Date of Award
Summer 8-17-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Kinesiology (EdD)
Department
Kinesiology
First Advisor
Matthew Buns
Second Advisor
Morgan Goering
Third Advisor
Stephanie Hamilton
Abstract
Wearable technology offers physical educators a potential tool for providing real-time feedback and supporting student engagement during physical activity. This mixed-methods study examined the influence of Polar A370 wearable fitness trackers on enjoyment and engagement among 99 ninth-grade students enrolled in high school physical education. During a two-week within-subject crossover intervention, students alternated between participating in physical education lessons with and without wearable technology. Physical activity enjoyment was assessed before and after the intervention using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), while a researcher-developed supplemental survey, open-ended responses, and observational field notes provided additional information regarding students’ motivation, engagement, and experiences with the devices. PACES scores did not significantly change from pre-intervention (M = 69.01, SD = 6.91) to post-intervention (M = 68.44, SD = 8.04), t(98) = 0.76, p = .449, d = 0.08. However, comfort with wearable technology significantly predicted changes in PACES scores (B = 1.85, p = .011), whereas age and sex were not significant predictors. Qualitative findings further suggested increased self-monitoring, effort, participation, physical activity awareness, peer interaction, and interest in real-time performance feedback. Although wearable technology did not increase affective enjoyment as measured by PACES, the findings suggest that it may support broader behavioral, cognitive, social, and motivational dimensions of engagement in high school physical education.