The curriculum may superimpose a content-specific context that mediates motivation (Bong, 2001). This study examined content specificity of the expectancy-value motivation in elementary school physical education. Students' expectancy beliefs and perceived task values from a cardiorespiratory fitness unit, a muscular fitness unit, and a traditional…

Ninety physical education teachers completed the Value Orientation Inventory to determine the extent to which they made consistent decisions regarding student learning goals within five educational value orientations. Results indicated that 97 percent made consistent curricular and instructional decisions within one or more value orientations. (SM)

Physical education teachers who exhibited one of two orientations (disciplinary mastery/learning process or ecological integration/social reconstruction) were interviewed to examine the extent to which their value orientations influenced their stated goals for student learning and their expectations for academic performance and behavior. Goals and…

Examines the importance of physical education teachers taking the initiative to develop and communicate learning goals consistent with the educational focus of the school and feasible within school constraints. The article recommends using National Association for Sport and Physical Education outcomes to guide learning goals while creating…

This study examined contexts that influenced urban high school physical educators' conceptualizations of realistic student goals, noting how teachers changed curriculum content to handle student noncompliance. Field notes and interviews indicated that teachers substantially changed their programs over time, and many programs exhibited…

Developing trusting relationships between teachers and students in urban secondary schools everywhere is a challenging task that is essential to maintaining an effective learning environment. Trust involves a fragile web of relationships nurtured through positive daily interactions. We examined strategies that US urban high school teachers used to…

Observations of and interviews with urban high school teachers and students examined situational and personal contextual factors that enhanced or minimized student engagement in physical education. Results indicated that, in contexts promoting engagement, teachers treated students humanely and equitably, expressed concern and interest in them, and…