Korean Physical Education Teachers’ and Female Students’ Beliefs about Girls’ Physical Activity Participation Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Mijoo Kim Graduate Program in Kinesiology The Ohio State University 2020 Dissertation Committee Dr. Samuel R. Hodge, Advisor Dr. Sue Sutherland Dr. Donna Pastore 1 Copyrighted by Mijoo Kim 2020 2 Abstract Despite the well-known holistic benefits of regular participation in physical activity (Blair et al., 2001; Mears, 2007), secondary school students worldwide do not meet the recommended guidelines (Hallal et al., 2013), and female students report significantly lower rates of physical activity than male students (Oh et al., 2019; Wilkinson & Bretzing, 2011). Moreover, research indicates that girls’ physical activity rates decline in adolescence (Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2003), and their levels of enjoyment and confidence in secondary school physical education influence their physical activity later in life (Davison et al., 2010; Woodson-Smith et al., 2015). There is a lack of research conducted on female students’ physical activity in secondary schools in East Asian contexts, and in South Korea in particular. Thus, this qualitative study utilized theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) to explore the beliefs of South Korea physical education teachers and their female secondary school students regarding girls’ physical activity. Data was collected from teacher and student demographic questionnaires, semi-structured teacher and student interviews, and non-participant classroom observations, which were analyzed through thematic analysis (Given, 2008). Findings were presented in relation to the central research questions which examined teachers’ and students’ beliefs about girls’ physical activity, the function of gender, barriers to girls’ physical activity, and ways to motivate them to engage in more physical activity in physical education. Implications of ii these findings are described to address how girls often move away from physical activity for complex reasons related to teachers’ behaviors, the physical education curriculum, and class environment. iii Dedication Dedicated to my parents Kim, Youngbok and Lee, Youngsoon, to my advisor Dr. Samuel R. Hodge, and to my life mentor Yoo, Yon; thank you for helping me become who I am today. 오늘의 제가 저답게 살 수 있도록 낳아주시고 길러주신 부모님, 연구자로서 교육자로서 가야 할 방향을 가르쳐주시고 이끌어주신 지도교수님, 매일매일을 저와 함께 걸으며 포기하지 않고 “좋은 선생님”이 될 수 있도록 응원해주신 멘토 유연선생님께 이 논문을 바칩니다. iv Acknowledgments I cannot believe I am writing this page of my dissertation, and I still feel it is surreal. Although I have had lots of precious memories at The Ohio State University (OSU), it was one of the toughest seasons of my life. Without these people, I am sure that I could not achieve this goal. First, I would like to appreciate my “king advisor” Dr. Samuel R. Hodge. Through him, I was able to experience “real education,” which not only expanded my knowledge but also my mind and my heart as we went to many different countries and conferences together. He has never pushed me, but I always have had a strong desire to follow and resemble him. I have posted on my desk that my goal is to become even half of Dr. Hodge for my future students. Also, although I have always been passionate about social justice issues in the past, Dr. Hodge taught me and showed me through his life the difference between fighting back and seeking real justice, which I will remember forever in my life. Second, I want to appreciate Dr. Sue Sutherland. Since I came to OSU, I took her classes almost every semester, and her innovative teaching methods and care for students have shaped my vision for teaching and learning. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Donna Pastore for her ongoing support, teaching, and encouragement for my research and future. I would like to expand my appreciation to my life mentor Yoo, Yon, who is a retired teacher after 33 years of working in public schools in South Korea and has known v me since my beginning as a PE teacher. I believe knowing and having her in my life is God’s gift to me. She has influenced me so much not only in my teaching, but also in my life, showing me who I should be as an educator and a human being. I talked with her almost every day during my PhD season. Her encouragement, support, and love were unconditional, which gave me daily strength to overcome many obstacles during this tough journey. No matter where I go, I will never forget her love and am eternally grateful for her support. I hope I continually can learn and walk together with her. Without her, it would have been impossible to finish my Ph.D. and be where I am now. My appreciation extends to all Chungcheongnam-do teachers especially in Cheonan school district in South Korea. When I visited my country during summer and winter vacations, many of the teachers I consider my brothers and sisters shared their stories with me and showed their high responsibility and love for their students, which has given me strong desire to be a good physical education teacher educator. Also, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Christian Martínez-Rivera. Although our journey was tougher than others, because of that, I believe we could connect more deeply, and our experiences will probably help us to be better educators who are more inclusive of our future students. I sincerely believe he will have a great future, and I hope we can go on many adventures together. I would like to also thank my American family, including my best friend. They have always supported my life being a foreigner in the U.S.; especially Mama Lynne has always prayed for me and encouraged me. My best friend, Tamara, and I have shared our vi joy and pain and have grown so much together. I hope we can always encourage each other to never give up. Lastly, I want to express my deep gratitude to my parents who raised me to be a strong woman. My dad always taught me to have big dreams, and he always believed I could become a strong female leader. Also, because of my mom’s deep sacrificial love, I can be who I am today. vii Vita July 8, 1981……………………..Born - Seoul, South Korea 2004……………………………..B.S., Physical Education, Kongju National University, South Korea 2005-2007……………………....Physical Education Teacher, Coordinator of Student Activities, Dechun High School, Dechun, South Korea 2007-2010………………………Physical Education Teacher, Assistant Director of Athletics, Buldang Middle School, Cheonan, South Korea 2009…………………………….M.S., Physical Education, Kongju National University, South Korea 2013……………………………..M.S., Physical Education, Azusa Pacific University, California 2014……………………………..Department Chair of Physical Education, Dujeong Middle School, Cheonan, South Korea 2018-2020………………………Graduate Teaching Associate, Sports Fitness and Health Program, The Ohio State University Publications Kim, I., Oh, D., Kim, M., & Cho, K. (In Press). Teaching pickleball with in-depth content knowledge in middle school physical education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. Kim, M. (2020). Sociocultural issues in physical education [Book Review]. Sport, Education and Society, 25(3), 359-361. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322. 2020.1720926 viii Kim, M. (Forthcoming). South Korean student-athlete academic satisfaction and future employment: An exploratory study. Sport in Society. Xie, X., Ward, P., Oh, D., Li, Y., Cho, K., Atkinson, O., Higginson, K., & Kim, M. (Forthcoming). Preservice physical education teachers’ development of adaptive competence. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. Fields of Study Major Field: Kinesiology Area of Emphasis: Physical Education Teacher Education ix Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Vita ................................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................ 3 Gap in the Literature ....................................................................................................... 4 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................ 4 Purpose Statement and Theoretical Framework ............................................................. 6 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 7 Brief Explanation of the Methods ................................................................................... 8 Limitations of the Study................................................................................................ 10 Definitions of Terms ....................................................................................................