THE IMPACT OF INTEGRATED VALUE EDUCATION ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PE COURSES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON STUDENTS' IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL LITERACY, PHYSICAL HEALTH AND COURSE SATISFACTION

Abstract

In contemporary higher education, physical education is undergoing a profound transformation from solely physical fitness enhancement to a more diverse range of educational functions. However, existing research has primarily focused on physiological indicators, with insufficient attention paid to non-cognitive outcomes such as value cultivation. To address this research gap, this study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of value-integrated physical education (VIPE) on college students' ideological and political literacy, physical health, and course satisfaction, and to explore the synergistic mechanisms between teacher teaching ability and student classroom engagement. This study employed a quasi-experimental design and recruited 80 undergraduate students from Northeast China (42 in the control group and 38 in the experimental group). The students spanned a range of disciplines, including science and engineering, humanities and social sciences, and economics and management. The intervention period lasted one semester. The VIPE course systematically integrated value themes such as responsibility, cooperative trust, perseverance, and fairness and respect into physical activities through carefully designed instructional sessions, supplemented by structured reflection sessions to promote value internalization. Effectiveness was evaluated using a validated ideological and political literacy scale, a standardized physical fitness test, and a course satisfaction scale. The study found that students in the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in both ideological and political literacy and course satisfaction, and showed no detrimental effect on physical health indicators. This confirms that value-integrated teaching can effectively promote students' moral development while maintaining traditional physical education objectives. Interaction analysis revealed a synergistic effect between teacher competence and student engagement, with completion rate of reflective activities being a significant predictor of value development. This study confirms the effectiveness of value-integrated physical education, provides replicable strategic recommendations for physical education curriculum reform in universities, expands the interdisciplinary research field of physical education and ideological and political education, and provides empirical support for achieving the vision of high-quality education in the Sustainable Development Goals.