractions and the performance of others. In one instance Paula, a low activity student, was observed being intermittently disinterested in the activities. For this one particular lesson students were instructed to initiate their heart rate monitors from the onset on the dynamic-interval warm up to the conclusion of an individual fitness routine that was guided by an "Insanity" workout video. About three minutes and thirty seconds through the dynamic warm-up Paula looked exhausted
38 but when she looked at her heart rate monitor she was immediately re-energized and
sprinted to catch up with the rest of the students. This behavior reoccurred with
approximately four minutes remaining in the video. Her face was bright red and sweat
dripped down her face and then she began to slow down. She then looked at her heart
rate monitor and must have realized that is was not where she wanted it and finished the
workout with increased intensity. Her focus was on her own individual progress and she
appeared not interested or distracted by the performance or behavior of other students.
Heart rate monitors appeared to help students visualize their workload and provided them
with opportunities to focus on their own individual progress.
Attention Demand is a crucial factor is the development ofSI and as it develops it
correlates with both Instant Enjoyment and Exploration Intention (See Tables 1, 2, and, 3).
Both Attention Demand and Instant Enjoyment illustrate the level of enjoyment offered by an activity. Table 1 presents the relationship with other components across classes
and activities. Attention Demand had an overall grand mean of 14.670 with a standard
error of .398. Grand Means of each component across classes and questionnaires are shown in Table 4. In addition, the grand means for each component ofSI is listed. The total possible score was 20 and higher scores represent stronger feelings that the statement was true based on their participation in an activity. Because both Attention
Demand and Instant Enjoyment are based in the Interactive Experience category the similarities in data across the questionnaires could be anticipated because they both work to evaluate enjoyment in an activity. Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 present data that represents the relationship between Instant Enjoyment and Attention Demand. When learning tasks keep a student's attention and promote excitement the likelihood that SI will be high is
39 much greater.
40 Table 4
Grand Means among Classes on Each Component of Situational Interest
95% Confidence Interval Component Mean Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound
Instant Enjoyment 14.52 .367 13.85 15.33 Attention Demand 14.67 .398 13.87 15.47 Challenge 11.09 .316 10.46 11.72 Exploration Intention 13.04 .428 12.18 13.90 Novelty 13.61 .376 12.86 14.37 Exploration Intention
Exploration Intention is defined as the intent to search or explore a learning task
. for the purpose of analysis or discovery (Chen et al., 2001). For example, a student that is analyzing or testing the technique for throwing a flick in Ultimate Frisbee in order to throw to an open throwing lane would be in the act of exploring. Exploration Intention is taken from the mental disposition category that helps construct SI.
Exploration Intention was not as much of a primary factor in building SI but rather a component that derived from the lack of knowledge and difficulty that a learning task provided. Once students encountered an activity in which they had a lack of knowledge or information the intent to explore was increased. When students encountered an activity that gave them an opportunity to find out more about how to do it or find out what else you can do with it they are much more likely to explore the task ox activity. Students that expressed an increased desire to explore in an activity were more inclined to have higher feelings of enjoyment. This is consistent with the fmdings of
Chen et al., (2001) and, as mentioned earlier, support results that Exploration Intention contributes to feelings of enjoyment. All of the students interviewed mentioned that exploration played a role in their subsequent interest in the activity, implying that an environment that gives ample opportunity for all students to explore can lead to increased
SI. Brian, a highly active student, was asked about what makes him want to explore various tricks, skills, or strategies in an activity:
"So if it's like a new complex game to me then it would make me want to explore it more so I fully get how to do it and so I won't like do something wrong or I would get it fully... So if it's a complex activity we would have to do more than if it's just a simple activity like running the track or paying basketball."
When asked the same question, Paige, a low activity student, responded:
42 "Like there is more than I want to learn about that one and I realize that like I didn't know you could flip it over and then you could use it like a surfboard also which is really fun but I get shaky cause I'm not a very balanced person. I like to, urn, I like the activities that we do with that and in the gym and stuff. .. Like if they're really fun then I want to kind of do it even more cause like it's a fun activity and then I want to see like what else you can do with that kind of activity, like what else you can use like with the t-bow, there we go. Like what else you can do with that and like just explore."
The following quote illustrates the trend of "fmding out more about how to do;' as it was sometimes called by the students, during a discussion with Beckie, a highly active student:
"Ifl fmd that if there is a more interesting way to do that activity or like, yeah, just yeah. Like if there was a way to go beyond that but do the same activity but do it a little more complicated or something that like you can involve in it."
The desire to explore further and "learn more about how to do it" emerged from other students across activity levels:
Brian, a highly active student:
"Like if there are any secrets or get it easier or if there is like any other ways to do it, not just the way Mr. Velarde taught us."
Beckie, a highly active student:
"Ifl find that if there is a more interesting way to do that activity or like, yeah, just yeah ... Like if there was a way to go beyond that but do the same activity but do it a little more complicated or something that like you can involve in it."
Students with varying physical activity levels responded similarly. Tim, who is classified as low activity, addressed why the weight room makes him want to explore:
"Just its newness, like I'm new to the weight room a lot so I just want to, since I'm so new I want to see everything about it and we've only been in the a number of times so I'm still kind oflearning some of the stuff, so, I just want to learn more"
Students were observed being engaged in an activity that had a sense of Novelty and were combined with opportunities for the students to explore their own strategy, tricks, or skills. Those opportunities appeared to come from instructions that provided groundwork
43 for the activity but were flexible enough to limit the movements or strategies required to perform.
This was evident in one activity entitled "alligator alley" which asked students to get across the river without being bitten on the legs by an alligator. Students were
"bitten" when a ball rolled by students on the shore tagged them on their feet. This was not only an activity that was new to the students but they also lacked prior knowledge. In addition limited instruction gave students opportunity to explore with others different strategies. As students progressed through the activity movement strategies evolved and both groups of students (alligators and runners) explored a variety ofways to cross the river and roll the balls at their peer's feet. Exploration appeared to derive from the lack ofknowledge about the activity and minimal instructions that were given by Mr. V.
Student enjoyment was higher during the exploration phase. Chen et al. (2001) also found that enjoyment was derived from exploration. The activity, which is quite simple to perform for all students, was lacking in terms of complex skills, strategy, and tactics. As the students mentioned the complexity of the activity does play a role during exploration.
Once students became skilled their intent to explore diminished. During the lesson approximately 20 students began wandering without focus towards the learning task.
Those same students demonstrated less enjoyment in terms of facial expression and body language. Based on this particular lesson exploration does play a role in generating interest in the activity but a lack further exploration led to a lack of interest.
Once exploration dilninished attention and enjoyment soon followed. Novelty, Instant
Enjoyment, and Attention Demand derive and depend on each other (Chen & Darst, 2001) therefore without room to explore within a learning task the remaining components
44 cannot stand on their own and increase Sl.
