Irish children's physical activity (PA) levels are below national guidelines. Schools are an ideal setting to promote PA but it remains challenging. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a step-back approach to Project Spraoi (PS); a facilitator (Energizer) led school-based PA intervention. Each Energizer in year one had 2 contact days per…

Background: Many school-based physical activity (PA) interventions are implemented without adequately assessing their contextual fit, which can hinder their effectiveness and sustainment, ultimately reducing their impact on student health and well-being. This study aimed to assess the pre-implementation fit of the Interrupting Prolonged Sitting…

This study assessed the effectiveness of the TRACK Rx program. Track Rx is a program for healthcare professionals to counsel and prescribe outdoor physical activity (PA) to children. The program was implemented by a school nurse to increase children's time spent outdoors, increase a child's nature-based PA, and increase parents' intention for…

In the midst of the pandemic, this school district made a significant investment with recovery dollars to expand enrichment opportunities in art, music, and physical education for students in their K-8 schools. The hypothesis was increasing the quality and quantity of these opportunities, the school district would increase student engagement, lead…

This research aims to examine the competencies of pre-service science teachers in designing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activities and the challenges they encounter in this process. The study was carried out using phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs. A total of 23 second-year pre-service science teachers…

Children with disabilities (CWD) tend to participate in fewer physical activities than typically developing children. During motor play, CWD often depend on teachers to provide direct instruction and frequent opportunities to practice motor skills, to interact with their peers, and learn new skills. To promote participation in physical activities…

Physical activity (PA) policies have the potential to ensure adequate opportunities for children to develop PA behaviors for a lifetime. Examples include mandating that schools provide recess and physical education for a specified amount of time per week; ensuring that physical education teachers are licensed; providing activity breaks in academic…

"Building Successful Extracurricular Enrichment Programs" is a must-read for educators or administrators who want to develop, implement and maintain engaging out-of-school programs. Accessible and easy to use, this book focuses on four basic approaches to building enrichment programs: grassroots, semi-structured, franchise and fully…

Purpose: To gain insight into factors enhancing or obstructing implementation in various school-settings, which is vital for widespread dissemination and sustainable integration of school-based health-promoting interventions. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed methods multisite comparative case study to investigate (factors influencing) the…

Despite the growing prevalence of mindfulness in schools, the empirical landscape describing best practices for implementation is incomplete. The purpose of this project was to develop a framework that explicated the steps and considerations for implementing mindfulness at the whole-school level, rather than just considering individual classroom…

A collaboration between youth in a refugee camp in Malawi, U.S. college students, and a professor of folklore has produced a website and forthcoming book manuscript. The project augments opportunities for the artists, all of whom are refugees or asylum seekers, to share their work, bring visibility to the talent in the camp, raise awareness about…

Purpose: This study sets out to investigate the elements of the collaborative culture required for the successful implementation and sustainability of programs in schools. It draws on a case study of a student peer-led physical activity (PA) program implemented within the complex and dynamic environment of school communities in New Zealand. The…

The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of ten pre-service physical education teachers as they designed and implemented a community-based physical activity program through the Adventure Education model. Drawing on the occupational socialization theory as a theoretical framework, data were collected through field notes, document…

Background: A mismatch between organizational priorities and system-level policies can negatively impact implementation and sustainment of classroom-based physical activity (PA) interventions. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) present methods to systematically identify organization- and system-level implementation barriers, and (2) align…

Self-direction skill (SDS) is an essential 21st-century skill that can help learners be independent and organized in their quest for knowledge acquisition. While some studies considered learners from higher education levels as the target audience, providing opportunities to start the SDS practice by K12 learners is still rare. Further, practicing…