Typical Physical Education Research Articles

Effect of an intervention program in the development of emotional, motor and cognitive skills of 5th-6th graders

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of literature program on development emotional and motor skills of students aged 10-12 in the sport of volleyball. Students from 5th and 6th grade (Ν=257, 123 boys and 134 girls), participated in the research. The students were randomly divided into two groups. The first group (n=173) followed a 4 months literature program using the literary book "The Knight in Rusty Armor" and the second group (n=84) followed the typical Physical Education program. The teaching of emotional skills was combined with a program of learning the Volleyball cognitive backhand skill. Social-emotional intelligence was assessed with the questionnaire "Emotional Quotient-Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-I:YV)" by Bar-On and Parker, while the cognitive assessment of backhand service was carried out with criteria sheet 4 (p. 65) of the Physical Education book of the 5th-6th grade teacher. The non-parametric Friedman test – K related samples and the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to evaluate the effect of the literature intervention. The results showed that the intervention program was effective with the students of the experimental group showing a significant improvement in terms of emotional skills: intrapersonal (P=0.290, Df(1), χ2: 1.119), empathy (P=0.128, Df(1), χ2: 2.312), social responsibility (P=0.610, Df(1), χ2: 0.261), adaptability (P=0.006, Df(1), χ2: 7.615), stress control (P=0.000, Df(1), χ2: 53.161) and general mood (P=0.790, Df(1), χ2:0.071). There was also an improvement in the cognitive of the back-hand service technique skill, (P=0.000, Df(2), χ2: 61.843). In contrast, students in the control group did not show any improvement in emotional skills and performance of cognitive backhand service skill. Therefore, the findings support the positive contribution of literature to the improvement of emotional and motor skills through the practice of the intervention program.

Assessing Student Ratings of Developmental Experiences in a High School Physical Education Leadership Program

Purpose: Although physical education (PE) leadership programs are widespread, little research has examined the PE leaders’ perceptions of these experiences. The purpose of this study was to assess student ratings of developmental experiences in a PE leadership program compared with ratings of the typical PE student experience. Method: A matched case-control study design was used to assess high school students’ (n = 186) subscale scores on the Youth Experience Survey 2.0. Data were analyzed using matched-pairs t tests, and Cohen’s d was used as a measure of effect size. Results: As hypothesized, PE leaders reported significantly higher levels of positive experiences and no significant differences on negative experiences. Discussion/Conclusions: Little is known about what happens in most PE leadership programs. Results presented here support claims that PE can support meaningful leadership development. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Integration of High-Intensity Interval Training into Middle School PE Classes

Because fitness and physical activity both tend to decline as students enter their middle school years, it is important to try to establish protocols and interventions to make this student population enjoy being active. Further, it has been shown that shorter exercise sessions are more likely to be executed. Using a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) station intertwined with usual instructional activities in a typical physical education class is one way to achieve these goals. This article gives direction on implementing this approach and provides results for a study to support considering it.

The Prevalence of Responders and Non-Responders for Body Composition, Resting Blood Pressure, Musculoskeletal, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness after Ten Weeks of School-Based High-Intensity Interval Training in Adolescents