Questionnaire results illustrated a desire to explore based on student's lack of knowledge about an activity. MANOVA and Post Hoc test results indicated that the components ofSI are significantly different from one another, suggesting that the components are measurable and reliable in physical education (Table 5). The seventh
(Period D).and 8th (Period B) grade classes were given questionnaires following almost identical lessons. A significant relationship was found between Periods Band D among the components of Exploration and Novelty. Results from the Scheffe Post Hoc test suggested that a significant difference exists (<.05) between the seventh and 8th grade classes for responses aimed at Novelty and Exploration Intention (Table 6).
Eighth grade students had been through the Duneberry Program for an additional year which may have resulted in the difference between groups. Period B had participated in many ofthe activities, resulting in a diminished sense of Novelty that many of the seventh grade students reported (Tables, 1, 2, and 3). The 8th graders had accumulated knowledge, skills, and experience in the activities possibly resulting i.11 a much lower sense ofNovelty. Lack of Novelty appears to lead to less exploration. The
Post Hoc data supports increased knowledge and information about a learning task likely decreases the likelihood of exploration during the student-task interaction.
45 Table 5
Multivariate Tests; Between and Within Subjects
Error DF Sig. Partial Eta. Squared
Between subjects Among measures of Situational Interest Pillai' s Trace 50.00 .00 .977 Wilks' Lambda 50.00 .00 .977 Hotellings' s Trace 50.00 .00 .977 Roy's Largest Root 50.00 .00 .977
Between class periods (A, B, and C) Pillai' s Trace 102.00 .05 .210 Wilks' Lambda 100.00 .05 .217 Hotellings's Trace 98.00 .04 .223 .j:>. 0\ Roy's Largest Root 51.00 .01 .314
Within Subjects Between Questionnaires Pillai's Trace 45.00 .016 .361 Wilks' Lambda 45.00 .016 .361 Hotellings' s Trace 45.00 .016 .361 Roy's Largest Root 45.00 .016 .361
Between Questionnaires and class periods Pillai' s Trace 92.00 .041 .274 Wilks' Lambda 90.00 .022 .297 Hotellings 's Trace 88.00 .012 .319 Roy's Largest Root 46.00 .001 .454 Table 6
Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons Test between Classes, Questionnaires, and Components
SI Component (I) Code (J) Code Mean Difference (I -J) Std. Error Sig.
Novelty Period B Period D -2.68 1.01 .037 Period E -.56 1.12 .881 Period D Period B 2.68 1.01 .037 Period E 2.12 1.01 .121 Period E Period B .56 1.12 .881 Period D -2.12 1.01 .121
..j:::.. -...l
Exploration Intention Period B Period D -.384 .89 .000 Period E -.268 .98 .030 Period D Period B 3.84 .89 .000 Period E 1.16 .89 .435 Period E Period B 2.68 .98 .030 Period D -1.16 .89 .435 SI Component (I) Code (J) Code Mean Difference (I -J) Std. Error Sig.
Instant Enjoyment Period B Period D -1.10 .87 .453 Period E -.79 .96 .750 Period D Period B 1.10 .89 .453 Period E .37 .87 .913 Period E Period B .73 .96 .750 Period D -.37 .87 .913
Attention Demand Period B Period D -1.11 .94 .527 Period E .13 .04 .993 Period D Period B 1.07 .94 .527 Period E 1.20 .94 .451 Period E Period B -.13 1.04 .993 Period D -1.20 .94 .451
.j::.. 00 Challenge Period B Period D -.98 .75 .432 Period E -.54 .83 .807 Period D Period B .98 .75 .432 Period E .44 .75 .845 Period E Period B .54 .83 .807 Period D .44 .75 .845 Novelty refers to the newness or uniqueness of an activity and can be developed from a lack ofunderstanding about an activity (Chen, 1999). The word 'Novelty' appeared difficult for students to apply to the context of physical education. To better understand their SI regarding Novelty, phrases such as "activities that are new" and
"something you haven't seen before" were used during interviews. This language was aimed at giving students a better understanding of the concept. Two major themes emerged from the discussions about novel activities that novel: 1) higher enjoyment resulted from new activities and 2) during these activities students developed feelings of anxiousness and Challenge.
Participating in activities that were novel resulted in students having increased enjoyment or as some ofthe students said; "fun" or "exciting". Students described how they felt and what they thought about when they participated in activities that had a sense of Novelty. Each student mentioned having fun, enjoying themselves, or being excited during these activities. Daniel, a moderately active student talked about some activities that are new and how you feel during those activities:
"Urn, I probably would say the urn, sharks and minnows game, that was pretty fun, urn, where we all got to just tag each other and when we got tagged we just freeze there it was almost like an extreme of freeze tag it was really cool. I forget what it was. There was another game it was called something alligators, but instead of there were people in the water, there were people on the sides of us lining up and they would have balls and they would try to throw them at us and urn they would be hula hoops in the grass as lily pads and those were the safe zones and we had to get across and pretty much if we got hit by a ball we were out, that was a lot of fun. That was pretty much the two newest things that I've done ... Um, I feel pretty excited that I like get to come to school and learn something new that I can go home and play with my friends that I can play with my friend with, urn, it's really a lot of fun to me."
Later in the interview Daniel continued sharing how he felt about doing something new:
49 "Urn, I personally I really like it I really enjoy learning something new and creative that I can do, urn, cause sometime at home I'm just bored I play with all my stuff and all my friends are home but we've just outside and just waiting thinking about something new to do but when I go to PE and lean something new I can take that home and then me and my friends and everyone that I know we can all just play it and its not, it's not just a game like tag or hide and seek, it's like a new game that you don't really think of"
Brian, a highly active student, responded during a similar discussion:
"It's entertaining and it's just it focuses me more. Becal,lse like ifl know how to do something I'm kind ofbored about"it cause I just want to get to the point and if its new I kind of want to learn.. .! just kind oflike sit and wait for him, Mr. V, to get to the point and it's just kind ofboring every time he has to go through the rules if we've done it many times before."
"It's kind of interesting, like I've always wanted to learn something new and it just entertains me more for new things ... There fun, and there more entertaining than old ones, cause old ones like I said with the video games if you play it so much it gets old."
While discussing activities that were new similar responses came from Travis, a moderately active student:
"It's a lot funner than doing something like old, cause like we go play hockey that's a lot funner than going out and running or like doing something like we already did. I liked playing the hockey better because it was a lot funner, like it felt a lot different than any other sports that I play... For one it's new so I want to do more to try and be better and cause its new and then second, I think cause it's probably going to be funner because its new and I haven't played it, that'swhy. It's more fun like we've, when we were in the fitness center and he told us we're going to use those electronics I was really happy and excited."
The second theme that emerged during the discussions of Novelty was the development of anxiousness and feelings ofbeing challenged. Students reported feelings ofbeing
"scared" or "nervous". Paige, a low activity student, responded:
"Well mostly I think that like since it is new it's kind of scary cause you know sometimes when it's your first time riding a roller coaster you're like 'I don't really want to do this', but once you try it out it's like 'I want to keep doing this, cause it's fun'."
