Gen Z’s Fitness Concepts and Ways to be Fit: Insights to Strengthen Students’ Learning Experiences in Tertiary Physical Education

Abstract

Being dubbed as digital natives born and raised in the highly industrial era, generation z students differ from previous generations. A recent study revealed an increasing number of dropped-out students in physical education classes in one of the leading State Universities in the Philippines. Several reasons have been revealed, and one of those is the current tertiary physical education curriculum content. Hence, this study aimed to determine the fitness concepts and ways to stay fit of generation Z students and utilize in enhancing the curriculum content and improve the students’ learning experiences in tertiary physical education. Using the descriptive phenomenology research design, 95 research participants took part in focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and unobtrusive participant observations. The findings of this inquiry indicated three (3) reasons why generation Z students still perceive physical education as an essential course in schools (gadget addiction; early childhood diseases; and stress release) and six (6) ways to stay healthy (exercise and physical activities; balanced diet; enough sleep/rest; self-discipline; and use of technology to promote fitness). The findings and conclusions served as critical components in strengthening the tertiary physical education curriculum to tailor the learning experiences to generation Z students' concepts, ways, and preferences.