Many observations have demonstrated great heterogeneity in the magnitude of the response to the physical exercise stimulus. Only a few studies have investigated the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the prevalence of non-responders (NRs) in adolescents while considering health-related fitness measurements and other co-variables. Therefore, the aim of the current work was twofold: (1) to assess the effects of ten weeks of school-based HIIT on the prevalence of responders (Rs) and NRs for body composition, resting blood pressure (BP), cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness, and (2) to assess the relationship of this prevalence with sex, body mass category, and biological maturation status, while estimating the likelihood of a response. Adolescents aged 16 years (n = 73) were included in the study. Waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage (BFP), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), BP, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and musculoskeletal fitness were the primary outcomes. Co-variables included sex, body mass index (BMI), and maturity offset. The percentages of the Rs and NRs were analyzed based on changes (Δ) between post-intervention and pre-intervention values. The typical error (TE) method was used to identify Rs and NRs. Results showed a variation in the relative size of changes (% of changes) depending on the variable and sex. The greatest changes were observed in females’ abdomen muscle strength (Δ% = 23.89%), and the difference from that of males (Δ% = 5.98%) was statistically significant (p < 0.001) with very large effect size of (Cohen’s d = 0.941). Similar significant differences in relative changes were observed in body composition, but in the reverse direction. Males gained more from HIIT in the decrease in the body fat percentage (Δ% = −8.24%) and increase in skeletal muscle mass (Δ% = 3.38%) comparing to females (Δ% = 0.46, p = 0.040 and Δ% = 1.06%, p = 0.007, respectively). Effect size for body fat was small (Cohen’s d = 0.469), and for skeletal muscle mass it was moderate (Cohen’s d = −0.659). The results also showed positive significant differences in the prevalence of Rs compared to NRs in BFP, SMM, systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), CRF, and abdominal muscular strength (ABS) (p = 0.047, p = 0.047, p < 0.001, p = 0.003, p = 0.014, and p = 0.014, respectively). The effect was greatest and largest for SBP (Cohen’s ω = 0.67). Sex was related to the prevalence of Rs for ABS and close to significance for SMM. More males than females benefited from HIIT in SMM (p = 0.058), but more females than males had ABS benefits (p = 0.050). Males were more likely (2.5-fold) to be Rs than females in SMM. BMI was not related to the prevalence of Rs and NRs. Biological maturation was related to the prevalence of Rs and NRs in SMM (p = 0.036) and SBP (p = 0.016). In SBP, 100% of the early matured derived benefit from HIIT, but the effect size was small (Cramer’s V = 0.27). Those who maturated later were more likely (almost 70%) to be Rs. Thus, the HIIT program introduced to a typical physical education (PE) lesson can be considered partially effective. Therefore, there is a need to continue the search for an optimal and effective program for all health-related parameters. The close relationship between analyzed values and sex and biological maturation, but not BMI, indicates that the intervention programs should be tailored specifically for males and females.

Badminton Improves Executive Function in Adults Living with Mild Intellectual Disability.

Adults with intellectual disability have limited executive function-which includes working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control subcomponents-making their ability to live independently challenging. The present study explored whether a badminton intervention program could improve the executive function of adults living with a mild intellectual disability, but with no physical disability. This randomized controlled study randomly assigned 30 adults with mild intellectual disabilities recruited from Shanghai Sunshine bases in Shanghai (20 males and 10 females; mean age, 35.80 (3.93) years) to a badminton intervention program (n = 15, training for 12 weeks, 3 times/week, 60 min each time) or the control group (n = 15), which received a typical physical education course consisting primarily of gymnastics. Correct response rates and response times on the Stroop test, n-back task, and task switching were analyzed using two-way analyses of variance, followed by simple effects tests to evaluate inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, respectively, before and after the badminton intervention. No significant difference was detected between the badminton group and the control group (p > 0.05) for their pre-test scores on any subcomponent of executive function. A 2 × 2 repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a significant increase in accuracy in the inhibitory control task for the badminton group after the intervention (p < 0.05). In addition, the accuracy rate and reaction time in a working memory task were significantly improved in the badminton group after the intervention (p < 0.05). Although some improvement in cognitive flexibility was observed for this group after the intervention, it was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In the control group, there was no significant difference in any executive function subcomponents after the intervention (p > 0.05). These results suggest that badminton may be used as an effective intervention to improve the executive function of adults with a mild intellectual disability and that our protocol may inform future badminton exercise intervention programs.

The effect of educational gymnastics on postural control of young children.

Fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency does not develop solely due to maturation, but also via diverse perceptual-motor experiences across childhood. Practicing gymnastics has been shown to improve postural control. The purpose of the present study was to examine potential changes to postural control of children following a course of educational gymnastics. Two groups of children both completed 20 × 45-min physical education (PE) lessons; one group (n = 43, age = 6.4 ± 0.7, 56% male) completed educational gymnastics lessons in school delivered by a professional coach, the other group completed their typical PE classes (n = 18, age = 6.5 ± 0.3, 33% male). Unipedal balancing performance was assessed by calculating the percentage of successful trials made. Postural sway dynamics were explored by calculating center-of-pressure sample entropy, 95% ellipse sway area and sway velocity. Measurements were taken before the lessons began and immediately after the lessons were completed. The gymnastics group performed better than the typical PE group at unipedal balancing. Females outperformed males in both groups. Males made different changes to postural control (i.e., increased sway regularity and improved stability) compared to females across 3 months. Educational gymnastics enabled children in a critical period of development to make more rapid improvements to postural performance and control. Novel movement experiences, like those offered by educational gymnastics, may have a positive influence on postural control and importantly, physical literacy. Future work should examine how sex effects the development of postural control strategies in young children.

