Focusing elementary students with active classrooms: exploring teachers’ perceptions of self-initiated practices

Christine A. Foran; Cynthia Mannion; Gayle Rutherford

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2017) IEJEE

Focusing elementary students with active classrooms: exploring teachers’ perceptions of self-initiated practices

Christine A. Foran
Cynthia Mannion
Gayle Rutherford

Published October 2, 2017 | Pages: 61-69 | Views: 1587

Download PDF

SHARE

Abstract

The aim of our study was to explore the perceptions of elementary teachers who routinely prioritized physical activity in their classrooms. Researchers are reporting improved student academic test results following physical activity sessions, however, classroom teachers are challenged in balancing curricular and other expectations. Hence, teachers who voluntarily implement physical activity have views that are unique and important for promoting the practice to others. We interviewed seven teachers from grades 1-6, using the qualitative constructivist approach to grounded theory qualitative research. Teachers valued physical activity because it enhanced their students’ focus on classroom activities. Common attributes amongst the teachers were active lifestyles, previous employment experiences using physical activity, and a pedagogical approach prioritizing physical activity throughout the day. Additionally, the teachers perceived that belonging to schools with a culture of movement was important. Teachers view physical activity as a teaching asset when they perceive a positive impact on their students’ ability to focus. Specific teacher attributes and a school environment that embraces physical activity may predispose teachers to these views, and represent areas that should be further explored. Pre-service courses could be one way to provide teachers with experience and a repertoire of easy physical activities.

<p>The aim of our study was to explore the perceptions of elementary teachers who routinely prioritized physical activity in their classrooms. Researchers are reporting improved student academic test results following physical activity sessions, however, classroom teachers are challenged in balancing curricular and other expectations. Hence, teachers who voluntarily implement physical activity have views that are unique and important for promoting the practice to others. We interviewed seven teachers from grades 1-6, using the qualitative constructivist approach to grounded theory qualitative research. Teachers valued physical activity because it enhanced their students’ focus on classroom activities. Common attributes amongst the teachers were active lifestyles, previous employment experiences using physical activity, and a pedagogical approach prioritizing physical activity throughout the day. Additionally, the teachers perceived that belonging to schools with a culture of movement was important. Teachers view physical activity as a teaching asset when they perceive a positive impact on their students’ ability to focus. Specific teacher attributes and a school environment that embraces physical activity may predispose teachers to these views, and represent areas that should be further explored. Pre-service courses could be one way to provide teachers with experience and a repertoire of easy physical activities.</p>