Tim, another low activity student, was asked how he felt when he participated in an
50 activity that was new, responded as follows:
"I feel like I have to ask a lot of questions to understand it but usually I pay attention a lot so I know a lot like I know how to work what he is saying and things· like that, but it makes me feel good, like I'm learning more, not doing the same things over and over again."
Jeff, who is moderately active, talked about how he felt while using new equipment and participating in new activities in physical education:
"I kind of feel excited and nervous because, urn, I've never seen this stuff before and in elementary school we don't really have that type of stuff so it's pretty cool to use that."
"I feel like I kind ofbefore the activity and before he is explaining it I try to remember that stuff so I could participate correctly and efficiently so I feel that."
Jackie, a highly active student, talked about how she felt when participating in something new:
"I feel like anxious since I don't really know exactly what I'm doing but I try to do my best and stuff but sometimes it's like I'm kind of confused but it's kind of simpler because you can do it all for some stuff and he tells you. I feel kind of good when I fmish something new."
"When I try something new I feel accomplished when I'm done with it because it's something, it's more education, like my physical education and my mental education because now I know how to use that thing."
Based on questionnaire results, a relationship among Novelty, or lack of knowledge about an activity, and the desire to explore was found. Table 2, which represents the Grand Means across classes and questionnaires, suggests that a relationship between Novelty and Exploration might exist. Statistical significance (p<.05), as shown in Table 4, between the seventh and 8th grade classes indicated a year of experience may had an adverse effect on the likelihood that a student will explore based on the lack of know ledge about an activity.
Challenge
51 Challenge relates to the level of difficulty one encounters when engaging in an activity. Questions about challenging aspects of physical education class found that all
12 students associated the word "challenge" with physically demanding learning tasks.
As students elaborated they made connections with "mentally" or "skillful" demanding aspects ofvarious activities, but the majority of responses were focused on the physical demands of a learning task. A common theme was established when students most often associated the word challenge with the physical demands that an activity requires.
Challenge was coded fewer times than other components of SI and was only mentioned once as being directly influenced by another component. Students were asked to discuss the most difficult aspects of their physical education class, activities, how they felt, and what they thought about when they were challenged. The primary theme that emerged from the responses was a similar desire and excitement among students of all skill levels while being challenged in physical education. A desire to accomplish a goal and participate in the activity was the most common response. Paige, a low activity student, talked about the challenges in physical education and how she felts:
"Wow, urn, they're challenging but not too challenging to a point where you're so bored that you want to get out of class really fast but like you can test yourself with all the stuff that we do to see how like what your body is able to do and like how long you can do it and things like that. Like, it's a good kind of challenging."
"I think running around the lap, like even one time like that was even challenging for me, but also adventurous because you want to see how far you can go."
"When we were doing the run for when we had the cones lines up and Mr. V stood next to a cone, like I got really hard during that one but I know I was working really hard on that one and I was really out of breath but I felt really good about that one so, that's like a kind of challenging like it's a little bit more challenging that what I would set for myselfbut like I'm glad that we do it."
Tim, a low activity, also talked about the aspects ofhis class that were challenging:
52 "I can't really think of, what aspect of something is hard. Some of the things that are really physically demanding, that kind of makes it hard for me .. .I want to overcome the challenge and beat it, kind oflike, urn yeah, I just want to overcome and beat it."
Jackie, a highly active student, responded to a question regarding the challenging things
she had done in physical education was similar to other students across activity levels.
"For like the physical activities it's probably like the running because it's like its more physical then like doing like the rock wall because you get strength from the rock wall but when you're running you get all the muscle in your legs and stuff. But when it's like a skillful activity like Frisbees, I'm not that great at Frisbee so it's like I'm more concentrated when I'm doing the Frisbees because it's like motivation to have to hit the thing instead of doing"
When asked how she felt when she was challenged Jackie responded:
"Well back to like, I feel anxious. It's like when I'm done with the activity I feel accomplished with what I've done that day instead of doing something I already know how to do I don't feel any accomplished."
Beckie, a highly active student, said:
"Challenges I probably feel a little bit more interested in because it's something that like exceeds my levels of ability and, urn, I probably feel better like I feel like I should do it to see how to do it and it would probably make my interest higher."
Travis, a moderately active student, had a similar response:
"See if you're not being challenged! don't think that people would try that hard if they're not being challenged, but if they are they will try a little hard to work because you're not being challenged, you're being tested to see how you're doing so I think that helps people to."
Member checking was used to review and clarify student responses. Students had the opportunity to add, modify, or alter their response if they felt what they said was misinterpreted or misrepresentative. Some students felt that challenge might be more than just a physical demand but also "mentally challenging". For example Travis gave an initial response to a question about challenge that was difficult to interpret and was asked to clarify his initial response.
53 ''Travis (initial response): I feel like I want to do more ifl'm challenged instead of not being challenged. Like yeah, I want to do more fun challenging things."
During the member checking he clarified his response. Travis said; "It's more fun ifl am challenged and I'll want to participate .. .it's both a mental and physical thing."
Paige, a low activity student, was asked to clarifY the following excerpt:
"Paige: It's kind of like a mix of emotions like you don't want to do this because you~re being challenged and I don't really want to exercise all the time sometimes I just want to lay back at home, that's what the weekend is for. Urn, how I feel about this. I don't know."
When Paige was asked about the impact of a new activity:
"Only a little bit, like when I first came here we were doing like the fitness center and everything I was excited because it was something new that I've never done before and I was kind of like excited to do it and see like what I could also do with it, so."
"Cause its new but then like no because I'm like excited. So it's like a yes no kind of thing."
Responses followed a similar trend. A challenge that targets physical and i cognitive demands might enhance the mental disposition of SI. The most significant difference was between a traditional cardio-vascular endurance lesson 'sometimes .\Called a run-day, and an interactive cardio-vascular activity using video, interval training, modified plyometrics, and heart rate monitors as an objective individualized grading system. Both of these lessons were used as a method of assessing and improving cardio- vascular endurance.
During the traditional "run-day" students were observed being disengaged from the instruction and showed no visual signs of enjoyment. To monitor their endurance level students were asked to jog continuously to a specified location. If students ran from the starting line to the first location without stopping they received a grade ofD, if they
54 made if to point two without stopping the received a grade of C, and this sequence
continued until the fmal point where they would receive grade of A if they made it
without stopping. This is called "Choose-Your-Grade" run and students can run until
they feel they have achieved the grade they want to receive. This lesson had one goal to
complete the run. Once students fmished they were free to pick up equipment and
participate in "free play" with their peers. Once students moved to "free play" students
were observed wandering, disengaged, and looked unmotivated. Thirty-Nine students
/ (76% ofthe class) fmishedwith a grade ofA, Seven (13% ofthe class) students looked as
though they achieved the grade they wanted and stopped, and the remaining six students
(11% of the class) ran to the point they could and stopped due to exhaustion . .Challenge
did not appear to play a role in enhancing SI and the appearance of a "physical" challenge
seemed to appear in the six students that ran to the point they could. During observation
students appeared unmotivated, easily distracted, attention wandered while watching
other classes, and students looked disinterested.