Body image in physical education: a narrative review

ABSTRACT Physical education (PE) has significant potential to shape how young people experience their own and others’ bodies. This potential has not always been realized in positive ways and some research suggests that experiences in PE have contributed to young people’s dissatisfaction with their appearances. The broad aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of body image as a pedagogical issue within PE. A narrative approach to the review is adopted that enables us to summarize, compare, explain and interpret various types of research relevant to our aim. From the databases ERIC, SCOPUS and PsycInfo, 25 articles were identified that deal with either body image in typical PE lessons or researcher-led attempts to influence students’ body image (what we have termed ‘pedagogic interventions’). Main findings are that: (1) PE has been presented as both part of the cause and a potential site of intervention to the problem of negative body image; (2) Researchers have based pedagogic interventions on four types of guiding principles; and (3) Researchers have made an array of recommendations for practitioners relating to gender, time, professional development and the characteristics of the pedagogical interventions. Findings are discussed in relation to broader research on body image in society and in PE with a focus on how the findings might inform further scientific practice.

The Effect of a Functional Strength Training Intervention on Movement Quality and Physical Fitness in Adolescents.

This study compared a 12week Functional Strength Training (FST) program on functional movement and physical performance to typical physical education (PE) classes for middle school (MS) and high school (HS) students. We randomly assigned 266 participants (M age = 14.35, SD = 0.57years; M height = 164.82, SD = 6.13cm; M mass = 55.09, SD = 12.19kg; M BMI = 20.11, SD = 3.54kg/m2) into an FST or control group. The FST group trained in flexibility and stability, functional movement patterns, and health-related functional strength. The control group continued regular physical education (PE) classes. Each group trained three-times/week in 45minute sessions for 12weeks. Outcome measures included the Functional Movement Screen protocol and seven physical performance tests, assessed every fourweeks over a 12week period. We employed a mixed model ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests to examine differences between and within groups. Compared to the control group, the FST group significantly (p < 0.01) improved Functional Movement Screen total scores (25.7%), curl-ups (70.4%), pull-ups (281.6%), and flexibility (83.6%). We suggest including the FST program in the MS and HS PE curriculum.

Deep Integration of Physical Health Education Based on Intelligent Communication Technology.

In recent years, intelligent medical communication technology has developed rapidly, and the advancement of hardware technology has accelerated the development of software technology. Physical exercise breaks the limits of all aspects of the human body and requires scientific and reliable information. Industrial cameras realize collection and high-resolution image processing functions and use artificial intelligence to create conditions for collecting scientific data. With the powerful driving force of artificial intelligence, it is believed that physical education will develop to a new height. The intellectualization of physical education makes people expect that it will also bring some inevitable problems, but as long as we continue to overcome and improve, we believe that artificial intelligence will better serve physical education and benefit mankind. Artificial intelligence is the current trend of social development. This paper takes physical education as a breakthrough point to discuss the application of artificial intelligence in physical education. This paper uses the grey GM prediction model and questionnaire survey method to build an online education platform and develop an effective education model, which can integrate the country's best educational resources and reduce time and space constraints. Providing a relaxing learning environment for education, one can learn anytime, anywhere. In a typical physical education system, the average self-efficacy score is converted from 20.48 points to 68.37 points, and the average self-score of physical education in the integrated artificial intelligence environment is converted from 30.25 points to 75.54 points. The data show that the quality of education has greatly improved.

