Associations between teacher training and measures of physical literacy among Canadian 8- to 12-year-old students

Abstract

BackgroundQuality physical education (PE) contributes to the development of physical literacy among children, yet little is known about how teacher training relates to this development. We assessed the association between teacher training, and the likelihood that children met recommended achievement levels for components of physical literacy as defined by the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL).MethodsCanadian children (n = 4189; M = 10.72 years, SD = 1.19) from six provinces completed the CAPL. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between teacher training (generalist/PE specialist), adjusting for children’s age and gender, and physical competence protocols (sit and reach, handgrip, plank, Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run [PACER], body mass index [BMI], waist circumference, Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment [CAMSA]), the four CAPL domain scores, and the total CAPL score.ResultsTeacher training, in addition to children’s age and gender, explained only a very small proportion of variance in each model (all R2 < 0.03). Children taught by a generalist were less likely to reach recommended levels of motivation and confidence (OR = 0.83, 95% CI, 0.72–0.95) or CAMSA scores (OR = 0.77, 95% CI, 0.67–0.90), even when accounting for a significant increase in CAMSA score with age (OR = 1.18, 95% CI, 1.12–1.26). All other associations between measures of components of physical literacy and teacher training were not significant.ConclusionsWhile teacher training is hypothesized to contribute to the development of physical literacy among elementary school students, the observed effects in this study were either small or null. Children taught by PE specialists were more likely than those taught by generalists to demonstrate recommended levels of motivation and confidence, and to have better movement skills, which are hypothesized to be critical prerequisites for the development of a healthy lifestyle. Further research with more robust designs is merited to understand the impact of teachers’ training on the various components of physical literacy development.

Characterizing Middle School Students' Physical Literacy Development: A Self-Determination Theory-Based Pilot Intervention in Physical Education

“…Grade differences were observed in cognitive and physical domain scores, with sixth graders scoring higher in the physical domain but lower in the cognitive domain than seventh graders. Higher knowledge about PA and fitness in seventh grade than sixth grade appears to be consistent with previous observations (Law et al, 2018 ; Tremblay et al, 2018b ; Chen et al, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ); however, prior research often reported lower scores for the physical domain (fitness and skills) constructs in older adolescents (Tremblay et al, 2018b ). Such mixed reports of age or grade differences need further empirical research investigation.…”

“…A few studies have investigated students' PL by age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic status (SES) using the Canadian Physical Literacy Assessment (CAPL-2; Longmuir et al, 2015 ; Bélanger et al, 2018 ; Delisle Nyström et al, 2018 ; Dutil et al, 2018 ; Law et al, 2018 ; Tremblay et al, 2018b ). These studies, mostly took place outside of the U.S., reported a low level of PL ranging from 59.3 to 64.9% for children of 8–12 years old.…”

Physical Education Role in Lithuanian Primary Schoolchildren Physical Literacy Formation

“…As mentioned before, education is very important for this age group (Whitehead, 2013;Hyndman, Pill, 2018). A study revealed that children who were instructed by professional physical education teachers were more motivated and confident, and were even meeting achieving and excelling stages in physical literacy (Law et al, 2018). Another research found that when children have the power of choice, they experience autonomy, which increases their intrinsic motivation to participate in physical activities they enjoy now and in the future (Roemmich et al, 2012).…”

Performances of the Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA), and validity of timing components in comparison with three commonly used agility tests in Chinese boys: an exploratory study

“…Recent studies have reported a moderate to excellent retest reliability of the CAMSA over short and long intervals (Longmuir et al, 2017). The feasibility of the CAMSA was confirmed via a shorter testing time (5-7 min set-up time and 1 min testing time) and flexible environmental requirements (both indoor and outdoor testing are available) (Longmuir et al, 2017), the application within a school Physical Education (PE) class (Lander et al, 2015), and also the small effect of an examiner's professional training background on the CAMSA performances (Law et al, 2018). Although many studies have indicated that the CAMSA could be a feasible assessment, study participants were usually recruited from western countries and rarely from Asia.…”