Running for success: A case study of an exercise initiative on health and 'readiness to learn' in two primary schools.

Author(s):

Samantha Shields(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

08. Research on Health Education

Format:

Paper (Copy for Joint Session)

Session Information

08 SES 11 B JS, Perspectives on Physical Activity and Learning

Joint Paper Session NW 08 and NW 18

Time:

2017-08-24

17:15-18:45

Room:

K3.23

Chair:

Rachel Sandford

Contribution

This project is an evaluation of the correlation between participating in running a mile initiatives (Daily Mile and Golden Mile) and ‘readiness to learn’. The Daily Mile and the Golden Mile are both initiatives which encourage children to run a mile each school day, citing a positive impact on children’s ‘readiness to learn’. ‘Readiness to learn’ is a reference to the level of focus and concentration that children have to engage with learning, which in turn improves attainment. However, there is currently no systematic data collection which demonstrates this pattern.

Main research question:

To what extent does participating in a running initiative improve health and ‘readiness to learn’?

Sub-research questions:

What do teachers, children and parents believe is the educational value of participating in the Daily Mile/Golden Mile for children?
What do teachers, children and parents believe is the health value of participating in the Daily Mile/Golden Mile for children?
To what extent does participating in the Daily Mile/Golden Mile enhance children’s educational outcomes?
To what extent does participating in the Daily Mile/Golden Mile improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing?

Objective:

1. The first aim of the project is to provide an evidence base which measures the impact of the Daily Mile/Golden Mile initiative on the educational outcomes of children. Three educational outcomes associated with ‘readiness to learn’ will be measured: Attendance, academic attainment and learner engagement.

2.The second aim of the project is to give a voice to key stakeholders (teachers, children and parents) about their perceptions and experiences of the Daily Mile/Golden Mile initiative. The project aims to identify to what extent there is a correlation between the measures of educational outcome and stakeholders’ beliefs about the initiative.

It is intended that this study will advance education. If the evaluation provides an evidence base for the potential to improve ‘readiness to learn’ it will enable other local schools to adopt an initiative which can advance education through improving educational outcomes. The schools involved in this initiative are developing this approach locally, but evidence is needed to show its impact on readiness to learn. This will ensure that schools and their teachers can continue to have the support of children, parents and governors in continuing these initiatives. The evidence collected will also help to support teachers in disseminating this good practice. It has been recognised that public health initiatives can have a positive impact on educational outcomes. Therefore, evidence showing the effectiveness of this approach is in the public interest at a local and national level. In addition, the positive health benefits and improved educational outcomes should improve the long-term quality of life for children in the local communities.

Method

The research strategy is a participatory case study (Thomson & Hall, 2017) method using evaluation techniques. A participatory research approach means that the project will be done ‘with’ schools, rather than ‘on’ schools. Each individual school will form part of the larger case study. The participating schools will be schools that already undertake the Daily Mile/Golden Mile or are schools that are interested in trialling running initiatives. The researcher and participants worked together to reach an agreed consensus on the data collection process to evaluate the initiative. The methodology is broadly within the interpretivist paradigm, but draws upon statistical data to indicate wider trends and patterns. A mixed-methods research approach will be adopted. The research methods used will be documentary sources (attainment and attendance data), semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, observations and diaries. Qualitative data o Children will complete a photograph diary or a video diary to capture their thoughts and feelings about the running initiative. (s-rq 1 & s-rq 2) o A sample of parents and teachers will be asked to participate in semi-structured interviews about their experiences and beliefs about the initiative. (s-rq 1 & s rq 2) Quantitative data o Teachers will track a range of attainment indicators over the course of the project (s-rq 3) o Teachers will be asked to provide a subjective measure of ‘readiness to learn’ (concentration and focus) each day over the period of the project (e.g. 1 promptly ready and focused – 5 not ready and focused) (s-rq 3) o Researchers and teachers will undertake paired-timed interval observations to provide a quantitative indicator of ‘readiness to learn’ (s-rq 3) o Attendance/absenteeism will be monitored over the course of the project (attendance has been identified as one of the biggest factors in improving attainment) to see if there are any noticeable changes during the length of the project (s-rq 3 & s-rq 4) o A child-friendly self-esteem questionnaire will be given to children at staged intervals (beginning of the project, middle of the project, end of the project) – (s-rq 4) The qualitative data will be analysed thematically (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Lincoln and Guba, 1985). The quantitative data will be analysed with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Expected Outcomes

The benefit to pupils and schools is in terms of educational outcomes and health benefits (Bonell, 2014; Suhrcke & de Paz Nieves, 2011). Accountability pressures (Ball, 2013) on schools have meant that they are looking for additional ways in which to improve the attainment levels of pupils. Equally, there is an increasing concern for the physical and mental health of children. Which is in part due to the increased academic pressures that schools and pupils are experiencing. Schools are keen to participate in initiatives which can address the health needs of children and improve attainment. These initiatives therefore have the potential to be a very powerful and effective tool in addressing these local and wider societal concerns about attainment and wellbeing.he number of pupils across the two schools is 443. An evaluation of the benefits of these initiatives will benefit the 443 pupils at these two schools as it will provide evidence for the need to continue to support these initiatives. Equally, the evaluation will have a much larger impact on the region as other local schools will have the opportunity to be supported in developing the initiative. The findings from the evaluation will be transferable to national and international contexts. Expected outcomes: o Twilight dissemination event for local schools in collaboration with project participants o A website featuring an online toolkit for schools for who wish to engage in a physical activity initiative with their children o Final evaluation report o Conference paper at ECER

References

Ball, S. (2013) The Education Debate, Policy Press, Bristol Bonell, C. (2014) Why schools should promote students health and wellbeing, British Medical Journal, 348; g3078 Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. (1985), Naturalistic Inquiry, Sage publications, London. Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994) An expanded sourcebook qualitative data analysis, Sage publications, London, 2nd ed Suhrcke, M. & de Paz Nieves, C. (2011) The impact of health and health behaviours on educational outcome in high income countries: a review of the evidence, WHO. Thomson, P. and Hall, C. (2017) Place-based for researching schools, Bloomsbury, London

Author Information

Samantha Shields (presenting / submitting)

Newcastle University, United Kingdom

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