Background/Purpose With decreasing interest levels of students in physical education and repetitive learning tasks that are often associated with the curriculum this study investigated the impact of non-traditional activities on Situational Interest (SI)(Deci, 1992). SI is a multi-faceted construct that derives from the relationship between a person and an activity. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to determine the impact of non-traditional activities in a traditional physical education environment on SI and its individual measures.
Method Seventh and Eighth grade middle school students (N=101) from three classes participated and completed the Situational Interest Scale (SIS)(Chen et al., 2001). Twelve students of varying activity levels were then randomly selected to participate in one-on-one interviews to further understand the influence of different activities on SI. Additional data were collected from interviews and field notes.
Analysis/Results A deductive approach to code, analyze, and categorize interview responses was used. The SIS was analyzed using a repeated measure MANOVA and Post Hoc test. Two relationships between measures emerged as playing an important role in the development of SI: (a) Instant Enjoyment and Attention Demand, and (b) Novelty and Exploration Intention. Results suggest that a curriculum that emphasizes variety, provides novel learning tasks, and utilizes activities that are high in cognitive and physical demand can enhance SI.
Conclusions Providing meaningful learning experiences in physical education is essential to enhancing the interest levels of students. Understanding the impact that non-traditional activities can have on SI is essential to the development of learning tasks in physical education.
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