The Effect of Prompting and Group Contingency on Middle School Students’ Physical Activity During a Badminton Sport Education Season

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of three conditions in which 34 sixth-grade students were prompted to accumulate as much activity as possible during a Sport Education season. Three intervention conditions were assessed via an alternating treatment design: (a) baseline: no prompting of students; (b) teacher prompts: verbal prompts and suggestions on how to “maximize activity within class”; and (c) teacher prompts plus independent group-oriented contingencies: verbal prompts in addition to bonus points awarded based upon reaching step count criteria. Graphically plotted step count data illustrate data trails, variability, and trends within and across the three conditions. This demonstrates that students were more active in class when the teacher prompted the students and employed prompting in conjunction with the contingencies. The results of this study suggest that prompts and prompts plus independent group-oriented contingencies within Sport Education are effective and authentic frameworks for maximizing inclass physical activity.Subscribe to TPE