The Construction of Physical Ability Oriented College Physical Education Teaching Model

The physical education curriculum in colleges and universities puts forward clear goals for the physical development of college students, which requires us to innovate in the teaching mode. This research aims to construct a physical fitness-oriented college physical education model through the analysis and induction of literature data. This teaching model refers to the in-depth integration of the existing physical training theory and the physical education curriculum theory, and the design of the physical education structure and procedures with the overall physical development of students as the leading goal. A relatively stable and typical physical education teaching model is constructed. The theory is supported by pedagogy, psychology, physiology, sports training and other disciplines. The teaching model framework includes five major parts: guiding ideology, teaching objectives, operating procedures, realization conditions, evaluation content and standards.

The effect of an interdisciplinary Greek traditional dance programme on Middle School students’ goal orientation and anxiety

Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of an interdisciplinary program of Greek folk dance, with topics from history and geography on Middle School students’ goal orientation and anxiety level. The sample consisted of 260 students (134 boys &amp; 126 girls). The experimental group (n=144) followed the interdisciplinary four-week program (two lessons per week) while the control group (n=126) followed the corresponding typical physical education program. For the data collection, the questionnaire used was the “Goal orientation” by Papaioannou, Milosis, Kosmidou, and Tsiggilis (2002) and the Greek version (Kakkos &amp; Zervas, 1996) of “Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2” (Martens et al., 1990). The students filled in the questionnaires before and after their participating in each program. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and Repeated Measures ANOVA were used. Results showed that a. Cronbach’s alpha was satisfactory. b. Τhe experimental group decreased significantly the levels of “ego-strengthening” and “ego-protection”, and on the contrary significantly increase the “personal development”, and “social acceptance”. c. Experimental group’s boys and girls decreased their “ego-strengthening” and “ego-protection”, and enhanced their “personal development” and “social acceptance” more than their control group peers. d. The experimental group decreased the levels of somatic and cognitive anxieties and increased significantly their self-confidence. e. male students increased their self-confidence more than female students. These findings support the view that an interdisciplinary program of traditional Greek dance with issues from history and geography enable us to reduce the rates of ego-strengthening, ego-protection, somatic and cognitive anxiety while simultaneously increases students’ personal development, social acceptance, and self-confidence

Effects of Developmental Task Constraints on Kinematic Synergies during Catching in Children with Developmental Delays

The aim of this study was to examine effects of a task intervention on kinematic synergies in catching. Participants were young children (5.58 ± 0.52 years) with the lowest scores on two-hand catching, according to assessments with the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) and were allocated into two groups. The constraints group took part in an 8-week intervention, whereas the control group experienced a typical physical education. Both groups were assessed with motor development and kinematic coordination measures with a catching task with a ball thrown from 2 m distance. Kinematic variables were recorded using a wireless motion capture system. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to measure the kinematic synergies formed among active body parts. Two synergies that emerged in catching were mainly utilised for “reaching” and “catching” the ball. The control group tended to re-organise the majority of active body parts into two functional units in all phases, whereas the constraints group adapted their active parts into functional units according to the requirement of the novel movement in the transfer task. The findings of this study suggested that task constraints could facilitate object control by re-organisation of active body parts into functional synergies to achieve successful performance.

Challenges in Implementing a Time-Limited Martial-Arts Curriculum in Middle-School Physical Education Classes: A Research Consultation Case

The present program consultation and evaluation examines the use of a martial-arts (MA) program in a middle-school physical education (PE) setting. Prior work and anecdotal reports suggest that MA instruction has the potential to produce both physical and psychosocial benefits for adult and adolescent participants, but rarely has a systematic program been implemented in schools. At the impetus of an MA organization, self-report measures of emotional intelligence and behavior of seventy 7th- and 8th-grade boys and girls who participated in a structured 18-session tae kwon do program as a component of their school’s PE curriculum were compared with those of 45 students who received typical PE class instruction. Participant satisfaction with the tae kwon do program and feedback received from the MA instructors and PE teachers suggest that this sport can be successfully integrated into school-based PE classes; this represents an opportunity to provide a novel programming alternative to students that promotes exercise and continued pursuit of physical activities, nonviolence, and respect of self and others. The project content, process, and challenges in working with a client MA organization to develop the curriculum, gaining entry into a public school, and explaining limitations of the research are discussed.

