Student Voice: Student Choice and Participation in Physical Education

Secondary students frequently disengage from participating in physical education and physical activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 60 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per day, as well as muscle and bone strengthening activities on three or more days a week for children (CDC, n.d.). Physical education may be the only opportunity for school-age children to participate in physical activity (Trudeau & Shepard, 2008 Trudeau, F., & Shepard, R. J. (2008). Is there a long-term health legacy of required physical education? Sports Medicine, 38, 265–270.[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]).This article reviews a high school selective physical education curriculum and the students' perceptions of the activities offered in the junior and senior years. Students expressed an interest in being able to have input into activity offerings, alluding to the current teacher-directed curriculum. Students preferred learning new games, skills, and activities for continued participation in adulthood.Student input in curriculum design may lead to a more student-centered and dynamic curriculum. Determining students' needs and interests is the initial step to modifying a curriculum in order to offer activities that provide students with meaningful experiences. Professional development opportunities are necessary to keep physical educators apprised of new trends and for physical educators to learn how to incorporate such activities into the curriculum. When students selected the activities, they were more likely to participate in physical education, and the activities and the curriculum were more meaningful from the students' perspective.