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If physical education is going to be responsive to the needs of each child, it should reflect the culture in which it is practiced. Students come to our classrooms with various backgrounds, reflecting differences in social, ethnic, and economic environments; individual and family values; demands and responsibilities placed on them; and exposure to physical education and sports programs. Children learn and respond to different values about the place of sport in society and their own role within that setting (Greendorfer, 1983). While learners experience these personal changes, so do our schools. Our communities are marked for major changes in the coming century (Smith, 1991) as American society becomes more culturally diverse with an ever-increasing ethnic population. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 1995 the school age population will be composed of 30% ethnic minorities (Cooper, 1988). Physical education programs are challenged by the needs of youth in a changing environment. Traditional curricula must integrate social change while discovering ways to motivate youth to develop lifelong physical activity habits. Before this goal can be achieved we, as physical educators, must be conscious of how young people within various cultures perceive physical education and sport. This study was conducted to provide some insight into the attitudes of middle and high school youth toward physical education and sport from a multicultural perspective. Procedures Students in physical education classes in three urban communities known to have a high minority student population were surveyed in autumn of 1991. A 22-item questionnaire, which took approximately 15 minutes to complete, was administered during physical education class by teachers.

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the meaning of practicum experiences for physical education teacher education (PETE) students. Participants were 10 PETE students majoring in teaching and enrolled in an introductory adapted physical education course with an inclusion-based practicum requirement. Data were collected from participants’ self-reflective journals and analyzed using thematic analysis procedures (Giorgi, 1985). Eleven themes emerged that reflected the meaning of practicum experiences for these students. Our findings suggest that journaling provides a medium for PETE students to identify issues, address problems, and think critically about best practices.

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