Physical_Fitness_08

Stephanie, Debra, Jason and Melissa
 * Team Research Design**
 * Introduction:**

What do we actually get from a quality education? In today's educational society heavy emphasis is directed toward state testing and national standards. Focus has centered on the core academic areas, such as Math, Science, Social Studies and English. However, the benefits of a quality physical education program are widely recognized. The question remains does physical education directly link to higher achievement levels in students? The following research intends to examine this relationship.

Is there a statistically significant difference in academic achievement, as measured by GPA, of students who attended high schools that mandated physical education and those students who attended high schools that did not? There will be no statistically significant difference in academic achievement between the two groups.
 * Research Question**
 * Null Hypothesis:**

Students who attended high schools that mandated physical education will have a better achievement academically compared to those who did not receive physical education.
 * Directional Hypothesis:**

There will be a statistically significant difference in academic achievement between students who attended high schools that mandated physical education and those students who attended high schools that did not.
 * Non-Directional Hypothesis:**

mandated physical education
 * Independent Variable:**

student achievement as measured by GPA
 * Dependent Variable:**

Research indicates that physical activity programs are justified due to positive changes in physiology and the self-esteem of students. Physical activity programs have been found to be important in the reduction of chronic disease such as, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and some types of cancer (Center for Disease Control[CDC], 2004).
 * Literature Review:**

The appropriate amount of Physical Activity recommended by the American College of Sport Medicine(ACSM) for adults is 30 minutes of moderately intense cardiovascular exercise per day, five days per week or vigorous or intense cardiovascular exercise 20 minutes per day three days per week (ACSM). The U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for youth are one hour of vigorous exercise per day (CDC, 2004)  With an increase in students participation in physical education we can help students gain the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need to engage in lifelong physical activities and help increase the number of school districts trying to obtain the two national health objections for 2010 and obtain the national standards for physical education.

There is an ongoing debate whether quality physical education programs enhance academic performance or detract from core academic subjects. Research and experimental studies show that exercise and physical activity programs are justified due to their physical benefits (Tremarche, Robinson, & Graham, 2007). However, the current push on mandated state testing has raised concerns whether instructional time should be reorganized to provide more academic instruction for core subject areas such as Math, Science, Social Studies and English (Wilkins et al., 2003). The question remains as to “the impact of movement on brain function with regard to academic achievement” (Tremarche et al., 2007, p. 59). A study by Wilkins et al. (2003) collected survey data from 547 elementary school principals that indicated the amount of time set aside for art, music, and physical education in their schools. The study found no meaningful relationship between time allocation to art, music, and physical education and academic achievement. Data from the study also suggested that students in schools who have art, music and physical education programs may actually do better on standardized tests. A study of sixth grade students in a western Michigan Public School found that although students enrolled in physical education class did not perform academically better that those who had an extra 55 minutes of class time, decreased class time did not render lower academic performance (Coe, Pivarnik, Womack, Reeves, & Malina, 2006). These studies suggest that reducing time in physical education has yet to be warranted as an effective strategy to improve standardized test scores. The question remains, does physical education help to increase academic achievement? A study by Tremarche et al. (2007) looked at the impact that increased physical education time has on the Massacheusettes Comprehensive System (MCAS) standardized scores. The purpose of the study was to analyze the means of the Mathematics and the English and Language Arts (ELA) scores on the MCAS of fourth grade students in two schools. Each school allocated different hours each school year towards physical education. Findings showed that students in school two, who received more hours of physical education, scored significantly higher on the ELA test. The mean math score for school one and school two revealed no significant difference. This study showed that students who receive more hours of physical education can score higher on certain subject areas of the MCAS test. The study mentioned earlier by Coe et al. (2006) was designed to determine the effects physical education has on middle school children’s academic achievement. The amount of physical activity performed by the students did not affect academic achievement. However students who “either performed or met Healthy People 2010 guidelines for vigorous activity [outside of school], had significantly higher grades than students who performed no vigorous activity in both semesters” (p. 1515). This study shows that although physical education is not significantly linked to higher levels of academic achievement, higher grades were associated with vigorous physical activity suggesting that “a potential role may exist for vigorous activity in physical education classes” (p. 1519). Consistent with those findings, a study by King et al. (2005) indicated that the major predictors of children's academic performance were better cognitive functioning and fewer difficulties with respect to hyperactivity and inattention. These were equally strong predictors, each accounting for about 10% of the variance in academic performance. These child variables were more important predictors of academic outcome than were environmental or family variables or indicators of the child's physical health status. This idea of vigorous activity and its effect on academic achievement is also looked at in a research study by Larry Stephens and Laura Schaben (2002). This study compared academic achievement levels of students who participated in at least one interscholastic sport (athletes) and those students who did not (nonathletes). The results of the study showed that athletes had significantly higher GPAs than nonathletes and as participation increased, GPAs improved. Athletes were also found to have significantly higher math scores on the California Achievement Test (CAT). In other words, involvement in interscholastic sports seems to enhance academic performance. The research above shows that vigorous physical activity is linked to higher physical activity in school age children. One study showed that an increase in physical activity is directly related to a higher level of self-esteem and higher academic achievement. Why do athletes perform better academically than nonathletes? Does physical education enhance brain function? Do students who are physically active receive higher grades because they are active or because of something innate? The research above does not directly focus on the link between physical education classes and academic achievement. More research is warranted to see if this link exists.

