Active Supervision and Students’ Physical Activity in Middle School Physical Education

This study examined the effects of active supervision on the moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels of middle school students during fitness instruction. Students from four separate classes, characterized as “low activity students,” and their teacher participated in the study. Students’ MVPA levels during fitness instruction served as the target behavior. Two supervisory conditions were contrasted using a reversal design. Passive supervision was characterized by low rates of teacher interaction, such as prompting, encouragement, feedback, and movement. Active supervision consisted of teaching patterns that included higher rates of interactions with students and movement. Mean MVPA levels during passive condition were 49.7% while mean MVPA levels during active supervision were 68%. Findings point to a functional relationship between specific components of teachers’ supervisory efforts and students’ MVPA levels during fitness instruction. The importance of active supervision, within die context of holding students accountable for engaging in physical activity, is underscored by this study.

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Effect of Vigorous Physical Activity on Executive Control in Middle-School Students

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16203949 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (20) ◽

pp. 3949 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

David S. Phillips ◽

James C. Hannon ◽

Bradley B. Gregory ◽

Ryan D. Burns

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Middle School ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Executive Control ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Eighth Grade ◽

School Students ◽

Eighth Grade Students ◽

The U.S

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the acute effect of vigorous physical activity on executive control in eighth grade students from the U.S. Participants were eighth grade students (N = 68; 26 girls, 42 boys) recruited from one middle school located in the Mountain West region of the U.S. Two groups of participants were assigned to receive either a vigorous physical activity or a sedentary condition within a counter-balanced cross-over design using a 2-week washout. Both groups were administered Trails Making Tests A (TMT-A) and B (TMT-B) at 20- and 25-min post-treatment, respectively. Mixed design ANOVA tests with repeated measures examined differences between treatments on TMT-A and TMT-B performance and the modifying effect of sex. Students who completed the physical activity condition displayed a faster time to completion on the TMT-B compared to students who completed the sedentary condition (Mean difference = −6.5 s, p = 0.026, d = 0.42). There were no differences between treatment groups on TMT-A and no sex × treatment interactions (p > 0.05). This pilot study suggests that vigorous physical activity may improve executive control in middle-school students and adds to the existent literature that continues to examine the emerging link between physical activity and cognition in school-based settings.

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PERCEIVED EXERTION AND MODERATE TO VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ACCORDING TO THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCE

Facta Universitatis Series Physical Education and Sport ◽

10.22190/fupes200222015o ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 179

Author(s):

Paulina Yesica Ochoa-Martínez ◽

Javier Arturo Hall-López ◽

Cristhian Emmanuel López Campos ◽

Edgar Ismael Alarcón Meza

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Middle School ◽

Physical Education ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Perceived Exertion ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

World Health ◽

P Value ◽

Years Of Experience ◽

School Students

The aim of the current study is to compare the perceived exertion and moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) among first grade middle school students in physical education (PE) classes given by PE teachers with higher or lower experience than 16 years. Eighty-seven PE lessons conducted by PE teachers with ≥ 16 years of experience (n=35) and teachers with ˂ 16 years of experience (n=52) were evaluated by 348 middle school students (Mean age=12.2±0.5 years). To determine the perceived exertion, the pictorial children's effort rating table (PCERT) was completed, after PE. Children chose an option on an illustrated scale 1–10 perceived exertion. The moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was evaluated using the System for Observing Fitness and Instruction Time (SOFIT) assessing the intensity as the proportion of time that students spent engaged in walking and very active PA during PE. A cross-sectional design was used, the equality of variance was calculated using the Student t-test for independent samples resulting in MVPA (P-value=.659) and perceived exertion (P-value=.205) α≤ than 0.05. In both groups, the average value of perceived exertion was less than 5 points on the scale, which is insufficient to enhance physical fitness. The MVPA did not achieve international guidelines of engaging students in at least 50% of the lessons time in walking and very active PA. It is recommended for PE teachers to develop pedagogical strategies contributing from the school environment to guide students in educational contents for health through PA, as established by UNESCO and recommended by the World Health Organization.

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The Effectiveness of Equipment Provisions on Rural Middle School Students’ Physical Activity During Lunch Recess

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2019-0661 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 287-295

Author(s):

Hyeonho Yu ◽

Pamela H. Kulinna ◽

Shannon C. Mulhearn

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Visual Analysis ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Environmental Intervention ◽

School Students ◽

Baseline Phase ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Eighth Grade Students

Background: Environmental provisions can boost students’ discretionary participation in physical activity (PA) during lunchtime at school. This study investigated the effectiveness of providing PA equipment as an environmental intervention on middle school students’ PA levels and stakeholders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of equipment provisions during school lunch recess. Methods: A baseline–intervention research design was used in this study with a first baseline phase followed by an intervention phase (ie, equipment provision phase). A total of 514 students at 2 middle schools (school 1 and school 2) in a rural area of the western United States were observed directly using the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth instrument. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders. Paired-sample t tests and visual analysis were conducted to explore differences in PA levels by gender, and common comparison (with trustworthiness measures) was used with the interview data. Results: The overall percentage of moderate to vigorous PA levels was increased in both schools (ranging from 8.0% to 24.0%). In school 2, there was a significant difference in seventh- and eighth-grade students’ moderate to vigorous PA levels from the baseline. Three major themes were identified: (1) unmotivated, (2) unequipped, and (3) unquestionable changes (with students becoming more active). Conclusions: Environmental supports (access, equipment, and supervision) significantly and positively influenced middle school students’ lunchtime PA levels.

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Objective and Subjective Physical Activity Levels in Austrian Middle School Students

Advances in Physical Education ◽

10.4236/ape.2021.114037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (04) ◽

pp. 448-459

Author(s):

Carla Greier ◽

Clemens Drenowatz ◽

Herbert Riechelmann ◽

Klaus Greier

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Activity Levels ◽

School Students ◽

Physical Activity Levels

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Gender Differences in Health Risk Behaviors and Physical Activity Among Middle School Students

The Journal of School Nursing ◽

10.1177/10598405060220010501 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 25-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Tsu-Yin Wu ◽

Sherry E. Rose ◽

Joanna M. Bancroft

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Middle School ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Health Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

School Setting ◽

Health Risk Behaviors ◽

Urban Setting ◽

School Students

Adolescence is a period of accelerated growth and change, bridging the complex transition from childhood to adulthood. This period offers adolescents an opportunity to begin planning for their futures and to adopt healthy attitudes about risk behaviors that can continue into adulthood, thus setting the stage for a lifetime of desirable health behaviors. This study used the Youth Risk Behavior Survey on middle school students and examined the gender differences of health risk behaviors among 674 8th-graders from an urban setting. The results showed that males were more likely to be involved in fights, to initiate alcohol use, and to participate in physical activity; whereas females were more likely to try to lose weight with unhealthy practices, such as fasting and laxatives. School nurses are in a prime position to promote adolescent health in the school setting by providing health-related services and teaching to help students initiate and maintain healthy lifestyles.

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