Efficacy of a compulsory homework programme for increasing physical activity and improving nutrition in children: A cluster randomised controlled trial
- Duncan, Scott, Stewart, Tom, McPhee, Julia, Borotkanics, Robert, Prendergast, Kate, Zinn, Caryn, Meredith-Jones, Kim, Taylor, Rachael, McLachlan, Claire, Schofield, Grant
- Authors: Duncan, Scott , Stewart, Tom , McPhee, Julia , Borotkanics, Robert , Prendergast, Kate , Zinn, Caryn , Meredith-Jones, Kim , Taylor, Rachael , McLachlan, Claire , Schofield, Grant
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Vol. 16, no. 1 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
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- Description: Background: Most physical activity interventions in children focus on the school setting; however, children typically engage in more sedentary activities and spend more time eating when at home. The primary aim of this cluster randomised controlled trial was to investigate the effects of a compulsory, health-related homework programme on physical activity, dietary patterns, and body size in primary school-aged children. Methods: A total of 675 children aged 7-10 years from 16 New Zealand primary schools participated in the Healthy Homework study. Schools were randomised into intervention and control groups (1:1 allocation). Intervention schools implemented an 8-week applied homework and in-class teaching module designed to increase physical activity and improve dietary patterns. Physical activity was the primary outcome measure, and was assessed using two sealed pedometers that monitored school- and home-based activity separately. Secondary outcome measures included screen-based sedentary time and selected dietary patterns assessed via parental proxy questionnaire. In addition, height, weight, and waist circumference were measured to obtain body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). All measurements were taken at baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1), and 6-months post-intervention (T2). Changes in outcome measures over time were estimated using generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) that adjusted for fixed (group, age, sex, group x time) and random (subjects nested within schools) effects. Intervention effects were also quantified using GLMMs adjusted for baseline values. Results: Significant intervention effects were observed for weekday physical activity at home (T1 [P < 0.001] and T2 [P = 0.019]), weekend physical activity (T1 [P < 0.001] and T2 [P < 0.001]), BMI (T2 only [P = 0.020]) and fruit consumption (T1 only [P = 0.036]). Additional analyses revealed that the greatest improvements in physical activity occurred in children from the most socioeconomically deprived schools. No consistent effects on sedentary time, WHtR, or other dietary patterns were observed. Conclusions: A compulsory health-related homework programme resulted in substantial and consistent increases in children's physical activity - particularly outside of school and on weekends - with limited effects on body size and fruit consumption. Overall, our findings support the integration of compulsory home-focused strategies for improving health behaviours into primary education curricula. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12618000590268. Registered 17 April 2018. © 2019 The Author(s).
- Authors: Duncan, Scott , Stewart, Tom , McPhee, Julia , Borotkanics, Robert , Prendergast, Kate , Zinn, Caryn , Meredith-Jones, Kim , Taylor, Rachael , McLachlan, Claire , Schofield, Grant
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Vol. 16, no. 1 (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Most physical activity interventions in children focus on the school setting; however, children typically engage in more sedentary activities and spend more time eating when at home. The primary aim of this cluster randomised controlled trial was to investigate the effects of a compulsory, health-related homework programme on physical activity, dietary patterns, and body size in primary school-aged children. Methods: A total of 675 children aged 7-10 years from 16 New Zealand primary schools participated in the Healthy Homework study. Schools were randomised into intervention and control groups (1:1 allocation). Intervention schools implemented an 8-week applied homework and in-class teaching module designed to increase physical activity and improve dietary patterns. Physical activity was the primary outcome measure, and was assessed using two sealed pedometers that monitored school- and home-based activity separately. Secondary outcome measures included screen-based sedentary time and selected dietary patterns assessed via parental proxy questionnaire. In addition, height, weight, and waist circumference were measured to obtain body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). All measurements were taken at baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1), and 6-months post-intervention (T2). Changes in outcome measures over time were estimated using generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) that adjusted for fixed (group, age, sex, group x time) and random (subjects nested within schools) effects. Intervention effects were also quantified using GLMMs adjusted for baseline values. Results: Significant intervention effects were observed for weekday physical activity at home (T1 [P < 0.001] and T2 [P = 0.019]), weekend physical activity (T1 [P < 0.001] and T2 [P < 0.001]), BMI (T2 only [P = 0.020]) and fruit consumption (T1 only [P = 0.036]). Additional analyses revealed that the greatest improvements in physical activity occurred in children from the most socioeconomically deprived schools. No consistent effects on sedentary time, WHtR, or other dietary patterns were observed. Conclusions: A compulsory health-related homework programme resulted in substantial and consistent increases in children's physical activity - particularly outside of school and on weekends - with limited effects on body size and fruit consumption. Overall, our findings support the integration of compulsory home-focused strategies for improving health behaviours into primary education curricula. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12618000590268. Registered 17 April 2018. © 2019 The Author(s).
Integrated project-based curriculum: A case study in a Victorian School.
- Authors: Bendall, Derek
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Leaders of research in the field of effective education have recognised that in the late twentieth century traditional styles of teaching were no longer sustaining student interest, nor helping students achieve their fullest potential. Sir Ken Robinson, a leading commentator, has spoken about the problems with the current Western educational system that was designed during the Industrial Revolution to accommodate the needs of that time. Education reform has been broadly researched and discussed and a wide range of strategies and theories have been developed, including integrated Project-Based Curriculum. This study investigates the development of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program, what this type of program involves, the implementation of the program and an analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected throughout the program highlighting its potential benefits. Making use of a mixed method approach, this project examined the outcomes of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program case study consisting of six teachers and fifty Year 7 students. The context of the study involves a private Christian school located in a suburban outer fringe area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The study investigated the overarching question of whether integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are constructive and beneficial to today’s schools. The research showed three key findings: that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are set up to allow students to make choices in their own education, which creates an appreciation of each discipline and a connection to the ‘real world’; that integrated Project- Based Curriculum involves a great deal of group work which develops a number of ‘lifelong’ 21st century work related skills, including collaboration, communication and creative and critical thinking; and most significantly, that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs engage students to self-learn and come to class with a greater prior knowledge, enabling teachers to teach a more in-depth content that creates a deeper learning.
