Physical Activity Behavior and Motivation (Instructor’s Note: Much of this information is in Ch. 2 of the PB Teacher’s Guide, which goes into more detail on this topic. A brief overview – this presentation – is included with the Specialist workshop, as this is a topic on which the PB office receives many requests for more information on the participant evaluation forms.) Physical Activity Behavior and Motivation

Motivation Process Product (bullet 1) The goal of the Physical Best and FITNESSGRAM programs are to develop students toward maintaining lifetime fitness and physical activity (a process) (bullet 2) rather than to improve short-term fitness (a product).

Motivation Extrinsic VS Intrinsic Two forms of motivation: (bring in both bullets) – extrinsic and intrinsic

Extrinsic Motivation involves factors outside the individual, unrelated to the task being performed Examples: stickers, t-shirts Extrinsic (involves factors outside the individual, unrelated to the task being performed) Examples: stickers and t-shirts Extrinsic rewards motivate children to achieve activity goals to some extent, but they can also have drawbacks. For example – children may view the rewards as the reason to participate in the activity that they might have chosen to do on their own anyway, and may put their focus on the reward, rather than the activity.

PCPFS Active Lifestyle Awards PALA Model School (bullet 1) The award that complements the Physical Best and FITNESSGRAM programs, is The Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports’ – Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. This award recognizes children and/or adults who participate in physical activity – by minutes or steps on a pedometer, over a 6 week period. (bullet 2) Schools meeting qualifications for a minimum number of students awarded the PALA, can also achieve the Model School Award. More information on these awards can be found at: www.presidentschallenge.org.

Guidelines for Extrinsic Rewards Reward the performance, not the outcome Reward students more for effort than for their actual success Reward little things on the way toward reaching larger goals Use rewards that have meaning to the participants, and are age appropriate Some guidelines for the use of extrinsic rewards include – Reward the performance, not the outcome Reward students more for their effort than for their actual success Reward little things on the way toward reaching larger goals Use rewards that have meaning to the participants, and are age appropriate

Intrinsic Motivation an individual’s internal desire to perform a task, allows children to view physical activity as an ongoing process Example: “FUN” (competition, cooperative social activities) (bring in both bullets) Intrinsic Motivation (an individual’s internal desire to perform a task, allows children to view physical activity as an ongoing process). Example: “fun” is the primary intrinsic reason students give for participating in physical activity, and this will be different for different students. (for some – fun is competition, for others it may be cooperative social activities, etc.)

Characteristics of Intrinsically Motivating Activities: Challenge Curiosity Control Creativity The 4 “C’s” --- They Challenge They promote Curiosity They promote student Control (chances for self-responsibility) They promote student Creativity Physical Best & FITNESSGRAM then, focus on the process rather than the product of fitness through an emphasis on intrinsic motivation.

Factors Influencing Participation Biological (gender, age, race) Psychological (self-worth) Social (family, peers, teacher) Environmental (setting) Now, having explored motivation as it relates to physical activity, and Physical Best – we need to also explore the factors influencing participation in physical activity in general. Among them are: Biological influences such as gender, race and age (p.16 – Table 2.1) Psychological factors such as self-efficacy, self-control, intrinsic motivation, value of activity, global self-esteem and self-worth and satisfaction (p. 17 – Table 2.2) Social factors – influences of others, including family and caregivers, peers, teachers and physicians (p. 18) Physical Environment – such as day of the week, season, setting, organized programs, television and video games (p.18 – Table 2.3) Knowing these influences (positive or negative) can help you address them in your curriculum.

Motivating Students Reward the process Set goals Use visual aids Emphasize self-assessment Do not grade fitness results Involve caretakers Some suggestions for motivating students include: Reward the process of participation rather than the product of fitness. (Ex: Give credit for minutes of participation, rather than for the number accomplished or speed of participation.) Set goals that are challenging yet attainable. (Students should be helped to set their personal goals – There are tools in the Teachers Guide to help with this, such as the Goal Setting Worksheet on pages 30-31 and also found as a reproducible in Appendix A.) – Instructor Note – You can have participants open their books and walk through it Use visual aids to publicize fitness interests. (Ex: Bulletin board, personal/class web pages, charts, etc.) Emphasize self-assessing programs and tools that teach children to evaluate their own fitness levels. (Your school counselors can also help here) Avoid using fitness test results for grading. (Grading should not be based on fitness scores, but instead achievement of goals should be reported and rewarded). Involve parents/caretakers whenever possible. (Ex: Give “points” for exercising with parents or other family members outside of school. Send home reports and give caretakers chances to comment and sign. Thank them for supporting “homework” in P.E.)

Goal Setting WHAT? You can address motivation through goal setting with your students. WHAT is goal setting? Is a mechanism that helps students understand their potential and helps them feel satisfied with their accomplishments. In order to set goals “what” should students know? (Instructors can ask for audience feedback – no complete set of answers here, but some of many correct answers could be): Their own personal fitness level The healthy zone of fitness The health-related components of fitness The principles of fitness and how to apply them How activities they like relate to fitness Helps students understand their potential and helps them feel satisfied with their accomplishments.

Goal Setting WHY? Fosters ownership, pride, & GOALS ARE MOTIVATING! WHY? Using goals created from personal assessment establishes their ownership and fosters pride in the fitness process. GOALS ARE MOTIVATING! Fosters ownership, pride, & GOALS ARE MOTIVATING!

Goal Setting WHEN? WHEN? In the Fitness Process (FITNESSGRAM Test Manual pp. 12-13) – Step 5, after assessing initial fitness levels (AND PERIODICALLY RESET GOALS.) After assessing initial fitness levels & periodically reset goals. *See Step 5, p. 13 FITNESSGRAM Test Manual

10 Strategies for Goal Setting Involve students Start small Relative to past behavior Specific and measurable Challenging and realistic * See Table 2.5, p. 36 Teacher’s Guide Involve students in the goal setting process. Start small and progress. Focus on improvements relative to an individual’s past behavior. Set specific and measurable goals. Set challenging and realistic goals. (refer to p. 36 - Table 2.5)

10 Strategies for Goal Setting Write goals Provide strategies Give feedback on progress Create goal stations Periodic evaluation See Table 2.5, p. 36 Teacher’s Guide Have students write their goals down. Provide students with strategies or options to meet their goals. Support and give feedback about progress toward goals. Create goal stations. Provide opportunities for periodic evaluation – by you or self-evaluation by the student. (Also set timelines to reassess and reward accomplishments) Further explanation is on pp. 37-39 of the Teacher’s Guide.

Getting Students Involved Is The Key Share your motivation and goal setting ideas… (Instructor Note: If desired, share some of your ideas and experiences, and ask your audience to do the same, trying to cover ideas for the various levels such as: k-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 – Also consider sharing the concept of teachers starting with one idea or example at a time, so that if this is a new skill for them, they do not feel overwhelmed). (One idea that you might use to start the group off, if unresponsive: ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO HAVE A GOAL PARTNER—a friend who will sign the goals, and with whom they consult regularly regarding progress toward achievement of goals.)