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| Feature | No.65 October 2013 |

Teacher Pupil Relationships

Geri Conlin

Abstract

Studies show that pupils want physical education teachers who are caring, entertaining, participate with them, are good role models and have a positive relationship with them. In a similar vein university students say they want to become a physical educator because of a love of the subject matter and a desire to positively influence their own future pupils by being an active role model and by encouraging the development of pupil self esteem. Research including 1655 junior high school age pupils revealed that pupils who were taught, via 10 minute scripted DVD, by average-appearing female and both average- and overweight-appearing male teachers learned fitness concepts, considered the teacher an expert on fitness and participated in fitness activities, were motivated to participate in activity and considered physical activity important. Findings suggest that students taught by overweight female teachers may be at a disadvantage when learning about fitness concepts. Teachers can encourage their pupils to become physically literate when they are physically literate themselves, especially when they move competently and confidently.

Physical educators want to be influential in the lives of young people and to be physically active role models (O’Bryant, O’Sullivan & Raudensky, 2000). In a qualitative study conducted by O’Bryant et al. (2000) involving eight master’s degree students returning to school to become physical education teachers, five themes concerning the reasons students want to become physical educators emerged. The pre-service teachers want to help pupils know about the importance of physical activity, assist in the development of pupils’ self-esteem, be a healthy and active lifestyle role model and have an understanding of physical education content and pedagogical knowledge. The authors concluded that the pre-service teachers want to practice what they preach. These eight teachers seemed to recognize that physical literacy can only be achieved by their pupils when the pupils have knowledge and understanding of physical education concepts and are motivated to participate and confident enough in their own skills to participate in physical activity.

In another study (Conlin, unpublished), over 400 university students were asked why they had chosen to pursue higher education leading to a career in teaching physical education. The students answered with very few exceptions that they loved sport and they wanted to make an impact on pupil’s lives the way they have been positively influenced by their own teachers. Their teachers had helped them to become physically literate by encouraging their competence in movement skills and their confidence to perform those skills in an active setting.

University physical education majors, n = 73, were asked to identify characteristics of their most memorable and influential teachers from their education experience from age five to 18. These 181 memorable and influential characteristic responses were categorized and analyzed to find that 36% of the responses referred to their previous teachers showing a caring attitude toward the pupils. This caring attitude displayed by the teacher encouraged confidence in the pupils and the motivation to try physical activities as evident in those making progress on their physical literacy journey. Twenty-seven percent of the student responses referred to their teachers’ ability to be fun and entertaining, 22% referred to the teaching skills of the memorable teacher and only 6% referred to the knowledge the teachers processed. In order to promote physical literacy in pupils the teacher must encourage pupil confidence to perform movement skills.

In another unpublished study of 70 high school pupils, 35 girls and 35 boys, from seven different high schools, were asked how their physical education teacher modeled healthy behaviors. Thirty four responses suggested their teachers looked fit and another sixteen pupils said their teachers did not model healthy behaviors in any way. Sixty of the pupils said it was easy to teach physical education and 64 said their physical education teacher did not work as hard as their other teachers. Another interesting finding in the study showed that 66% of the pupils suggested that teachers should retire if they no longer participate in activities with their pupils. It seems that pupils may be motivated to learn movement skills when their teacher participates with them using those same skills thus becoming physically literate. Another 29% of the pupils said physical education teachers should retire when they no longer have a positive relationship with their pupils. In another study where pupils were asked about their physical education teachers, Melville and Maddalozzo (1988) surveyed 850 high school pupils and found that the pupils felt that physical education teachers should be good role models.

In studies related to teachers as role models, both Rice (1988) and Ryan, Fleming and Maina (2003) found that teachers are not poor role models and that pupils liked that teachers participated with the pupils. Pupil activity was found to be influenced by the active lifestyle of the teacher (McTeer & White, 1991). Pupils were found to be more active when the teachers provided a role model for fitness (Senne et al., 2006). Pupils identify their teachers as role models of physical activity when the teachers participate with the pupils in the classroom (Conlin, unpublished).

It appears from these few studies that pupils want physical education teachers who are caring, entertaining, participate with their pupils, are good role models and have a positive relationship with pupils. These qualities are in some ways similar to the reasons university students gave for their desire to become a teacher of physical education: love of the subject matter and a desire to positively influence their own future pupils by being an active role model and by encouraging the development of pupil self esteem. Teachers can encourage their pupils to become physically literate when they are physically literate themselves, especially when they move competently and confidently.

