Investigation of Fitness Education Model s Implementation Effects

Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.7, No. (Mar. ) 7~8 NATIONAL TAIPEI TEACHERS COLLEGE 7 Investigation of Fitness Education Model s Implementation Effects Min-hua Chung * ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study was to investigate the fitness education model implementation in a real physical education teaching setting. Specifically, this study focused on the cultivation of future exercise habits and the difficulty factors in a self-designed and self-implemented fitness program. A physical educator with seven-year teaching experience, and sixty-four college students ( females; males) enrolled in an elective Physical Fitness course were the participants in this study. The semester duration was 8 weeks. Students met once a week for minutes. Teaching methods included teacher lectures, teaching aids, fitness testing, unit demonstrations and activities, student self-designed and self-implemented fitness program, and group or individualized discussions. The fitness test and questionnaires were administered on the second and last week of the semester. Dependent t-test, content analysis, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings of this study were: () cardio-respiratory endurance, abdominal strength and endurance, and flexibility were significantly improved after the course; () most students (76.6%) thought the Physical Fitness course was helpful to cultivate future exercise habits; () the self-designed fitness programs had four common difficulty factors: the control of intensity, the selection of exercise mode, awards and controls, and the arrangement of activity schedules; and () the self-implemented fitness programs had three common difficulty factors: laziness or too many excuses, unable to follow the activity schedule, and weather problem. Key words: curricula, fitness education model, real teaching setting * Min-hua Chung: Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education, National Taipei Teachers College

7 Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.7, No. (Mar. ) 7~8 NATIONAL TAIPEI TEACHERS COLLEGE Investigation of Fitness Education Model s Implementation Effects Min-hua Chung * INTRODUCTION Lack of physical activity is a common problem for people in modern sedentary lifestyles. Physical activity is a basic factor for the healthy lifestyle. It is a way to improve the quality and length of lifespan. Quality of life is focused on the balance and combination of numerous dimensions of life and not on the length of one s life. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (USDHHS, 6)has defined health-related quality of life as a person s satisfaction with the cognitive, physical, and emotional aspects of one s life. In school, fitness is often regarded as an important goal of physical education (Jewett, Bain, & Ennis, ). Generally, schools have been recognized as the primary organization for promoting physical activity in youth. Some researchers (Corbin, ; Sallis & McKenzie, ) have suggested that physical education classes should not only provide physical activity programs during school but should also prepare students for a lifetime of habitual physical activity. Physical education teachers must have knowledge in order to design the appropriate curriculum content to accomplish program objectives with a priority for fitness. What kinds of fitness knowledge are necessary for students? What are students impressions on fitness education model? Those are important factors and information for their instructor in planning course content. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of the fitness education model in a real teaching setting. Specifically, the study focused on the cultivation of future exercise habits, and the difficulty factors in a self-designed * Min-hua Chung: Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education, National Taipei Teachers College

Investigation of Fitness Education Model's Implementation Effects 7 and self-implemented fitness program. The research questions were:. What were the Physical Fitness course effects on improving fitness-testing scores?. Was the Physical Fitness course helpful in the cultivation of future exercise habits?. What was the most difficulty factor in a self-designed or self-implemented fitness program? METHOD Participants The participants of this study included a physical education teacher with seven-year teaching experience, and 6 students ( females and males). The student subjects enrolled in an elective Physical Fitness course in fall or spring semester. All subjects completed fitness testing pretests and posttests, and all the questionnaires. Student subjects characteristics are shown in table. Table Student Subjects Characteristics Gender Semester Age (years) M ± SD Age (years) M ± SD FALL.7 ±.8.6 ±.7 SPRING. ±.8.6 ±.8 Unit of instruction Instruction took place for one semester. The duration of a semester was eighteen weeks. Students met once a week for minutes. Information was provided to the students to understand the components of health-related physical fitness, body composition and its function, the knowledge about the relationship between health and physical activity, the different methods for maintaining or improving good health and body-building, the selection of sport equipment, sport injury, first aid, and other related issues. Teaching methods included teacher lectures, teaching aids, fitness test, unit of self-implemented fitness programs, and group or individualized discussions. The

