Developing an Industry Scale for Assessing Physical Education Classes in Elementary Schools

by Considering Differences with Other Subjects, Flow Experience, Grade, and Gender

Abstract

The Industry Scale of Physical Education Classes in Elementary Schools (ISPE) was developed. Then, ISPE was used to clarify differences in Industry, which is one stage of Erickson’s stages of psychosocial development, in relation to grade, gender, and flow experiences in physical education classes, as well as efforts made in other subjects. A questionnaire consisting of 43 items related to Industry was developed in a pilot study by qualitatively analyzing a unit of physical development exercise in third and fourth grades of elementary school. In the main study, elementary school students (N = 1,276, 646 boys and 630 girls) responded to this questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the ISPE consisted of four factors and 22 items: (1) Empathy for peers, (2) Discovery of challenges, (3) Initial remarks and (4) Conscientiousness.
Each ISPE factor had satisfactory internal consistency, and each ISPE factor score was positively correlated with the results of fitness and physical competence tests, which confirmed its concurrent validity. Moreover, each ISPE factor score had a weak correlation with efforts made in other subjects including Japanese language and arithmetic. These results are suggestive of a common industry trait in all subjects. Moreover, a moderate correlation was indicated between ISPE score and flow experiences in physical education, suggesting flow experience of students is based on Industry. Furthermore, a two-way ANNOVA indicated that ISPE score and physical competence had similar gender differences and changing trends caused by increasing school year. Keywords: self-determination, intrinsic motivation, effort process