Teaching health in physical education: An action research project

In the Norwegian curriculum for physical education (PE), health is one of several topics students should learn about. However, the way in which many educators conceptualize health can impact both what students learn and how health is taught in PE. According to Mong and Standal (2019), differences in terms of the conceptualizations of health can also lead to differences in teachers’ didactical approaches. This article is based on an action research project in which the overall goal was to investigate how didactic work can contribute to developing the teaching of health in PE. The project included an action research phase and qualitative interviews. The project, conducted in Norway, lasted almost one school year and was divided into two units. One teacher and 48 students aged 14–15 years participated in the action research project, which included eight lessons. We conducted qualitative interviews with the teacher and six students after the completion of the action research phase. In our analysis, we identified three topics addressed by both the students and the teacher, namely ‘the use of logbooks as a method for reflection’, ‘awareness of health as a knowledge object’ and ‘developing confidence in how to teach health’. Through the use of a didactic approach to health, both the students and teacher developed new reflections on and awareness of health. The findings indicate that it was professional development which subsequently impacted didactic decisions, dialogues about how health was taught and the teacher’s confidence in teaching health.publishedVersio

Assessment of students with disabilities in physical education: a quantitative research on students in upper secondary schools in Norway

The purpose of this master thesis was to write a research article concerning assessment of students with a disability in physical education. Part I in this thesis is the supplementary theory and method being used, and part II is the research article. The main goal for this master thesis was to understand how students with a disability were assessed, and how they perceive the assessment process in physical education. It was also of interest to find out if there were differences between the assessments related to students with a disability and for those without a disability. It is based in a Norwegian context, were there is political support to front inclusion in a comprehensive school. Despite this political support for inclusion, little research has examined how teachers attempt to assess students with a disability. The research question for the article was: How do students with a disability report the assessment in physical education, and are there any differences between student with and without a disability concerning this? The research question was answered through an analysis of the responses given to a major questionnaire concerning assessment in physical education. In order to answer the research question, there were developed seven independent sum-variables as a tool to present the empirical results. The variables were knowledge concerning the competence aims, knowledge about the assessment criteria, engaging students in assessment for learning, feedback, perceived justice, self-reported movement during the lessons and marks in physical education. The results showed differences between students with and without disability on how they perceive the assessment. These differences confirm that teachers do not assess all students in the same way, and that teachers seem unfamiliar with how to assess students with a disability. Students with a disability have less knowledge about the assessment criteria, they get less feedback, perceive the assessment as less fair, move less during lessons, and get lower marks than students without a disability. The results show a difference between students with and without a disability, and students with a disability feel less satisfied with the assessment than those without a disability

Fysisk aktivitet som et verktøy for å styrke relasjoner og prestasjoner hos elever med atferdsvansker : en kvalitativ studie blant lærere