7 Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.7, No. content of the entire course included about fifty percent of lecture and fifty percent practical activity. Fitness testing A fitness test battery from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan () was used to measure the students fitness status. Test items included: body composition (Body Mass Index;BMI), muscular fitness (-minute bent knees sit-up), cardio-respiratory endurance (eight-hundred-meter or sixteen-hundred-meter run-walk), and flexibility (modified sit-and-reach) tests. The testing was done on the second and last week of the semesters. Questionnaires Related literatures (Feng, ; Jewett, ; Jewett, Bain, & Ennis, ; Smith, ; Smith & Cestaro, ) were reviewed for designing the survey questionnaires. The questionnaires aimed to investigate the cultivation of future exercise habits and the difficulty factors in a self-designed and self-implemented fitness program. The survey questionnaires consisted of both close-form items and open-form items. It was administered to the participants in the second, seventeenth and last week of the semesters. The questions are shown in table. Table The Content of Questionnaires. Was the physical Fitness course helpful for cultivation of your future exercise habits? () yes () neutral () no. How many times did you exercise per week? () time () - times () times () times () more than times. How long did you spend in one exercise period? () less than min. () - min.() - min. () -6 min. () more than 6 min.. What was your perceived intensity of each exercise period? () very low () low () general () hard () very hard. What was the most difficulty factor in your self-designed fitness program? 6. What was the most difficulty factor in your self-implemented fitness program?

Investigation of Fitness Education Model's Implementation Effects 7 Self-designed fitness program In this study, the self-designed fitness program followed the suggestions of American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM, ). The suggestions for a progressive-resistance exercise were: () mode - use large muscle groups that can maintain continuous, rhythmic and aerobic activity during the workout; () intensity - keep the exercise pulse rate at -% of the maximum heart rate per minute; () duration - maintain the exercise for -6 minutes; and () frequency - participate in physical activity minimum three times of peer week. Data analysis Dependent t-test and descriptive statistics(mean, standard deviation and percentage)were used to analyze the data from close-form questions. The alpha level was set atα=.. The open-form questions were used content analysis to analyze the data. RESULTS Fitness testing Dependent t-test between pretests and posttests fitness scores showed significant improvement in cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular fitness and flexibility in both semesters. Body composition of the fall semester subjects was negatively significant, and those of spring semester were insignificant. These t-test values are presented in table :

76 Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.7, No. Table Fitness Testing t-test Value Items Gender M ±SD t-value M ±SD t-value t-value FALL Cardio-respiratory Muscular fitness Flexibility Body composition -. ±8.6. ±..8 ±.. ±. -..6.6.67* -. ±.66. ±.6.6 ±.. ±.67 -.8*.7*.6*.* -.*.*.6*.7* SPRING Cardio-respiratory Muscular fitness Flexibility Body composition -. ±.. ±.6. ±. -. ±.6 -.7.6.6 -.6 -.8 ±.77 8. ±.6. ±.6 -. ±.7-6.*.6*.* -. -6.6*.6*.6* -. * p <. Cultivation of future exercise habits Most students (76.6%) thought the Physical Fitness course was helpful for them to cultivate future exercise habits, especially for the students in spring semester. The cultivation of future exercise habits were shown in table -. Table - The Cultivation of Future Exercise Habits Semester Fall Spring Gender Items Yes Neutral No 6 (%) 66.7. (%) 7.8 7.8. (%) (%) 6 (%) 76.6..

