“I want to do it all day!”—Students’ experiences of classroom movement integration

Abstract

Whole-of-school physical activity programming is being advocated internationally, with movement integration in the classroom considered an effective method to increase physical activity throughout the school day. Students (N = 135) from two primary schools in the West of Ireland participated in this study. Data were collected using draw-and-write (N = 135) and focus group interviews (N = 24). Three themes were evident across data types and revealed that students thought the Moving to Learn Ireland active lessons were fun, that they learned academic content better, and the lessons contributed to their fitness development. In conclusion, children who participated in this study positively perceived movement integration lessons in their classrooms. The results of this study can inform future movement integration interventions.