Overweight and obesity rates have been on the increase in the United States for over 30 years, with a current obesity prevalence of 35.5% among adult men and 35.8% among adult women (Centers for Disease Control, 2010; Flegal et al., 2012). As a result school aged youth regularly see as many as 1 in 3 adults who do not represent a healthy weight. Thus, it has become increasingly important that adults working in physical activity settings represent healthy appearing role models (National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), 2010). With the increasing adult obesity prevalence in the United States the question of the importance of an active healthy role model for youth is raised. The effectiveness of role models in producing behavior change has been demonstrated using Social Cognitive Theory [SCT] (Bandura, 1997). The SCT suggests that human behaviors change through observation of the actions and consequences of others’ behaviors and therefore, within SCT, there is a strong need for a credible role model of the behavior targeted for change (Glanz, 2002).

A study of 1655 junior high school physical education pupils examined if junior high school pupils’ scores on a test of aerobic fitness concepts changed differently when aerobic fitness content was delivered by average-appearing and overweight-appearing female and male Physical Education teachers on a 10 minute DVD. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine pupils’ perception of the teachers as experts on fitness concepts, looking physically fit, regularly participating in fitness activities, if they would like having the teacher as a Physical Education teacher and to determine the pupils’ motivation to be physically active, their expectation to be physically active and their perceptions of the importance of being physically active and their like of physical education after viewing the average and overweight-appearing teachers. Pupils in the 7th-9th grades from eight different schools were randomly assigned to view one of four DVDs showing a female or male teacher either average or overweight appearing.

The female and male teachers had average (± 1.5 inches) waist, mid-upper arm and thigh circumference measurements as determined by measuring the waist circumference of a group of 20- to 30-year old physical education majors (26 female and 35 male), from three different university Physical Education Teacher Education programs and then calculating the sex-specific mean values for waist circumference, Table 1. Anthropometric Reference Data for the years 1999-2002 (McDowell, Fryar, Hirsch & Ogden, 2005) taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] percentile rankings for waist circumference were used to find the corresponding percentile rankings for upper arm and thigh circumferences. The average-appearing female and male teachers were recruited from a university undergraduate Physical Education Teacher Education program in a southwestern state in the United States from those who fit the average-appearing measurements. They were a 22-year old female and her 23-year old brother, Figure 1. They possessed similar hair color and facial appearance and expressions. Their overweight appearance was determined by finding the age- and sex-specific 95th percentile measures for waist, thigh and upper arm circumference using the NHANES data as reported in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Anthropometric Reference Data for the years 1999-2002 (McDowell, Fryar, Hirsch & Ogden, 2005). A ‘fat suit’, as is typically used in theatrical performances, was constructed and worn under their outer clothing to create an overweight appearance, Figure 2.

The aerobic fitness concept lecture was scripted from chapter four of the text, Fitness for Life, Middle School (Corbin, Lambdin & Le Masurier, 2007), and chapter four of Fitness for Life, Middle School, Teacher’s Guide (Le Masurier, Lambdin & Corbin, 2007). A 15-question, multiple-choices, aerobic fitness concepts knowledge test was created using questions taken from Fitness for Life, Middle School, Teacher’s Guide (Le Masurier et al., 2007) ancillary materials test question bank. The survey was constructed using similar statements from previous studies (Dean et al., 2005; Melville and Maddalozzo, 1988; Thomson, 1996). A total of eight statements were addressed requiring responses on a Likert scale (strongly agree -5, agree -4, not sure -3, disagree -2, strongly disagree -1). The eight statements included: 1) This Physical Education teacher is an expert on fitness concepts; 2) This Physical Education teacher looks physically fit; 3) This Physical Education teacher regularly participates in fitness activities; 4) I would like having this teacher as a Physical Education teacher; 5) After seeing this DVD, I am motivated to be physically active; 6) After seeing this DVD, I think it is important to be physically active; 7) After seeing this DVD, I expect to be physically active; and 8) After seeing this DVD, I like physical education.

Using the pretest scores as a covariate, unexpected ANCOVA results, Figure 3, show a significant main effect of teacher sex (p=.005) on the adjusted mean test score change from pretest to post-test. Based on previous studies (Melville & Maddalozzo, 1988; Dean et al, 2005; Thompson, 1996), it had been hypothesized that pupils viewing the overweight appearing teachers would not score as high as those pupils viewing teachers appearing as a role model of healthy activity. There was expected a significant main effect for teacher appearance rather than for teacher sex.

