“Lets Go Girls!” Increasing Female Participation in Physical Education

1. “Lets Go Girls!” Increasing Female Participation in Physical Education By: Erica Hope

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

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

4. 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!

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

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Class Survey

14. 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

15. Activities Just Dance 2 Circuits

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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