Phys Ed

Motivating students to exercise is a significant problem, even though many students report they believe fitness is a significant part of physical education. One study conducted at Ohio State University found that "more than half of students they surveyed in three urban areas believe fitness is an important part of physical education. But 74% say they have had negative experiences while participating in fitness activities, such as running or weight lifting" (Kelly and Henry 1). Further, even though a high percentage of young people are overweight and research confirms that good physical education training in early life is a key to lifelong health habits, physical education programs have been on the decline in American schools. Physical education programs have continued to erode over the past decade, an erosion exacerbated by interest in technology and parents who question the appropriateness of physical education as they knew it. A U.S. Surgeon General report on physical activity and health affirms the decline in physical education during the 1990s, "only 25 percent of high school students participated in daily physical education in 1995, down from 42 percent five years earlier" (Kennedy Manzo 1). Another issue which causes concern regarding physical education is the fact that in many Kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms teach