Abstract
PurposeLow levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary behaviour are pervasive, especially in schools. Pre-service teacher education is pivotal to school and educational reform but is an under-studied setting for physical activity and sedentary behaviour intervention research. The objective of this pilot study was to test the feasibility and potential impact of embedding evidence-based active pedagogy based on an adapted version of Transform-Us!, Transform-Ed! in one core unit of an undergraduate teacher education degree.MethodsBaseline and follow-up measures (i.e. surveys) were conducted with Bachelor of Education (Primary) pre-service teachers who received the Transform-Ed! intervention and academic educators who delivered the intervention. Focus groups of senior academics and telephone interviews with primary school principals examined perceptions of intervention feasibility and explored potential real-world relevance and impact of pre-service teachers training in active pedagogy.ResultsAfter 12 weeks, pre-service teachers (n = 218) were significantly more willing (pre–post change Δ = 0.54, 95% CI [0.16, 0.91]), confident (Δ = 1.40, 95% CI [0.89, 1.91]) and competent (Δ = 2.39, 95% CI [1.85, 2.92]) to deliver Transform-Ed!, had more positive feelings about the impact of physical activity on student outcomes (Δ = 2.05, 95% CI [1.58, 2.52]), and perceived fewer barriers to integrating Transform-Ed! into current and future teaching (Δ = − 7.26, 95% CI [− 8.88, − 5.64]). Four major themes emerged from the focus groups (n = 9) and interviews (n = 5) around participant perceptions of Transform-Ed!: (i) acceptability and appropriateness, (ii) need (tertiary level), (iii) need (primary level) and (iv) overcoming challenges.ConclusionThe Transform-Ed! pilot study demonstrated promising results across multiple participant levels, as it was perceived to be feasible, acceptable and appropriate by pre-service teachers, academics and school principals. The findings have direct implications for the progression of Transform-Ed! from pilot to a future definitive trial.
Highlights
Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of metabolic, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and mental health risk factors in children [1]
Focus groups (FGs) were conducted with a sample of senior academics in the School of Education, and telephone interviews were conducted with a sample of primary school principals to examine their perceptions of intervention feasibility and to explore potential real-world relevance and impact of pre-service teachers trained in active pedagogy
Recruitment and consent To maximise participant uptake, all Bachelor of Education (Primary) pre-service teachers enrolled in the core unit ‘Introduction to Curriculum and Pedagogy’ were invited to participate in the study (March 2018) via the University unit cloud site; direct emails were sent to students’ university email accounts; and hard copies of the study advertisement via flyers were distributed around the university campus
Summary
Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of metabolic, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and mental health risk factors in children [1]. Sedentary behaviour has been associated with lower fitness, unfavourable body composition, cardio-metabolic risk, lower self-esteem and poorer health later in life [13, 14]. To reduce these health risks, recent government recommendations suggest that youth should minimise sedentary time and break up sitting time as often as possible [8, 9]. Despite these recommendations, school children spend around 70% of their day sitting [15]
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