KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST-GRADE STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICAL-EDUCATION IN ONE TEACHERS CLASSES

In order to gain a clearer understanding of how students learn from teaching, researchers must first examine how students perceive or assign meaning to instructional events. Students' (N = 104) perceptions of physical education were explored in this study. Data were collected in 2 kindergarten and 2 first-grade classes of 1 teacher over 4 months. Data sources included observations and field notes, student and teacher interviews, and student artwork. These were analyzed inductively. Students' definitions of instructional events incorporated content-related aspects of the subject matter as well as social constructs. The results support the notion that knowledge of the meanings students assign to events occurring in school is important for teachers to consider as they structure their classes.