An Exploration of Rural Youths' Perceptions and Experiences of Physical Activity
2018-04
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An Exploration of Rural Youths' Perceptions and Experiences of Physical Activity
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2018-04
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Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how rural youth perceive,
experience and make meaning of physical activity in their daily lives. This
phenomenological study was guided by Sallis' (2008) social ecological model that
served as the framework to conceptualize youth physical activity. Five rural youth ages
11-16 were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. The
analysis of the data revealed four emergent themes that described how the participants
perceived, experienced, and made meaning of physical activity in their daily lives:
positive physical education experiences; self-efficacy; sedentary behaviors; and family
support. Positive physical education experiences played a key role as a way for youth
to develop the necessary motor skills that enable them to lead a life-long physically
active lifestyle. Self-efficacy was perceived as feeling secure and resourceful in the
ability to successfully engage in various forms of physically activity independently or
with others. Sedentary behaviors for the participants in this study played a role in their
everyday lives, but were not perceived as a barrier to being physically active, perhaps
due to high levels of self-efficacy. Family support was perceived as being important,
but not always necessary for participants to be physically active. Together, their
experiences served as pertinent reminders to those with a vested interest in children's
well-being to acknowledge their voices in all aspects of devising interventions.
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Capstone Project, Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Master of Education Degree in the College of Education and Human Service Professions, April 2018. This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present.
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University of Minnesota, Duluth. College of Education and Human Service Professions.
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Johnson, Jimmie L. (2018). An Exploration of Rural Youths' Perceptions and Experiences of Physical Activity. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/200495.
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