Fourteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

This study describes pre-service teachers’ physical literacy and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their physical activity during the lockdown. The participants are EC-6 credential-seeking teacher candidates enrolled at a four-year public university in southeast Texas. One hundred and two students completed a survey. A constant-comparative method was applied to identify and classify critical elements in participant responses. The results suggest that the participants perceive physical activity and exercise similarly, defined as any form of body movement. The most common perception of physical activity and exercise was any cardiovascular-focused activity. Participants that regularly exercised performed predominantly cardiovascular activities. The fundamental reason for exercising was to be healthy. Less than half of the participants exercised periodically pre-pandemic, but over 50% participated in exercise during the lockdown. Understanding the pre-service teachers’ physical literacy and physical activity habits during the lockdown is critical to facilitate healthy lifestyle habits in this population.