The same students were observed during cardio-vascular assessment lesson using
the video guided high intensity interval training workout where students engaged in and.
combine various modified plyometrics, strength, and aerobic exercises. In addition, they
used heart rate monitors to monitor their heart rate responses during the activity. Students
were able to assess their cardiovascular levels on an individual basis, participate in a
variety of new movements, were given clear instruction and feedback throughout the
lesson, and had clearly defmed goals and objectives. Students were divided into lines
where they had an opportunity to watch the screen which projected the T-bow video.
Students were guided through an aerobic workout by a video tape that incorporated
55 different movements and progressed in levels of difficulty. Movements included
modified plyometrics, strength exercises, and non-traditional aerobics. Prior to the video
students started their heart rate monitors in order to track and record their heart rates throughout the duration of the video. Students were not assessed on execution of the movements but their ability to stay in their exercise heart rate zones. Exercises were intended to guide and demonstrate various techniques to improve cardio-vascular endurance. Students directed their attention to the instructor. As the lesson continued students were observed becoming fatigued; respiration rates increased, student's faces became red, and increased the perspiration. When the video finished 12 students immediately laid down on their backs. All students checked the heart rate monitors.
This lesson represents an example of a learning task that influenced all five components . of SI. Students were presented with a physical challenge, engaged in an activity that was new to them; it encouraged exploration, required more attention, and students appeared to enjoy the activity. Students were observed laughing, smiling, and talking in a positive way about their experience in the activity.
Questionnaire responses supported these findings. Descriptive statistics and grand means, (Table 2 and 3), imply that Challenge had the overall lowest values among components of SI. Low means and lack of a relationship between other components suggest two things: 1) low scores indicate that students interpreted the activity as less of a
Challenge when comparing them to the other components of situational interest. In addition, responses were not related with other components of SI throughout different activities. 2) Because most students equate the word challenge with the physical demands of an activity, only increasing the physical requirements of a learning task might
56 play less of a role in the development of situational interest
Observations, interview responses, questionnaire results, member checking, and
coding queries suggested that Challenge does have the ability to contribute to SI but its relationship with other components might not be as important when looking at overall SI.
The sole influence of a physical challenge on other components ofSI was almost non-
. existent. However, when a physical challenge was combined with characteristics of an activity that influenced the remaining components ofSI and utilized more cognitive demand a physical challenge did appear to contribute to increased SI.
Variety
Duneberry's Middle School curriculum offered activities that focused on individual fitness, cooperative games, lifetime activities, and team sports that focus on peer interaction. Duneberry's schedule is built to include variety and provides students with an opportunity to participate in a different activity each day. Also, students participated in various fitness activities within a given class period. Classes were structured using a circuit training format to focus on fitness exercises, manipulative, non manipulative, and locomotor skills. Physical education classes rotated between spaces and gave students chances to engage in numerous activities each week.
Although, Variety is not a component ofSI it emerged as an important role in it's development. Evidence suggests that an individualized student-centered approach to physical education can improve physical activity levels among students (Clocksin, B.D,
Watson, D. L, Williams, D. P, and Ransdell, L. 2009). During student interviews variety was an important component when looking at various aspects ofSI. Not only was variety a topic mentioned frequently but it was often linked to three components of Situational
57 Interest including Attention Demand, Instant Enjoyment, and Novelty. During questions
that focused at looking at these components students often made reference to the
opportunity to try new things and do different things in each activity. Justin, a moderately active student, gave the following response when asked about activities that grabbed his attention:
"Like doing lots of new things for that activity, like doing different things for different things for different activities, doing more than one thing for an activity."
Later in the interview Justin elaborated on activities that enhance his attention:
"My attention is usually kind of high because I like to do stuff and, yeah, sometimes when we do like, urn, when we do hula hoops and jump ropes sometimes I get bored so it's notthat high. Usually on Fridays we go and we do the fitness center and that's one of my favorite ones."
When asked why those activities keep his attention he said:
"All the different activities that we can do. We ride the bikes and we do stair steppers and Dance Dance Revolution and havethe rock climbing wall."
Travis, who is moderately active, responded as follows when asked what kept his attention:
"Like if we play every once in a while it's fun, but if we like play it all the time it's not that fun so I think that's one of the reason. I get bored of playing the same thing. So, maybe. Say you play like hockey every day like you went to PE and you played hockey that would be really boring. Say if you played it every once in a while it wouldn't be, it would be a lot much funner cause you wouldn't play it that much. Like the football if you played football every single day and then if you didn't play football every single day it wouldn't get as boring if you didn't play every single day."
When asked about exploration in physical education Jeff, a moderately active student, talked about variety in physical education:
"Probably like doing multiple things at once, like I don't know, kind of running and doing some other activities at the same time to kind of make it a little harder."
58 Jeff revisited the topic later in the interview when asked what types of activities kept his
attention:
"Probably like the one we did today (they did an Insanity workout) because he like, Mr. V said we have to keep changing the routine and always focus in order to switch like fast and stuff, so, it's just kind of yeah,"
Jeff discussed how switching kept his attention:
''Because I have to focus, because ifl didn't I would probably be like way behind everyone and I wouldn't want that to happen, I would want to be with the rest of the group."
"The switching I like especially because urn, what's it called, I like sometimes play like we make up games and we play games with jump ropes and stuff like we used to play in elementary school and the body blades. I mean we didn't use that earlier, also the weight room and all that stuff."
Jackie, considered highly active in physical education, also talked about switching the activities in physical education:
"It's kind of different since we know what the days is, we can kind of prepare for it. If it's a run day I try to bring my running shoes but if it's like, urn, a weightlifting day I can wear my regular shoes so when there is an actual schedule I feel more prepared and ready for it, so I like it. I guess I do better when L prepared for things, like prepared for a test; I'm prepared for that day. Since there is different things on different days I feel, like if we did the fitness center every day I would get really bored and I wouldn't enjoy it anymore but we only do it on Mondays. Then we do HopSports on Fridays, Tuesdays are our run 'days, we are always prepared for that. Before we come to school we're not going to eat 6 donuts because we have to run afterwards we're going to have some fruit or a whole waffle or something."
Jackie later emphasized that variety contributed to enjoyment in physical education:
"I like the HopSports, we only do it once a week so every time it comes around we've excited. And the fitness center with all the new activities it's not like there is only one thing to do in the fitness center there is like 3 0 different things to do in the fitness center so every week you try something new and that's always fun."
Based on interviews and observations variety enhanced SI in middle school physical education and descriptive interview data illustrates the importance that variety plays in
59 the setting.
Discussion
The purpose of this study was to better understand how curriculum that incorporates non-traditional activities influenced SI in seventh grade physical education students in order to better understand how a non-traditional environment influences individual components and how those components work together to enhance Sl. Various factors appeared to influence the individual components of SI in this study. If SI is to be enhanced the development and interaction of each individual component is integral when designing and teaching curriculum.
