In physical education teacher education (PETE), we spend our careers preparing future educators to lead with care, clarity, and purpose. But what happens when we are asked to cross the boundary from teacher educator into academic leader? Many of us hesitate—sometimes for good reason. Leadership brings institutional politics, budget pressures, and uncomfortable conversations that don’t exactly appear in our doctoral training.
Physical education (PE) has long been championed as a lever for healthier, more active kids—but how much extra movement does PE really buy, and what happens once the weekend rolls around? A six-week study of 221 U.S. middle school students wearing wrist accelerometers offers some clear signals for teachers, parents, and policymakers. Below is a concise look at the findings, followed by a deeper dive into the results and discussion.
Key takeaways
School days—PE or not—beat Sundays hands down. Students logged roughly 2,100–2,450 more steps on PE and regular school days than on Sundays.
Activity fades fast after the first week. A novelty spike in Week 1 (when students first received the devices) was followed by a steady decline of about 1,350 steps by Week 6.
Girls hit national step targets only on PE days. The 11,000-step benchmark was met (or nearly met) five of six PE days, but rarely on non-PE or weekend days; boys never reached their 13,000-step goal.
Weekends are the weak link—especially Sundays. Three-quarters of weekend days fell below the 10,000–11,700-step range linked to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Eighthgraders and allgirl classes lag behind. The oldest cohort recorded the lowest activity, and an allfemale PE class clocked 3,900–5,000 fewer steps than peers.
Less PE time, less progress. None of the participating schools met the recommended 225 minutes of PE per week; most offered just 90–150 minutes.
Results in focus
Overall steps and daytype differences
Across 12 classes, daily steps ranged from a high of 14,651 on Week 1 non-PE days to a low of 8,536 on a Week 5 Sunday. A repeated-measures ANOVA confirmed a significant main effect for Type of Day: students were considerably more active on non-PE and PE days than on Sundays (mean difference ≈ 2,150–2,450 steps, p < .05). Saturdays fell between the two extremes and did not differ significantly from weekdays.
Time trend
Week 1 enthusiasm inflated activity counts—likely a “gadget effect” as students experimented with the accelerometers. By Week 5 and Week 6, average steps had dropped by 1,140 and 1,353, respectively (p < .05).
Sex and grade-level patterns
Although boys typically take more steps, sex differences were not statistically significant overall. The important nuance: girls met or neared the 11,000-step guideline on five of six PE days but seldom elsewhere, underscoring PE’s outsized role for adolescent girls. Eighth-graders posted the lowest counts, echoing broader evidence that activity declines with age.
The Sunday slump
Sundays were the least active, mirroring prior research that links the day to limited organized sport options and more sedentary screen time. The authors suggest schools and communities compensate by bolstering weekday PE and afterschool programs.
Discussion highlights
PE’s protective effect, especially for girls. When PE was on the timetable, girls reliably crossed the 11,000-step threshold; without it, they rarely did. As daily PE declines nationally, this finding rings alarm bells for equity in activity opportunities.
Weekend interventions are essential. Because 75 % of weekend days failed to reach MVPA-equivalent steps, after-school or community programs, particularly on Sundays, could plug a major activity gap.
Technology’s motivational fizz. The Week 1 surge hints that wearables can spark movement—but only briefly. Curricula that weave accelerometer feedback into lessons (e.g., the study’s F.I.T. unit) or gamify long-term goals may help sustain interest.
All-girl PE requires careful design. The single-sex class trailed mixed peers at every measurement, aligning with earlier studies showing less MVPA in girls-only settings. More engaging, choice rich curricula could counteract this dropoff.
Bottom line
A single PE lesson won’t fix adolescent inactivity, but it clearly nudges the needle—particularly for girls. The bigger challenge is extending that momentum beyond the gym and into weekends, where activity plummets. Schools can start by protecting PE minutes, embedding wearable tech in lessons, and partnering with community programs to make Sundays as active as Wednesdays.
Full Article:
Marttinen, R., Fredrick III, R., & Silverman, S. (2018). Middle school students’ free-living physical activity on physical education days, non-physical education days, and weekends. Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 7(1), 5-12. https://doi.org/10.26773/mjssm.180301
This blog post was written with the assistance of AI to support clarity and accessibility. It is intended to help disseminate and discuss research findings with a broader audience. However, for the most accurate and reliable information—including conclusions and practical applications—please refer to the original peer-reviewed publication on which this blog is based. The peer-reviewed article remains the most authoritative source.
Physical education is more than games and movement—it’s about equipping students with the knowledge and habits for lifelong health. But here’s the hard truth: many in-service PE teachers lack the foundational knowledge to teach health-related fitness effectively. A recent study published in the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education by Jose Santiago and colleagues shines a spotlight on this issue, and the findings should make every PE teacher and teacher educator pause.