Brazilian Physical Education Teachers’ Beliefs About Teaching Students With Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to analyse Brazilian physical education teachers’ beliefs about their experiences teaching students with disabilities. Participants were six physical education teachers from schools located in the city of Brasília, Brazil. The research paradigm was descriptive-qualitative situated in the theory of planned behaviour. The primary data source was a focus group interview. Interview data were analysed with constant comparative method and uncovered four major recurrent themes. The first major theme exposes the teachers’ beliefs that their class arrangements were typically integrative, not inclusive. Second, the teachers’ practices were distressed with problems and concerns beyond those of a typical physical education programme. Third, the teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching students with disabilities depended largely on several salient variables. Lastly, the teachers were mostly intrinsically motivated in teaching students with disabilities. School districts should engage teachers in professional development focused on teaching students with disabilities in physical education.

The effectiveness of a community-based fundamental motor skill intervention in children aged 3-8 years: Results of the "Multimove for Kids" project.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 30-week fundamental motor skill program in typically developing young children and to investigate possible sex differences. A multicenter quasi experimental design was set up for this study which involved 992 children aged 3-8 years. All participants received their typical Physical Education curriculum and habitual movement activities. The intervention group (n=523; 53.5% boys) received a weekly 60-min motor skill session provided by trained local instructors in existing child settings; the control group (n=469; 49.7% boys) received no additional practice. Fundamental motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, 2nd Edition before and after the intervention. To assess the effect of the intervention and possible sex differences, hierarchical linear regressions analyses were conducted for locomotor and object control gain scores. The intervention group demonstrated a higher gain in both locomotor (β=3.78, SE=1.08, p<0.001) and object control (β=4.46, SE=1.06, p<0.001) skills than the control group. Girls demonstrated a lower gain in object control skills (β=-3.50, SE=0.49, p<0.001) and higher gain in locomotor skills (β=1.01, SE=0.44, p=0.022) than boys, regardless of group. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a wide-scale community-based intervention in typically developing children. The sex differences reported may indicate the need to use different pedagogical and instructional strategies to enable boys and girls to develop and master a wide range of motor skills.

PREPARING FUTURE PHYSICAL EDUCATORS FOR INCLUSION: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM

Students with disabilities around the world are leaving special schools and special classes and are receiving their education in general education schools. In addition to attending general education classes, these students with disabilities are attending general physical education classes. Unfortunately, research has clearly demonstrated that physical educators do not feel prepared to include students with disabilities into their general physical education classes. Such findings are not surprising given that the typical physical education teacher education program in the United States only requires one course in adapted physical education, and in many countries around the world not even one adapted physical education course is required. However, many physical education teacher education programs do not have the space to add more adapted physical education classes, and other universities do not have professors with specialized knowledge to teach adapted physical education. What can be done to better prepare future and current physical educators? Online education is a relatively new method for delivering information about disability in general and more specifically how to include students with disabilities into general physical activities. The purpose of this paper is to introduce online education and present preliminary research that supports the use of online training with physical educators.

The influence of instructional climates on time spent in management tasks and physical activity of 2nd-grade students during physical education

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of two physical education (PE) instructional climates (mastery, performance) on the percentage of time students spent in a) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and b) management tasks during PE in 2nd-grade students. Forty-eight 2nd graders (mastery, n = 23; performance, n = 25) participated in a daily, school-based five-week PE intervention. All students also participated in typical PE during a baseline phase, thereby serving as their own control group. The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) was used to describe the lesson context and students’ physical activity for each PE session. Students spent an average of 36.9%, 9.9%, and 23.5% of class time in management tasks during typical PE, mastery, and performance climates, respectively. The mastery climate spent significantly less time in management compared to the performance climate and typical PE ( p &lt; 0.001). Results indicated that students engaged in significantly more MVPA during the mastery (68%) and performance (67%) climates compared to typical PE (49.7%) across 24 lessons ( p &lt; 0.05). Results suggest that a mastery climate can decrease the percentage of time spent in management tasks and that a structured intervention can increase MVPA in 2nd-grade students.