Instant Enjoyment was the component ofSI that was referenced most often and had the greatest impact on the overall interest ofthe students. When the students enjoyed an activity the likelihood that they were involved in the activity, both physically and emotionally, was greater. The idea that enjoyment is a critical aspect ofSI, not only in physical education, is consistent with the findings of numerous studies regarding SI in physical education (Chen & Darst, 2002; Chen et al. (2001 ); Chen & Darst, 2001 ).
Because Instant Enjoyment was referenced often as being influenced by or fostering the development of other components it is less of a stand-alone concept and more a product that derives from the other components of SI. When students talked about their enjoyment they made connections to other components of SI which led to the conclusion that Instant Enjoyment can be developed through the features of an activity and the interaction between components. Instant Enjoyment, which is a psychological state that develops through the interaction and accomplishment of a learning task, was influenced heavily by relationships with Novelty, Attention Demand, and Exploration Intention.
60 Activities that had a sense of Novelty positively impacted Enjoyment as reported by the students. Novelty is a feature based on the design of a learning task that can be impacted through the features of an activity. Activities in which the students had a lack of knowledge or experience had higher reporting of enjoyment. Another factor of activity design that impacted the development of Instant Erifoyment was the interaction between peers. Students placed an importance on having the opportunities to work together in individual, dua~ and team activities. That opportunity had a direct impact on the enjoyment rep01ted by the students. If students had the opportunity to explore in a cooperative setting and participate in activities that have a degree of Novelty they are more likely express higher feelings of enjoyment. From the interviews an understanding that working with their friends and peers was essential in physical education.
In addition, when students reported the presence of Instant Enjoyment that there might be a positive correlation with Attention Demand and Exploration Intention. That relationship was evident throughout the data collection process, During activities that students found enjoyable they paid more attention, had increased focus, and were more likely to explore the characteristics, tactics, and strategies of a learning task. Based on the data collected Instant Enjoyment is less of a stand-alone concept but a component of
SI that elicited from and has a direct influence on other components of SI, in particular;
Novelty, Exploration Intention, and Attention Demand.
Attention Demand required by an activity comes from the interaction between a student and an activity. This is consistent with Deci's (1992) classification of Attention
Demand as and interactive feature of SI. This gives the participant an opportunity to better actualize the interaction with an activity and how it associates with their attention
61 level, enjoyment, and overall interest in a lesson. The most significant interaction
between Attention Demand and other components was the elicitation of attention in
activities that the students found enjoyable. When a student found an activity enjoyable
they would direct more of their attention to the learning task.
Novelty and variety significantly influenced the feelings of attention. Durmg new
activities the demand for attention during instruction and exploration throughout the
activity was greater than activities that the students consider "old". Lack ofknowledge
I and a sense of"newness" appeared to help promote higher attention during participation
in physical education. Activity variety presented an interesting perspective when looking
at Attention Demand and level of concentration during physical education. When :
students participated in a variety of activities that they were less likely to be bored ion the
same level as the activities they classified as "old". During observations and interyiews
when students were exposed to a learning-task in a repetitive nature their attention tended
to decrease and their expression of boredom and wandering tended to increase. Attention
Demand was impacted by a number of factors that lead to higher attention expressed by
the students. Because Attention Demand is an interactive feature of SI it can be
expressed by a student through reflection on their experience in an activity. Students
expressed the highest attention when they were exposed to variety of activities or tasks,
had opportunities to explore, were better able to track their heart rate and work toward a
desired goal, and when they participated in activities that had a sense of Novelty.
Exploration Intention, a cognitive disposition, is about searching or exploring a
learning task for the purpose of discovery. Because it is about discovery the most
important factor in fostering exploration was the lack of knowledge, skills, information,
62 or expenence. Students repeatedly shared their feelings about exploration and although the words are not always the same a lack ofknowledge or information about an activity
sparked a mental response related to exploration or as the students call it, "learn more
about how to do it." Studentsin this study appeared to not have the desire to explore beyond those activities in which they lacked knowledge, skills, or information. In
addition, without substantial opportunities to explore the desire to explore soon diminished. When the learning task was too simple students initially focused on the
exploration of the skills, strategies, and tactics but once those were learned and sometimes mastered students exploration and attention diminished. Although, a lack of information elicits exploration, a learning task that does not provide substantial and complex opportunities to discover fails to maximize and continue exploration. The intent to explore, which is a cognitive response, can lead to positive emotional responses and help develop feelings of enjoyment. Lack ofknowledge, information, or experience initiated the desire to explore and it appears that a learning task that supports long-term opportunities for discovery can fhrther develop a desire to explore.
Novelty, which is the state ofbeing new or unique, was developed fi·om a lack of knowledge about an activity. It became clear that the students at Duneberry Academy had the opportunity to participate in something new and they reported having increased fun and enjoyment. There was no clear activity or type of activity that seemed to contribute to the Novelty of situational interest but rather an idea of newness or lack of experience that helped contribute to the enjoyment as a result of Novelty. "Fun" was a result of the person-activity interaction and further supported the notion that Instant
Enjoyment can, in part, derive from Novelty. Novelty is considered an activity feature of
63 situational interest (Deci, 1992) and when students reflected on their experiences in new
activities there appeared to be a strong correlation with positive emotional responses.
Students also reported feelings of anxiousness and being challenged that appeared to stern.
from a lack of understanding or experience with the learning task. Through examination of the data student's responses were characterized as being able to encourage high attention and exploration among students. When students talked about their anxiousness during these experiences they also talked about the fulfillment they got from participation in something new. In order to get past those initial feelings of trepidation it is possible that attentiveness towards the learning task and exploration of the characteristics of the activity are required.
seventh grade students Novelty appeared to have a significant impact on other components ofSI and, theoretically, overall interest in an activity. These results are contrary to the fmdings of Chen et al. (2001) which found that Novelty was more of an indirect source when measuring SI in four basketball learning tasks among seventh, 8th, and 9th grade students. This difference may be due to the curriculum that uses activities that are nove~ activities that the majority, if not all, of the students had not been exposed to. Previous studies had yet to investigate the impact that Novelty plays in physical education. Differences between seventh and eighth grade classes in the questionnaires did show that with increased experience in an activity there is a decrease in the intent to explore. This may be based upon eighth graders prior experience with the activities that resulted from participation during their seventh grade physical education. As the students from Duneberry have shown not only can "new" activities increase the feelings of Instant
Enjoymentbut they can also stimulate the intent to explore and the attention required to
64 participate. Those feelings were related to lack of experience, knowledge, and expertise
in the learning task or individual characteristics of the task.
Challenge, which is feature of a learning task, took an unexpected but important
direction during this investigation. Because Challenge is a subjective concept it was
difficult to clearly defme the word in the context of this study. Through examination of
the data it was determined that students in the study most often associated the word
challenge with a physical demand in physical education. Although Challenge tended to
represent something that is physically demanding there was still a similar desire to
improve and participate. When their improvement is subjective it appears that Challenge
can contribute to increases in participation among students of varying activity levels.
Regardless of this desire to overcome the "physical demand", Challenge does not appear
to have a direct influence on SI. This is not to say that Challenge does not have a role in
increasing Situational Interest.
