Insights from senior-secondary physical education students on teacher-related factors they perceive to influence academic achievement

This research aimed to explore student perceptions of teacher-related factors that may influence academic achievement in the context of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physical Education. This qualitative study involved 23 VCE Physical Education students from three government and one independent secondary school in Victoria, Australia. Focus groups utilising a semi-structured interview schedule explored student perceptions of teacher-related factors on academic achievement. The importance of teachers having a good ‘attitude’, a broad repertoire of teaching strategies, making real-world connections, developing positive student-teacher relationships and facilitating access to themselves outside of scheduled class time were perceived by students as important influences

The ‘Perfect’ Senior (VCE) Secondary Physical Education Teacher: Student Perceptions of Teacher-related Factors that Influence Academic Performance

Improving student academic performance in senior-secondary education increases student opportunities for employment, training and further education. The aim of this research was to identify students’, completing the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physical Education, perceptions of teacher-related factors that influence subject specific academic performance. Unit 3 and 4 VCE Physical Education students (n = 23) from three government secondary schools and one independent secondary school in Victoria, Australia completed poster annotations identifying their perception of the ‘perfect’ VCE Physical Education teacher. The de-identified data from the posters were transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed using NVivo software to explore student perceptions of teacher-related factors that influence academic performance. Emergent themes from the poster annotations suggested that student’s perceptions of the ‘perfect’ VCE Physical Education teacher included the teacher-related factors of knowledge (of subject matter), verbal ability, caring, enthusiasm and teacher accessibility

Teacher’s Perceptions of how they Influence Student Academic Performance in VCE Physical Education

This research explored teacher perceptions of how they influence academic performance of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physical Education students. VCE Physical Education teachers (n = 37) from 31 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia participated in a qualitative study using focus groups with a semi-structured interview schedule. Recorded focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed (NVivo 11). A social-ecological model was used to categorise emergent themes. At the individual level teachers perceived content knowledge, expectations, passion and enthusiasm, pedagogical content knowledge and use of reflective practices to inform teaching as key factors influencing student academic performance. Social level influences identified were positive student-teacher relationships and student access to the teacher outside of class time. The emergent themes highlight the teacher perceptions of the key factors of effective teaching in this context. Professional learning opportunities to improve effectiveness of pre-service and in-service teachers of senior-secondary physical education are discussed

Sensitivity of tropical deep convection in global models: Effects of horizontal resolution, surface constraints, and 3D atmospheric nudging

We investigate the ability of global models to capture the spatial patterns of tropical deep convection. Their sensitivity is assessed through changing horizontal resolution, surface flux constraints, and constraining background atmospheric conditions. We assess two models at typical climate and weather forecast resolutions. Comparison with observations indicates that increasing resolution generally improves the pattern of tropical convection. When the models are constrained with realistic surface fluxes and atmospheric structure, the location of convection improves dramatically and is very similar irrespective of resolution and parameterisations used in the models.RCUK, OtherThis is the accepted version of the following article: 'Sensitivity of tropical deep convection in global models: effects of horizontal resolution, surface constraints and 3D atmospheric nudging', which will be published in Atmospheric Science Letters. This record will be updated with citation and DOI after publication

Moving Physical Activity Beyond the School Classroom: A Social-ecological Insight for Teachers of the facilitators and barriers to students\u27 non-curricular physical activity

Non-curricular avenues such as active play during school breaks have been established as a major source for children’s physical and cognitive development, yet there is little information for teachers on the influences affecting primary and secondary school students’ non-curricular physical activity. During this study focus groups and drawing were used to explore the broader influences on primary (n=47) and secondary (n=29) school students’ physical activity behaviour beyond the classroom. Barriers and facilitators to children’s physical activity were categorised using a multi-level social-ecological framework incorporating intrapersonal, interpersonal, physical environment and policy factors. Based on the drawings, comparisons between students’ existing play spaces and their perception of their ideal play space were made. Additionally, students depicted what features within a play space would encourage them to be active. The findings of the study indicate secondary school play spaces may need to incorporate more features to facilitate physical activity. The barriers and facilitators identified in this study provide information for teachers and school decision makers to consider when targeting children’s physical activity beyond school classrooms

The Development of the Lunchtime Enjoyment of Activity and Play Questionnaire

BACKGROUNDEnjoyment of physical activity is as an important determinant of children\u27s participation in physical activity. Despite this, there is an absence of reliable measures for assessing children\u27s enjoyment of play activities during school lunchtime. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the reliability of the Lunchtime Enjoyment of Activity and Play (LEAP) Questionnaire.METHODSQuestionnaire items were categorized employing a social-ecological framework including intrapersonal (20 items), interpersonal (2 items), and physical environment/policy (17 items) components to identify the broader influences on children\u27s enjoyment. An identical questionnaire was administered on 2 occasions, 10 days apart, to 176 children aged 8-12 years, attending a government elementary school in regional Victoria, Australia.RESULTSTest-retest reliability confirmed that 35 of 39 LEAP Questionnaire items had at least moderate kappa agreement ranging from .44 to .78. Although 4 individual kappa values were low, median kappa scores for each aggregated social-ecological component reached at least moderate agreement (.44-.60).CONCLUSIONSThis study confirms the LEAP Questionnaire to be a reliable, context-specific instrument with sound content, and face validity that employs a social-ecological framework to assess children\u27s enjoyment of school play and lunchtime activities