A Critical Analysis of Current Practices and Beliefs Underlying General Physical Education Programs in Higher Education

Abstract

This study was made to determine a current set of concepts which physical educators believe should characterize the purposes of the modern college program of general physical education. A review of current literature was conducted to identify and define those concepts which seemed to be characteristic of the purposes of the general college program of physical education. From this literature a structured interview guide was developed. Sections I and II of this guide contained questions concerning the current status of this program. Questions designed to elicit opinions with regard to selected aspects of the general college program of physical education also were included. Section III contained statements of concepts currently appearing in the literature of higher education. The data were obtained by the personal interview and the mailed questionnaire technique. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was employed to compare responses among three groups of respondents: a group of physical educators who were selected on the basis of their specific qualifications with regard to the general college program (Group I), a jury of physical educators who were considered expert in the overall field of physical education (Group II), and a group composed of deans of instruction (Group III). This test was designed to determine whethere were statistically significant differences of opinion among responses of the three groups. The data were reported and interpretations and analyses of the data were made. It was found that physical educators and academic deans of instruction were in close agreement in most instances with regard to beliefs concerning the general college program of physical education.