PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE
“ THE
THE IMPACT OF ADDING A LAB COMPONANT
TO THE LIFETIME FITNESS COURSE TO INCLUDE
A HEAL CURRICULUM
Dr. Donna Clemons
”
THE TREND: MOVING AWAY FROM APE
(ACTIVITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION) AND
MOVING TOWARDS CPE (CONCEPTUAL
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.
Physical education requirements have been reduced or eliminated in many
colleges and universities since the 1970s (Spading, 2003). Only smaller colleges
(< 10,000 students) still have physical education requirements
in general education.
WHY ACTIVITY IS IMPORTANT IN COLLEGE?
The prevalence of obesity among 18- to 24-year-olds has steadily increased with
overweight status exceeding 25% of the population and almost 20% of this age group
meeting the criteria for obesity (Flegal, Carroll, Ogden, & Curtin, 2010).
College freshmen are a special group of young adults who have demonstrated a high risk
for poor health without timely implemented interventions (Anderson, Shapiro, & Lundgren,
2003; Wengreen & Moncur, 2009).
Many freshmen adopted unhealthy behaviors such as insufficient amounts of sleep and
physical inactivity due to stressful academic life (McArthur & Raedeke, 2009; Racette,
Deusinger, Strube, Highstein, & Deusinger, 2005).
College education is the last opportunity to educate a large segment of young adults to
be physically active and develop a healthy lifestyle.
WHY NOT APE?
The finding by Corbin (2002) indicate that there is a huge gap between
what is taught in physical education programs, which are heavily oriented
toward sports skill learning, and what Physical Activity students like to
engage in.
Why do students not like to engage in physical education?

