Education Commons^™

‘Heat-Smart’ Schools During Physical Education (Pe) Activities: Developing A Policy To Protect Students From Extreme Heat, Brendon P. Hyndman

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

The Effect Of An Emerging School Playground Strategy To Encourage Children's Physical Activity: The Accelerometer Intensities From Movable Playground And Lunchtime Activities In Youth (Aim-Play) Study, Brendon P. Hyndman, Leanne Lester

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

An emerging strategy to enhance children's opportunities for unstructured physical activity opportunities is to implement diverse materials on school playgrounds. The Accelerometer Intensities from Movable Playground and Lunchtime Activities in Youth (AIM-PLAY) study consisted of a movable/recycled materials intervention that included baseline, seven-week post-test and eight-month follow-up data collection phases. Children at an intervention school (n=54) and a matched control school (n=79) aged 5 to 12 years participated in the AIM-PLAY study. The study used accelerometers to measure the proportion of lunch breaks that children spent in each physical activity intensity, counts per minute and sedentary behavior. A multilevel mixed-effect …

The Relationship Between Elementary School Children's Enjoyment Of School Playground Activities And Participation In Physical Activity During Lunchtime Recess, Brendon P. Hyndman, Leanne Lester

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

An emerging public health strategy is to enhance children's opportunities for physical activity (PA) during school recess periods, yet little is known about the influence of children's enjoyment of school playground activities on their participation in lunchtime recess PA. In this study, the Lunchtime Enjoyment Activity and Play (LEAP) questionnaire was used to measure 8- to 12-year-old children's enjoyment of school playground activities and pedometers were used to measure their PA at two Australian elementary schools (n = 105). Researchers applied multiple linear regression models in STATA (version 13.0) to investigate the relationship between children's enjoyment of playground activities and …

Looking Beyond The Classroom Walls: An Insight For Teachers Of Primary And Secondary Students' Perceptions To Enhance The School Physical Activity Environment, Brendon P. Hyndman

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

With an increasing focus on schools to facilitate physical activity, there is more demand than ever for teachers to equip children with the necessary skills to be physically active. Gaining an understanding of students' perceptions could help teachers promote increased physical activity levels among school students. The purpose of this paper was to explore primary and secondary students' of features to enhance the school physical activity environment. Four government schools (two primary and two secondary) in the western region of Victoria were recruited for the study. Focus groups and map drawing were used to gain a broad understanding of primary …

Engaging Children In Activities Beyond The Classroom Walls: A Social–Ecological Exploration Of Australian Primary School Children's Enjoyment Of School Play Activities, Brendon P. Hyndman, Barbara Chancellor

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

As children spend a significant amount of time in schools, it is vital that playwork practitioners develop an improved awareness relating to the influences on children's enjoyment of school play activities. The purpose of the present study was to assess children's enjoyment of school play activities beyond the classroom walls, including the type of play activities children enjoy and age- and gender-specific enjoyment levels. Within the study, the Lunchtime Enjoyment of Activity and Play (LEAP) questionnaire was administered to 281 children aged 8–12-years-old attending three primary schools in regional Victoria, Australia. The LEAP questionnaire was used to measure Australian primary …

Engaging Students In Activities Beyond The Classroom: A Social-Ecological Exploration Of Primary School Students’ Enjoyment Of School-Based Activities, Brendon P. Hyndman

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

An important consideration for schools to develop children's physical activity habits is the identification of psychosocial correlates of children's physical activity such as enjoyment. The purpose of this study was to uniquely assess children's enjoyment of school-based physical activities beyond the health and physical education classroom, including the type of activities children enjoy and the extent of his/her enjoyment. The Lunchtime Enjoyment of Activity and Play (LEAP) questionnaire was administered to 281 children aged 8-12 years, attending three primary schools in regional Victoria. In this paper, the social-ecological model levels of influence on children's enjoyment are discussed including (1) intrapersonal …

Where To Next For School Playground Interventions To Encourage Active Play? An Exploration Of Structured And Unstructured School Playground Strategies, Brendon P. Hyndman

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

An emerging public health priority is to enhance children’s opportunities for active play. Children spend a large proportion of weekdays in schools, making schools an influential and suitable setting to promote children’s active play. Rather than continually increasing the burdens placed upon busy teaching staff, the use of school playgrounds interventions have emerged as a critical strategy within schools to facilitate and develop children’s active play via an informal curriculum. This scholarly article provides a research-based commentary on a range of school playground interventions to encourage both structured and unstructured active play opportunities. Additionally, future research directions for school playground …

Exploring The Differences In Teaching Perspectives Between Australian Pre-Service And Graduate Physical Education Teachers, Brendon P. Hyndman

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Limited investigation has been undertaken into Australian physical educators’ teaching beliefs and intentions and those that have been researched have tended to utilise ‘qualitative’ research methods. The present study addresses a gap in the literature by exploring the differences in teaching perspectives between Australian pre-service and graduate physical education teachers. The teaching perspectives inventory (TPI) was administered to pre-service physical education teachers (n=105) graduate physical education teachers (n=37). Each TPI item was linked to one of five key teaching perspectives (apprenticeship, developmental, nurturing, social reform & transmission). Average teaching perspective scores were calculated for each of the five teaching perspectives …

Evaluating The Effects Of The Lunchtime Enjoyment Activity And Play (Leap) School Playground Intervention On Children’S Quality Of Life, Enjoyment And Participation In Physical Activity, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Benson, Shahid Ullah, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Background: An emerging public health strategy is to enhance children’s opportunities to be physically active during school break periods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Lunchtime Enjoyment Activity and Play (LEAP) school playground intervention on primary school children’s quality of life (QOL), enjoyment and participation in physical activity (PA). Methods: This study consisted of a movable/recycled materials intervention that included baseline, a 7-week post-test and an 8-month follow-up data collection phase. Children within an intervention school (n = 123) and a matched control school (n = 152) aged 5-to-12-years-old were recruited for the study. …

Children’S Enjoyment Of Play During School Lunchtime Breaks: An Examination Of Intraday And Interday Reliability, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford, Caroline Finch, Shahid Ullah, Amanda Benson

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Background: Enjoyment and play during school lunchtime are correlated with children’s physical activity. Despite this, there is an absence of studies reporting children’s enjoyment of play during school lunchtime breaks. The purpose of this study was to examine the intraday and interday reliability of children’s enjoyment of school lunchtime play. Methods: Surveys used to assess children’s enjoyment of lunchtime play were distributed to and completed by 197 children (112 males, 85 females), aged 8–12 years attending an elementary school in Victoria, Australia. Children completed the surveys during class before lunch (expected enjoyment) and after lunch (actual enjoyment) for 5 days. …