Running Head: STUDENT EFFORT 1

Measuring Student Effort in Physical Education

Using Ratings of Perceived Exertion

Sarah Orleskie
Grand Valley State University
STUDENT EFFORT 2

Abstract
Recent developments in research have continued to emphasize the importance of physical

activity in children and adolescents for both physical and cognitive development as well as

overall health. Despite these findings, inactivity and childhood obesity is on the rise. Physical

education programs among schools continue to combat these statistics by implementing

technology and teaching methods that will promote and encourage increased student effort in

physical activity. Although technology such as heart rate monitors and pedometers are available

for schools to use as an assessment tool for effort, they are often costly to purchase as well as

maintain and may not be a viable option for all schools. The purpose of this study was to identify

a method for quantifying student effort in physical education and use this method to measure the

intensity of the physical activity for each student based on the data collected. Data was collected

over a two-week period in a high school physical education class of 18 female students aged 14-

18 years old. Students participated in a variety of activities that were aerobic, anaerobic, and

strength exercises and recorded their heart rate along with Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).

Analysis of the data recorded over the two-week period indicated that there may be a positive

correlation between heart rate and RPE. These findings provide a simple, low cost alternative for

assessing and evaluating student effort in physical education. However, there are variables that

may contribute to inaccurate reporting of data such as student error, for example. Further

research on the accuracy and validity of the RPE scale may be necessary in conjunction with

heart rate monitors for a more comprehensive report.

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Measuring Student Effort in Physical Education Using Ratings of Perceived Exertion

An active lifestyle during childhood is beneficial to physical, cognitive, and brain health.

Physical activity helps prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, certain cancers, type 2 diabetes,

and coronary heart disease throughout the lifespan (CDC, 2009; USDHHS, 2008). According to

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children and adolescents ages 6-17 years

of age, need at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Three

days of the recommended seven should be physical activity that is vigorous in intensity. In a

2013 survey from the CDC, it was reported that only 27.1% of high school students had been

physically active for the recommended 60 minutes a day every day (CDC, 2013). In addition,

only 29% of those students had attended physical education class daily (CDC,2013). For

students who do attend physical education class, the data collected from the CDC indicates the

need for students to be engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for that class time. Due

to the increase in the number of students who do not participate in physical education class daily,

there has been an increase in the prevalence of obesity and disease among children (Smith,

2013). Field observations indicated that an observable deficiency in student effort in physical

education may also be a contributing factor to the decrease in health among children and

adolescents. These observations pose the question of whether or not the time spent in physical

education is spent at the recommended exercise intensity for improved health? In addition, what

tools can be used to measure the intensity or effort of a students physical activity during

physical education?

In recent years, the number of research that has been published regarding exercise

intensity in a physical education setting has been increasing. Measuring student effort can be

achieved by measuring exercise intensity using heart rate. There are a variety of ways this data
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for exercise intensity can be collected. The most prevalent research has been with the use of heart

rate monitors and pedometers. The use of technology is not always reliable or available for all

physical education programs, an alternative to costly methods are the use of ratings of perceived

exertion (RPE) and manual calculation of heart rate. Ratings of perceived exertion are scales

used to measure the intensity of exercise. The numbers on the given scale correlate to the

difficulty of the activity. They begin with the lowest number representing an activity with little

effort and increase for difficult activities. Research involving the use of RPE is well established

for adults (Martin, 2002), but is still developing for children and adolescents. The research

specific to ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) have primarily involved the use of the Borg

Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale which contains a range of 6-20 (Martin, 2002). In contrast,

research on children and adolescents perception and understanding of effort during exercise is

limited (Martin, 2002) but has developed into the Childrens Effort Rating Table (CERT) and

most recently, the OMNI Scale of Perceived Exertion (OMNI Scale). The development of both

the CERT and OMNI Scale evolved from limitations in previous research using the Borg scale

including childrens inability to assign words with physiological responses to exercise.

Limitations also included childrens difficulty interpreting scale descriptors (Alan et. Al, 2001).

Both the CERT and OMNI Scale modified the original Borg Scale value system from a scale of

6-20 to a simplified scale of 0-10. Further research using CERT expressed concerns over the

demonstrated diminished scale sensitivity in the higher heart rate range during dynamic exercise.

Additionally, correlations between objective and perceived measures of exercise intensity using

the CERT scale displayed considerable individual variability (Alan et. Al, 2001). The validity

and reliability of both the OMNI Scale and CERT have yet to be unequivocally established but

recent research has supported construct and concurrent validity for both scales.
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There are numerous benefits for potential use of RPE in physical education classes for

both students and teachers. Students can use RPE both inside and outside of physical education

class. The use of RPE in physical education can provide a foundation of understanding

physiological responses to exercise and associating them with exercise intensity levels. Students

can apply these concepts and integrate them with the use of heart rate monitors or heart rate

calculations for a comprehensive understanding of exercise intensity. The use of RPE in physical

education classes can provide teachers with a method of quantifying student effort without the

cost of additional equipment (ie. Heart rate monitor, pedometer). This data can be used by the

teacher to provide external feedback to students or as an assessment to monitor individual

progress. In addition, students can use RPE to provide internal feedback during physical activity

and monitor their own progress. RPE may increase motivation by providing students with a

sense of control and autonomy over their exercise performance, which has been linked to

improved enjoyment of and better adherence to physical activity (Partridge, King, & Bian, 2011).

