Enhancing Knowledge and Values in Physical Education Through Concept-Based Lessons

Background/Purpose: Physical inactivity and obesity rates rise during early adolescence. While physical education (PE) provides an important role to promote relevant knowledge and skills necessary to sustain a physically active lifestyle, students lack proper knowledge and view PE as the least important subject. This study aimed to examine the effects of using concept-based lessons to promote adolescent energy balance knowledge and task values of PE.

Method: The participants included seventh graders from six classes, which were randomly assigned into either the experiment (N=51) or the comparison (N=49) group. The experiment group took 10 concept-based lessons focusing on energy balance and exercise principles, while the comparison group learned 10 traditional lessons focusing on sport skills and fitness. Pre and post measures of student knowledge and task values were collected at the beginning and the end of experiment. The knowledge test included 15 items on energy balance and exercise principles (Nelson et al, 2009), and task values were measured using an expectancy-value questionnaire (Eccles & Wigfield, 1995). ANCOVA and MANOVA with repeated measures were conducted to test the difference over time and between the groups in knowledge and task values.

Analysis/Results: Adolescents’ knowledge test scores improved for both groups. ANCOVA results showed (F= 18.64, p<.01, η² =.18) that the experiment group scored significantly higher than their comparison counterpart, controlling for the pretest. MANOVA showed that there was a significant between-subjects effect on attainment value (F=4.07, p< .047, η²= .04), but not significant effect on expectancy belief, intrinsic, or utility values. There was a significant interaction between group and pre-post measures for attainment value (F=2.47, p< .05, η²=.09), showing that the comparison group reported higher attainment value than the experiment group during the pretest; but after the experiment, attainment value declined for the comparison group, while it increased for the experiment group.

Conclusions: The findings suggested that the concept-based lessons were effective in improving adolescent knowledge in just 10 structured lessons with moderate effect (η²=.18). Further, adolescents in the experiment group viewed PE more importantly than they did before the experiment, comparing to a small non-significant decline in the comparison group. This finding is significant in that PE has struggled with lack of perceived importance in schools (Stodolsky et al., 1991). The findings also suggest that when PE lessons teach relevant knowledge, such as energy balance and exercise principles, students are likely to view the subject more importantly.