Due to the decrease in physical activity and the increased use of technology among today’s youth, teachers have been seeking out creative ways to engage students in physical education (PE). Exergaming is a creative way to merge technology and physical activity. Recent research on the physiological and psychological effects of exergaming is increasing; however, there is little research on how teachers implement this technology. Past studies have indicated that physical educators are steadily becoming more comfortable with technology integration, and in particular, exergaming; however, a lack of equipment has been viewed as a major barrier (Woods et al., 2008, Krause, 2010, 2013). With the rise in exergaming becoming a part of PE programs, and barriers such as lack of equipment being less of an issue with grants and low-cost equipment, it is necessary to understand teachers’ beliefs and behaviors with regard to implementation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate middle school PE teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors with regard to using the Xbox Kinect in PE.
Method:
This mixed-method study involved 22 (14 female, 8 male) middle school PE teachers in a large urban school district located in Central Texas where each middle school received a Xbox 360 Kinect system for use in PE. The teachers completed the Physical Educators’ Exergaming Technology Integration, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy Inventory at the end of the first year of Xbox Kinect implementation. In addition, two teachers participated in interviews about their implementation behaviors, and the PE Coordinator for the district participated in an interview about expectations for the implementation.
Analysis/Results:
Middle school PE teachers reported having moderate to high levels of attitude and self-efficacy beliefs, and Pearson’s r correlations suggested a very strong, positive relationship between attitude and self-efficacy beliefs (r =.76, n = 22, p< .001) toward integrating the Xbox Kinect in PE. Teachers’ reported using the Xbox Kinect primarily to increase the sense of fun in PE and to increase aerobic activity. Teachers reported large class sizes and lack of training on how to use the Xbox Kinect for teaching and learning as the strongest challenges to successful integration.
Conclusions:
Results of this study suggest that the middle school PE teachers in this study felt generally positive toward integrating the Xbox Kinect. Even when barriers such as lack of equipment are present, attention should be paid to providing high-quality training on connecting exergaming to curriculum objectives.