Student’s Voice Online: Experiences of PE in Finnish Schools
Affiliation(s)
Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyv?skyl?, Jyv?skyl?, Finland. Department of Sport Sciences, University of Jyv?skyl?, Jyv?skyl?, Finland.
Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyv?skyl?, Jyv?skyl?, Finland. Department of Sport Sciences, University of Jyv?skyl?, Jyv?skyl?, Finland.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this descriptive study was to find out how people describe their experiences of physical education (PE) in Internet discussion forums. The data for this study were collected during one randomly chosen week in April 2007 via a GoogleTM search using the Finnish word ‘koululiikunta’ [school PE]. The first 200 hits lead into nine discussion forums, which were analysed by using qualitative content analysis. These nine discussion forums included all together 356 messages. For searching these discussion forums no criteria about the writers’ age, race, class, gender or other were set. The messages were coded with sequential classification and grouped into positive, negative and both positive and negative messages. The results revealed that the messages were positive (12%), both (24%) and negative (64%). In the positive messages the focus was on physical education in general and the experiences were more related to the writer him/herself. In the negative messages the emphasis was on factors external to the writer. The writers’ messages, in particular where they reported negative experiences revealed strongly held feelings and emotions. We need to widen our understanding of the relationship between PE and the contents of teacher education curriculum to guarantee every pupil the opportunity to have positive experiences in PE. These, in turn, help to create a basis for life-long physical activity and a positive relation to one's body, the main target of PE. In PE one’s own body and feelings are intensively involved at a time when vivid and memorable experiences are taking place for a young person and lasting damage can easily be done. Teachers should listen to students’ voices and consider what lies behind them in order to develop PE pedagogy and a safe PE learning environment.
The aim of this descriptive study was to find out how people describe their experiences of physical education (PE) in Internet discussion forums. The data for this study were collected during one randomly chosen week in April 2007 via a GoogleTM search using the Finnish word ‘koululiikunta’ [school PE]. The first 200 hits lead into nine discussion forums, which were analysed by using qualitative content analysis. These nine discussion forums included all together 356 messages. For searching these discussion forums no criteria about the writers’ age, race, class, gender or other were set. The messages were coded with sequential classification and grouped into positive, negative and both positive and negative messages. The results revealed that the messages were positive (12%), both (24%) and negative (64%). In the positive messages the focus was on physical education in general and the experiences were more related to the writer him/herself. In the negative messages the emphasis was on factors external to the writer. The writers’ messages, in particular where they reported negative experiences revealed strongly held feelings and emotions. We need to widen our understanding of the relationship between PE and the contents of teacher education curriculum to guarantee every pupil the opportunity to have positive experiences in PE. These, in turn, help to create a basis for life-long physical activity and a positive relation to one's body, the main target of PE. In PE one’s own body and feelings are intensively involved at a time when vivid and memorable experiences are taking place for a young person and lasting damage can easily be done. Teachers should listen to students’ voices and consider what lies behind them in order to develop PE pedagogy and a safe PE learning environment.
Cite this paper
Lauritsalo, K. , Saakslahti, A. & Rasku-Puttonen, H. (2012). Student’s Voice Online: Experiences of PE in Finnish Schools. Advances in Physical Education, 2, 126-131. doi: 10.4236/ape.2012.23022.
Lauritsalo, K. , Saakslahti, A. & Rasku-Puttonen, H. (2012). Student’s Voice Online: Experiences of PE in Finnish Schools. Advances in Physical Education, 2, 126-131. doi: 10.4236/ape.2012.23022.
References
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Sport Medicine, 35, 89-105. doi:10.2165/00007256-200535020-00001 [29] Williams, A., & Bedward, J. (2001). Gender, culture and the generation gap: Student and teacher perceptions of aspects of national curriculum physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 1, 53-66. doi:10.1080/713696037 [30] Wrench, A., & Garrett, R. (2008). Pleasure and pain: Experiences of fitness testing. European Physical Education Review, 14, 325-346. doi:10.1177/1356336X08095669 [31] Yli-Piipari, S. (2011). The development of students’ physical education motivation and physical activity: A 3.5-year longitudinal study across grades 6 to 9. Ph.D. Thesis, Jyv?skyl?, University of Jyv?skyl?.