Listen -

References

Asher, J.J. (1969). The total physical response approach to second language learning. The Modern Language Journal, 53(1), 3-17. doi:10.2307/322091
Ashton, P.T., & Webb, R.B. (1986). Making a difference: Teachers’ sense of efficacy and student achievement. White Plains, NY: Longman.
Bartholomew, J.B., & Jowers, E.M. (2011). Physically active academic lessons in elementary children. Preventive Medicine, 52, S51-S54. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.01.017
Brown, S. (2010). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul. New York: Penguin Group.
Brusseau, T.A., & Hannon, J.C. (2015). Impacting children’s health and academic performance through comprehensive school physical activity programming. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 7(3), 441-450.
Carlson, S.A., Fulton, J.E., Lee, S.M., Maynard, L.M., Brown, D.R., Kohl, H.W., & Dietz, W.H. (2008). Physical education and academic achievement in elementary school: Data from the early childhood longitudinal study. American Journal of Public Health, 98(4),721-727. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.117176
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007). School health policies and programs study. Atlanta, GA: Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED498697.pdf
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Cothran, D.J., Hodges-Kulinna, P.H., & Garn, A.C. (2010). Clasroom teachers and physical activity integration. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 1381-1388. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2010.04.003
Cotman, C.W., & Berchtold, N.C. (2002). Exercise: A behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. TRENDS in Neurosciences, 25(6), 295-301. doi:10.1016/SO166-2236(02)02143-4
Deal, T.E., & Peterson, K.D. (1999). Shaping school culture: The heart of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dembo, M.H., & Gibson, S. (1985). Teachers’ sense of efficacy: An important factor in school improvement. The Elementary School Journal, 86(2), 173-184. doi:10.1086/461441
Dinkel, D.M., Lee, J.M., & Schaffer, C. (2016). Examining the knowledge and capacity of elementary teachers to implement classroom physical activity breaks. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(1), 182-196.
Dinkel, D.M., Schaffer, C., Snyder, K., & Lee J.M. (2017). They just need to move: teachers’ perception of classroom physical activity breaks. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63, 186-195. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2016.12.020
Donnelly, J.E, & Lambourne, K. (2011). Classroom-based physical activity, cognition, and academic achievement. Preventive Medicine, 52, S36-S42. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.01.021
Erwin, H., Fedewa, A., & Ahn, S. (2013). Student academic performance outcomes of a classroom physical activity intervention: A pilot study. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education 5(2), 109-124.
Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). New York/London: Teachers College Press.
Gately, P., Curtis, C., & Hardaker, R. (2013). An evaluation in UK schools of a classroom-based physical activity programme —TAKE 10!®: A qualitative analysis of the teachers’ perspective. Education and Health, 31(4), 72-78.
Gibson, C.A., Smith, B.K., DuBose, K.D., Greene, J.L., Bailey, B.W., Williams, S.L.,…Donnelly, J.E. (2008). Physical activity across the curriculum: Year one process evaluation results. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5(36) 1-7. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-36
Guskey, T.R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and Teaching, 8, 381-391. doi:10.1080/135406002100000512
Hallal, P.C., Andersen, L.B., Bull, F.D., Guthold, R., Haskell, W., & Ekelund, U. (2012). Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls, and prospects. The Lancet, 280, 247-257. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)-60633-3
Hill, L., Williams, J.H., Aucott, L., Milne, J., Thomson, J., Greig, J.,…Mon-Williams, M. (2010). Exercising attention within the classroom. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 52(10), 929-934. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.2010.03661.x
Hill, L., Williams, J.H., Aucott, L., Thomson, J., Mon-Williams, M. (2011). How does exercise benefit performance on cognitive tests in primary-school pupils? Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 53(7), 630-635. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.03954.x
Hillman, C.H., Erickson, K.I., & Kramer, A.F. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: Exercise effects on brain and cognition. Nature Publishing Group, 9, 58-65. doi:10.1038/nrn2298
Howie, E.K., Newman-Norlund, R.D., & Pate, R.R. (2014). Smiles count but minutes matter: Responses to classroom exercise breaks. American Journal of Health Behavior, 38(5), 681-689. doi:10.5993/AJHB.38.5.5
Khan, N.A., & Hillman, C.H. (2014). The relation of childhood physical activity and aerobic fitness to brain function and cognition: A review. Pediatric Exercise Science, 26, 138-146. doi:org/10.1123/pes.2013-0125
Kibbe, D.L., Hackett, J., Hurley, M., McFarland, A., Schubert, K.G., Schultz, A., & Harris, S. (2011). Ten Years of Take 10!®: Integrating physical activity with academic concepts in elementary school classrooms. Preventive Medicine, 52, S43. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.01.025
Kulinna, P.H., Silverman, S., & Keating, X.D. (2000). Relationship between teachers’ belief systems and actions toward teaching physical activity and fitness. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 19, 206-221.
Kuypers, L.M. (2011). The zones of regulation: A curriculum designed to foster self-regulation and emotional control. San Jose, CA: Think Social.
Lee, I.M., Shiroma, E.J., Lobelo, F., Puska, P., Blair, S.N., & Katzmarzyk, P.T. (2012). Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet, 380(9838), 219-220. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9
Lively Letters (n.d.). Reading with TLC. Retrieved May 14, 2017, http://www.readingwithtlc.com/lively-letters.html
