Effects of a School-based Physical Activity Intervention on Math Achievement - A Randomized Controlled Trial
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 545
- 主要终点
- Math Skills, as measured by a 45-minute standardized math test specifically designed for this age group by the developer of the Danish national tests (MG) (Hoegrefe Forlag).
研究概览
简要总结
Background
Increased physical activity can improve cognition and academic skills. However due to economic concerns and increasing focus on standardized testing, PA in schools often receives little attention and physical education is reduced in many countries in favor of spending more time devoted to academic classes. This tendency is not compatible with the increasing evidence for the association between physical activity, fitness, cognitive and academic performance.
Despite increasing evidence for the association between PA, fitness, cognitive and academic performance, very few longitudinal high-quality studies exists examining the effect of physical activity on academic performance (ref.). Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge only two studies have assessed academic outcomes following the integration of physical activity into the classroom with intervention participants scoring significantly higher in test sections compared to controls which makes generalizing from these results challenging.
To promote policy changes that require more physical activity in school, empirical data are needed to study the effects of school-based physical activity programs. Therefore the investigators carried out a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted to examine the effect on math achievement and executive functions of classroom based PA in math.
详细描述
Study Design
Twelve elementary schools were cluster randomized to the active math intervention or served as control. Randomization was performed by shuffling sealed envelopes with intervention allocation inside to determine group assignment. This happened in a meeting where the leaders of the schools, employees at the municipalities and the responsible researcher were present. The study lasted for a school year (43 weeks) and the subjects were tested before and after the nine-month long intervention.
All tests were performed within one week except for the objective measurement of physical activity (PA) via accelerometer (ActiGraph, 7163, Pensacola, FL), which took place in a separate week, just before baseline and endline. In the intervention period (38 weeks) the participants received on average 6 mathematics lessons of 45 minutes per week with respectively physically active and traditional teaching.
The intervention
The intervention consisted of math teaching focusing on implementing PA in the classroom as a facilitating instrument. Teachers were told to include at least 15 minutes of physical activity in each 45 minutes math lesson. In addition sedentary activities were only allowed to last for maximum 20 minutes. Classroom-based PA had the aim of creating a meaningful binding between the mathematical concepts and a specific physical activity to improve mental representation of mathematics and thus contribute to understanding and memory of the mathematical concepts.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Factorial
- 主要目的
- Prevention
- 盲法
- Single (Participant)
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 6 Years 至 8 Years（Child）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •1st Grade primary school children on public schools
排除标准
- •Physical disabilities
- •No written informed consent from parents
结局指标
主要结局
Math Skills, as measured by a 45-minute standardized math test specifically designed for this age group by the developer of the Danish national tests (MG) (Hoegrefe Forlag).
时间窗: Change from Baseline Math Skills at 9 months
During the first three weeks prior to randomization and intervention, and the last two weeks of the protocol after the intervention period.
次要结局
- Physical Activity during Math Lessons, as measured by using accelerometry (ActiGraph, GT3X and GT3X+)(Change from Baseline Objective Physical Activity level during math lessons at 9 months)
- Creativity, as measured by the Torrance Test of Creativity(Change from Baseline Creativity at 9 months)
- Objective Physical Activity level, as measured by using accelerometry (ActiGraph, GT3X and GT3X+)(Change from Baseline Objective Physical Activity level at 9 months)
- Excutive function, as measured by the BRIEF-questionnaire(Change from Baseline Executive Functions at 9 months)
- Body height as measured without shoes to the nearest 0.5 cm using Harpenden stadiometer (West Sussex, UK). Body mass as measured in light clothing to the nearest 0.1 kg using an electronic scale (Tanita BWB-800, Tokyo, Japan).(Change from Baseline Body Composition at 9 months)
- Teacher Motivation, as measured by Short Message Service(Short Message Service during the last 6 months of the intervention period)
- Cardiovascular Fitness, as measured by intermittent shuttle-run test (the Andersen intermittent running test).(Change from Baseline Cardiovascular Fitness at 9 months)
- Activity Behavior as measured by questionnaires sent via SMS(Short Message Service from the parents of the participant during the nine month long intervention period)
- Executive Functions, as measured by a modified Eriksen flanker task(Change from Baseline Executive Functions at 9 months)
研究者
Mona Have
PhD Fellow, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics
University of Southern Denmark