Further examination using member checking and observations revealed that
Challenge might include a cognitive demand as well as a physical demand. Comparing
'v the two cardio-vascular assessment lessons; the choose-your-grade run and the video guided high intensity interval training workout where students engage in and combine various modified plyometrics, strength, and aerobic exercises; both activities provided a
. physical challenge. But, the behavior and responses of the students throughout the lesson could not have been more different. Solely a physical demand, which was characterized by the choose-your-grade run, found students wandering, disengaged, and unmotivated.
An activity that was cognitively and physically demanding, which was characterized by the video· guided interval training lesson, had increased engagement, participation, and
65 focus throughout the activity. In addition, the video guided interval training lesson had
an impact on all five components ofSI. Students were (a) focused on their own personal
goals, (b) they explored the exercises of the activity, (c) they exerted themselves
physically, (d) participated in something that was noveL and (e) had an enjoyable
experience. By comparing these two activities the impact of Challenge (from a
physically demanding perspective) might be less important than other components when
looking at overall SI. The combination of a "mental and physical" Challenge seems to
have more of an impact on other components of SI such as Attention Demand and
Exploration Intention. Those components come from the mental disposition category and
tend to derive from a person's interaction with an activity.
Because SI is a construct based on the development of various components the
relationship between each component must be taken into account. Low scores across the
.· '· questionnaires and the lack of relationship between components indicate that a physically
demanding task might play less of a role in the development ofSI and.its individual
components. Activities that were just challenging (in terms of the student's perception of
challenge) showed less likelihood ofbeing Situationallylnterested. Although, activities
that were physically demanding as well as targeting other aspects did appear to
demonstrate increased, Sl. These fmdings are similar to the findings of Chen et al.
(2001) that found that Challenge had more of an indirect effect ofSI.
More importantly, increasing the physical demand of an activity might not play a
role in the development of Sl. However, this is not to say that the physical demand of a
learning task should be eliminated when accounting for Sl. Especially considering that
students repeatedly expressed a desire to improve their own individual goals. It is more
66 likely that integrating cognitively demanding aspects along with the physical demand can positively impact SI.
Variety can play a role in the development of SI. Duneberry students were involved in a physical education program that emphasized variety. During the interview process curriculum that emphasized variety had a unique opportunity to enhance the development ofSI. It appears that alack ofvariety contributed to boredom which is characterized and defmed as a person being disinterested. An array of different activities, as it relates to SI, had emerged as a contributor to higher enjoyment and an increase in attention during a learning task. Both ofwhich were critical to the development ofSI. If physical educators can increase enjoyment and attention towards an activity but also prevent the onset ofboredom through their curriculum they can help enhance a student's
SI.
This research looked at the influence of non-traditional physical education activities and the role they play in the development of SI and the interaction between its individual components. Results support the findings that Situational Interest is a result of learning task design (Chen & Darst, 2001; Rink, 2010). Student responses from interviews and questionnaires were based on their experiences in the curriculum and its learning tasks. Variety and the delivery of activities were emphasized and provided a sense of Novelty. With the majority of physical education classes using a multi-activity curriculum that uses 4~5 week unit plans focusing on one sport and using a teacher controlled classroom environment, this is some6mes referred to as the "business-as usual" approach (Ennis, 1997). The current study explored the impact that a constantly changing schedule could have on SI and the interaction between components. Novelty
67 and variety, the primary features of the research setting, played an important role in the
development of SI and its individual components.
Appendix F illustrates the interaction between components. The five components
.of Situational Interest work together and build upon one another to create the overall
construct ofSI. Although Variety is not a component ofSI it was a theme that emerged
throughoutthe study and played an important role in the development ofSI. It has been
placed at the bottom of Appendix F to represent the impact that variety has on the / components ofSI.
These findings may have implications for the design oflearning tasks in physical
education. Because Personal Interest is difficult to target in a classroom setting (Chen et.
al. 1999) SI may have the potential to enhance interest based on the appealing
· characteristics of an activity. Lessons can be structured in a way that focuses on and
•maximizes the interaction between the individual components ofSI. For example,
teaching a lesson that incorporates cooperative elements, has ample opportunities for
each student to further discover elements ofthe task, and provides a sense of Novelty is
more likely to evoke higher SI than a lesson that fails to provide those opportunities.
With the growing disinterest level of students in physical education incorporating and
maximizing SI is essential to providing fun and valuable opportunities that emphasize
learning in physical education.
As physical education teachers strive to create and develop a more Situationally
Interesting environment the opportunities to do this are engrained in the curriculum and
the individual activities provided. Teachers that develop activities that enhance SI have
the opportunity to teach students that are more motivated and engaged in the content
68 (Subramaniam, 2010). Understanding the interaction between components gives
practitioners an opportunity to create an environment that is more likely to evoke SI.
Based on our results providing activities that have a sense of Novelty (a lack of
understanding or experience), provide ample opportunities to explore the characteristics
or tactics of an activity, emphasize cooperative elements in both individual and group
activities, and developing a curriculum that emphasizes Variety have the strongest
potential for educators to use when designing activities that aim to enhance SI. So often
I in physical education students see the same activities numerous times (Roslow Research
Group, 2009) and this traditional physical education landscape also sees consistent
declines in interest (Ennis et al., 1997). Non-traditional activities that emphasize Novelty,
or a student's lack of experience and knowledge, appear to have strong potential in the
development ofSI. Combine these non-traditional activities with ample opportunities for
students to discover various characteristics of the activity (Exploration Intention),
participate with their peers in both individual and group activities, and provide a variety
of activities in the curriculum would be a great way for a physical education teacher to
foster the development of Sl.
Further investigation from a pedagogical perspective is recommended to further
provide information of the development ofSI. For example, understanding the long-term
(i.e across a semester or school year) effects of a curriculum that emphasizes variety,
frequently uses cooperative activities to build peer relationships, and uses a personalized
grading system to evaluate physical fitness. The impact on SI, motivation, and learning
would be beneficial to researchers and practitioners. In addition, looking at the
association between SI and learning motor skills, improving fitness scores, the
69 understanding of movement concepts, and the wellness benefits of physical activity in
physical education can provide additional information for the design of curriculum in
·physical education.
With SI being a powerful tool with strong potential to use when designing
curriculum (Chen, 2001; Chen et al., 2001; Deci, 1992; H1di &Anderson, 1992; rdapp et
at, 1992) understanding the link between its individual components is essential wHen
targeting SI to enhance the interest levels of students. SI is powerful when looking at
interest in physical education and by focusing on SI and its contributing factors
practitioners can be helped to recognize their importance when designing curricuhfm.
Enhancement of the individual components can lead to a more Situationally Intere~ting
environment. Because SI is the effect of appealing characteristics of an activityorl a
student (Hidi & Anderson, 1992) it influenced through the design of a learning task
(Chen & Darst, 2001). To increase SI the development of each component is imp~rtant, without targeting the interaction between components when designating learning tasks the highest degree efSI cannot be achieved.
Limitations ofthe Study
The study represents student's views from three physical education classes in one
Southern California middle school, thus, the results are only applicable to those students.
