Undergraduate physical education major programs in
the United States and Japan were compared in terms of
reform during the period 1972-74 to 1988-90. Two kinds of
reform were studied: (1) change from single-track
professional preparation to multiple-track preparation and
(2) change from a nonacademic discipline-based program to
an entirely academic discipline-based program.
Data on 52 major programs in the United States were
gathered from college catalogs. Data on 53 programs in
Japan were gained from college catalogs and documents
published by the Ministry of Education.
Four programs in the United States sample had
multiple tracks during the 1972-74 period, and 34 had
multiple tracks during the 1988-90 period. Reform to
multiple tracks had occurred in 30 (62.5%) of the 48
programs that were single-track in 1972-74.
Two programs in the Japanese sample had multiple
tracks during the early period, and 14 had multiple tracks
during the later period. Reform to multiple tracks had
occurred in 12 (23.5%) of the 51 programs that were
single-track in 1972-74.
No reform from a nonacademic discipline-based program
to an entirely discipline-based program had occurred in
either sample. One institution in the United States
sample was in the process of changing to an entirely
discipline-based program.
A chi-square analysis tested the hypothesis that
there was no difference between the samples in the
proportion of programs that had undergone reform during
the 15-year period. The analysis showed a significant
difference between the samples at the .001 level, and the
hypothesis was rejected.
The most common major preparation emphasis for both
samples during both periods was teacher education. Other
tracks found in the U.S. sample in the later period
included fitness specialization, sports management, sports
communication, and athletic training. Other tracks found
in the Japanese sample in the later period included social
physical education, lifelong sports, and sports
specialization.
The current state of physical education programs in
each country was discussed. It was concluded that
currently, the main issue for U.S. programs overall is
finding a balance between discipline-based academic
education and professional career preparation. In Japan,
the main issues were considered to be the creation of
nonteaching professional tracks and the development of
jobs for physical education graduates. / Graduation date: 1991
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37447 |
| Date | 27 March 1991 |
| Creators | Takeshita, Shunichi |
| Contributors | Suttie, Sandra J. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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