An Analysis of Middle School Students Physical Education Physical Activity Preferences

The idea of providing student's choice over curricular offerings in physical education has gained a considerable amount of attention in recent years. The purpose of this study was to determine which physical education activities middle school students would like to have included in the yearly curriculum and if there were differences in responses based on gender, student motor skill competency, grade level, and participation in physical activities outside of regular school hours. Participants included 881 students enrolled in physical education at two middle schools in one school district. Students completed a survey that included a demographic section, a list of activities pertinent to middle school physical education, and two additional lines so students would have the option of writing in additional activities of interest. One teacher from each school administered all of the surveys for their school and ranked students according to their motor skill competency. Of the 33 activities listed on the survey Chi-square analysis revealed significant differences for 21 activities by gender, 10 activities by skill level, 11 activities by grade, and 12 activities by after school sport/activity participation. Students wrote in an additional 30 activities not included on the survey checklist. Results demonstrate the importance of considering multiple factors including gender, skill, grade, and after school sport/activity participation when making decisions on curricular offerings for middle school physical education.