Investigation of Fitness Education Model's Implementation Effects 77 Exercise frequency In the fall semester, the rate of exercise of more than -times for males before and after the courses were.% and.%, the rate of exercise of more than -times for females before and after the courses were.7% and 7.8%. In the spring semester, the rate of exercise of more than -times for males before and after the courses were 66.7% and %, the rate of exercise of more than -times for females before and after the courses were.% and 6.%. The number of times exercising in a week are presented in table -. Gender Items FALL times - times times times more than times SPRING times - times times times more than times Table - The Number of Times Exercising in a Week Before the course After the course..... 66.7 7 7. 6.. 8.7..8.... 66.7. 7... 8.7 8.7.. 8..8 Exercise Duration In the fall semester, the rate of exercise of more than -minute for males before and after the courses were 66.6% and 88.%, the rate of exercise of more than -minute for females before and after the courses were 6.6% and 6.%. In the spring semester, the rate of exercise of more than -minute for males before and

78 Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.7, No. after the courses were 66.6% and %, the rate of exercise of more than -minute for females before and after the courses were.% and 7.8%. The duration of one exercise period is shown in table -. Gender Items FALL Less than - - -6 more than 6 SPRING less than - - -6 more than 6 Table - The Duration of One Exercise Period Before the course After the course........ 6 8 7 6 6. 7..7 7. 7. 7. 7.6..7...6. 6 6 7 8.7 6...7...7... Exercise Intensity In the fall semester, the rate of exercise more than general perceived intensity for males before and after the courses were 77.7% and 77.7%, the rate of exercise more than general perceived intensity for females before and after the courses were.% and 6.%. In the spring semester, the rate of exercise more than general perceived intensity for males before and after the courses were % and %, the rate of exercise more than general perceived intensity for females before and after the courses were.7% and 6.%. The perceived intensity of each exercise period is presented in table -.

Investigation of Fitness Education Model's Implementation Effects 7 Gender Items FALL Very low Low General Hard Very hard SPRING Very low Low General Hard very hard Table - The Perceived Intensity of Each Exercise Before the course After the course..... 6 8 6.7 6. 7..8 8...7..... 66.7 7 8.7.7 6. 8.7..... Self-designed Fitness Program The most difficulty factor in the self-designed fitness program for fall semester was the control of intensity, and in the spring semester was the selection of mode. The difficulty factors in the self-designed fitness program are shown in table. Table Semester Rank order The Difficulty factors in the Self-designed Fitness Program FALL SPRING The control of intensity Awards and controls The selection of exercise mode The arrangement of activity schedules The assessment of self-fitness status The selection of exercise mode The control of intensity Awards and controls The arrangement of activity schedules Facilities and equipment

8 Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.7, No. Self-implemented Fitness Program The most difficulty factor in the self-implemented fitness program in the fall and spring semesters were laziness or too many excuses. The difficulty factors in the self-implemented fitness program are shown in table 6. Table 6 The Difficulty Factors in the Self-implemented Fitness Program Semester FALL SPRING Rank order Laziness or too many excuses Too much assignment Wouldn t follow the activity schedule Weather problem Inability to reach the set goal Laziness or too many excuses Wouldn t follow the activity schedule Weather problem The actualization of control The control of intensity DISCUSSIONS The students who participated in this course made significant progress on cardio-respiratory endurance, abdominal strength and endurance, and flexibility tests. Previous studies (Jewett, ; Smith, ) showed similar results. However, the body composition result did not change due to the short duration of the fitness program. This indicated that reducing body weight must be combined with a longer term planning of physical activity, behavioral modification, and diet. Physical activity is a behavior that should be implemented into the daily lives of everyone. Physical activity behavior patterns could be modified and increased through effective and systematic strategies. Therefore, fitness knowledge and exercise methods should be taught to teenagers as well as other ages for development of health conscious individuals. Cultivation of future exercise habits is an important goal for physical education classes. It was a good sign that students were able to increase their exercise frequency, duration, and intensity while participating in this Physical Fitness course.