Bakgrunn Atferdsvansker er et stadig problem i dagens skole. Derfor må man finne gode tiltak for hvordan man arbeider sammen med elever med atferdsvansker. I noen tilfeller skyldes atferdsvanskene tilknyttingsforstyrrelser. Der dette er tilfellet vil det være problemer med å bygge stabile og gode relasjoner til andre voksne. Problemer med å knytte seg til voksne vil kunne gå ut over elevenes prestasjoner på skolen. I den sammenheng er det i denne oppgaven blitt sett på hvordan man kan bruke fysisk aktivitet i arbeidet med elever med atferdsvansker. Internasjonal teori og forskning viser at fysisk aktivitet virker positivt på elever med atferdsvansker. I Norge finnes det derimot lite forskning som sier noe om denne tematikken Formålet med denne oppgaven er å se på ulike faktorer som er virksomme elementer i arbeidet med å styrke relasjoner og prestasjoner hos barn og unge med atferdsvansker. Bakgrunnen for å finne disse faktorene er et ønske om å se på hvordan man kan bruke fysisk aktivitet sammen med elever med atferdsvansker, og hvilke positive effekter fysisk aktivitet har på barn og unge med atferdsproblemer. En annen årsak til at jeg ønsker å finne virksomme faktorer er for å få større forståelse for prosesser som oppstår ved fysisk aktivitet. Det å se på disse prosessene kan ha praktisk nytteverdi ved at bevisstheten omkring disse prosessene øker. Problemstilling Hvilke faktorer ved fysisk aktivitet er virksomme elementer i arbeid for å styrke relasjoner og læring hos atferdsvanskelige elever? Metode Denne oppgaven er en kvalitativ oppgave, der intervju er brukt som metode for innsamling av data. Oppgaven er en casestudie der jeg har sett på en institusjon som arbeider mye med fysisk aktivitet sammen med elever med atferdvansker. Jeg har intervjuet fire lærere ved den aktuelle institusjonen. Intervjuene ble transkribert, og jeg fant da ulike tema som gikk igjen hos informantene. Utsagnene ble deretter samlet etter disse temaene for å systematisere datamaterialet og for å få en bedre oversikt over hva utsagnene sa noe om.Resultater Ved analyse av datamaterialet kom jeg frem til fem hovedområder som alle informantene nevner som vesentlige i arbeidet med fysisk aktivitet for elever med atferdsvansker. Det er: - Mestring og økt læring - Økt kontakt og tillit - Å ha det kjekt sammen - Konsentrasjon og mindre aggresjon - Trening av sosial kompetanse Gjennom informantenes svar kommer mestring frem som en viktig årsak til vektleggingen av fysisk aktivitet. Elevene har opplevd lite mestring tidligere, og gjennom fysisk aktivitet kan de oppnå mestringsfølelse. Gjennom fysisk aktivitet kan man få se nye sider av hverandre. Det å få se nye sider av en person kan være positivt i arbeidet mot å styrke kontakt og tillit mellom lærer og elev. Informantene synes det er lettere å øke kontakten til elevene gjennom aktiviteter enn inne i et klasserom. De arbeider mot å bedre relasjonene til elevene gjennom fysisk aktivitet. Klarer de å styrke relasjonene, vil man ta dette inn i klasserommet. Det å ha det kjekt sammen, både barn og voksne, blir trukket frem som viktig grunnlag for vektleggingen av fysisk aktivitet. Gjennom fysisk aktivitet utfører barn og voksne kjekke aktiviteter sammen. De utfører kjekke aktiviteter sammen utenfor klasserommet. Informantene mener også at fysisk aktivitet virker positivt på elevenes konsentrasjon og at det kan føre til mindre aggresjon hos elevene. Fysisk aktivitet er i tillegg en god arena for trening av sosial kompetanse. Man får der trent direkte på ulike sosiale ferdigheter gjennom naturlige settinger. Informantene synes også å se at fysisk aktivitet har positiv effekt på elevenes konsentrasjon og at det kan begrense deres aggresjon. Disse ulike faktorene er virksomme elementer i arbeidet med fysisk aktivitet blant elever med atferdsvansker. Faktorene vil være virksomme elementer i arbeidet med å styrke relasjoner og prestasjoner hos elever med atferdsvansker. Ut i fra det informantene forteller ser det ut til at de fem områdene går til dels over i hverandre og kan ses på både som mål og middel. Bedre relasjoner kan være et mål i seg selv, men også et middel for å oppnå bedre læring

Teaching health in physical education: An action research project

In the Norwegian curriculum for physical education (PE), health is one of several topics students should learn about. However, the way in which many educators conceptualize health can impact both what students learn and how health is taught in PE. According to Mong and Standal (2019), differences in terms of the conceptualizations of health can also lead to differences in teachers’ didactical approaches. This article is based on an action research project in which the overall goal was to investigate how didactic work can contribute to developing the teaching of health in PE. The project included an action research phase and qualitative interviews. The project, conducted in Norway, lasted almost one school year and was divided into two units. One teacher and 48 students aged 14–15 years participated in the action research project, which included eight lessons. We conducted qualitative interviews with the teacher and six students after the completion of the action research phase. In our analysis, we identified three topics addressed by both the students and the teacher, namely ‘the use of logbooks as a method for reflection’, ‘awareness of health as a knowledge object’ and ‘developing confidence in how to teach health’. Through the use of a didactic approach to health, both the students and teacher developed new reflections on and awareness of health. The findings indicate that it was professional development which subsequently impacted didactic decisions, dialogues about how health was taught and the teacher’s confidence in teaching health