[1] Bassett, E. H., & O’Riordan, K. (2002). Ethics of Internet research: Contesting the human subjects research model. Ethics and Information Technology, 4, 233-247. doi:10.1023/A:1021319125207 [2] Bruckman, A. (2002). Studying the amateur artist: A perspective on disguising data collected in human subjects research on the Internet. Ethics and Information Technology, 4, 217-231. doi:10.1023/A:1021316409277 [3] Carlson, T. (1995). We hate gym: Student alienation from physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 14, 467-477. [4] Dyson, B. (2006). Students’ perspectives of physical education. In D. Kirk, D. Macdonald, & M. O’Sullivan (Eds.), The handbook of physical education (pp. 326-346). London: SAGE Publications. [5] Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (2004). URL (last checked 9 June 2012). http://www.oph.fi/english [6] Fox, K. R., & Corbin, C. B. (1989). The physical self-perception profile: Development and preliminary validation. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 4, 408-430. [7] Groves, S., & Laws, C. (2000). Children’s experiences of physical education. European Journal of Physical Education, 5, 19-27. doi:10.1080/174089800050102 [8] Hagger, M., Wood, C., Stiff, C. & Chatzisarantis, N. (2009). The strength model of self regulation failure and health-related behaviour. Health Psychology Review, 3, 208-238. doi:10.1080/17437190903414387 [9] Hartmann, T., Zahner, L., Pühse, U., Schneider, S., Puder, J. & Kriemler, S. (2009). Physical activity, bodyweight, health and fear of negative evaluation in primary school children. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 20, e27-e34. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00888.x [10] Hine, C. (2000). Virtual Ethnography. London: Sage Publications. Markham, A. N. (1998). Life online: Researching real experience in virtual space. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. [11] Markham, A. N. (2007). The Internet as research context. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. Gubrium, & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative research practice (pp. 328-344). London: Sage Publications. [12] Mc Kenzie, T. (2007) The preparation of physical educators: A public health perspective. Quest, 59, 346-357. doi:10.1080/00336297.2007.10483557 [13] Millard, W. B. (1997). I flamed freud: A case study in teletextual incendiarism. In D. Porter (Ed.) Internet culture (pp. 145-159). New York: Routledge. [14] Morgan, P., & Hansen, V. (2008). The relationship between PE biographies and PE teaching practices of classroom teachers. Sport, Education and Society, 13, 373-391. doi:10.1080/13573320802444994 [15] National Association for Sport and Physical Education (2004). Moving into the future: National standards for physical education. Reston: NASPE Publications. [16] Palom?ki, S., & Heikinaro-Johansson, P. (2011). Liikunnan oppimistulosten seuranta-arviointi perusopetuksessa 2010 (A follow up evaluation of physical education learning outcomes). Helsinki: Opetushallitus. [17] Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. [18] Pitts, V. (2004). Illness and Internet empowerment: Writing and reading breast cancer in cyberspace. Health, 8, 33-59. doi:10.1177/1363459304038794 [19] Ransom, D. C., La Guardia, J. G., Woody, E. Z., & Boyd, J. L. (2010). Interpersonal interactions on online forums addressing eating concerns. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 43, 161-170. [20] Rikard, G. L., & Banville, D. (2006). High school students attitudes about physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 4, 385-400. doi:10.1080/13573320600924882 [21] Seale, C., Charteris-Black, J., MacFarlane, A., & McPherson, A. (2010). Interviews and Internet forums: A comparison of two sources of qualitative data. Qualitative Health Research, 20, 595-606. doi:10.1177/1049732309354094 [22] Subramaniam, P. R., & Silverman, S. (2007). Middle school students’ attitudes towards physical education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 602-611. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2007.02.003 [23] Statistics Finland (2011). Use of information and communications technology. URL (last checked 9 June 2012). http://www.stat.fi/til/sutivi/index_en.html [24] Strean, W. B. (2009). Remembering instructors: Play, pain and pedagogy. Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, 1, 210-220. doi:10.1080/19398440903192290 [25] Tapscott, D. (2009). Grown up digital: How the net generation is changing your world. New York: McGraw-Hill. [26] Tepper, M. (1997). Usenet communities and the cultural politics of information. In D. Porter (Ed.), Internet culture (pp. 39-54). New York: Routledge. [27] Trout, J., & Graber, K. (2009). Perceptions of overweight students concerning their experiences in physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 28, 272-292. [28] Trudeau, F., & Shephard, R. J. (2005). Contribution of school programmes to physical activity levels and attitudes in children and adults. Sport Medicine, 35, 89-105. doi:10.2165/00007256-200535020-00001 [29] Williams, A., & Bedward, J. (2001). Gender, culture and the generation gap: Student and teacher perceptions of aspects of national curriculum physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 1, 53-66. doi:10.1080/713696037 [30] Wrench, A., & Garrett, R. (2008). Pleasure and pain: Experiences of fitness testing. European Physical Education Review, 14, 325-346. doi:10.1177/1356336X08095669 [31] Yli-Piipari, S. (2011). The development of students’ physical education motivation and physical activity: A 3.5-year longitudinal study across grades 6 to 9. Ph.D. Thesis, Jyv?skyl?, University of Jyv?skyl?.