Abstract
Childhood obesity has increased over the last thirty years. Research has found that both poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are factors that contribute to childhood obesity. While many schools have implemented healthier eating standards for students, physical activity opportunities in schools are decreasing. The classroom has been overlooked as a possible context for providing children with additional opportunities to engage in physical activities. The research to date has not fully examined teachers’ beliefs and practices related to incorporating classroom based physical activity. Studies suggest that teachers play an important role in the success or failure of newly implemented programs in schools. Therefore, it is important for researchers to gain an in depth understanding of how teachers feel about incorporating physical activity in the classroom as well as a clearer picture of their related knowledge and training. The researcher conducted one on one interviews to examine elementary teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and classroom practices regarding physical activity in the classroom. A total of ten teachers, eight female and two male, participated in the study. All teachers taught inCalifornia at a public elementary school. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative research methods to identify themes across the teachers’ responses. All of the participants (n=10) believed that physical activity was important for children, and all but two of the participants had their students do physical activity during classroom time on a regular basis. However, none of the teachers who had their students participate in physical activity in the classroom had any specific training on how to do so properly, which is an area that may need to be looked at further for future research. The majority of the teachers also believed that their schools offered students an appropriate amount of engagement in physical activity. This is in contrast with previous research on the subject. Two major barriers for teachers trying to implement classroom based physical activity were time and the testing pressures that teachers face. Future research should examine how testing pressures effect teachers’ attitudes and use of time related to physical activity.