DP Sports, Exercise, and Health Science (SEHS) at GESS
At GESS, the SEHS course explores the relationship between physical health, exercise, and performance, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to optimize human health and athletic potential. The course covers various domains, including exercise physiology, biomechanics, and sports psychology, emphasizing both theoretical understanding and practical application. Students engage in hands-on research and experimental investigations, addressing global health issues and athletic challenges from a scientific perspective.
💠 Why Study SEHS at GESS?
👉 Concept-Driven Learning – Students engage with key concepts such as exercise physiology, biomechanics, and psychology to understand human health and performance. These concepts are explored through practical experiments, case studies, and research.
👉 Real-World Applications – SEHS is uniquely relevant to students' daily lives, as they can apply what they learn to improve personal health and athletic performance. The course also addresses global issues, such as sedentary lifestyles and chronic diseases.
👉 Hands-On Scientific Inquiry – Through laboratory and fieldwork, students investigate scientific questions and develop critical thinking, experimental design, and data analysis skills.
👉 Holistic Understanding – The course provides an interdisciplinary approach to understanding human health, combining knowledge from various scientific fields to address complex health and performance-related issues.
💠 Core Units
The SEHS curriculum is divided into three key themes:
Exercise Physiology and Nutrition of the Human Body – Students explore how the body responds to exercise and how nutrition affects athletic performance and overall health.
Biomechanics – The study of movement, forces, and mechanics in human activity, including injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Sports Psychology and Motor Learning – Understanding psychological factors in sports performance, motivation, stress management, and motor skill development.
💠 Assessment
🔸 Internal Assessment (IA) – Students complete a scientific investigation, choosing a topic to explore through experimental design and data analysis.
🔸 Examinations
Paper 1 (SL & HL) – Multiple-choice and short-answer questions that assess students' knowledge of core concepts in SEHS.
Paper 2 (SL & HL) – Extended-response questions, focusing on the application of knowledge to real-world scenarios and data analysis.
Collaborative Sciences Project – An interdisciplinary project where students apply scientific concepts to address global issues in sports, exercise, and health.
💠 SEHS at GESS: HL vs. SL
🔹 Higher Level (HL): HL students study additional advanced topics in SEHS, including more in-depth biomechanics and sports psychology, and complete the Collaborative Sciences Project.
🔹 Standard Level (SL): SL students focus on core principles of exercise science, gaining a strong foundation in physiology, biomechanics, and psychology.
At GESS, SEHS encourages students to think critically, conduct scientific research, and apply their learning to improve both individual health and athletic performance, preparing them for careers in health, sports science, and related fields.