Background/Purpose: Physical activity participation has multiple health benefits. Implementation of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) can help youth increase physical activity minutes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the current practice and self-efficacy of physical education teachers toward implementing CSPAPs.
Method: Eighty-seven physical education teachers (males = 21) volunteered to complete the CSPAP Index (Centeio & Castelli, 2011; Lounsbery et al., 2010) to determine their current level of implementation. Efficacy was measured in five separate subscales (student, space, time, institution, and during school; Martin & Kulinna, 2003). Participants included: (a) CSPAP professional development participants, (b) Teacher of the Year (TOY) award winners, and (c) practicing teachers.
Analysis/Results: Using a MANOVA, teacher efficacy and physical activity opportunities for children were compared by group and gender. A significant effect was found on the dependent variables by group, F(5,81) = 6.889, p<.001, partial h2 = .35. ANOVAs demonstrated that group significantly affected teacher efficacy subscales (student) F(2,81) =45.5, p<.001, h2 = .53, R2 = .58, (institution) F(2,81) =8.7, p<.001, h2 = .18, R2= .23 , and (during school) F(2,81) =33.9, p<.001, h2 = .46, R2 =.48. CSPAP training participants have significantly higher self-efficacy (p < .001) toward providing physical activity experiences over TOYs and other teachers. No differences were observed between groups by number of physical activity opportunities provided (p=.67).
Conclusions: CSPAP provides points of intervention to increase physical activity opportunities. Understanding teacher efficacy, by cohort, can contribute to the design of targeted professional development.
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