Student Well-Being

Middle Schoolers Rank Phys. Ed. as Favorite Subject in Survey

By Bryan Toporek — March 08, 2012 1 min read
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When a national sample of 1,000 U.S. middle school students (ages 10-14) were asked to name their favorite subject in school, physical education came in first place, with 18 percent of the total vote, according to a new survey.

Tipping my hat to colleague Erik Robelen (of Curriculum Matters blog fame) for this one.

The survey, released this week, was conducted by the independent research firm Research Now, on behalf of Raytheon Co. (Check out an infographic with the main survey findings.) It largely focuses on students’ attitude toward math, but includes a few other tidbits of note.

One finding that may pain physical-activity advocates: Students reported spending nearly eight hours a day in front of a screen (computers, tablets, smartphones, and televisions).

Even more potentially troubling: Students typically spent less than two hours a day of that screen time working on school-related tasks.

That last finding is something that policymakers will need to keep in mind when trying to combat childhood obesity. If children are spending an increasing amount of time with electronics each day, policymakers will likely need to find a way to incorporate physical activity into some of that screen time.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Schooled in Sports blog.