Comparison of Classroom Instruction Versus Use of Homework Assignments on Cognitive Knowledge Acquisition in Physical Education

Fitness for Life classes, in which a primary goal is for students to acquire health-related fitness knowledge, consist of a lecture session and an activity session. Unfortunately, devoting class time to a lecture reduces the time students are engaged in physical activity (PA). A potential solution to helping students develop cognitive skills without sacrificing their PA time consists of assigning homework to address the material that would otherwise be covered in a lecture. The purpose of this study was to compare the learning outcomes (pre- and posttest scores) of classroom instruction and homework assignments on students’ cognitive knowledge acquisition in PE. Three student teachers were randomly assigned to lecture, homework, or lecture–homework groups. Physical education (PE) students (N = 178) in grades 9–12 and enrolled in Fitness for Life classes participated. Results indicated each school had a statistical increase in score from pre- to posttest. Actual score increases from pre- to posttest by school were not significantly different. Results of the study suggest that in lieu of conducting lectures, teachers can assign homework to allow for more PA time during class without sacrificing other curricular objectives.