In 2017, the Swedish government introduced an initiative that requires schools to offer daily movement for all student during school day. The initiative emphasizes improved health, well-being, and academic performance. It also combines school and movement in a natural way. Against this background many different local initiatives and interventions to gain more students to move during school day have been carried out in Sweden some of them in research (Ericsson, 2003; Hedström, 2016; Jägerbrink et al., 2022; Lindgren et al., 2019; Svanelöv, 2024).

School, as an environment where children spend a significant portion of their lives, are in this way positioned as natural hubs for physical activity offering the potential to cultivate lifelong habits and abilities during critical developmental years. This is also backed up by the view of physical activity as a means of promoting well-being and fostering a healthy lifestyle among students, particularly for those who may lack opportunities for movement outside of school (Cornett et al., 2023; Defever et al., 2023; Larsson & Thedin Jakobsson, 2023).

The term movement, as used in Swedish school, extends beyond traditional notions of physical activity or sports. Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHAS, 2023) describes physical activity as any action that increases heart rate and may causes breathlessness, encompassing sport, play and transportation activities like walking or cycling.  However, the concept movement includes a wider range of activities, such as walking or tidying up to more structured efforts like classroom breaks or outdoor challenges. This definition aligns with the terminology used in the governing documents for school, where the assignment is referred to as daily movement rather than physical activity (SNAE, 2022).

Education has a central role in both school and society. By problematizing teachers' challenges and opportunities in a pedagogical practice, as daily movement in school, this research can contribute support for similar research consider learning about movement, in school, in the future. Existing research primarily focuses on the physiological and cognitive outcomes of physical activity, often overlooking the pedagogical and professional dimensions of implementing daily movement in school. Defever et al. (2023) highlight a critical gap: school staff and students are rarely involved in the development of movement-related interventions, which can undermine the implementation, sustainability and effectiveness of these initiatives. Collaboration approaches that engage stakeholders at all levels, national policymakers, school, administrators, teachers and students are essential for achieving meaningful and lasting changes (Abel-Berei et al., 2020; Defever et al., 2023).

Despite its promising goals, working with daily movement has revealed challenges, including vague guidelines, limited resources, and inconsistent support. The structural context of school play a significant role in shaping how daily movement is anchored within the school structure. Eriksson-Zetterquist (2009) notes that institutions operate within formal and informal frameworks of rules, norms, and systems that govern interactions and behaviors. Within schools, these frameworks encompass laws, policies, social norms, and organizational values, all of which influence how daily movement is conceptualized, planned, and carried out.

As school adapt new assignments such as daily movement, their capacity to embrace change is shaped by institutional structures, rules and values. Using a institutional theoretical lens (Scott, 2014), this study seeks to explore the complexities of working with daily movement within the institutional framework of school. The overall aim of this study is to explores how teachers experience and navigate the task of working with daily movement, focusing on the institutional, pedagogical, and professional dimensions of their work. Research questions are about how the interplay of formal regulations, normative values, and cognitive understanding affects the integration of movement into daily practice, ultimately raising questions about the sustainability and effectiveness of this initiative. 

The study is based on semi-structured interviews with teachers. To ensure representativeness and relevance to the study, participants met specific criteria: they worked with daily movement in primary schools; they were directly involved in planning, organizing, or facilitating daily movement activities. The age 10–12 years is particularly relevant as research shows physical activity and movement tends to decline with age (PHAS, 2021). The semi-structured interviews followed a guide developed to align with the study's aims. The guide included open-ended questions about; teachers’ prerequisites and conditions for working with daily movement; structural issues affecting implementation, such as resources, support, and collaboration; sustainability and long-term integration of daily movement into school routines; and perceived learning outcomes and student engagement. A content analysis was carried out in a detailed process based on different categories. Early in the analysis process the theory was adopted out of the categories of responses that the teachers described (Elo & Kyngäs, 2008; Graneheim & Lundman, 2004). The content analysis went through different phases: the preparation phase to understand the data, the organization phase where the material was grouped and abstracted, and finally the resulting phase where the process and results were described (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004). Topics were linked to institutional theory based on the theoretical concepts of regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive pillars (Scott, 2014), thus anchoring the responses from the teachers in the institutional framework. Teachers were encouraged to reflect mainly on their own experiences working with daily movement in school. By integrating theory with empirical data, the analysis not only illuminated teachers lived experiences but also provided a deeper understanding of the institutional factors that shape the work with daily movement in school. The study identified three themes after analyzing the data: (1) Teachers’ position in the mission of daily movement; (2) Strategies and methods for working with Daily Movement; and (3) Perceived values of Daily Movement. The next section presents the results of this study, organized around the three themes derived from the teachers' experiences. All participants provided informed consent, and their anonymity was preserved by removing identifying details, such as local context or school-specific information. Teachers were assigned pseudonyms to ensure confidentiality (Vetenskapsrådet, 2024). Given the low risk associated with this study, no sensitive personal data were collected, and participants were adults, and ethical approval was obtained (2023-03545-01).

The findings suggest that while daily movement offers clear benefits for students and schools, its success depends on clearer regulatory guidance, stronger institutional support, and alignment with educational goals. By amplifying teachers’ voices, this study underscores the need for systemic change to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of working with daily movement in schools. It contributes to the broader understanding of how institutional frameworks influence the implementation of health-promoting initiatives in educational settings. For daily movement to achieve institutional legitimacy and sustainability, it must be reframed as a central part of the school’s educational mission. First, addressing the cultural-cognitive pillar requires reframing movement as an educational tool rather than an optional activity. Teachers highlighted the value of movement in fostering joy, confidence, leadership, and focus, but they also expressed a need for clearer connections to learning. Movement education, rather than mere activation, could provide a framework for integrating physical activity with broader learning objectives. Second, the normative pillar must be strengthened through institutional leadership and collaboration. Principals play a critical role in legitimizing daily movement and creating the conditions for its success. Schools that prioritized movement often had strong leadership that allocated time, formed movement teams, and created opportunities for collaboration, which also led to positive outcomes. Third, clearer regulatory frameworks are needed to provide schools with guidance on how to work with daily movement in a structured and sustainable way. National and municipal policies should articulate specific goals, learning outcomes, and strategies for daily movement, ensuring that it is integrated into the school’s broader pedagogical mission. Teachers’ accounts highlight the importance of time and resources as essential components of this process. Without dedicated planning time and sufficient resources, teachers will continue to struggle with their strategies and methods handle daily movement effectively.

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