Background/Purpose: Physical education instructors are encouraged to integrate academics into PE curriculum daily. There is limited research concerning the effectiveness of this methodology. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which integrating physical activity with academics enhances retention.
Methods: For this pilot study researchers utilized a control group pretest-posttest design. Participants were 83 third through fifth grade students who were randomly assigned to control or experimental groups. Participants were administered a pretest followed by a 20-minute activity bout. All participants then attended a Spanish terminology lesson conducted in the library. Groups were then allowed 28 minutes of study time. The control group engaged in a traditional study period and was encouraged to remain quiet. The experimental group participated in physical activities integrated with Spanish terminology. Activities included mimicking, Simon Says, relays, and Hokey Pokey. Three posttests were administered to all participants: upon returning to class, two hours after returning, and the following morning.
Analysis/Results: Data was analyzed using ANOVA with repeated measures. Analysis indicated a significant time effect for both groups (p=0.000) and a trend of higher scores for the treatment group (p=0.082). Although statistical significance was not achieved, it should be noted that the study sample size was small, and post hoc analyses revealed that a larger group size might have yielded statistical significance.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that physical activity integrated with academics may enhance retention. Additionally, integration activities may be beneficial to the classroom teacher as well as the physical education instructor.