The effects of physical activity on children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a review

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorder among children. Despite the noted positive aspects of the disorder, it is often associated with a range of negative outcomes for that are detrimental to children's education and wider well-being. This comprehensive scoping review examined empirical literature from seven academic journal databases and specialist journals, published over 10 years, in relation to the benefits of sport/physical activity upon the effects of ADHD. The databases and time frame were chosen to give the ‘ideal [scenario]?…?that could answer the review question’, within the limitations of journal database access and resource available; searches of grey literature were also conducted. Ten articles were included in the final review. Due to the variation of methodological approach, sample size, and, most importantly, the form of physical activity measured, it is difficult to identify the ‘best’ form of physical activity to mediate symptoms of ADHD. However, it can be plausibly claimed that physical activity interventions may provide an alternative, non-pharmaceutical approach to management of ADHD in children.     

我国职业教育媒体形象研究——基于新中国成立70年来《人民日报》中相关报道的多维度话语分析

通过对新中国成立以来《人民日报》中的职业教育相关报道进行话语分析,透视国家层面在不同时期对于职业教育的定位以及长期以来职业教育在官方媒体话语中的形象。研究发现,职业教育在国家政策层面越来越受到重视,整体形象良好。职业教育在报道中经常和发达经济体和地区一起出现,良好的地域形象有助于提升职业教育的媒体形象。职业教育被视为国家经济发展的动力,但同时职业教育和社会发展之间还存在脱节现象。《人民日报》越来越关注职业教育的具体发展措施和发展方向,其发展形象也逐渐由笼统抽象变得明确具体。媒体在职业教育形象的建构和传播过程中起着重要作用,尤其是国家主流媒体对于职业教育的报道是形成职业教育形象社会认知的基础。     

Physical education for health and wellbeing: a discourse analysis of Scottish physical education curricular documentation

This paper provides an analysis of the discourses associated with physical education in Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence. We implement a poststructural perspective in order to identify the discourses that underpin the physical education sections of the Curriculum for Excellence ‘health and well-being’ documentation. Discourses related to physical activity and health are particularly prominent, along with a related concern with motor skill development. Our focus lies with the ways in which these discourses are likely to be taken up and deployed within Scottish educational establishments. The paper thus explores the ways in which these discourses might ‘work’ to produce specific effects on practitioners and pupils. This involves speculating about how practitioners and students might engage in specific practices relative to these discourses. We conclude that the discourses identified lend themselves to interpretation and negotiation in multiple ways in the context of Scottish physical education, with specific consequences for the experiences and subjectivities of practitioners and children.     

Active Families in the Great Outdoors: a program to promote family outdoor physical activity

This study evaluated a 4-week program to increase the time families spent engaging in outdoor activity. Parents were provided strategies to increase family outdoor activity and locations to be active. Sixteen families completed the program. Duration and number of family outdoor activity bouts per week, type of activities, locations, and family member attendance were measured using logs. Pre/post surveys were conducted to determine the usefulness of providing educational resources and maps. Compared to baseline (216.1±127.3 min/week), family outdoor activity for weeks 1 (316.1±180.2 min/week), 2 (351.1±209.1 min/week), and 4 (317.5±186.8 min/week) were significantly greater at follow-up. At follow-up, parents reported increased regular exercise and encouragement for their child to be active. Children reported adults engaged in physical activity with them and increased transportation to places to be active. This novel program increased family outdoor activity levels and contributes to limited research on strategies to increase outdoor activity in youth.     

Play to learn: a case-study of parent/carer and child engagement with a physical activity website resource

In 2007, Sport Wales produced guidance for practitioners delivering the new Foundation Phase curriculum for children aged three to seven years. A focus was on physical development and in 2009 a resource entitled Play to Learn was developed supported by a website launched in 2011. The present study addresses (non-)engagement with the website. Based on a qualitative study (interviews and focus groups) with a small cohort of parents from a primary school in South Wales, the findings revealed some of the reasons for only low levels of engagement from parents/carers. ‘Hard copy’ resource materials were considered more useful than electronic media.     

