A survey of the status of the lifetime wellness course in Tennessee.

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the status of the Lifetime Wellness course which was being taught in the public high schools in Tennessee. The subjects for this study included 322 teachers who had taught the Lifetime Wellness course at least once. The scope of the research included the qualifications of those who are teaching the Lifetime Wellness course, the curriculum that was being taught, the methods used to teach the course, and the time allotted to teach the course.

Eleven research questions were posed for this study: (1) Are the teachers of the Lifetime Wellness course certified to teach in Tennessee? (2) Are Tennessee teachers of the Lifetime Wellness course endorsed in the appropriate areas to teach Lifetime Wellness? (3) At what grade level was the Lifetime Wellness; course taught? (4) Did the teachers of the Lifetime Wellness course coach an athletic sport? (5) How many of the seven strands of the Lifetime Wellness course were taught in an academic year? (6) What types of physical activities did the students engage in during the Lifetime Wellness course? (7) What types of teaching methods were used to teach the Lifetime Wellness course? (8) What was the total amount of time that the students spent in the Lifetime Wellness course? (9) Did the teachers of the Lifetime Wellness; course have adequate time to teach the seven strands within the curriculum? (10) Is there a difference between the number of strands that were taught in the Lifetime Wellness course when compared to the type of teacher endorsement (health and p.e., health only, p.e. only, family and consumer science only, or no appropriate area)? (11) Is there a relationship between the total amount of time spent in the Lifetime Wellness course by the students and the number of strands that were taught?

The results of the research suggested that while 99 percent of the Lifetime Wellness teachers were certified to teach in Tennessee, only 76 percent of the teachers were endorsed to teach both health and physical education. The data also indicated that 24 percent of the Lifetime Wellness teachers had omitted at least one of the mandated strands within the curriculum. The total amount of time spent in the Lifetime Wellness course by the students varied, with some students receiving 83 total course hours while others received 195 total hours. Forty six percent of the Lifetime Wellness teachers reported that they did not have adequate time to teach all the components of the Lifetime Wellness course.

The conclusions of the researcher were that more Lifetime Wellness; teachers need to be endorsed in both health and physical education, a higher percentage of the Lifetime Wellness teachers should be teaching all seven strands within the course, and the necessity of additional time within the Lifetime Wellness course to adequately teach all the components of the course.