The Effects of an Intentionally Designed Physical Literacy Curriculum on Primary-Aged Children
Abstract
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are considered to be the foundation of life-long participation in physical activity (PA). Tied closely to FMS is an individual’s sense of self perception of competence and confidence. It is argued that feeling positive about your ability to acquire and apply FMS to a variety of contexts will result in a greater likelihood of continued participation. The development of FMS typically occurs in education and sporting environments however, the recreation sector is an alternate viable arena to enhance such skill development.
This thesis explores the creation of an intentionally designed PA curriculum, that is grounded in the philosophy of physical literacy (PL), and its’ influence on recreation programming including children’s motor proficiency and instructor behavior. Little scholarly research has been conducted in this area in the recreation sector. The literature that exists on children’s PA exertion and instructor behavior has primarily been conducted in the school and after-school environments.
A total of 57 children in grade one and grade two were invited to participate in this research study. Children were divided into two groups, PL and traditional recreation (TR) programming. Those children in the PL program experienced PA in the four environments of land, air, snow/ice and water. Children involved in TR programs self-selected PA programs and were taught by traditional recreation instructors. Both groups of children participated in PA programs twice a week at a recreation centre in North central Calgary from January to May 2014.
Motor proficiency testing, utilizing the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, identified a change over time for both groups and a statistical difference for
iii
participants in the PL program. Systematic observation revealed that group participation influenced PA behaviors of children. Further, discriminant analysis determined that the criterion for instructor interaction variables (as determined by the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time) can be used to distinguish amongst instructors.
The results of this research study suggest that purposeful, intentional recreation programming (in physical literacy) that is aligned with education outcomes and sport philosophy has the ability to influence PA behaviors in the recreation sector. It is suggested that further research in professional development and recreation curriculum continue to be explored to promote the development of FMS to contribute to an individual’s sustained participation in PA over the life course.
Description
Keywords
Education--Early Childhood
Citation
Van Wyk, N. (2016). The Effects of an Intentionally Designed Physical Literacy Curriculum on Primary-Aged Children (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28095