Teacher perceptions of facilitators and barriers to implementing classroom physical activity breaks

Abstract

Physical activity plays an important role in childhood development and is associated with positive health, social, emotional, and academic benefits. Despite this, children are often sedentary for most of their school day and fail to meet daily activity recommendations. Incorporating physical activity breaks into the classroom can achieve many positive outcomes, however has not been widely adopted. This study used the diffusion of innovation theory as a framework to examine teacher perceptions of barriers and facilitators to incorporating physical activity breaks into their elementary classrooms. Teachers perceived compatibility with teaching philosophy and observability of benefits to most students as strong facilitators. They struggled to reconcile relative advantage and trailability, primarily due to classroom management issues associated with just a few students. Lack of complexity facilitated implementation, however upper grade teachers felt a strong need to connect activity to academics which threatened complexity. The authors conclude with recommendations to increase adoption.     

Integrating social activity theory and critical discourse analysis: a multilayered methodological model for examining knowledge mediation in mentoring

This study suggests an integrative qualitative methodological framework for capturing complexity in mentoring activity. Specifically, the model examines how historical developments of a discipline direct mentors’ mediation of professional knowledge through the language that they use. The model integrates social activity theory and a framework of critical discourse analysis to guide the data collection, analysis and interpretation processes. Drawing on the case of mentoring in Arts Education, we describe and discuss the discursive character of the interactions between content and pedagogy in mentoring activity, as they grow out of the larger historical groundings of participants’ practice.     

Physical activity during physical education lessons: a qualitative investigation of Australian PE teacher perceptions

School physical education (PE) experiences play a critical role in adolescents’ physical activity (PA) levels. Teachers are crucial to students’ initial experiences in PA; however, limited research has explored teachers’ perspectives about PA during PE using in-depth qualitative research techniques. We conducted interviews with 25 current Australian male and female PE teachers to investigate their perceptions about PA in secondary school PE (grades 7–12). Our findings indicated PA was a major focus for teachers during PE lessons; however, many physical and psychosocial factors underpinned practical classes. During PE lessons, PE teachers favoured game-based activities to promote PA while citing the traditional skill-drill approach as a strategy that limited PA. These findings highlight an ongoing shift in PE teaching towards a games-based approach and have several important implications for future teaching practice and research.     

The physical activity levels of preschool-aged children: A systematic review

This systematic review presents research on the physical activity levels of preschool-aged children (aged 2–6 years). Thirty-nine primary studies (published 1986–2007) representing a total of 10,316 participants (5236 male and 5080 female), from seven countries are described and the physical activity behaviors of this population are considered in accordance with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) physical activity guidelines for preschoolers. Upon review of the evidence, it is apparent that nearly half of preschool-aged children do not engage in sufficient physical activity. Current recommendations suggest a minimum of 60 min of physical activity per day; only 54% of participants throughout the studies achieved this. Furthermore, as with other age groups, boys participate in considerably more physical activity than girls. It is clear from this systematic review that nearly half of children studied are not meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity. Therefore, effective interventions that promote and foster physical activity in children are necessary, especially in females. However, a more objective physical activity guideline for preschoolers is necessary; measurement of activity needs to become more unified to compare and track activity more effectively.     

闽东民间体育游戏传承的研究

闽东民间体育游戏在上个世纪六十年代以前,倍受人们欢迎的本土体育游戏．近半个世纪以来,由于西方体育运动项目在民间的快速普及,现已近乎绝迹．因此,做好保护闽东这一非物质文化遗产的工作,刻不容缓,意义重大．闽东民间体育游戏活动所需的活动场所、器材等可因地制宜,参与人数灵活,不要求特殊的技能和身体条件;长期坚持参加游戏活动,能使参加者获得快乐的心理感受,发展身体素质,增进健康;闽东民间体育游戏活动能给人们带来了欢乐,具有促进人们和睦相处,社会和谐发展等方面的积极作用,应引起政府和社会各界的广泛重视,并得到人们的大力支持和必要的帮助．     

The use of cross-curricular activity on interactive playgrounds to supplement school-based physical activity: an exploratory study

Childhood obesity and physical inactivity are serious threats to the health and wellness of our schoolchildren. Research has shown that play and physical activity are important in development, behaviour and academic achievement. Through the efforts of coordinated school health program and a Physical Education for Progress grant, a county school system in a southern state was able to construct multiple innovative playground systems at schools and combine them with various academic units in a cross-curricular effort to address the wellness needs of students. Exploratory research using pedometers, accelerometers and an observation method examined physical activity intensity levels during cross-curricular sessions. Results indicated that this type of physical activity might be a viable supplement to daily school-based physical activity needs.     

