Background/Purpose: Fitness education in K-16 programs has immediate and carryover effects on establishing patterns of physically active (PA). The objective of the study is to investigate how fitness education programs contribute to the development of lifetime PA patterns in the general population and specifically investigates the scope and sequence of fitness education programs that should be implemented in schools. This abstract focuses on the attainment of valid and reliable data analysis procedures within the large-scale project.
Method: To establish content domains and a working definition of fitness education, an extensive literature review and content analyses of state documents, textbooks, and fitness education programs were conducted. Through peer/team debriefing, artifacts were initially, collaboratively coded. Through multiple revisions a template of coding domains and subdomains were established.
Analysis/Results: Interrater reliability was evidenced by: (a) everyone (n = 12) coding the same state (83%), (b) two people scoring a single state (all >80%), and (c) test-rest reliability on a single state (80% - 86%). Frequency counts of the domains and subdomains by elementary, middle, and high school levels were calculated. Further data analysis was conducted by educational level and is outlined in subsequent abstracts. Data collection at the higher education level included the review and coding of syllabi from universities in all fifty states.
Conclusions: The process used to reduce and analyze these data was valid and reliable based on the interrater reliability scores. Regular peer and team debriefing sessions during analysis helped to support trustworthiness.
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