Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management

A Two-year Assessment of 5th Grade Students’ Health-related Physical Fitness Components
Weiyun Chen, Steve Mason, Sandy Zalmout, Austin Hammond-Bennett

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which 5th grade students achieved a healthy fitness zone for six fitness tests as a result of participating in a three-year Carol White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant intervention. Participants in this study were nine physical education teachers and 5th grade students who were enrolled in nine different elementary schools within the same school district.The students took six FitnessGram tests during a regular physical education lesson in PEP years 2 and 3. The percentages of the students’ reaching the HFZ for the fitness tests were moderately high to extremely high, ranging from 62.3% to 95.7%. The t-tests indicated that boys performed statistically significant better than girls on the PACER and Push-up tests. Conversely, girls performed statistically significant better than boys on the Trunk Lift and Right/Left Shoulder Stretch tests. No gender differences were found on the Curl-up tests.

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