Implementation of a Personal Fitness Unit Using the Personalized System of Instruction

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2015

Publication Title

The Physical Educator

Abstract

Levels of physical activity and health-related fitness (HRF) are decreasing among adolescents in the United States. Several interventions have been implemented to reverse this downtrend. Traditionally, physical educators incorporate a direct instruction (DI) strategy, with teaching potentially leading students to disengage during class. An instructional strategy that has been shown to be effective in increasing content knowledge and skill competency in physical education is the personalized system of instruction (PSI). Students (N = 24) from a private, urban high school in a major city within the Mountain West region of the United States participated in the 6-week study. Video and audiotaping, along with interviews and journals, were used to determine if criteria standards associated with PSI were met. Three of the 4 components of PSI were met as well as 10 of 12 design features, indicating that implementing the personal fitness unit using PSI was successful. The results indicate PSI was successfully implemented. With its characteristics of self-pacing and mastery learning, PSI has the potential to be an effective teaching model within physical education.

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