Expected to enjoy it

Injuries

Being made fun of

Forced to participate

It’s tiring

Load mean PE teachers

PE in extreme temperatures

It doesn’t teach anything

Boring

And so much more….
WHY CPE?
The behavior change approach has taken the forms of behavioral
contracting, goal attainment scaling, and self-management skills (Kittleson
& Hageman-Rigney, 1988; Kittleson & Ragon, 1993; Petosa, 1984, 1986). The
behavior modification component acts either as a supplementary activity
to the general lecture, or it can be a primary goal of the entire course
(Kittleson & Ragon, 1993). Healthbehavior contracting has been shown to
positively influence cognitive learning (Wilson & Eisenhauer, 1982), promote
student learning of behavioral strategies (Petosa, 1984), and increase a
subject's overall wellness (Kittleson & Hageman Rigney, 1988).
Conceptual Physical Education
WHY CPE?
Among the debates within the context of higher education PE
programming is the difference in outcomes and efficacy associated with
activities-based (APE) courses and conceptually based (CPE) courses. An
APE class primarily focuses on sport skill acquisition such as tennis, aerobics,
and martial arts. A CPE course focuses on theoretical concepts and
application to health and fitness and includes lectures about the health
benefits of regular physical activity and healthy eating habits.
CPE courses have yielded positive health outcomes with most researchers
pointing to more benefits over a longer period of time in CPE courses
(Adams & Brynteson, 1995). Adams and Brynteson (1995) collected
demographic data, questions related to health and exercise habits and
behaviors, and the value placed on their collegiate experiences with their
associated PE courses. Adams and Brynteson (1995) found that alumni who
took the CPE course felt their PE course was more valuable. Additionally,
the alumni in this group were also more physically active compared to the
APE alumni group.
WHY CPE?
Bjerke (2013) concurs through her studies that exposing students to a
conceptual framework combined with supervised and directed physical
activities may further augment the link between concepts and activities
and potentially yield similar or more positive outcomes compared to CPEand APE-exclusive courses.
RESULTS
Research at the University of Connecticut research revealed…
•
that for CPE participants, frequency of days spent walking and walking
duration in minutes increased significantly. Frequency of days spent
walking increased 11.3%, and walking duration increased by 65% (Bjerke,
2013).
•
APE plus CPE participants, days spent in vigorous activity increased
34.4% and moderate duration in minutes increased 87.2%, and these
changes reached selected statistical significance levels.
WHY CPE?
Research at a large public university in the Great Lakes region…
•
To improve wellness, one must either provide strong content or provide
content with some ancillary approach (i.e., goals, physical activities). For
example, the courses that had the least impact were those that focused
only on fitness activities. As discussed earlier, the multidimensional
aspects of health demand that all dimensions of health must be
addressed; to focus on only one tends to diminish the potential effect of
such courses. Basically, if fitness and wellness are the ultimate goal, then
the course should be both activity-based and possess a strong health
content (Welle et. al, 2017).
•
Out of five teaching methods in the analysis, the courses that includes
lectures along with realistic goals, significantly increased wellness scores
(t=-6.003, p<.0001; and t=-3.367, p<.0009; respectively).
WHY CPE?
Research at a southern university of more than 51,000 students…
•
Assignments such as students Physical Activity logs, goal setting, and
fitness assessment were integrated in CPE courses. Rulan et. al (2017)
data results supported that enrolling in a CPE may help slow down
freshmen’s Physical Activity decrease by allocating time within lab
sections for Physical Activity and encouraging participation outside
class, especially during the weekend when students tend to be more
sedentary.
•
there was a significantly higher weekend MVPA (Moderate to Vigorous
Physical Activity)at the post-test compared to the mid-test. This result
indicated that the intensity of PA was increased from mid-test to posttest even when participants were faced with greater challenges from
academic learning at the end of the semester.
WHAT DOES CONCEPTUAL PHYSICAL
EDUCATION LOOK LIKE AT FAULKNER
UNIVERSITY?
•
3 credit course: Principles of Life Time Fitness
•
1 credit lab: Applied Principles of Life Time Fitness
WHAT DOES CONCEPTUAL PHYSICAL
EDUCATION LOOK LIKE AT FAULKNER
UNIVERSITY?
H (Healthy) E (Eating) A (Active) L (Lifestyle)
EXAMPLE 1
GOAL: The Importance of Cardiovascular Health
In Class Component
Students will learn…
• Aerobic activities are those that raise your heart rate and cause you to sweat
• Get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day (in bouts of 15 or more minutes)
• HHZ is the target heart rate (140-170 beats per minute)
• Screen time should be limited to less than 2 hours per day
Lab component:
Students will learn…
• Pulse heart rate
• Taking heart rate at carotid artery
• Heart rate monitors
• Healthy Heart Zone
*Trip to the Multiplex walking track
WHAT DOES CONCEPTUAL PHYSICAL
EDUCATION LOOK LIKE AT FAULKNER
UNIVERSITY?
H (Healthy) E (Eating) A (Active) L (Lifestyle)
EXAMPLE 2
GOAL: The Importance of Strength Training
In Class Component
Students will learn…
• The major muscle groups of the body and exercises to increase strength to include: Upper body muscles, lower
body muscles & core abdominals
Lab component:
Students will learn…
 Various Strength Training Exercises
 Proper Form
 Safety
*Trip to the Weight Room to learn how to operate certain machinery as well as how to use light free weights.
WHAT DOES CONCEPTUAL PHYSICAL
EDUCATION LOOK LIKE AT FAULKNER
UNIVERSITY?
H (Healthy) E (Eating) A (Active) L (Lifestyle)
EXAMPLE 3
GOAL: Improve awareness of different food groups and increase knowledge about food portions
In Class Component
Students will learn…
• “My Plate” focusing on dairy and reducing sugar-sweetened beverages
Lab component:
Students will learn…
 How to realistically choose foods from the cafeteria based on “my Plate”
*Trip to the cafeteria utilizing “my Plate” placemat and choosing healthy options in the HEAL corner of the café.
WHY CPE?
The reason for Conceptual Physical Education Course and Physical Activity
Patterns / 251 choosing freshmen is that freshmen year has been suggested
as a critical time for establishing a healthy lifestyle that is more likely to be
maintained for a lifetime (Keating, Guan, Castro-Pinero, & Bridges, 2005;
References
Anderson, D. A., Shapiro, J. R., & Lundgren, J. D. (2003). The freshman year of college as a critical period for weight gain: An initial
evaluation. Eating Behaviors, 4, 363-367
Bjerke W. Health and Fitness Courses in Higher Education: A Historical Perspective and Contemporary Approach. Physical
Educator [serial online]. Early Winter2013 2013;70(4):337-358. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed
September 22, 2017
Corbin, C.B. (2002). Physical education as an agent of change. Quest, 54, 182-195.
Keating, X. D., Guan, J., Castro-Pinero, J., & Bridges, D. (2005). A meta-analysis of college student physical activity levels. Journal o f
American College Health, 64, 116-215
Kittleson, M. J., & Hageman-Rigney, B. (1988). Wellness and behavior contracting. HealthEducation, 19(2), 8-11.
Kittleson, M. J., & Ragon, B.M. (1993). A behavior change teaching approach. Wellness Perspectives: Research, Theory and Practice,
9(4), 69-75.
McArthur, L. H., & Raedeke, T. D. (2009). Race and sex differences in college student physical activity correlates. American Journal o f
Health Behavior, 55(1), 80-90
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Sparling, P.B. (2003). College physical education: An unrecognized agent of
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QUESTIONS