Background/Purpose: This study was informed by the body of knowledge on health promotion literature calling for America's schools and Physical Education (PE) programs to serve as intervention sites to remedy the current obesity epidemic (McKenzie & Kahan, 2008). It has become increasingly important to measure students' physical activity (PA) levels in PE programs when teachers use a particular curricular model. This study measured students' PA levels, lesson context, and teacher behaviors in classes where pre-service PE teachers implemented the Dynamic Physical Education (DPE) curricular model. This study is unique in that the DPE curriculum is taught to the teacher candidate throughout their physical education teacher education program (PETE).
Method: Participants were 11 pre-service PE teachers using DPE curricula and their elementary PE students. Data were collected using quantitative measures including; videotapes, and the direct observation instrument; System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT; McKenzie et al., 2001). Each pre-service teacher was observed across two lessons.
Analysis/Results: Initial analyses investigating students' PA levels, lesson context, and teacher behavior revealed students were often standing (46% of class time), and 32% of class time was spent in MVPA. Further, managerial activities (25%) and skill practice (25%) were the most frequently observed lesson context. Lastly, teachers were frequently promoting PA (67%) within PE lessons.
Conclusions: Although student PA levels did not meet the National standard of 50% of PE class time; teachers were promoting PA often throughout the lessons and this may be one of the most critical outcomes of PE programs.