Video Technology and the Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Attitudes Toward Physical Activity of Middle School Students: Does P.E.TV make a Difference?

by

Cathrine Himberg

Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Approved

George M. Graham, Chair
Andrew J. Stremmel
John K. Burton
Terry M. Wildman
Billie Lepczyk

April, 1996
Blacksburg, Virginia

Abstract

This study examined the effects of Physical Education Television (P.E.TV) on 69 southwest Virginia middle school studentsı subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and attitudes toward physical activity. Four intact 8th grade physical education/health classes were selected for the study. The students were randomly assigned to the classes by school administrators at the beginning of the school year. The classes were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The treatment group (two 8th grade classes) viewed 10 P.E.TV shows over a period of nine weeks. The control group (two 8th grade classes) had physical education/health class as normal. The same teacher taught all four classes.

A pre-test post-test design was used. All students filled out a pre-test questionnaire at the beginning of the 9 weeks, and a post-test questionnaire at the end of the 9 weeks. The pre and post-test questionnaires included the ³Childrenıs Attitudes Toward Physical Activity² scale to assess the studentıs attitudes, and questions developed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1980, 1985) to assess subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. The pre-test questionnaire also included the ³Weekly Activity Checklist², which was used to categorize students into groups based on their activity level. The first three hypotheses stated that P.E.TV would have a positive influence on the studentsı subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and attitudes toward physical activity. These hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance, and rejected at the .05 level of significance. The fourth hypothesis stated that P.E.TV would have more of a positive influence on students categorized as ³moderate to low active² than on students categorized as ³high active². This attribute-treatment-interaction hypothesis was tested using a two way Analysis of Variance, and was also rejected at the .05. level. Suggestions for future studies are included in the discussion section.

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