Maeda, J.K., & Murata, N.M. (2004). Collaborating with classroom teachers to increase daily physical activity: The GEAR program. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 75(5), 42-46. doi:10.1080/07303084.2004.10607239
Maeda, J.K., & Randall, L.M. (2003). Can academic success come from five minutes of physical activity? Brock Education, 13(1), 14-22. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.ib.ucalgary.ca/science/article/pii/S0091743511000557
Mahar, M.T., Murphy, S.K., RowE, D.A., Golden, J., Shields, A.T., & Raedeke, T.D. (2006). Effects of a classroom-based program on physical activity and on-task behavior. American College of Sports Medicine, 2086-2094. doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000235359
Martin, R., & Murtagh, E.M. (2015). Preliminary findings of active classrooms: An intervention to increase physical activity levels of primary school children during class time. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 113-127. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2015.09.007
McMullen, J., Kulinna, P., & Cothran, D. (2014). Physical activity opportunities during the school day: Classroom teachers’ perception of using activity breaks in the classroom. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 33, 511-527. doi:10.1123/jtpe.2014-0062
Meyer, D.K, & Turner, J.C. (2006). Re-conceptualizing emotion and motivation to learn in classroom contexts. Educational Psychology Review, 18, 377-390. doi:10.1007/s10648-006-9032-1
Miramontez, S.K.H., & Schwartz, I.S. (2016). The effects of physical activity on the on-task behavior of young children with autism spectrum disorders. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(2), 405-418.
Naylor, P.J., Macdonald, H.M., Zebedee, J.A., Reed, K.E., & McKay, H.A. (2006). Lessons learned from Action Schools! BC—An ‘active school’ model to promote physical activity in elementary schools. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 9, 413-423. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2006.06.013
Orlick, T. (1993). Free to feel great: Teaching children to excel at living. Carp, ON: Creative Bound.
Orlick, T. (2012). Dr. Terry Orlick. In M.W. Aoyagi & A. Poczwardowski (Eds.), Expert approaches to sport psychology: Applied theories of performance excellence. (167-184). Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University.
ParticipACTION (2016). Are Canadian kids too tired to move? The 2016 ParticipACTION report card on physical activity for children and youth. Toronto: ParticipACTION.
Pataniczek, D., & Isaacson, N.S. (1981). The relationship of socialization and the concerns of beginning secondary teachers. Journal of Education, 32(3), 14-17. doi: 10.1177/002248718103200303
Reed, J.A., Einstein, G., Hahn, e., Hooker, S.P., Gross, V.P., & Kravitz, J. (2010). Examining the impact of integrating physical activity on fluid intelligence and academic performance in an elementary school setting: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 7(3), 343-351. Retrieved from http://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/pubmed/20551490
Roberts, K.C., Shields, M., de Groh, M., Aziz, A., & Gilbert, J. (2012). Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: Results from the 2009 to 2011 Canadian health measures survey. Statistics Canada Health Reports. Catalogue no. 82-003-x
Sibley, B.A., & Etnier, J.L. (2003). The relationship between physical activity and cognition in children: A meta-analysis. Pediatric Exercise Science, 15, 243-256. doi:10.1123/pes.15.3.243
Singh, A.S., Mulder, C., & Twisk, J.W.R. (2008). Tracking of childhood overweight into adulthood: A systematic review of the literature. Obesity Reviews 9, 474-488. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2008.00475.x
Statistics Canada (2011). National Household Survey: Data Tables. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=1118423&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105395&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0
Stylianou, M., Kulinna, P.H., & Naiman, T. (2016). ‘…because there’s nobody who can just sit that long’: Teacher perceptions of classroom-based physical activity and related management issues. European Physical Education Review, 22(3), 390-408. doi:10.1177/1356336X15613968
Vazou, S., & Skrade, M. (2014). Teachers’ reflections from integrating physical activity in the academic classroom. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 85, A38. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.05.003
World Health Organization (2016). Physical activity: Fact sheet. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs385/en/
Webster, C., Monsma, E., & Erwin, H. (2010). The role of biographical characteristics in preservice classroom teachers’ school physical activity promotion attitudes. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 29(4), 358-377. doi:10.1123/jtpe.29.4.358
Webster, C., Russ, L., Vazou, T., Goh, R.L., & Erwin, H. (2015). Integrating movement in academic classrooms: understanding, applying and advancing the knowledge base. Obesity Reviews, 16, 691-701. doi:10.1111/obr.12285
Wright, J. (2000). Bodies, meanings and movement: A comparison of the language of a physical education lesson and a Feldenkrais movement class. Sport, Education and Society, 5(1), 35-49. doi:10.1080/135733200114424

Keywords

Physical activity, focus, teachers, perceptions, culture

Affiliations

Christine A. Foran

University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing, Canada

Cynthia Mannion

University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing, Canada

Gayle Rutherford

University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing, Canada

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

How to Cite

Foran, C. A., Mannion, C., & Rutherford, G. (2017). Focusing elementary students with active classrooms: exploring teachers’ perceptions of self-initiated practices. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 10(1), 61–69. Retrieved from https://iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/299