Introduction
How quickly can a student’s feelings about physical education (PE) change? In 2018 with some colleagues we set out to answer exactly that by following 221 U.S. middle‑schoolers through a six‑week fitness‑focused unit. Using the validated Student Attitude toward Physical Education (SAtPE) instrument, we captured attitudes at the start and end of the unit, then drilled into the numbers to see what moved—and who was most affected. Our findings offer guidance for PE teachers designing units that keep students engaged and active.
Key Takeaways
Attitudes are malleable, and can dip quickly.
Total attitude toward PE fell significantly from pre‑test to post‑test over only six weeks (η² = .18).
Older students are less enthusiastic.
Sixth‑graders started—and ended—the unit with notably higher attitude scores than seventh‑ and eighth‑graders, confirming a grade‑related decline seen in prior research.
Gender matters, but not uniformly.
While boys and girls began with similar overall attitudes, boys’ scores (especially on “Enjoyment”) dropped sharply; girls’ remained virtually unchanged, leading to a significant time × gender interaction.
Enjoyment and curriculum usefulness drive attitude.
The sub‑factors “Curriculum Enjoyment” and “Curriculum Usefulness” were the strongest predictors of overall attitude and showed the biggest shifts, spotlighting the power of meaningful, engaging content.
Written work and tech can be double‑edged swords.
The unit wove in accelerometer data, math/ELA integrations, and written assignments. We speculate these elements may have appealed to some students (girls) while dampening enthusiasm in others (boys), hinting that how we blend academic tasks with activity matters.
Results in Focus
Overall Attitude Scores
Class‑level analyses showed a statistically significant drop in total attitude from pre‑test to post‑test (mean decline ≈ 2.5 points on a 100‑point scale). Although the average still sat in the “positive” range, the movement was large enough to raise concern, especially given the brief time frame.
Age‑Related Patterns
Pre‑test scores ranged from 84 among sixth‑graders to 73 among eighth‑graders, and the gap persisted post‑test. The linear slide echoes long‑standing evidence that enthusiasm for PE wanes with age—and it did so even within a single marking period.
Gender Dynamics
The headline finding was a significant time × gender interaction (η² = .20). Boys’ total attitude fell from 77.5 to 72.8, driven largely by a seven‑percent drop in “Enjoyment,” while girls hovered around 76 throughout. Sub‑factor analysis pinpointed two areas:
Curriculum Usefulness (CU)—boys dipped; girls rose slightly.
Teacher Enjoyment (TE)—boys dipped; girls rose slightly.
These divergent trajectories suggest the same lessons resonated differently by gender, reinforcing the need for nuanced unit planning.
Discussion Highlights
Attitude can change fast.
The study is among the first to document real‑time attitude shifts across one unit, confirming that six weeks is long enough for perceptions to move meaningfully, for better or worse.
Why the boys’ slump?
We propose that the unit’s written components and discussion‑heavy format may have clashed with boys’ expectations of PE as mostly “playtime,” eroding enjoyment. This aligns with earlier work showing boys’ enjoyment is tightly linked to continuous activity, whereas girls often value varied learning formats.
Curriculum relevance is critical.
Because “Curriculum Enjoyment” and “Usefulness” predicted attitude most strongly, teachers should avoid repetitive drill‑and‑play cycles and instead design experiences that feel novel, relevant, and skill‑building each year.
Implications for practice.
Mix movement with meaning. Integrate fitness knowledge and cross‑curricular tasks, but embed them in active, game‑like challenges to keep energy high.
Differentiate by subgroup. Offer choice boards or parallel tasks so boys and girls (and other subgroups) can engage in ways that match their motivations.
Monitor attitude, not just activity. Quick pre‑/post questionnaires can flag declining enthusiasm early, allowing mid‑unit course corrections.
Final Word
Student attitude is a moving target—one that can swing noticeably during a single PE unit. By tracking not just steps or skill gains but how students feel about class, educators can pivot swiftly, ensuring PE remains a place where every student, regardless of age or gender, wants to move, learn, and return tomorrow.
Full Article:
Marttinen, R., Fredrick, R., & Silverman, S. (2018). Changes in student attitude toward physical education across a unit of instruction. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 18(1), 62-70. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2018.01008
This blog post was written with the assistance of AI to support clarity and accessibility. It is intended to help disseminate and discuss research findings with a broader audience. However, for the most accurate and reliable information—including conclusions and practical applications—please refer to the original peer-reviewed publication on which this blog is based. The peer-reviewed article remains the most authoritative source.
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We discuss research, theory and current issues in the fields of health and physical education in an easy to understand way. Our aim is to make research accessible to educators and university students from all over the globe.
