Why Do High School Students Drop out of Physical Education?
by Stephen Silverman Shrinking enrollments in elective physical education programs have consistently been reported over the past several years. This is happening while several recent studies have found that, in general, secondary level students are “very satisfied” with their physical education classes and would voluntarily enroll in more. Further, teachers and administrators report positive attitudes toward physical education and believe that physical education is a necessary component of the high school curriculum. Because of the conflicting messages it was decided to survey 1,438 senior students from 52 randomly selected high schools in the states of Nebraska, Idaho, and Utah. A questionnaire (Physical Education Participation Survey) was used to collect information related to the students’ reasons for not participating in elective physical education coursework at their schools. This investigation found that 1,050 of the senior students surveyed had taken no elective physical educati
Related Questions
- What physical education courses shall be available for high school students who have been exempted from two years of physical education?
- Are Concurrently Enrolled High School Students allowed to take physical education (PE) classes?
- What is the required course content for high school students enrolled in physical education?