The study was intended to better understand the impact of a non-traditional curriculum on
SI. Design size also limited the number of students interviewed and does not represent the perspective of all students. Increased sample size would have provided a more comprehensive understanding of the impact on SI. That would have also provided additional opportunities to administer questionnaires and question students experience in
70 the non-traditional curriculum. The length of the study limited the number of activities that were observed, questionnaires administered, and the student's experience in the curriculum prior to the interviews. In contrast, this study does represent one ofthe more extensive studies regarding SI not only in physical education but across content areas.
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76 Appendix A
Situational Interest Scale-Questionnaire
Roll Call Number ------
Situational Interest Scale-Questionnaire (Chen, Darst, & Pangrazi, 2001)
Circle a response to each question
1. This activity is exciting
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
2. It is a complex activity
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
3. This activity is complicated
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
4. My attention was high
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
5. I was very interested all the time
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
6. I'd like to find out more about how to do the activity
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
7. This is an exceptional activity
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
77 8. I want to learn more about the skills required to become better
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
9. This activity is appealing to me
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
10. This is a new activity for me to do
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
11. It is an enjoyable activity to me
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
12. ·I want to discover all the tricks in this activity
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
13. This activity is fresh
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
14. This activity is new to me
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
15. I was focused
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
16. I was concentrating
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
17. This activity is a demanding task
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
78 18. This activity inspires me to participate
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
19. It is hard for me to do this activity
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
20. I like to explore details of how to do it
Very True True Neutral Untrue Very Untrue
79 AppendixB
Duneberry Academy Physical Education Program Features
Technology and Assessment
The physical education program at Duneberry uses technology to aid in the
assessment of physical activity and fitness levels throughout the school year. The goal is to individualize and provide objective means of measurement that quantifies each student's effort and participation. Data is managed in student portfolios that can be used by the physical education teachers manage and develop activities based on student performance. Some of the tools used to aid in the integration of individualized assessment are as follows:
• Polar Heart Rate Monitors and Physical Education Management software
• Polar assessment system-a mobile system that collects and manages fitness-test data.
,. Portfolios-assist in the management of individualized assessment.
HopSports Exercise Training System
HopSports is an audio and video projection system that contains over 1OQ exercise, skill development, and health related fitness videos. Students are guided by the ) instruction and demonstration provided by the videos and students participate in a group setting by follow along at their own individual skill level. The lessons include: cardio- kickboxing, jump rope, boot camp workouts, ladder workouts, dance/rhythmic workouts, exercise balls, core training and indoor swimming. In addition to using the HopSports through the projection system Duneberry also integrates the use of Insanity workout videos which follow and include similar lessons provided through video guided instruction, and T-Bow's. The T-Bow system is similar in the use ofvideo as a means of
80 instruction but it also incorporates additional exercise equipment to emphasize cross training methods.
The fitness center
The state-of-the art fitness center provides an opportunity for students to participate in and use various types of exercise equipment. Exercise equipment includes: water rowing machines, spin bikes, elliptical machines, upper-body cycle ergometers, stair steppers, and a 60 foot horizontal rock climbing wall. In addition to the various· types of exercise equipment included in the fitness center they have incorporated an interactive exercise learning and gaming section. The interactive exercise sections includes: DanceDance Revolution pads, Xavix interactive exercise programs, and virtual reality mountain bikes.
81 Appendix C
Table 5
2010-2011 Duneberry Weekly Activity Schedule
"' Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Mr.L Fitness Aerobic Unit Unit Hop Sports Center Activity Activity Activity
I Mr.V Unit Unit Hop Sports Aerobic Fitness Activity Activity Activity Center
82 Appendix D
Table 6
2010-2011 Duneberry Unit Activities
r/- Mr.L: Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Fitness Conditioning Body Blades Frisbee Golf
Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Track and Field Triton Cruisers Basketball
Mr. V: Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Frisbee Golf Track and Field Body Blades
Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Fitness Conditioning Basketball Triton Cruisers
83 Appendix E
2001 Duneberry Academy Physical Education Schedule
First Semester
Week 1: Unit #1
Week2: Survivor Week
Week 3: Unit #1
Week4: Fall Fitness Test number 1
WeekS: Unit #2
Week6: Game Week
Week 7: Unit #2
Week 8: Survivor Week
Week9: Unit #3
Week 10: Game Week
Week 11: Unit #3
Week 12: Winter Fitness Test number 2
Second Semester
Week 1: Unit #4
Week2: Survivor Week
Week3: Unit #4
Week4: Game Week
Week 5: Unit #5
Week 6: Spring Fitness Testing number 3
Week 7: Unit #5
84 WeekS: Unit #6
Week9: Survivor Week
Week 10: Unit #6
Week 11: Survivor Week
Week 12: Game Week
85 AppendixF
Relationship Between Components of Situational Interest in Physical Education Students
at Duneberry Academy
Novelty Attention Demand
Variety Instant Enjoytilent
Fo.Xplomtion Intention Exploration Intention
Group C-o-o~mt~on & Pc-crExptur:,tiun
Instant Enjoyment
Novelty Attention Demand Variety
()hje.dive ~o-a!s/~1-ut-.;~\m Instant Enjoyment Instant Enjoyment Novelty Exploration Intention Ample opportunhi.es Attention Demand fur dl:«:in·ery Instant Enjoyment Novelty Attention Demand E"ploration Intention Challenge Desire to improve tPhysica1 IJemund) Exploration Intention Challenge (Jlh~·sicuf & Cognitive Demand) Attention Demand Instant Enjoyment Variety Attention Demand 86 Appendix G Parental Informed Consent Form CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE NON-TRADITIONAL ACTIVITIES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SITUATIONAL INTEREST IN MIDDLE SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION PARENTAL INFORMED CONSENT FORM Introduction The Non-Traditional Activities and their Influence on Situational Interest in Physical Education Project, funded by Califomia State University, Northridge and conducted by John Mercer as part of the requirements for a Master of Science Degree in Kinesiology is designed to investigate non traditional activities and their influence on situational interest in secondary physical education classes. Description of Research The research will help physical educators better understand what type of activities can increase adolescent's interest, motivation, and enjoyment in physical education.. We are hopeful that this information will be of assistance to students, parents, physical education teachers, research professionals, and school administrators. It is our intention to give physical educators the information they need to provide activities that generate interest, motivation, and passion for movement. Subiect Information and Risks Each student will be asked to participate as normal in their Physical Education class. Once per week each student will fill out a 20 item Situational Interest Scale Questionnaire to better understand how each student feels about the activities in which they are participating. The questionnaire asks students to rate on a 5 point Likert scale how they feel about the activities in their physical education class. Filling out of the questionnaire should last approximately 7-10 minutes. In addition the physical education classes will be observed by the researchers to help gain a better understanding of the activities and the environment in which the students participate. Some students will be randomly selected to participate in one face-to-face interview, one follow up interview, and one focus group interview with the researcher regarding activities in physical education. Questions are intended to understand how the activities they participate in generate interest in physical activity. Interviews and focus group questions are not of sensative nature and students may chose not to answer a question. Interviews and focus groups will be conducted at school and will not require students to spend any time with the researchers outside of physical education. Risks for participating in the interviews, focus groups, and questionnaire are minimal. Interview questions and the questionnaire contain questions and statements that are non intrusive and require little discussion of topics related to participants lives outside of the school setting. Participants might feel slightly fatigued after interviews and focus groups but they will be informed that participation is completely voluntary and they can leave at any time. The identities of all the participants will remain confidential at all times. 