Teaching health in physical education: An action research project

In the Norwegian curriculum for physical education (PE), health is one of several topics students should learn about. However, the way in which many educators conceptualize health can impact both what students learn and how health is taught in PE. According to Mong and Standal (2019), differences in terms of the conceptualizations of health can also lead to differences in teachers’ didactical approaches. This article is based on an action research project in which the overall goal was to investigate how didactic work can contribute to developing the teaching of health in PE. The project included an action research phase and qualitative interviews. The project, conducted in Norway, lasted almost one school year and was divided into two units. One teacher and 48 students aged 14–15 years participated in the action research project, which included eight lessons. We conducted qualitative interviews with the teacher and six students after the completion of the action research phase. In our analysis, we identified three topics addressed by both the students and the teacher, namely ‘the use of logbooks as a method for reflection’, ‘awareness of health as a knowledge object’ and ‘developing confidence in how to teach health’. Through the use of a didactic approach to health, both the students and teacher developed new reflections on and awareness of health. The findings indicate that it was professional development which subsequently impacted didactic decisions, dialogues about how health was taught and the teacher’s confidence in teaching health

Teaching health in physical education: An action research project

In the Norwegian curriculum for physical education (PE), health is one of several topics students should learn about. However, the way in which many educators conceptualize health can impact both what students learn and how health is taught in PE. According to Mong and Standal (2019), differences in terms of the conceptualizations of health can also lead to differences in teachers’ didactical approaches. This article is based on an action research project in which the overall goal was to investigate how didactic work can contribute to developing the teaching of health in PE. The project included an action research phase and qualitative interviews. The project, conducted in Norway, lasted almost one school year and was divided into two units. One teacher and 48 students aged 14–15 years participated in the action research project, which included eight lessons. We conducted qualitative interviews with the teacher and six students after the completion of the action research phase. In our analysis, we identified three topics addressed by both the students and the teacher, namely ‘the use of logbooks as a method for reflection’, ‘awareness of health as a knowledge object’ and ‘developing confidence in how to teach health’. Through the use of a didactic approach to health, both the students and teacher developed new reflections on and awareness of health. The findings indicate that it was professional development which subsequently impacted didactic decisions, dialogues about how health was taught and the teacher’s confidence in teaching health

Adapted Physical Activity Professionals in Rehabilitation: An Explorative Study in the Norwegian Context

The article has been peer-reviewed, but does not include the publisher’s layout, page numbers and proof-corrections.Citation for the published paper: Standal, Ø. F., Nyquist, T. E. H. & Mong, H. H. (2018). Adapted Physical Activity Professionals in Rehabilitation: An Explorative Study in the Norwegian Context. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 35(4), 458-475. http://dx.doi.org10.1123/apaq.2017-0128Adapted physical activity (APA) is characterized by a strong orientation to professional practice. Currently, there exists limited empirical research about the professional status of APA in the context of rehabilitation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe and understand the professional status, role, and work tasks of APA specialists in Norway. For the purpose of the study, the authors conducted group interviews with APA specialists and individual interviews with unit leaders at six rehabilitation institutions in the national specialist health care services. The results highlight the content of the work tasks, the roles in the cross-professional teams, the status in the institutions, and what the participants perceive to be the knowledge base for their profession. Although these results may be specific to the Norwegian context, the authors also discuss possible implications of their findings for APA in an international perspective.Adapted Physical Activity Professionals in Rehabilitation: An Explorative Study in the Norwegian ContextacceptedVersio

Adapted Physical Activity Professionals in Rehabilitation: An Explorative Study in the Norwegian Context

Adapted physical activity (APA) is characterized by a strong orientation to professional practice. Currently, there exists limited empirical research about the professional status of APA in the context of rehabilitation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe and understand the professional status, role, and work tasks of APA specialists in Norway. For the purpose of the study, the authors conducted group interviews with APA specialists and individual interviews with unit leaders at six rehabilitation institutions in the national specialist health care services. The results highlight the content of the work tasks, the roles in the cross-professional teams, the status in the institutions, and what the participants perceive to be the knowledge base for their profession. Although these results may be specific to the Norwegian context, the authors also discuss possible implications of their findings for APA in an international perspective