College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Recently, Cardinal (2017)Cardinal, B. J. (2017). Beyond the gym: There is more to physical education than meets the eye. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 88(2), 3–5. doi:10.1080/07303084.2017.1260917[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®], , [Google Scholar] asked JOPERD readers to consider, “What impression of physical education will be forever implanted in the minds of your students?” (p. 5). That question stemmed from various personal experiences and observations, as well as a previous finding that a single negative childhood memory experienced in a physical education and/or sport setting can be associated with lower levels of adult physical activity (Cardinal, Yan, & Cardinal, 2013Cardinal, B. J., Yan, Z., & Cardinal, M. K. (2013). Negative experiences in physical education and sport: How much do they affect physical activity participation later in life?Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 84(3), 49–53. doi:10.1080/07303084.2013.767736[Taylor & Francis Online], , [Google Scholar]). Building on this, Ladwig, Vazou and Ekkekakis (2018)Ladwig, M. A., Vazou, S., & Ekkekakis, P. (2018). “My best memory is when I was done with it”: PE memories are associated with adult sedentary behavior. Translational Journal of the ACSM, 3(16), 119–129. doi:10.1249/TJX.0000000000000067[Crossref], , [Google Scholar] wanted to better understand the potential effects of a wide range of K–12 physical education memories on adults' physical activity behaviors. The questions addressed in their study were: (1) What are adults' memories of K–12 physical education? and (2) Do adults' memories of K–12 physical education relate to their physical activity behavior as adults?