- Description: Masters in Education
- Authors: Bendall, Derek
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Leaders of research in the field of effective education have recognised that in the late twentieth century traditional styles of teaching were no longer sustaining student interest, nor helping students achieve their fullest potential. Sir Ken Robinson, a leading commentator, has spoken about the problems with the current Western educational system that was designed during the Industrial Revolution to accommodate the needs of that time. Education reform has been broadly researched and discussed and a wide range of strategies and theories have been developed, including integrated Project-Based Curriculum. This study investigates the development of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program, what this type of program involves, the implementation of the program and an analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected throughout the program highlighting its potential benefits. Making use of a mixed method approach, this project examined the outcomes of an integrated Project-Based Curriculum program case study consisting of six teachers and fifty Year 7 students. The context of the study involves a private Christian school located in a suburban outer fringe area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The study investigated the overarching question of whether integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are constructive and beneficial to today’s schools. The research showed three key findings: that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs are set up to allow students to make choices in their own education, which creates an appreciation of each discipline and a connection to the ‘real world’; that integrated Project- Based Curriculum involves a great deal of group work which develops a number of ‘lifelong’ 21st century work related skills, including collaboration, communication and creative and critical thinking; and most significantly, that integrated Project-Based Curriculum programs engage students to self-learn and come to class with a greater prior knowledge, enabling teachers to teach a more in-depth content that creates a deeper learning.
- Description: Masters in Education
Changes of names, contents and attitudes to mathematical units
- Turville, Christopher, Pierce, Robyn, Barker, Ewan, Giri, Jason
- Authors: Turville, Christopher , Pierce, Robyn , Barker, Ewan , Giri, Jason
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics, Crete, Greece : 1st June, 2003
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Will this material be on the exam? Why do I need to know this stuff? These are the sorts of questions that have been regularly asked by our mathematics students. Pre-service mathematics teachers often suggest that they do not need to learn anything that they do not have to teach. Generally, these students appear to have very little aesthetic appreciation for mathematics and its applications. Currently, we teach five traditional mathematical content units that are provided mainly for pre-service mathematics teachers. These units have been adapted and modified over the years from units that were designed primarily for science students. They contained a heavy focus on calculus with a limited breadth of mathematical experience. After consulting widely on the best mathematical practices throughout Australia and internationally, it was decided to reform all of the mathematics units to make them more attractive to a wider audience. The units that are currently being developed are: Profit, Loss and Gambling; Upon the Shoulders of Giants; Logic and Imagination; Modelling and Change; Algorithms, Bits and Bytes; Space, Shape, and Design; and Modelling Reality. The overall goal of this redevelopment is to improve student attitudes and motivation by exposing them to a wide range of topics in mathematics that are usable and relevant. All of these units will incorporate current technology, contain realistic problems, and include visiting speakers. Student assessment in these units will consist of portfolios, projects and examinations. The introduction of these new units will result in students having a greater choice of the units they wish to study. In order to overcome potential logistical problems of a small mathematics department, innovative changes to the structure of the units will also be examined. This paper will provide the details of the establishment and content of these units.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000085
- Authors: Turville, Christopher , Pierce, Robyn , Barker, Ewan , Giri, Jason
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics, Crete, Greece : 1st June, 2003
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Will this material be on the exam? Why do I need to know this stuff? These are the sorts of questions that have been regularly asked by our mathematics students. Pre-service mathematics teachers often suggest that they do not need to learn anything that they do not have to teach. Generally, these students appear to have very little aesthetic appreciation for mathematics and its applications. Currently, we teach five traditional mathematical content units that are provided mainly for pre-service mathematics teachers. These units have been adapted and modified over the years from units that were designed primarily for science students. They contained a heavy focus on calculus with a limited breadth of mathematical experience. After consulting widely on the best mathematical practices throughout Australia and internationally, it was decided to reform all of the mathematics units to make them more attractive to a wider audience. The units that are currently being developed are: Profit, Loss and Gambling; Upon the Shoulders of Giants; Logic and Imagination; Modelling and Change; Algorithms, Bits and Bytes; Space, Shape, and Design; and Modelling Reality. The overall goal of this redevelopment is to improve student attitudes and motivation by exposing them to a wide range of topics in mathematics that are usable and relevant. All of these units will incorporate current technology, contain realistic problems, and include visiting speakers. Student assessment in these units will consist of portfolios, projects and examinations. The introduction of these new units will result in students having a greater choice of the units they wish to study. In order to overcome potential logistical problems of a small mathematics department, innovative changes to the structure of the units will also be examined. This paper will provide the details of the establishment and content of these units.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000085
Designing a research agenda to examine the implementation of the health and physical education curriculum & standards framework II
- Authors: O'Meara, James , Swan, Peter
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Association for Research in Education, Brisbane : 1st December, 2002
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000073
- Authors: O'Meara, James , Swan, Peter
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Association for Research in Education, Brisbane : 1st December, 2002
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000073
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