Furthermore, student understanding of RPE can also address state benchmarks and national

physical education standards.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of the ratings of perceived exertion

OMNI scale in a physical education setting was a viable method of measuring exercise intensity

for assessment, monitoring, and feedback. This study explored the relationship between female

high school students heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion (OMNI Scale) during fitness

concentrated activities in daily physical education class. It was hypothesized that there would be

a weak positive correlation between the students heart rate readings and their ratings of

perceived exertion based on the OMNI Scale.

Method
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Participants

Participants were 18 female high school students in grades ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth.

The participants ages were 15.8 1.4 years (MSD). Research was conducted in a small sized

town in the Midwest. The local school district serves approximately 6,200 enrolled K-12

students. The high school enrollment is approximately 1,912 (89% Caucasian, 6% Hispanic, 2%

Asian, 1% Black, 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 1% Two or more races) 49% of the

students are female, 22% of students are on the free lunch program, and 7% are on the reduced

price lunch program. Students were provided an informed consent form along with information

on the study. Participants for the study were currently enrolled in an all-female physical

education class. The class enrollment was 19 and 18 students participated in the study. Class met

once each day for five days a week and for 60 minutes a day.

Measures

Heart Rate Heart rate was the criterion measure of intensity. Heart rate was monitored and

calculated using manual pulse readings from two locations 1) Carotid Artery and 2.) Radial

Artery. Students were instructed on where to locate pulse. Once students were instructed to find

their pulse, the teacher would time them for 6 seconds while students counted each heartbeat.

After the 6 seconds, students were instructed to add a 0 to that number and record it on a log

sheet provided to them by the teacher prior to class (Table 1). Prior to beginning the fitness

activities students were asked to find their resting heart rate (RHR) and record it on their

worksheet. Students also used the formula 220-Age= MaxHR to determine their maximum heart

rate (MHR). Once students caluculated this value they recorded it on their worksheet. Students

then calculated 50%, 60%, and 50% of their MHR using the following formulas:
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(50%)MHR - RHR = ______ x .5 = ______ + RHR= (bpm)

(60%)---MHR-RHR=_______x.6=________+RHR= (bpm)

(80%)MHR - RHR = ______ x .80 = ______ + RHR = (bpm)

All students in the class participated in the same activities throughout the entire class period.

After students participated in the fitness activity in Table 1, they were given a one-minute rest

period followed by another heart rate reading and recording.

Activity Heart Heart rate/RPE after 1

rate/RPE minute rest

Lying down 1 minute

Walking 2 minutes

Jogging 2 minutes

Jumping jacks 30
seconds

Push ups 30 seconds

Sit ups 30 seconds

Running full speed 1

minute
Table 1. Example of the heart rate activity log. Students participated in each activity together as a
class. The teacher monitored the time for each activity and the time for heart rate readings.

Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) The OMNI Scale was used as a rating tool and was

provided to students as a handout. The first day of the two-week research period was an

introduction to the research and the RPE scale. Students were provided instruction on how to use

the OMNI scale which included feelings and physiological responses associated with the rating

0, 5, and 10. The OMNI Scale was posted throughout the gymnasium space for students to

reference as needed. Students were instructed to record RPE on their logs.

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Procedures

Research was conducted in three phases. For phase 1 students were introduced to the research

and given information on the OMNI Scale and reading heart rate.

Phase 1.

Once students arrived to their physical education class they were introduced to the OMNI Scale

and given a handout of the scale. Students were also given a heart rate data log (Figure 1).

Students were walked through how to find their pulse and calculate their heart rate. After

students found and could calculate their heart rate they were instructed to find their resting heart

rate together as a class. Students recorded this value on their log. Students then were taught the

significance of maximum heart rate and how to calculate maximum heart rate with the formula

220-age=MHR. After finding that value students were taught how to calculate 50%, 60%, and

80% of their maximum heart rate based on their recorded values. This information was recorded

in their logs (Table 1). After students completed the first half of their worksheet (Table 1), the

teacher began to walk them through the activities at the bottom of their worksheet. Students were

instructed to perform the activity for the allotted time and find their pulse to record their heart

rate. Students were then asked to record their RPE for that activity immediately after completing

the activity, and again after 1 minute of rest. Students repeated these steps for each activity. After

the initial day and introduction to the research, students continued to come to class as normal and

participate in the daily warm-ups and activities for the following week. Activities included yoga,

badminton, dodgeball, and circuit training. Heart rate and RPE were randomly recorded and

logged by the teacher.

