TY - JOUR
T1 - JROTC as a substitute for PE
T2 - Really?
AU - Lounsbery, Monica A.F.
AU - Holt, Kathryn A.
AU - Monnat, Shannon M.
AU - Funk, Brian
AU - McKenzie, Thomas L.
N1 - Funding Information:
The JROTC is a federal program sponsored by the U.S. Armed Forces in high schools across the United States. The program, originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916, has as its stated goals “to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment” (U.S. Code, 2011). A target of 3,500 JROTC units exists across the services (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy), with programs in approximately 3,360 schools in 2007 and plans to expand to 3,700 units by 2020 (Department of Defense, 2006; U.S. Code, 2011).
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Purpose: Even though physical education (PE) is an evidence-based strategy for providing and promoting physical activity, alternative programs such as the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) are commonly substituted for PE in many states. The purpose of this study was to compare student physical activity and lesson contexts during high school PE and JROTC sessions. Method: The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time was used to assess PE and JROTC sessions (N = 38 each) in 4 high schools that provided both programs. Data were analyzed using t tests, negative binomial regression, and logistic regression. Results: Students engaged in significantly more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during PE than during JROTC sessions and they were significantly less sedentary. Significant differences between the 2 program types were also found among lesson contexts. Conclusions: PE and JROTC provide substantially different content and contexts, and students in these programs engage in substantially different amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Students in JROTC, and perhaps other alternative programs, are less likely to accrue health-supporting physical activity and engage in fewer opportunities to be physically fit and motorically skilled. Policies and practices for providing substitutions for PE should be carefully examined. © 2014
AB - Purpose: Even though physical education (PE) is an evidence-based strategy for providing and promoting physical activity, alternative programs such as the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) are commonly substituted for PE in many states. The purpose of this study was to compare student physical activity and lesson contexts during high school PE and JROTC sessions. Method: The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time was used to assess PE and JROTC sessions (N = 38 each) in 4 high schools that provided both programs. Data were analyzed using t tests, negative binomial regression, and logistic regression. Results: Students engaged in significantly more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during PE than during JROTC sessions and they were significantly less sedentary. Significant differences between the 2 program types were also found among lesson contexts. Conclusions: PE and JROTC provide substantially different content and contexts, and students in these programs engage in substantially different amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Students in JROTC, and perhaps other alternative programs, are less likely to accrue health-supporting physical activity and engage in fewer opportunities to be physically fit and motorically skilled. Policies and practices for providing substitutions for PE should be carefully examined. © 2014
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U2 - 10.1080/02701367.2014.930408
DO - 10.1080/02701367.2014.930408
M3 - Article
C2 - 25141093
AN - SCOPUS:84906540762
SN - 0270-1367
VL - 85
SP - 414
EP - 419
JO - Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
JF - Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
IS - 3
ER -