87 During the interviews your child be audiotaped to ensure the researcher can focus on the conversation. The recordings will then be transcribed into text. The identities of the participants will be changed to a participant code so that your child's identity will remain completely confidential. Your initials here~~--signify consent for your child to participate in the interviews and to be audio recorded. Confidentiality & Final Disposition of Data Any information that is collected in this study that can be identified specifically with your child will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your written permission or if required by law. The cumulative results of this study will be published, but the names or identity of subjects . will not be made known. Confidentiality will be maintained throughout the research process and throughout all written literature and presentations by referring to your child as a participant code (e.g. CPO 1=Child Participant 1). All data/documentation, such as audio recording and I· questionnaires collected as part of this project will be maintained at a safe and secure location by the researcher at the conclusion of the study. After a 5 year period, required by scientific ;·practices, all data/documentation will be destroyed. Concerns If you wish to voice a concern about the research, you may direct your question(s) to Research and Sponsored Projects, 18111 Nordhoff Street, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330-8232, and by phone at 818-677-2901. If you have specific questions about the study you may contact Dr. MaryJo Sariscsany, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA91330- 8287. and by phone at 818-677-7 572. Voluntary Participation You should understand that approval for your child to participate in this study is completely voluntary, and you may decline to allow your child to participate or withdraw your child from the study at any time without jeopardy. Likewise, the researcher may cancel this study at any time.· 88 I have read and understand the conditions outlined for participating in this study. I give informed consent for my child, named below, to participate in the study. Child's name ------Last First MI Age ____ Years ------Months Sex M F (circle one) Child's date of Birth I Parent/Legal Guardian------. ------Print Last Name Print First Name Mailing Address ______ Parent/Legal Guardians Signature Date _____ Witness Signature Date If you have read and signed this form please give one copy to Mr. M. V, John Mercer, or Dr. Sariscsany. Or please return one copy in an envelope by mail to: Dr. Mary Jo Sariscsany Department ofKinesiology 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330-8287 Keep one copy of this consent form for your records. 89 AppendixH One-on-One Interview Structure and Questions Novelty -I want you to tell me about how the activity is (or isn't) new to you and what about it is different or the same as other activities. -Can you describe those more in depth. -Because it's a new activity, what characteristics about the activity encourages or discourages you to participate. -How do you feel about activities that are "new"? Instant Enjoyment -Tell me about the excitement or enjoyment you get from participating in the activity. -When did you start getting these feelings to enjoyment (beginning ofthe lesson, middle, end, etc.) -Tell me more about what made you have fun/enjoy participating OR what made you dislike the activity. -Can you describe how an activity "catches" you? Exploration Intention -When you are involved in an activity what makes you want to explore the tricks or skills? -Elaborate on the appealing characteristics ofthe activities. -Let's talk about when others around you are exploring the activity, do we feel encouraged or discouraged by their exploration and why? -Once an activity "catches" you what makes you want to become better? -Do you ever work or practice any of these things after school? Attention Quality -Tell me about your attention level during the activities ... were you focused, concentrating, wandering, and attentive? -Why were you focused, concentrating, wandering, attentive, etc.? -Tell me about your attention level during various types of lessons? -What about the activity encourages or discourages you to keep your attention? Challenge -Talk to me about how challenging the activities are. -When you're challenged in an activity/task, how do you feel? -If I participate in something new does the "newness" make you feel challenged? -Why? -Does taking chances with something new affect your interest during an activity? -Tell me about how the challenges affect your participation levels and why? 90 Appendix I Sample observation notes Observation 2 Video guided circuit training day, no equipment, and just interactive video with music. 10-20-10 Mr. V 8:50am-Class begins, Prior to teacher arrival students immediately pick up HR monitors (No instruction just routine). Students administer and help others "put on". 3 students talk prior to Mr. V mTival about their disappointment about Hopsports."Ugh, we thought it was only on Wednesdays, oh, today is Wednesday." Once Mr. V arrives students immediately begin interval/walking warm up. 100% students are pmiicipating in dynamic warm-up. -Mr. V; non-stop encouragement during warm-up and while bring them back to roll c(lll. 14 students chat during static stretches. Students are then asked to check their HR; students know the drill and are focused on checking HR. . -Students appear focused, NOT easily distracted during HR checks! Students move to hopsports gym for another walk/interval warm up with music; During wam1 some students look at their HR monitors to check HR. -When music plays (maybe extra encouragement?) students increase running frequency ... also, some students' sing-along and smile during the run. Students continue to check HR's. Interactive video day, no extra equipment, wants to show students that you don't always need equipment to be fit (10 minute circuits). Although students may not do the exercise perfect students still feel motivated to participate and be active! They look around and watch others to help better understand the movements. -Possible research question: If you know how to do the activity does it make it more or less interesting (i.e. running vs. burpies) OR do you want to explore the technique??? Paige is dead tired and walking during the running station but once she looked at her HR monitor she goes back to running and picks up her intensity. It looks like her the HR monitor helped encourage her participation and attention ... she monitors here HR monitor as she moves through the exercises. Students are constantly checking their HR during the video. Their attention is directed at the video Al'\JD the HR monitor. It also looks like they enjoy themselves thoroughly. 91 Side question for Mr. V: you never bring a clipboard or record points/grades/participating when most physical educators do ... how do you give grades or keep them accountable??? Also, zero behavior issues in class, why do you think that is?? Even at the end of class, most students are tired (most students are sweating, breathing hard, and their faces are red) but still have smiles and generally enjoy their experience. Post activity memo -Use ofHR monitors can help explain the idea of working in a target HR zone. Especially if students ask what does work harder mean? HR appeared to help visualize and understand that concept. Working harder and working smarter. Students consistently monitor and check HR's throughout the duration of the activity~ Only a 10-13 minute circuit training workout but constant · participation and attention directed towards the learning task. The same students at the beginning of the lesson that seemed disinterested in the content also participated with enthusiasm and when they left they looked like they enjoyed themselves ... why the disappointment before class? -No difference between boy and girl participation ... gender participating equality. -No difference between the participation of students across activity levels. The activity overall looked to have high Attention Demand from beginning to end. The attention appeared to derive from the interactive video that constantly incorporated new movements and required students follow along to stay with the video. Also, the focus on their HR during the activity aided in the increased focus. Because the video was new and different and also combined various movements that increased in difficulty (in terms of coordination and the ability to follow along) the students appeared to explore each movement. They laughed when trying these movements, constantly tried to match the demonstration, and weren't afraid to "trial and error". 92