Dr. Daniel K Drost

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of TARGET- and feedback-manipulated climates in a short unit of study of a familiar task. Participants were fourth- and fifthgrade students (n = 170) from intact classes in two southeast United States elementary schools. Classes were assigned to learn a familiar skill during a one week unit in a mastery or performance climate. Climate groups were assigned to receive either positive and general or informational feedback. The data collected on the participants included pre- and post-task skill and motivational measures. While climate and positive feedback had no effect on competence or skill change, informational feedback resulted in a decreased perceived competence and improved skill performance. At the conclusion of the intervention, participants in a mastery climate with positive feedback were significantly more motivated than those in a performance climate with informational feedback. When determining the appropriate climate and feedback for students, physical education teachers must consider whether lesson and unit objectives are to focus on motivation or skill performance. Information has the potential to positively affect actual measured competence while at the same time negatively affect perceptions of competence.

Disciplinary isolation has facilitated health education, public health, and physical education professionals to sometimes pursue common goals without the benefit of interdisciplinary collaboration and perspectives. Recognizing the potential benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration efforts to solve complex problems, faculty members at the University of West Florida developed an innovative doctoral program combining the disciplines of physical education, health education, and health promotion. Beginning with the salient common ground of issues related to engagement in physical activity, the program is designed to explore, compare, and contrast best practices in research and practice from each discipline. Benefits include synergistic solutions to common problems, graduates who transcend traditional professional silos to be more impactful, and the creation of innovative research endeavors. Graduates also find that they meet contemporary workforce needs outside of academia and are more marketable as faculty in kinesiology and health-related departments because of their rich, multidisciplinary knowledge base. Challenges to program implementation include prior student socialization from traditional studies in their disciplines and faculty working to move beyond their professional comfort zones to collaboratively mentor students in the program.

Participating in general physical activity during childhood may not be the strongest predictor of lifetime physical activity. Children must develop motivation to participate in physically active endeavors and become excited about being active. These feelings toward physical activity may be best obtained by teaching with a more deliberate emphasis on the developmental stages of skill acquisition. This article describes a method for teaching catching skills that is grounded in the cognition and motor-development tenets of refinement and proximodistal development. The preparatory body movement skills - the focus stage - should be a primary objective for physical education teachers and their early elementary-age students during catching instruction. The focus stage includes information gathering, foot movements, body adjustment, and arm motions. Focusing on the actual catch - the control stage - skips vital aspects of a mature catching skill that likely would lead to greater understanding and skill in the future. The control stage involves grasping an object using the hands and fingers. This article describes specific planning characteristics, teaching behaviors, and catching lesson content physical educators can use to revolutionize their elementary physical education programs.

The development of fundamental movement skills in physical education is an important contributor toward children's' lifetime interest and participation in physical activity. Physical education teachers and their curricula follow national and state standards to provide learning experiences and instruction that support the acquisition of skills. Traditionally, elementary and middle school students acquire psychomotor skills, but they rarely engage in cognitive learning related to learning those skills. The tactical games approach is used by teachers to promote tactical understanding and problem solving in sports, usually at upper grade levels. This article describes how teachers can use aspects of the tactical games approach when teaching fundamental movement skills. Instead of understanding tactics in sport, students can understand the importance of the many different elements of fundamental movement skills.