Using the survey questions, motivational responses toward the teachers as seen in ANOVA analysis show significant main effects for sex and significant appearance by sex interaction effects for the teacher being an expert on fitness concepts and for being liked, Table 2. There were significant main effects for appearance for the teacher being fit and for participating regularly in fitness activities and being liked. Using the survey questions, motivational responses toward physical activity as seen in ANOVA analysis show significant main effects for sex and for appearance and significant appearance by sex interaction effects for the motivation to be physically active, the expectation to be physically active, the perception of the importance of being physically active and liking physical education except the main effect for appearance for the expectation to be physically active. Tukey post hoc test results, Tables 3 and 4, show the significant main effects for sex were largely confined to the overweight female teacher.

Both research and university students remembering their own former influential teachers as well as high school pupils discussing their current physical education teachers lend insight to the relationships between secondary school pupils and physical education teachers in the United States. Teachers want to be influential in the lives of their students and share with them their love of sport and healthy activity. Pupils want their teachers to care about them, provide an entertaining learning atmosphere, participate in activities with them and develop positive relationships with them. Pupils also think it is easy to teach physical education and physical educators do not have to work as hard as teachers in other disciplines. Pupils have lower test scores, are less motivated to be physically active, have less expectation to be physically active, have fewer perceptions of the importance to be physically active and like physical education less when taught by an overweight appearing female teachers than by average appearing teachers and overweight male teachers. Overweight female teachers are not considered an expert on fitness and are not liked as much as average appearing teachers and overweight male teachers. Pupils think overweight appearing teachers are not fit and do not participate in fitness activities. Pupils like female teachers.

Though pupils seem to learn fitness related content from overweight appearing teachers they do not consider an overweight teacher a physically active role model and they are less motivated to engage in fitness related activities. This is especially true for overweight female teachers. Teachers who display their own physical literacy can better encourage their pupils toward physical literacy.

References

1. Bandura, A. (1997). Health promotion by social cognitive means. Health Education & Behavior, 31(2), 143-164.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010). U. S. obesity trends 1985-2010. Retrieved on May 14, 2012 from [http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/obesity_trends_2010.pdf]

3. Corbin, C. B., Lambdin, D. D., & Le Masurier, G. C. (2007). Fitness for life: Middle school. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

4. Dean, M. B., Adams, T. M., & Comeau, M. J. (2005). The effect of a female physical educator’s physical appearance on physical fitness knowledge and attitudes of junior high students. The Physical Educator, 62(1), 14-25.

5. Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Ogden, C. L. (2012). Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults, 1999-2010. JAMA. 307(5):491-497.

6. Glanz, K., Geller, A. C., Shigaki, D., Maddock, J. E. & Isnec, M. R. (2002). A randomized trial of skin cancer prevention in aquatics settings: The pool cool program. Health Psychology, 21(6), 579-587.

7. Le Masurier, G. C., Lambdin, D. D. & Corbin, C. B. (2007). Fitness for life: Middle school teacher’s guide. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

8. Melville, D. S., & Maddalozzo, J. G. (1988). The effects of physical educator’s appearance of body fatness has on communicating exercise concepts to high school students. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 7, 343-352.

9. McDowell, M., Fryar, C., Ogden, C. & Flegal, M. (2008). National health statistics reports, Anthropometric reference data for children and adults: U.S., 2003-2006. USDHHS, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics.

10. National Association for Sport and Physical Education (2010). A philosophical position on physical activity & fitness for physical activity professionals. Reston, VA: Author.

11. McTeer, W. G., & White, P. G. (1991). The physical educator as a role model: Preliminary findings from Canadian survey data. Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sport, 220-330.

12. O’Bryant, C. P. O’Sullivan, M., & Raudensky, J. (2000). Socialization of prospective physical education teachers: The story of new blood. Sport, Education & Society, 5(2), 177-193.

13. Rice, P. (1988). Attitudes of high school students toward physical education activities, teachers, and personal health. Physical Educator, 45(2), 94-99.

14. Ryan, S., Fleming, D., & Maina, M. (2003). Attitudes of middle school students toward their physical education teachers and classes. Physical Educator, 60(2), 28-43.

15. Senne, T. A., Rowe, D. A., Decker, J. T., Douglas, S. M., & Boswell, B. B. (2006). Investigation of lesson contexts and teaching behaviors as related to physical activity levels during middle school physical education instruction. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 77(1 Suppl.), A-69.

16. Thomson, W. C. (1996). Apparent teacher fitness level and its effect on student test scores. The Indiana Journal for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 25, 17-20.

Contact

Geri Conlin
2801 University Circle
Ogden, Utah 84403
USA
Email gconlin@weber.edu

http://www.icsspe.org/