Abstract
To assess the wider application of the SHARP (Stretching whilst moving, High repetition of skills, Accessibility, Reducing sitting and standing, and Promotion of physical activity) Principles intervention on children’s moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in physical education (PE), when applied by teachers and coaches. A quasi-experimental intervention was employed in nine primary schools (experimental, n = 6: control, n = 3) including teachers (n = 10), coaches (n = 4), and children (aged 5 to 11 years, n = 84) in the West Midlands, UK. Practitioners applied the SHARP Principles to PE lessons, guided by an innovative behaviour change model. The System for Observing Fitness and Instruction Time (SOFIT) was used to measure children’s MVPA in 111 lessons at pre- (n = 60) and post-intervention (n = 51). Seven interviews were conducted post-intervention to explore practitioners’ perceptions. Two-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) revealed that teachers increased children’s MVPA by 27.7%. No statistically significant change in children’s MVPA was observed when taught by the coaches. The qualitative results for teachers were ‘children’s engagement’, a ‘pedagogical paradigm shift’, and ‘relatedness’; and for coaches ‘organisational culture’ and ‘insufficient support and motivation’. The SHARP Principles intervention is the most effective teaching strategy at increasing MVPA in primary PE when taught by school based staff (rather than outsourced coaches), evidencing increases almost double that of any previously published study internationally and demonstrating the capacity to influence educational policy and practice internationally.
Highlights
Physical Education (PE) in the primary school setting is a unique subject, as it involves learning through being physical
This research provides evidence that the wider implementation of the SHARP Principles intervention was successful when applied by primary school teachers, evidencing mean absolute increases in children’s moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of 27.4% in PE lessons, and producing an average MVPA of 74.9% across a range of activity areas
The SHARP Principles intervention is successful in a primary school setting when applied by teachers as primary schools have the infrastructure and support mechanisms to motivate individual teachers to change their practice
Summary
Physical Education (PE) in the primary school setting is a unique subject, as it involves learning through being physical. Curriculum in England requires teachers to provide children with opportunities to become physically competent in a way that supports their health and fitness [2]. This implies that if children are given the chance to acquire a range of motor skills in PE it may increase their likelihood of engaging in physical activities that would benefit their health, as children who are more proficient in fundamental movement patterns have an increased likelihood of participating in physical activities [3]. Research into children’s PA levels in primary PE [5,6,7] repeatedly evidences that children are not meeting the recommended target of 50–80% MVPA [1]. There is still a need to target low levels of PA in PE, which could be addressed through assessing the wider application of existing successful interventions that aim to increase children’s MVPA during primary PE lessons
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