The purpose of this study was to investigate physical education teachers’ perceptions of implementing online physical education during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to explore their needs with regard to support for future teaching experiences. A total of 4,302 teachers completed four open-ended questions as part of a larger survey. Deductive and inductive qualitative analysis led to three themes: (a) Teachers’ Proud Moments, (b) Help! So Many Obstacles, and (c) Future Challenges. Teachers stated many successes and challenges that they experienced through the COVID-19 pandemic. Many items specifically focused on use and access to technology, student participation, and meeting students’ needs in various ways. Results can provide guidance for how to address the essential components of physical education in the online environment. In addition, results may provide insight to those who educate, train, and prepare teachers to teach in a virtual and/or physically distanced environment.

Although there has been forward movement in identifying and addressing diverse learning needs, social justice education is not a significant part of the current standards for beginning teachers or K-12 students in the U.S. Throughout our standards-based history, social justice has been more of a hidden curriculum. To attain the 50 Million Strong by 2029 goal, it is vital to acknowledge that physical education is a social justice issue. Without consideration of the historical, political, and social contexts that permeate and frame physical education, along with the social identities and lived experiences of our future teachers and students, it is unlikely that this goal will be sustained. While concerns have been voiced relative to the standards-based teaching movement, in a country that espouses standards-based education, a first step in moving any educational reform forward is to formalize its inclusion in the national standards that serve to guide our discipline. A philosophical shift may be what is needed for change to occur regarding social justice education in an attempt to enhance the learning opportunities for all students. A forward step in creating this change is to address the research and pedagogical practices of our current physical education teacher education and K-12 programs, along with the physical education standards and policies at the national and state levels. We specifically articulate connections between social justice education and four key, interconnected research areas related to (a) occupational socialization, (b) curriculum, instruction, and assessment, (c) technology, and (d) professional development.

Convention refugees are individuals who have fled their home countries due to a substantiated fear of persecution. As a consequence, many young Convention refugees are disconnected from their environment as they enter schools and communities and are often misunderstood in their new country due to cultural barriers. Given the universality of human movement, the physical activity setting can be an important space through which acculturation can be fostered. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to capture the nuances and experiences of 17 Convention refugees engaged in a community program. Significant moments, at the point of data saturation, were validated through observations, ethnographic interviews, artifacts and participant observations. The process of data analysis produced four themes: (a) embodied space (b) proxemics, (c) collective sharing (d) rhythm. Through triangulation, the appearances of creative movements were captured in tandem with rhythm, thus recording individual expressions within a collective space [Paulson, S. (2011). The use of ethnography and narrative interviews in a study of ‘cultures of dance’. Journal of health psychology, 16(1), 148–157]. The exploration of cultural and situational frames through drumming and movement can attempt to build an emotional bridge to support acculturation. Creative movement is a culturally relevant way to engage individuals in dialogue by asking them to tell us what they know to be moments of truth [Oliver, K. L. (1998). A journey into narrative analysis: A methodology for discovering meanings. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 17, 244–259]. This collective sharing lends itself to physical activity environments where there are opportunities to foster creativity, encourage intersectional identity, and support Convention refugee acculturation.

The purpose of this study was to develop the Youth Physical Activity Attitude Scale (YPAAS). Questions were developed using dual-component (affective-cognitive, positive-negative) beliefs framework. Content validity was established with expert panel review. Two samples of 4th–8th grade students (51% Female; 9–14 years) completed the YPAAS (sample 1, n= 3,188; sample 2n= 679). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used to examine the construct and criterion validity of the YPASS. Results indicated a 12-item measure with positive and negative attitude dimensions. Students in upper-grade levels reported stronger negative attitudes toward physical activity compared to students in lower grades. The YPASS produced invariant scores for boys and girls. Structural equation modeling revealed that positive attitudes related to both physical activity intentions and behaviors. Overall, scores from the YPAAS were shown to be valid and reliable for capturing youths’ positive and negative attitudes toward physical activity.