School and classroom effects on Daily Physical Activity (DPA) policy implementation fidelity in Ontario classrooms: a multi-level analysis

Abstract

BackgroundThis paper examines school and classroom effects on Daily Physical Activity (DPA) policy implementation in classrooms in Ontario, Canada. In 2005 the Ontario Ministry of Education mandated a policy requiring school boards to “ensure that all elementary students, including students with special needs, have a minimum of twenty minutes of sustained MVPA each school day during instructional time”. Based on an adaptation of Chaudoir’s conceptual framework, this paper contributes to understanding the extent to which school factors (as reported by administrators) and classroom factors (as reported by teachers) are associated with policy implementation fidelity at the classroom level.MethodsCross-sectional online surveys were conducted in 2014 with elementary school administrators and teachers, based on representative random samples of schools and classrooms. A measure assessing implementation fidelity was developed from the six required components of the policy and for this paper fidelity at the classroom level is treated as the outcome variable. Several school- and classroom-level measures were also included in the surveys and a number of these were selected for inclusion here. Data from the two surveys were merged and selected variables were included in the multi-level analysis. Two-level logistic regression models were conducted to account for nesting of classrooms within schools and a series of models were conducted to identify factors associated with implementation fidelity.ResultsThe analytic sample for this study included 170 school administrators and 307 classroom teachers from corresponding schools. Findings from the multi-level logistic regression analyses indicated that only classroom/teacher-level factors were significantly associated with implementation fidelity at the classroom level. None of the school/administrator predictors were significantly related to fidelity. The most parsimonious model included five significant classroom/teacher predictors: teachers’ perception of DPA as realistic and achievable; confidence (self-efficacy); scheduling DPA in timetables; lack of space; and lack of time.ConclusionsFindings from the study indicate the theoretical and practical importance of addressing classroom and teacher factors since they are most proximal to implementation fidelity to the policy. Several of these factors also reflect complex structural and organizational contexts, indicating that a systems approach to understanding and supporting DPA implementation fidelity is warranted.

Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Classroom Teachers’ Intentions to Implement Classroom Physical Activity

“…Recent work has highlighted the importance of self-efficacy—similar to competence—in explaining teachers’ CPA implementation [ 29 ]. The current work did not find that perceived competence significantly explained implementation, despite the robust body of evidence showing the importance of teacher self-efficacy when implementing innovations in their classrooms [ 22 , 24 , 28 ]. However, our results showing the importance of autonomy, a motivational component articulated in Self Determination Theory, are relatively novel.…”

“…Organizational leadership is an important determinant of the implementation of many evidence-based practices [ 17 , 18 ], including CPA [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The availability of resources, perceived benefits of CPA, and perceived implementation climate have all been associated with teachers’ CPA implementation [ 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Determinants of behavior change include individual-level characteristics such as knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy [ 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…Perceived social norms include perceptions about whether administrators support CPA, and whether other teachers in the school are engaging in CPA. Lastly, perceived behavioral control is a prominent element of many behavior theories and predicts teachers’ CPA implementation behaviors [ 22 , 43 ].…”

Reducing Key Barriers to Classroom Physical Activity Improves Implementation Fidelity in Ontario Elementary Classrooms

“…However, a recent evaluation found that only 23% of Ontario teachers were meeting this expectation [23], which is a significant drop from 50% in 2015 [24,25]. Several studies have investigated barriers to DPA implementation and identified lack of access to DPA resources and inadequate teacher training as important barriers to DPA implementation [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. These barriers are noteworthy to empirically address as they can be targeted most directly and efficiently compared to the more systemic barriers such as school culture, implementation climate, and leadership support, given the extensive resourcing available, albeit across disparate sources, which require minimal teacher training to effectively implement [1].…”

“…Teachers have been documented as using a variety of resources to implement DPA, including videobased activities (e.g., GoNoodle or YouTube dance), playing active games like Simon Says, and incorporating physical activity directly into learning activities (2 × 5 = 10 jumping jacks) [9,10,12]. However, a recent evaluation found that only 23% of Ontario teachers were meeting this expectation [23], which is a significant drop from 50% in 2015 [24,25]. Several studies have investigated barriers to DPA implementation and identified lack of access to DPA resources and inadequate teacher training as important barriers to DPA implementation [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”