The Effect of an Interdisciplinary Greek Traditional Dance, Music, and Sociology Program on Male and Female Students’ Anxiety

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an interdisciplinary program of Greek traditional dance with issues from music and sociology on high school students’ anxiety. 131 students (68 males & 63 females), between the ages from 12 to 13 yrs., participated. The experimental group (n=62) followed the new eight-week program (two lessons/week) while the control group (n=69) followed the typical physical education program. To evaluate students’ anxiety during lessons, the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (Martens, Burton, Vealey, Bump, & Smith, 1990) was used with its 3 dimensions (somatic, cognitive anxieties, & self-confidence). Students completed it before the initiation of the intervention and after its completion. The following statistical analyses were performed: a) Factor Analysis, b) Cronbach's alpha test, and c) Anova with Repeated Measures. Results showed that a. “Somatic anxiety”, “cognitive anxiety” and “self confidence” accounted for 83% and 73%, respectively, of the total variance b) Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory (ranging from .66, .78 and .71 for the initial and from .87, .94 and .89 for the final measure), c) the experimental group decreased the levels of somatic and cognitive anxieties and enhanced their self-confidence. Also, male students increased their self-confidence more than female students. These findings support the view that an interdisciplinary program of traditional Greek dance and topics from music and sociology reduces the rates of somatic and cognitive anxieties while simultaneously increases students’ self-confidence's levels, and especially those of males.

The effect of an intercultural Physical Education Program in comparison to the typical one on students’ social skills learning

Derri, V., Kellis, I., Vernadakis, N., Albanidis, E., & Kioumourtzoglou, E. (2014). The Effect of an Intercultural Physical Education Program in Comparison to the Typical One on Students’ Social Skills Learning. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 9(1), pp.91-102. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an intercultural physical education program (IPEP), in comparison to the typical physical education program (TPEP), on students’ social skills learning. Thirty-two upper elementary students of different origin (Greek and foreign) were equally distributed into an experimental (IPE) and a control (TPE) group. A student behavior observation scale was used to evaluate the social skills ‘relationships’, ‘verbal interaction’, ‘rewards’, ‘help’, and ‘goals’ (Kellis et all., 2010). After the initial measurement, each group attended the respective 16-lesson physical education program, and then it was post- and retention tested. Results indicated that students in the IPE group, as opposed to those in the TPE group, learned to interact appropriately, to provide rewards and help, and to have better relations with their peers, independently of their origin. Also, Greek students in the IPE group improved significantly their ability to set and achieve goals while foreign students outperformed their foreign peers in the TPE group both in goal setting and peer relations. It seems that the IPEP can have a significant impact on learning certain social skills by all students involved in it. Key words: PHYSICAL EDUCATION, INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION, BEHAVIOR OBSERVATION, STUDENT EVALUATION, ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

A school-based rope skipping intervention for adolescents in Hong Kong: protocol of a matched-pair cluster randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundSchools present venues for physical activity promotion among youth, with physical education (PE) considered the primary vehicle responsible for increasing activity levels. Yet students are not very physically active during typical school PE classes. With the aim to engage Hong Kong students in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during PE, a fitness infusion intervention using rope skipping was designed, and its effectiveness will be examined. Rope skipping was chosen because a) it provides moderate-to-high intensity physical activity; b) is inexpensive; c) students find it enjoyable; and d) is feasible in typical environments in Hong Kong, where PE classes are large in size (up to 40 students) and space available for physical activity is usually limited.Methods/DesignA matched-pair cluster randomized controlled trial was designed. Secondary school students from 24 classes (from 12 schools) will be recruited to participate in the trial. Students’ baseline MVPA will be measured during school PE. Classes will be matched according to baseline variables and one class from each pair will be randomized into the experimental group. Teachers in the experimental group will be invited to attend a teacher workshop, and will insert a 15-minute rope skipping activity in four consecutive PE lessons. Motivational factors based on self-determination theory will also be measured as secondary outcomes. The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated by comparing changes in the proportion of lesson time spent in MVPA from baseline to follow-up across the experimental and control groups.DiscussionPhysical activity levels in PE are often very low and there is a need to identify feasible low-cost interventions that can be easily disseminated. If the results of the study suggest the intervention to be effective, it could be implemented to schools throughout Hong Kong and other cities where space is limited.Trail registrationANZCTR: ACTRN12613000968774. Registered on 30 August 2013.