Kent Bonacki Looks at the Importance of Physical Education in Primary and Secondary School
Some myths are harmless or even helpful. However, other myths are dangerous and destructive, and are long overdue for elimination. On the educational landscape, one such myth that seems to have more lasting power than the Energizer Bunny is the fiction that physical education is optional rather than essential in primary and secondary school.
According to Kent Bonacki, a grant researcher and professional writer in Park City, Utah, there are three reasons why physical education needs to be a core, fundamental part of the primary and secondary school curriculum.
Physical Education Promotes Higher Levels of Student Achievement
A three-year cluster randomized controlled trial of 24 elementary schools in Northeast Kansas found schools that added physical activity to the curriculum recorded higher levels of student achievement compared to schools that did not add physical activity to the curriculum.
The improvement in student test scores and achievements was not surprising to anyone who is familiar with the link between physical education and biological development, says Kent Bonacki. Specifically, children who are physically fit have a larger hippocampal and a larger basal ganglia, compared to children who are not physically fit. Both of these brain structures are associated with elevated learning and comprehension abilities.
Physical Education Enhances Fitness and Nutrition
The good news is that childhood obesity in the U.S. is no longer a problem. That bad news, though, is this is because childhood obesity has erupted into an epidemic that experts are categorizing as a public health crisis. Consider these alarming statistics from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): obesity now affects about 13.7 million children and adolescents, including 13.9% of 2–5 year-olds, 18.4% of 6–11 year-olds, and 20.6% of 12–19 year-olds. Physical education at the primary and secondary level can help alleviate current levels of obesity (and other ailments that are related to a lack of suitable diet and exercise) and prevent future cases as students adopt better eating and lifestyle habits.
A joint study by researchers at the University of Rome and Appalachian State University found that school-based nutritional intervention can trigger positive changes to children’s eating habits. For example, after the intervention, more children began consuming high quality energy-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables
Physical Education Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Adults who think that children don’t have to deal with stress because they aren’t obligated to trudge through a grinding daily commute, face a hostile boss, deal with demanding customers, or give a big chunk of their earnings to taxes need to think again: because children today face an enormous, unprecedented amount of stress. Data from the American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” survey found that children as young as eight years old worry about doing well in school, getting into a good college, and whether their family has enough money to pay the bills. In addition, a Pew Research Center survey found that a whopping 96% of teens feel that anxiety and depression is a problem among their peers. Once again, physical education in primary and secondary school can be part of the short and long-term solution.
A study published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism found a link between higher levels of physical activity in children and lower levels of reactivity to stress. While physical education obviously isn’t a magic wand that eliminates stress, says Kent Bonacki, it can go a long way towards helping kids alleviate and control stress and keep it within a manageable range.
The Bottom Line, According to Kent Bonacki
For youth, physical education in primary and secondary school may seem like a nice break between lessons. Students may be able to focus better on their lessons after physical education, leading to better academic performance. Based on the shocking childhood obesity statistics, physical education also benefits children’s overall health and reduces stress and anxiety.
Perhaps the most important reason to place emphasis on physical education, says Kent Bonacki, is to encourage healthy habits later on in life. Physical education promotes healthy habits for life, which will lead to lower obesity rates in general.
