Abstract
BackgroundEarly childhood educators (ECEs) are the primary daytime role models for many young children, and are responsible for facilitating physical activity (PA) opportunities and minimizing sedentary behaviour (SB) in childcare. However, they have reportedly received little related education in their pre-service training. The purpose of the Training pre-service EArly CHildhood educators in physical activity (TEACH) pilot study was to explore changes in pre- and in-service ECEs’ knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural intention, and perceived behavioural control following the TEACH e-Learning course in PA and SB.MethodsPre-service ECEs were purposefully recruited from three Canadian colleges, while in-service ECEs were recruited via social media. A pre-post study design was used. ECEs completed two online surveys; one prior to, and one immediately following the completion of the TEACH e-Learning course (~ 5 h). Descriptive statistics were reported, and McNemar Chi-Square tests and paired samples t-tests were used to examine changes in ECEs’ question-specific, and total knowledge scores, respectively. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests were employed to examine changes in self-efficacy, behavioural intention, and perceived behavioural control.ResultsBoth pre- (n = 32) and in-service (n = 121) ECEs significantly increased their total knowledge scores from pre- to post-course completion (p < .05*). Significant positive changes in self-efficacy (p < .025*), behavioural intention (p < .007*), and perceived behavioural control (p < .007*) were demonstrated by in-service ECEs following course completion, while only select composite scores within these tools were significant among pre-service ECEs.ConclusionsThese findings provide preliminary evidence of the potential efficacy of the e-Learning course at improving ECEs’ knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural intention, and perceived behavioural control to support PA and minimize SB in childcare. Following the success of the pilot study, testing the effectiveness of the TEACH e-Learning course on a larger scale, with a comparison group, is warranted prior to recommending broader dissemination of the training in pre-service ECE programs and for in-service ECE professional learning.
Highlights
Childcare is a unique environment to promote young children’s (< 5 years) healthy physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development [1]
Expert-developed content was generated via a Delphi process [30] and the course comprised four modules developed for Early childhood education (ECE), which covered: introductory content on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in early childhood; the influence of the childcare environment on children’s movement behaviours, and outdoor and risky play; practical strategies to promote physical activity and minimize sedentary time among children in childcare; and, ECE-focused professional learning, resources, and a video library
In-service ECEs were recruited via social media advertisements (e.g., Twitter, Facebook), and were eligible to participate in the study if they were employed in a centre- or home-based childcare, preschool, or kindergarten setting
Summary
Childcare is a unique environment to promote young children’s (< 5 years) healthy physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development [1]. In developed countries, 39% of 2-year-olds, and over three-quarters of 3- and 4-year-olds, are enrolled in childcare, and spend nearly 40 h per week (~ 66% of their weekday waking hours) in these settings [2]. Young children’s movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and sleep) are important drivers of healthy early childhood development. Considering young children in childcare engage in low levels of physical activity (24 min/hr), [6] and spend most of their day (66%) in sedentary behaviours, [7] interventions to support the promotion of more physically active childcare environments are critical. Childhood educators (ECEs) are the primary daytime role models for many young children, and are responsible for facilitating physical activity (PA) opportunities and minimizing sedentary behaviour (SB) in child‐ care. They have reportedly received little related education in their pre-service training. The purpose of the Training pre-service EArly CHildhood educators in physical activity (TEACH) pilot study was to explore changes in preand in-service ECEs’ knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural intention, and perceived behavioural control following the TEACH e-Learning course in PA and SB
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