Phase 2.
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After the first week of the study students were re- introduced to a new log sheet for heart rate and

RPE. This log sheet was blank and was provided for a circle fitness card activity. Students started

by warming up with dynamic stretches (side shuffle, skipping, lunges, walking toe touches) and

recorded their HR and RPE. They then sat in a large circle with index cards scattered upside

down in the middle. Each card had an exercise (aerobic or strength) and the number of

repetitions the exercised needed to be performed on the face down side. Students then stood up

and would begin by jogging/skipping/galloping around the outside of the circle depending on

what the teacher called out. The teacher would then pick a student to run to the center of the

circle and flip over a card. The rest of the class would stop where they were and together as a

class perform the exercise and the number of repetitions on the card. The student would then take

the card out of the pile and the students would find their heart rate and record the activity, the

number of repetitions, and their RPE then go back to walking/jogging/skipping outside of the

circle. This would repeat until there were no more cards in the center of the circle. Students

would end with a cool down and record their HR and RPE at the end of class. After this day

students returned to their normal physical education schedule.

Phase 3.

In the last phase students participated in the regular curriculum activities and games. They were

periodically asked to record their HR and their RPE before, during, and after various activities.

The teacher would record this data for the students. At the end of this phase students were asked

to reflect on their HR findings and the OMNI Scale (RPE).

Analysis
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Using the recorded heart rate and OMNI RPE data collected from students, descriptive data was

calculated (Table 2).

Rang Table 2. Means and standard deviations for student

Variable M SD e heart rate and RPE data HR: Heart Rate, RPE: Rate of
202- Perceived exertion, MC: Mountain Climber, HK: High Knees,
Max HR 204.2 1.4 206 WU: Warm-up.
MC Aerobic 130-
HR 159.4 26.9 210
HK Aerobic 110-
HR 140 21.4 180 Using IBM SPSS statistics software, further
WU Aerobic 110-
HR 141.2 15.7 170 examination of the data was conducted by
160-
Sprint HR 187.3 13.1 210
correlating the specific variable activity HR with
MC Aerobic
RPE 5.8 1.7
HK Aerobic the correlating variable activity RPE. In Table 3,
RPE 4.6 1.5
WU Aerobic Mountain Climbers (MC) Aerobic heart rate
RPE 3.8 1.1
Sprint RPE 8.9 0.72 (HR) was correlated to Mountain Climbers (MC)

Aerobic heart rate (HR) using bivariate Pearson correlation coefficients. Statistical significance

is equal to a level of p<.05 and the

strength and direction of the relationship is

expressed as r= (-1,1). When the value of .

5>r a large/strong correlation is observed.

Results

Correlations between student heart rate

and student RPE were r=.950 and p=<.01.

Based on these findings student heart rate

and rate of perceived exertion have a

statistically significant linear relationship. Student heart rate and rate of perceived exertion are
STUDENT EFFORT 11

positively correlated due to the direction of their relationship as displayed in Table 3. This means

that student heart rate and the rate of perceived exertion increase together. The results also

indicate that there is a strong positive correlation between heart rate and rate of perceived

exertion.

Discussion

In this study, 18 female adolescent high school Table 3 Correlation between MC HR and MC RPE

students participated in a variety of physical activities every day in physical education class over

a two-week period. Students participated in physical activity and calculated, monitored, and

logged their heart rate for these activities. Students also measured their ratings of perceived

exertion for each activity based on the 0-10 OMNI Scale. It was hypothesized that there would

be a weak positive correlation between student heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion from

physical activity in physical education class. The results of this study indicate that the use of the

OMNI RPE scale is a viable option for measuring exercise intensity in a quick and low cost

manner due to the positive correlation between RPE and heart rate.

In order to validate these findings, it is necessary to use heart rate monitors or heart rate

monitoring technology to provide a consistent measurement during physical activity. The use of

technology can help limit human error in heart rate data readings. Some of the limitations of

calculating heart rate manually are students not being able to find their pulse immediately after

stopping exercise. Additionally, physical activity must be paused in order for students to obtain

their heart rate reading thus making it difficult to stay engaged in the physical activity which in

the end defeats the purpose of the study. Suggestions for further research also include

conducting research in a longitudinal format to provide a large base of quantified data. During
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the study, students should participate in both low intensity activities for a baseline as well as high

intensity activities for a point of reference.

The findings in this study can be used to positively influence physical education

classrooms. It is beneficial for both the students and the teacher to be able to use RPE as a tool

for assessment. Teachers can use RPE as a quick assessment during activities. Students can use

RPE to assess themselves during activities as well. The use of RPE is also helpful in teaching

students how to listen to their bodies and understand physiological responses to exercise. Using

exercise intensity as a way to assess students can also be motivational. It could be worth

considering that once students know they are being assessed by intensity that they may be more

motivated or more aware of their effort. A limitation of the use of RPE may be that students

could inflate their reported RPE and give false readings.

In conclusion, further research is warranted to provide a more comprehensive look at how

RPE can be used in a longitudinal study using heart rate monitors as a tool for measuring

intensity based on physiological responses that dont rely on the disruption of the physical

activty.
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