Abstract
BackgroundQuality physical education (PE) contributes to the development of physical literacy among children, yet little is known about how teacher training relates to this development. We assessed the association between teacher training, and the likelihood that children met recommended achievement levels for components of physical literacy as defined by the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL).MethodsCanadian children (n = 4189; M = 10.72 years, SD = 1.19) from six provinces completed the CAPL. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between teacher training (generalist/PE specialist), adjusting for children’s age and gender, and physical competence protocols (sit and reach, handgrip, plank, Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run [PACER], body mass index [BMI], waist circumference, Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment [CAMSA]), the four CAPL domain scores, and the total CAPL score.ResultsTeacher training, in addition to children’s age and gender, explained only a very small proportion of variance in each model (all R2 < 0.03). Children taught by a generalist were less likely to reach recommended levels of motivation and confidence (OR = 0.83, 95% CI, 0.72–0.95) or CAMSA scores (OR = 0.77, 95% CI, 0.67–0.90), even when accounting for a significant increase in CAMSA score with age (OR = 1.18, 95% CI, 1.12–1.26). All other associations between measures of components of physical literacy and teacher training were not significant.ConclusionsWhile teacher training is hypothesized to contribute to the development of physical literacy among elementary school students, the observed effects in this study were either small or null. Children taught by PE specialists were more likely than those taught by generalists to demonstrate recommended levels of motivation and confidence, and to have better movement skills, which are hypothesized to be critical prerequisites for the development of a healthy lifestyle. Further research with more robust designs is merited to understand the impact of teachers’ training on the various components of physical literacy development.
Highlights
Quality physical education (PE) contributes to the development of physical literacy among children, yet little is known about how teacher training relates to this development
Use of GAMLSS models [24] for establishing cut-offs for each of the physical literacy measures based on pre-determined percentiles resulted in the majority of children not meeting the recommended levels for physical literacy, with 65% of children generally being classified into the beginning or progressing categories for overall Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) score, the domain scores, and the individual physical competence measures
Teacher training exhibited a statistically significant relationship with children’s Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA) scores and Motivation and Confidence domain scores, with children taught by a specialist being more likely to meet recommended physical literacy levels than those taught by a generalist, the effects were small
Summary
Quality physical education (PE) contributes to the development of physical literacy among children, yet little is known about how teacher training relates to this development. More than half of elementary schools in Ontario report having no physical education (PE) teacher; for those that do, it is unclear how “PE teacher” is defined (e.g., specialization, workload) [7] This disparity in government investment came despite the fact that the proportion (33%) of children and youth achieving the guidelines for PA [1] is much lower than the proportion of elementary students meeting or exceeding the expectations for math (50% grades 1–3; 63% grades 4–6) [8]. Current policies may inform perceptions that these are not valuable areas for student achievement and well-being
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