Research Design:** This is a Quantitative Study:
 * Methods:

X O ___

C O

X = Treatment (mandated physical education) C = Control group (no physical education) O = Test (GPA)

We will use a random sample of 800 RI high school students from grades 9 through 12. Half of the sample (400) will be enrolled in three high schools that do not mandate physical education in their program. The other half (400) will be enrolled in three high schools that mandate physical education in their program. The students who are participating in this study, will be randomly sampled from high schools throughout the state of Rhode Island. The grade point average will be compared between the two groups to see if physical education has an impact on academic performance.
 * Sample:**

In this quantitative study we will be collecting student transcripts with class information and grade point averages (G.P.A.) from all students in the sample upon graduation of high school.
 * Data Collection**

A t-test will be used to compare the GPAs to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between the treatment and the control group. We will set the level of risk at p<0.05.
 * Data Anaysis:**


 * Validity and Reliability**

Internal Validity Threats: 

//History: //Some students may attend after school physical education activities at  centers such as the YMCA or other local community centers. This threat  should be solved by the use of a control group. The control group is also subject to these events.  //Mortality: // Because of the length of the study, some students may drop out of the program before the study is finished. This threat is solved by the use of <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">a control group with similar mortality. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">//<span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Maturation: //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Some students may mature at a different rate than others and perform  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">better in classes. This threat is solved by the use of a control group. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">//<span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Selection:  //<span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Because there can be no random assignment between the treatment and  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">control groups there may be a bias in the results. A factor may exist that causes the same effect as participation in physical education.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">Because of our large random sampling size we should be able to achieve a normal sampling distribution. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">By using a control group, we should be able to eliminate most of our internal threats to the validity of the study. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">
 * <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">Strength of Design **

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">By utilizing the GPA we should be able to analyze our results quickly and accurately.


 * Weakness of Design** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">Because of the size and centralization of our sampling, we will not be able to generalize the results to a larger population. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">As mention before, we can have no random assignment in our groups because three of the schools require physical education and three do not. The results of our study may be bias. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">Some qualitative research may be useful in this study. By observing students lives outside of classes and interviewing them and their parents on a continual basis until we reach the point of saturation we may find how students’ performance in school may be affected by outside events. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> References: Coe, D. P., Pivarnik, J. M., Womack, C. J., Reeves, M. J., & Malina, R. M. (2006). Effect of  Physical Education and Activity Levels on Academic Achievement in Children. //Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise//. 38(8), 1515-1519.   Stephens, L. J., & Schaben, L. A. (2002). The Effect of Interscholastic Sports  Participation on Academic Achievement of Middle Level School Students. //NASSP Bulletin//. 86(630), 34-41.   Tremarche, P. V., Robinson, E. M., & Graham, L. B. (2007). Physical Education and Its Effect on Elementary Testing Results. //Physical Educator//. 64(2),58-64.   Wilkins, J. L. M., Graham, G., Parker, S., Westfall, S., Fraser, R. G., & Tembo, M. (2003). Time  in the Arts and Physical Education and School Achievement. //Journal of Curriculum Studies//. 35(6), 721-734.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2010 (conference ed., 2 vols). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000.

King, G., McDougall, J., DeWitt, D., Hong, S., Miller, L., Offord, D., Meyer, K., LaPorta, J.(2005). Pathways to Chidlren's Academic Performance and Prosocial Behavior; Roles of Physical Health Status, Environmental, Family, and Child Facotrs. //International Journal of Disability, Development and Education//.v52 n4 p313-344.

American College of Sports Medicine, Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines for Healthy Adults under age 65.


 * Collaborative Effort**

Melissa: Literature Review. Editing, Sample, Introduction and Research Question Stephanie: Literature Review, Editing, Sample, Introduction and Research Question Debra: Sample and Data Collection, Introduction, Editing and Research Question. Jason: Hypotheses, Editing, Sample, Validity and Reliability and Strength of Design.

** Well done, team. This is a thorough and well-designed proposal. Consider the possibility that the presence of a mandated phys ed program probably means a more resource-rich school, which could support lots of other variables that could also explain higher GPA's. References should be listed alphabetically by the first author's last name. Great job!

25/25 **

<<EDC 529 - Summer 2008