Background/Purpose Preservice classroom teachers (PCTs) enter the education profession as prospective agents of change in the health and well-being of our nation's children. An interdisciplinary approach titled, Physical Education Programming Infusion (PEPI) was incorporated into a required science methods course for PCTs. The objective of PEPI was to provide PCTs, the skills to integrate movement and healthy lifestyle knowledge into academic units. Movement integration is a promising strategy to increase the physical activity of children, but teachers are reluctant to embrace these pedagogical approaches. Using the transformative learning theory, the researchers examined changes in PCTs' beliefs about integrating movement into academics and in their personal behaviors relative to a healthy lifestyle.
Method Thirty-two PCTs participated in the weekly 30-minute PEPI within one semester. Qualitative, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 randomly selected PCTs (eight females and two males, ages 21 to 42) at the end of the PEPI.
Analysis/Results Using inductive analysis, major findings of the study are that the PCTs: (a) became more self-aware of their personal health behaviors, (b) made tangible changes to their lifestyles, (c) have stronger beliefs in movement integration, and (d) aspire to progressively work towards becoming role models to their students. Trustworthiness of the results was enhanced through participant observations and peer debriefing.
Conclusions In preparing teachers to become agents of change in the schools, helping them to be more self-aware of their lifestyles and taking actions to making personal changes is a priority. This will strengthen their beliefs in the benefits of integrating movement into academics.
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