Physical Activity Levels in Coed and Single Gender High School Physical Education Settings

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of coed (coed) and single-gender game-play settings on the activity levels of Caucasian and African American high school physical education students. Students participated in flag football, ultimate Frisbee, and soccer units. Classes were as follows: there were two coed classes, two coed classes were split into male and female teams for game play, one class was exclusively female, and one class was exclusively male. Digi-walker pedometers were worn by students to monitor activity levels calculated as steps per minute. High school males, on average, had higher step counts than females in all settings, and Caucasian students were more active, on average, than African American students. There were no differences in activity levels for females between coed and single-gender game-play settings. There was some evidence, however, that in ultimate Frisbee and soccer units, male students in males-only classes were less physically active than were males in coed and split coed classes. Teacher interaction rates and team-sport preferences rather than the gender composition might have contributed to differences in activity levels of the classes.

Heart Rates of High School Physical Education Students During Team Sports, Individual Sports, and Fitness Activities

“…Individual class activities provided the opportunity for girls to have a higher MHR than when participating in team activities. Hannon and Ratliffe (2005) found no differences in girls' pedometer-determined activity levels during team sports that were single-gender or coed, although boys were less physically active during some single-gender team games. The researchers attributed their results to activity type preferences and teacher interaction, rather than class gender composition.…”

The Impact of the Free Swimming Programme in a Local Community in the South East of England: Giving with One Hand, Taking Away with the Other

“…This evidence makes the focus on sport participation much more urgent. Despite efforts to raise public awareness towards the risks of a sedentary life, an increasing number of elderly and adolescents are showing low levels of physical activity [44]. …”

Incidence and Descriptive Epidemiology of Injuries to College Ultimate Players

“…3 The sport can be described as a cross between soccer and American football: the offensive team passes the disc among themselves with the intent of receiving a pass in the end zone for a goal, and the defensive team seeks to intercept or force the offensive team to drop the disc, at which time the defensive team immediately becomes the offensive team. 1 From both the prior literature 4 and our own experience in the sport, we believe that soccer serves as the most appropriate comparison sport.…”