Physical Education Argumentative

In this paper an attempt will be made to discuss the importance of introducing physical education in the school and college curriculum. It is found that due to the various other aims in life, individuals are losing interest in the physical exercises which has affected their physical health. Hence, it is necessary to convince the younger generation regarding the importance of physical exercises.

This can be achieved by training the younger generation in physical education which should be given more importance by the educational institutions. Many national and international academic bodies have showed interest in the introduction of physical education in the schools and colleges. The international bodies such as UNESCO have realized the need to emphasize the introduction of physical education in the educational institutions. This will reduce the gender differences in the sports arena and leads to healthy habits among the individuals in the modern society.

The studies have indicated that there is general misconception regarding physical exercises. People believed that there is a need to perform vigorous physical exercises for longer period of time in order to obtain the positive results of such exercises. However, in reality this is not true because sometimes extreme physical exercises may harm the bones and other parts of the body. It is ideal to have moderate exercises such as thirty minutes brisk walk or such other minimum physical activities. Through regular and moderate exercises it is possible to improve the health of the individuals.

However, unfortunately, it is found that the younger generations of students who study in the schools do not participate in much of physical activity. One survey has indicated that nearly half of American youths between the age group 12-21 years are not physically active on a regular basis. This study also revealed that females were physically inactive when compared to the males. Among the females, those who belonged to Black community were more inactive than the white females. This shows the gender and racial difference in the pattern of physical activity in the American schools. This statistics prove that the students are giving more importance to their studies and other activities rather than physical education.

It is also found that enrollment for the physical education classes decreased from 42 percent to 25 percent during the period 1991-1995. This shows that there has been progressive decline in the student participation in the physical activities in their schools and colleges. Hence, it is high time that the school administration and educationists give the importance to physical education that it deserves. It is necessary to introduce school based interventions in order to improve the physical activity of the students in the schools.

The parents and the community need to take more interest in propagating the physical activities in the schools. The community can take initiative in introducing physical education in the K-12 by hiring the physical education professionals to teach the students on regular basis. The community and the school administration should provide opportunities to the students including minority communities to participate in the extra curricular activities and to participate in the physical activities by using the community physical exercise and recreational facilities provided by the schools.

The increase in physical activities of the students improves their health and reduces the risk of having the diseases such as blood pressure and diabetes. The physical education curriculum should be designed in such a way as to attract the student community to learn the physical exercises and apply the theories of physical education in their personal life. The school administration should invite the health advisors to talk to the students concerning the importance of physical education in their school years. There is a need to create role models for the youth in order to inspire them to participate in the physical activities. (cdc.gov, n.d.)

The government organizations have taken interest in popularizing the subject of sports and physical education among the younger generation of the USA. Obviously, they have realized the need to involve more number of students in the physical activity. The educational institutes have introduced interesting physical education programs to attract the students to enroll themselves in the physical education classes. These new programs have been successful in propagating the value of physical activities among the younger generation. (cdc.gov)

A study has been conducted with reference to the attitude of the high school students towards physical education. These high school students, the research participants, belonged to the various countries such Austria, Czech Republic, England and USA. This study has revealed that the students of Czech Republic showed positive attitude towards physical education than the students of USA. The male students in these different countries have showed positive attitude towards physical education when compared the female students. This shows the gender gap and regional gap in the attitude towards physical education. The scholars have agreed that it is important to include physical education in the school curriculum so that the students would be compelled to show better attitude towards this important field.

The scholars have warned that there has been decline in the interest in the western countries to study physical education. This will negatively affect the personality of the students as they give importance to develop only their mental faculty and as a result they have ignored the importance of developing their physical strength and health. This will have negative impact on the students who determine the future of any country. Hence, the scholars have argued that one way to compel the students to take interest in physical education is to initiate integrated programs and courses which are more interesting and attractive to the student community. The studies have found that thinking pattern of the peer groups is the most important factor which determined the attitude of the students towards the physical education.

By introducing the convenient lesson plans and other strategies it is possible to influence the student community to take more interest in the learning of physical education lessons. It is also found that those students who excelled in physical activities like sports also achieved their academic goals. These details demonstrate the various benefits of including physical education in the school curriculum. The studies have also found that the teachers and the educational institutions have played an important role in popularizing physical education. For example, in the case of the Czech Republic the students are required to pass the minimum number of physical education tests in order to qualify for their next grade in their school. On the other hand, in the USA it is found that the education system does not expect that the students exhibit minimum level of physical activity. (Stelzer, 2004)

The UNESCO has understood the merits of introducing physical education in the schools and colleges. The main aim of UNESCO is to support physical education and sports. This organization has asserted that the educational institutions should include physical education in their educational system. The inclusion of physical education is necessary to maintain a balance between physical activity and other activities that is found in the educational institutions. By introducing physical education in the schools, the UNESCO tries to achieve its objective of promoting physical and moral wellbeing of the individuals so that they would become real asset to the society.

The UNESCO also aims to provide quality physical education to the students by providing proper training to the physical education teachers so that they would improve their skills of imparting knowledge to the students in the schools. The periodic study conducted in different parts of the world has allowed UNESCO to obtain the information pertaining to the trends in physical education teaching quality in the schools of developed and developing economies.

This organization believes that by providing physical education in the primary schools it is possible to train the children to become ideal citizens when they become adults. The physical education also contributes to the economic development as the students obtain the confidence to face the global competition. In the current age of global competition, it is important to train the students to obtain the competitive spirit. Physical education can help the students to obtain this confidence in their ability to face the realities of life. (UNESCO, n.d.)

The above study has showed that the educational institutions in the USA and other developed and developing countries of the world need to give importance to the introduction of physical education in the school curriculum. This will lead to improvement in the physical and mental health of the students and provide them training to become ideal citizens of the USA. However, the studies have indicated that the present education system does not give much importance to attract the students to the field of physical education. The government and the educational institutions need to understand these limitations of the present education system and introduce new programs to compel the students to enroll for the physical education courses.

Bibliography
Stelzer, Jiri. (June 2004). Attitudes toward physical education: a study of high school
students from four countries-Austria, Czech Republic, England, and USA. College Student Journal. Retrieved 12 February 2006 from <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_2_38/ai_n6124562/print>
(n.d.). A Report of the Surgeon General Physical Activity and Health Adolescents and
Young Adults. US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion. Retrieved 12 February 2006 from <http://www.cdc.gov>
(n.d.). Physical Education and Sport. UNESCO. Retrieved 12 February 2006 from
<http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php- URL_ID=2018&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTION=201.html