Physical Education in Albertas Schools: A Brief Consideration of the Alberta Physical Education Study (ALPES)
This 10-page undergraduate paper is a consideration of Alberta Physical Education Study (ALPES): Final Report. This paper presents a brief summary of the report, and then provides a critical assessment of the findings of the report. This essay suggests that the Alberta Physical Education Study does not give enough of a voice to actual students and does not focus on the impact physical education has on the realities of students lives, even though the study begins by claiming that one of its main concerns is with student access to greater fitness and health. Further, the study does not account for the changes in different areas of Alberta, instead falsely creating a false whole through statistics. However, this essay also notes that the study does a good job of explaining its terms and concepts clearly and presenting a clear idea of one aspect of physical education in Albertas public schools. This paper then suggests that teacher opinions and findings regarding student participation levels are the most important findings of this survey, as they come closest to suggesting the ways that these programs affect children. Further, this paper argues that the study is significant in that it suggests areas for change and affirms the importance of both physical education teachers and physical education programs. This essay suggests that the study would have been very different if performed in other provinces, due to regional differences, and varied financial resources of provinces. Finally, this paper suggests that the Alberta Physical Education Study can be a powerful tool for teachers, as it affirms the importance of physical education teachers and creates new questions which can lead to a fruitful discussion of the physical education programs available in Canadian schools.
