“LETS GO GIRLS!” INCREASING FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION By: Erica Hope

Overview of the Class  Mar Lee School in Marshall  I taught K-12 P.E. and 6-8 Health  7/8 th graders  Girls only class  36 Students

My focus questions  Why do some girls choose not to participate?  How can I increase participation?

Why I chose this topic  At the beginning of the school year I noticed more girls sat out during class compared to boys  I remember this being a problem at my middle school  I would like as many students participating daily as possible!

What I learned from research  Physical activity levels decline during preteen years and continue to decline into adulthood -TAAG Guidebook

What I learned from research Positive P.E. Experience Willingness to participate in physical activity -Baggett,Barr-Anderson, Conway, Lytle, Neumark-Sztainer, Pate

Possible Reasons Why…  Lack of enjoyment  Lack of choices  Lower self-esteem, physical strength and self-efficacy  More conscious about body shape and appearance  Societal issues  Stereotypical games in P.E. class -Girls in Physical Education: Increasing Participation and Success

What I learned from research When certain girls participate, others will follow You can’t change every single student and if you stress out about it too much… you will get burnt out -Physical Educator D.L. Patton

What I learned from research  Choices had a significant and immediate effect on student motivation  Allows students to examine their own motives for participation and gives them more responsibility -Prusak, Treasure, Darst, Pangrazi

What I learned from research  Competition  Self-determination  Pleasing teachers or parents  Peer groups  Supportive family and teachers  Social influences  Wanting to increase physical fitness and overall health  Prizes Factors that affect Motivation -Chiang, Liam

What I learned from research P.E. needs to be a comfortable, enjoyable, and reinforcing environment for all students, regardless of their size, physical fitness, or competence levels -Baggett,Barr-Anderson, Conway, Lytle, Neumark-Sztainer, Pate

What I did in the classroom  Gave the students choices  Built relationships with everyone  Encouraged participation  Incorporated gender specific activities  When certain girls participated, others followed  Tried to incorporate what they wanted to do

Class Survey

Analyzing the data  Already had a volleyball and basketball unit  Can’t have free time all the time  Free day choices: basketball, volleyball, or scooters  Use tag games as a warm up  Next unit would be floor hockey or dodgeball

Activities Just Dance 2 Circuits

Ethical Awareness  Anonymous class survey  Sources are correctly cited and not plagiarized  Students knew they were being photographed and I told them about my inquiry project  I kept the privacy of the students by not including their names

Variables  It isn’t possible to make every student happy  There are many other factors that contribute to students not participating besides gender that I need to continue researching  This investigation may have been too vague and focused on stereotypes  The schedule is going to change back to coed classes next week

In Conclusion…  The facts show that girls tend to participate less in physical education BUT there are many ways to increase participation.  By giving a variety of choices and building self esteem, more students are likely to participate  My goal is for my students to have fun, be active, and learn important physical and social skills