High School Activity Space Analysis for Physical Education and Athletics

Purpose

The indoor facilities utilized in high schools for physical education and athletic programs are foundational for the myriad of diverse programs they house. A high degree of shared activity space between these programs requires that administrators and planners consider both physical education and competitive athletics when creating these spaces. A lack of empirical research in the area of facility space allocation for physical education and athletics prompted this study. In particular, this study examines existing activity spaces in comparison to the perceptions that program leaders have about needed activity space. This information allowed for the development of recommendations for initial planning guidelines.

Methods

A stratified random sample by enrollment of 60 high schools from a Midwestern state was evaluated for activity space. Direct measurements of all existing activity spaces including high ceiling spaces, low ceiling spaces and pools were compiled and compared with space recommendations from each school's athletic director (AD) and physical education department chairperson (PEDC) collected via guided interviews.

Analysis/Results

Inadequate activity space was reported by 58.3% of ADs and 61.7% of PEDCs. An ANOVA of the mean square footage found no significant difference between the existing mean activity space of 33,443 square feet and the mean space recommended by the PEDCs of 37,705 square feet and the 38,195 mean square feet recommend by the ADs. Due to the lack of significant difference between the AD and PEDC space recommendations, a mean value of these recommended spaces was calculated for each school. These calculated AD/PEDC mean recommended space values were found to have a significant relationship to the school's total enrollment for total activity space, r = .779, p < .001, and for each of the three activity space components: high ceiling space, r = .673, p < .001, low ceiling space, r = .553, p < .001, and pool space, r = .793, p < .001. A regression analysis of these data created prediction equations for needed activity space in square footage as follows: total activity space = 32.19 x enrollment, high ceiling space = 22.59 x enrollment, low ceiling space = 5.20 x enrollment, and pool space = 7.21 x enrollment.

Conclusions

These equations can form a baseline during the initial facility planning phase in order to ensure that new high schools, as well as schools undergoing renovations, have adequate activity space for both their physical education programs and their athletic programs.