Comparisons of College Students’ Enjoyment in Physical Activity & Exergames

The purpose of this study was to compare college students’ enjoyment levels in three domains of activity (traditional physical activities, exergames, and non-exergames). Volunteers (n = 141) from a Midwestern university completed an online survey composed of a modified version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES). Significant differences were detected across the three domains regarding level of enjoyment, F(2, 232) = 32.49, p < .001, with the highest enjoyment levels reported in the traditional physical activity domain. Additional results revealed that Wii Sports (49%) and Just Dance (29%) had the highest percentage of use with exergamers, while non-exergame participants reported playing video games such as Pokémon, Zelda, Mario Kart, Madden (59%), and Clash of Clans (25%). These results suggest that traditional physical activities and exergaming activities are psychologically enjoyable pursuits for college-aged individuals that can help increase their physical health and quality of life

Physical Education Job Satisfaction in Wisconsin

Color poster with text, charts, and maps.There has been an increase in teacher shortage and a high attrition rate of teachers in the state of Wisconsin. The purpose of this study was to investigate on job satisfaction for physical education teacher in Wisconsin. The research focused on the correlations in between themes (such as teaching, professional development, coaching, student relations, work load, coworkers, salary/benefits, administration, parents, resources) and teachers’ job satisfaction. One hundred eighty-four Wisconsin physical education teachers participated in the study. Each participant took a 51 question Qualtrics online survey. All questions were assigned to one of the ten themes. The survey only took the survey one time, and took them 10-20 minutes. A bivariate correlation test was used to analyze correlation between the themes and overall job satisfaction. There were moderate correlations between administration (r= .58), co-workers (r= .43), and student relations (r= .42). Participants indicated that having ample support from administration, caring coworkers, and positive relationships with students have a positive impact on their positive job satisfaction. Based on the open-ended questions, participants expressed their dissatisfaction related to Act 10 and Governor Walker. We should continue to support teachers, create caring and positive work environments, which may help with job satisfaction and this could contribute to lowering attrition rate and reduce the teacher shortage in Wisconsin.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

A Qualitative Study of Pokémon Go Players' Behaviors, Motivation, & Perception

Color poster with text and table.The brand Pokémon has been popular among youth since it came out in the early 1990s (Tobin, 2004). Pokémon Go was released on July 6th, 2016. This study investigated Pokémon Go players to determine why some people stopped playing the game and why some people still continue to play. In this study, we focused on people's play behavior, motivation, and health perceptions.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Preservice Health Teachers Perceptions of Teaching Health at a Juvenile Detention Center

Color poster with text and graph.The main purpose of this study is to explore how the perceptions of preservice health education teachers’ change over the course of teaching health lessons to at-risk youth at a Juvenile Detention Center (JDC). Undergraduate preservice student teachers enrolled in a Health Education course during the time of this study were invited to take part in group interviews as well as complete surveys before, during, and after their experiences teaching and observing Health lessons at a JDC. Through coding and thematic analysis, themes were developed from participants' responses to the interview questions and surveys. The results showed that majority of them had negative perceptions of teaching students at a JDC prior to their experience. Throughout the experience, preservice teachers' perceptions were positively changed. This study found that preservice teachers had a negative perception of at-risk youth before they had ever had any experience working with that type of youth. After going through experiences with at-risk youth we found that preservice teachers had gained enthusiasm and a positive outlook towards them. Undergraduate courses for preservice Health education teachers should consider providing opportunities to teach at-risk or incarcerated youth as a field experience.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Secondary Physical Education Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Japan, South Korea, and the United States

Color poster with text, charts, and graphs.Physical education (PE) teachers have high attrition rates worldwide, yet little cross-cultural research exists exploring the factors contributing to their job satisfaction/dissatisfaction. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively assess cross-cultural factors contributing to job satisfaction/dissatisfaction among secondary school PE teachers in Japan, South Korea, and the United States (U.S.). Nine secondary school PE teachers, three in each country, were observed during a full day of teaching in their respective schools, while researchers compiled field notes of their observations. After each class period, participants indicated their satisfaction on an 11-point visual analog scale. Afterwards, participants completed a semi-structured interview, in their native language, consisting of 16 core questions and additional questions relevant to the observed day. Four primary themes surrounding job satisfaction emerged: 1) student relations, 2) workload, 3) teaching, and 4) administration relations. The main theme of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction was student relations and workload in all three countries. The U.S. teachers reported more satisfaction than dissatisfaction in their teaching, whereas the opposite relationship was observed among South Korean and Japanese teachers. Results of our study highlight the importance of understanding cultural values that constitute job satisfaction/dissatisfaction in finding ways to reduce attrition of PE teachers.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

ExerCube vs. Personal Trainer: Evaluating a Holistic, Immersive, and Adaptive Fitness Game Setup

Today's spectrum of playful fitness solutions features systems that are clearly game-first or fitness-first in design; hardly any sufficiently incorporate both areas. Consequently, existing applications and evaluations often lack in focus on attractiveness and effectiveness, which should be addressed on the levels of body, controller, and game scenario following a holistic design approach. To contribute to this topic and as a proof-of-concept, we designed the ExerCube, an adaptive fitness game setup. We evaluated participants' multi-sensory and bodily experiences with a non-adaptive and an adaptive ExerCube version and compared them with personal training to reveal insights to inform the next iteration of the ExerCube. Regarding flow, enjoyment and motivation, the ExerCube is on par with personal training. Results further reveal differences in perception of exertion, types and quality of movement, social factors, feedback, and audio experiences. Finally, we derive considerations for future research and development directions in holistic fitness game setups