Young children's enjoyment of physical activity

<p>Young children are currently understudied in the area of physical activity enjoyment. Since young children lack the cognitive skills which motivate many adults to participate in physical activity, they have a unique need for specialized intervention programs. The present study explores how enjoyment of physical activity in young children is related to their actual levels of physical activity. Modified versions of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) were used to discover if such a relationship exists in kindergarten students from a multi-ethnic, suburban elementary school. While no significant correlation was found between self-reported physical activity level and overall enjoyment (r(18)=.012, p=.963), it was discovered that the participants in this study enjoy being physically active. These findings provide a basis to further investigate young children’s enjoyment of physical activity.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Health Promotion and Human Performance

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Hudson, Samantha Renae

Contributors dc:contributor

• Susan McCarthy, Ph.D., Chair
• Joan Cowdery, Ph.D.
• Michael Paciorek, Ph.D.

• children
• exercise
• physically active
• Medicine and Health Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/578

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-1953