The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to examine the effect of physical activity and public health course on perceived exercise benefits/barriers, stages of exercise behavior change, and technology dependence of undergraduate students, and 2) to explain how the physical activity and public health course supports undergraduate students in terms…

This study examined the physical activity and motivational effects of young adults posting physical activity posts to a social networking site. It used a repeated-measures, between-group design. Fifty-eight young adults from an introductory fitness course chose to participate in this study. Participants were divided into two groups: (a) posting…

This pilot study tested the efficacy of auditory and visual stimuli to increase children's exercise intensity while exercising in a classroom. Nineteen children aged 6 to 12 years participated in four exercise conditions (treadmill with and without music; cycling with and without video) with heart rate monitored continuously. This study used…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influences of a structured after-school program on student physical activity for third- through fifth-grade students at five schools in southern Colorado. The study utilized a pretest-posttest intervention design in which six elementary schools in a low socioeconomic status school district in southern…

As obesity rates and physical inactivity levels continue to rise among American youth, the need for quality physical education programs is more important than ever. However, to many observers, physical education is a hindrance to academic time and a subject that does not bring value to the educational system. It is imperative for physical…

This study investigated the relationship between use of distractions during exercise and (a) heart rate (HR), (b) rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and (c) enjoyment during exercise. Quasi-experimental design with six intact, single-gender high school classes was used. A control group experienced no distraction, while a treatment group first…

The purpose of this study was to describe fifth grade students' physical activity (PA) while playing a dance-based video game, Just Dance 4, and to examine the influence direct feedback about their performance had on their level of activity. Twenty-seven students in the 5th grade from an elementary school in the Rocky Mountain West participated.…

The purpose of this study was to examine physical education teachers' habitual physical activity and self-efficacy for regular exercise. In-service physical education teachers (N = 168) voluntarily completed an online questionnaire that included items to collect demographic information (gender, race/ethnicity, years of teaching experience, and…

The primary aim of this study was to determine the effects of classroom-based exercise breaks (Energizers; Mahar, Kenny, Shields, Scales, & Collins, 2006) on students' physical activity levels during the school day. A multiple baseline design across first grade (N = 3) and second grade (N = 3) classrooms was used to examine the effects of the…

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to determine whether university students who participated in conceptually based physical education (CPE) would achieve greater positive improvements in their physical fitness level, compared to students in traditional activity- and skills-based physical education (ASPE). Method: This was a pilot study…

Previous research has shown a decline in physical activity (PA) across college years, females being less physically active compared with males. Scholars have suggested studies to understand gender differences in PA and to examine motivational processes to facilitate college students' PA. Grounded in self-determination theory, the purpose of this…

Music is an everyday occurrence in a person's life. Music is heard in the workplace, in homes, and in the mall. Music can also be heard as a person exercises. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music on junior high students (n = 305) step counts and time in activity in junior high school physical education classes.…

Music is a pervasive presence in society and is routinely used to influence human behavior in a variety of settings and for a variety of purposes including exercise behaviors and physical education (PE) classes. However, little evidence exists to support what effect, if any, music has on learner outcomes in PE. The effects that playing music…

After-school PA programs have been used as an outlet to help children increase PA levels. To attract children and their parents, it is important to understand perceptions about programs. With child and parent input, researchers and practitioners will better be able to increase PA with activities the children enjoy and encourage increased PA. A…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using an exercise-based app in increasing student motivation, social support, self-efficacy, and enjoyment in a university physical activity class. A convenience sample of 48 college-aged students (28 males, 20 females) from one university located in the Southeastern United States…