Autoethnography of a Novice Teacher's Assessment Literacy in Elementary Physical Education.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how a novice teacher (researcher) has developed his assessment literacy in elementary physical education (PE), and thereby investigating what cultural, micropolitical and sociological factors have impacted on his enactment of assessment literacy. Method: Adopting autoethnography, this study investigated   theresearcher as a subject and an object of research in the pursuit of extending the personal to the social. The 4 years of narrative data collected from the researcher's reflective journals, self-recalling, and artefacts on PE assessment were analysed using structural narrative analysis and reiterative process. Findings and discussion: The findings revealed that thenovice teacher developed his assessment literacy in a chronological order: (a) assessment illiterate, (b) assessment literate, and (c) assessment aliterate. The cultural, micropolitical and sociological factors that have impacted on the teachers' enactment of assessment literacy were discussed: (a) rampant complacency in elementary teaching culture: a bad judge or a good bystander?, (b) uniform culture of grade-level teams, and (c) distorted PE professionalism focusing on "hows", not "whys". Conclusion: The novice teacher's enactment of assessment literacy in elementary PE was not only related to himself but also to the school culture, grade level team, and PE professionalism where he belonged.

Developing Korean children's physical activity health literacy: Literate, Empowered, Active, Doer program (LEAD).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe children's experiences of the impact of LEAD (Literate, Empowered, Active, Doer) health program on their physical activity health literacy and to describe the characteristics of the LEAD health program that influenced the children's health literacy enhancement. METHODS: Six fifth grade elementary school students (three boys, three girls) were selected as participants. The data were collected from open-ended questionnaires, in-depth interviews, observation, and student journal entries. The data analysis followed the procedure of qualitative content analysis, which consisted of transcription, encoding, and creation of themes. FINDINGS: Findings revealed that the children's physical activity health literacy was enhanced in four separate manners: (a) became smarter finders of health information, (b) became active agents in sharing and applying health information, (c) valued and expanded physical activity beyond PE class, and (d) understood health as a holistic concept. Regarding program characteristics that influenced students' changes, three themes emerged: (a) providing specified contents in various physical activities to students (b) granting autonomy to students, and (c) building supportive environments for students.

Life lessons after classes: investigating the influence of an afterschool sport program on adolescents' life skills development.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an afterschool sport program on adolescents' life skills development and to identify which characteristics of the program would have an influence on their life skills acquisition. The participants were six children (4 boys, 2 girls) who participated in a 12-week afterschool program implemented in two elementary schools, as well as the two program instructors who implemented the afterschool sport program. Data were collected from individual interviews with program participants and instructors. The inductive analysis of data revealed four categories of life skills developed through program participation: (1) playing well and being more active, (2) connecting well and having better social skills, (3) coping well and becoming a better problem solver, and (4) dreaming well and having a better sense of purpose. Regarding the characteristics of the program that influenced life skills development, three themes emerged: (1) having a clear goal and building consensus with stakeholders, (2) establishing a firm yet flexible structure, and (3) instructors' use of effective strategies for teaching life skills.

Relations of perception of responsibility to intrinsic motivation and physical activity among Korean middle school students.

To validate the Personal and Social Responsibility Questionnaire, the relations between perceived responsibility and intrinsic motivation were examined among Korean middle school students. The relations of change in stages of physical activity and students' perceived responsibility were also examined. Participants were 357 middle school students (160 boys, 197 girls) from three schools in the Seoul metropolitan area. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure with effort and self-direction merged into one factor and the responsibilities of respect and caring for others constituted separate factors. Pearson correlations among factors showed perceptions of personal responsibility were associated with more intrinsic motivation toward physical education and a higher stage of physical activity. A moderate or low association between perceived social responsibility and intrinsic motivation implied a need to develop strategies for Korean students to use social responsibility for promoting physical activity.

Navigating two cultures: an investigation of cultures of a responsibility-based physical activity program and school.

We investigated the culture of a responsibility-based physical activity program called Project Effort as well as the school culture of its participants. Five children who had at least one full semester of participation in the program participated in the study. We collected data from participants' individual interviews and observations of their involvement at school and in Project Effort. Findings revealed a distinct incongruence between the participants' perceptions of the atmosphere of the after-school program and school. Although explicitly similar values were emphasized between Project Effort and school, participants suggested these values were distorted between the two settings. For example, the empowerment values in Project Effort (e.g., respect, responsibility) were perceived as a discipline approach in the school setting. Participants'perceptions of cultural differences functioned as a barrier to the transfer of program values to the school context.