Investigation of Fitness Education Model's Implementation Effects 8 In the Study by Jewett (), teenage subjects showed contrasting findings. It appeared that fitness knowledge was more accepted by adults than by teenagers. Designing a personal fitness program required adequate knowledge about fitness and familiarity with activities. Undoubtedly, the ability to design a suitable personal fitness program was the outcome of this Physical Fitness course. Through this learning procedure, students acquired knowledge to assess their fitness status and select a suitable mode to meet individual fitness goal. It was found that the control of intensity was the biggest problem when an educator designs a personal fitness program. Heart rate or pulse rate is an easy and convenient way to monitor the exercise intensity. The skill for monitoring heart rate should be taught to the students and practiced constantly to solve this problem. The implementation of a personal fitness programs is the responsibility of the individual. In order to in-participate of their fitness program, one has to integrate their lifestyle management, goal setting, and self-assessment skill. The ability to maintain an active lifestyle served as a check for the personal decision-making and self-management health skills. CONCLUSIONS The Physical Fitness course involved students with lectures and activities for a semester. There were some changes in their physical tests and exercise habits cultivation. The following conclusions were:. cardio-respiratory endurance, abdominal strength and endurance, and flexibility were significantly improved after the course;. most students (76.6%) thought that the Physical Fitness course was helpful to cultivate future exercise habits. There was an increase in exercise frequency, duration, and intensity after the course;. the self-designed fitness programs had four common difficulty factors: the control of intensity, the selection of mode, awards and controls, and the arrangement of activity schedules;. the self-implemented fitness programs had three common difficulty factors: laziness or too many excuses, wouldn t follow the activity schedule, and weather

8 Journal of National Taipei Teachers College, Vol.7, No. problem. REFERENCES American College of Sports Medicine (). Guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger. Corbin, C. B. (). The fitness curriculum: Climbing the stairway to lifetime fitness. In R. R. Pate. & R. C. Hohn (Eds.), Health and fitness through physical education (pp. -66). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Jewett, A. E. (). Chestnut hill community school behavioral fitness education project. University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Jewett, A. E., Bain, L. L., & Ennis, C. D. (). The curriculum process in physical education (nd ed.). Benchmark, Iowa: Brown. Feng, C. L. (). Theory and practice in health-related fitness. Taipei, Taiwan: Han-Wen (in Chinese). Ministry of Education in Taiwan (). The physical fitness testing items in Taiwan. Taipei, Taiwan: Ministry of Education (in Chinese). Sallies, J. F., & McKenzie, T. L. (). Physical education s role in public health. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 6 (), -7. Smith, K. T. (). High school fitness units-teaching lifetime skills. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 6, 6-7. Smith, K. T., & Cestaro, N. (). Teaching health/fitness concepts to elementary students- A modular strategy. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 66, 6-7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.(6). Physical activity and health: A report of the surgeon general. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA.

國立臺北師範學院學報, 第十七卷第一期 ( 九十三年三月 )7~8 國立臺北師範學院 8 體適能教育模式課程之實施成效探討 * 鐘敏華 摘 要 本研究主要探討體適能教育模式課程於通識課程實際教學情境之實施成效與問題, 尤其著重於探討自我設計及實施體適能活動設計表與運動習慣養成之問題 花蓮師範學院大學二 三年級選修 身體健康管理 (Physical Fitness) 通識課程之 6 位學生為本研究之受試者, 共 位男生及 位女生完成課程內容與測驗, 此通識課程為一學期 8 週, 每週一次 每次上課時間為 分鐘 教學方式包含有 : 教師講授與活動示範 相關講義 體適能檢測 小組討論或師生討論 及體適能活動設計與實施 體適能檢測與問卷調查於第二週及學期之最後一週實施, 結果資料分析採描述統計 內容分析與 t 檢定, 本研究之結果有 :. 經過一學期之 身體健康管理 課程教授與活動, 受試者的肌力 肌耐力 心肺耐力 與柔軟度皆有顯著進步. 有 76.6 %的學生認為 身體健康管理 的授課內容及方法, 能協助他們養成規律運動習慣. 自我設計體適能活動時, 面臨的困難因素有 : 運動強度的控制 運動項目的選擇 獎賞激勵方式的選取 及運動時間的安排等. 實際去操作自我設計之體適能活動時, 面臨之較困難因素有 : 懶惰或藉口太多 無法遵照安排之運動時間做運動 及天氣不好等 關鍵字 : 課程 體適能教育模式 實際教學情境 * 鐘敏華 : 國立臺北師範學院體育學系副教授

8 國立臺北師範學院學報, 第十七卷第一期