Defining and seeking to identify critical Internet literacy: a discourse analysis of fifth‐graders' Internet search and evaluation activity

Pedagogic focus is shifting increasingly from teaching students to search the Internet efficiently to encouraging critical Internet literacy, but this paper argues that these more complex and subtle skills are both challenging to teach and difficult to identify. The paper presents an analysis of the discourse of triads of fifth graders undertaking an Internet search task that emphasised decisions relating to the trustworthiness and relevance of websites. The analysis uses two lenses – the Vygotskian concept of obuchenie and Mercer's notion of ‘inter‐thinking’ – to help identify discourse markers that could support teachers in identifying and teaching critical Internet literacy. More work is needed, but it is argued that if our goal is to develop critical Internet literacy, the concept of obuchenie helps us to understand the socio‐cognitive prerequisites of group learning in Internet searching tasks, while the concept of ‘interthinking’ offers us a distribution mechanism that can be applied in helping students acquire the skills of independent and critical analysis as they carry out those tasks.     

A school-based motivational intervention to promote physical activity from a self-determination theory perspective

The authors analyzed the effects of a multidimensional intervention to promote physical activity (PA) in school, based on self-determination theory. The study involved 88 students, between 14 and 17 years old, who were divided into a control group (n = 59) and an experimental group (n = 29). In the experimental group, a 6-month intervention was conducted, applying a teaching unit of fitness and health in physical education (PE) classes, an extracurricular program of healthy PA, and meetings with families. Questionnaires were administered to measure different motivational variables and PA levels at four time points. Significant differences were found in favor of the experimental group in parental and peer autonomy support; integrated regulation in PE; autonomy, intrinsic, and identified regulation in leisure-time PA; moderate, hard, and very hard PA; and physical self-worth. Motivational effects were maintained over time but the effects on PA levels disappeared at 6 months.     

The inclusion and construction of the worthy citizen through lifelong learning: a focus on the OECD

This paper argues that underlying the OECD’s promotion of inclusion in, for and through lifelong learning is the notion of an ‘active citizen’ who establishes their worth through learning and, ultimately, competence. Through the critical examination of recent OECD policy documents on adult and lifelong learning, the paper also calls for a re‐examination of the purported goals of inclusion and participation, essential elements of ‘inclusive liberalism’.     

Project Spraoi: two year outcomes of a whole school physical activity and nutrition intervention using the RE-AIM framework

We aimed to assess the impact of Project Spraoi: a school-based physical activity (PA) and nutrition intervention that reached 473 primary school children and 43 school staff in Cork (Ireland). Four primary schools (2 intervention, 2 control) with similar characteristics participated and for 2 school years, intervention schools were assigned an ‘Energizer’, who promoted PA and healthy eating. A subsample of children from the intervention schools (n?=?106) and matching controls (n?=?125) had measures of body mass, waist circumference, blood pressure, fitness, nutritional knowledge/attitudes and PA recorded at baseline and after 2 school years. Process evaluation techniques assessed the impact of the intervention on teachers, parents and children. Analysis of covariance revealed the intervention was associated with smaller waist circumference relative to gender and age (p?<?0.0005), slower resting heart rate (p?=?0.003) and favourable nutritional attitudes among 10 year olds. No significant change across other variables or among 6 year olds was found. Teachers, parents and children reported positive outcomes for PA behaviour and nutritional knowledge/attitudes. Project Spraoi has shown to improve heart rate and prevent further gains in fat mass amongst older aged children. The positive impact of the intervention supports the need for its continued delivery, particularly as children age.     

The use of video-based instruction to promote independent performance of physical activity skills in students with developmental disabilities in a school and community setting

School psychologists are well-positioned to assist practitioners in engaging students in physical activity (PA) which can increase student access to improved well-being and associated health benefits. This may be of particular importance for adolescents with moderate to severe developmental disabilities (DD; autism and intellectual disability) who display various deficits in performing PA skills. Previous research suggests video-based instruction (VBI) effectively facilitated independence associated with PA skills in people with DD, however, additional research is warranted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree a VBI impacted acquisition of skills in individuals with DD at school, and, subsequently, in a community setting. Multiple probe design was used to assess the effect of the intervention in four participants. The results indicate the intervention was effective in teaching three participants to perform the circuit in the school setting and transfer the skills to the community setting; however, maintenance was variable. Implications related to practice for school psychologists, teachers, and other practitioners, as well as, limitations and future research directions are discussed.     

石家庄职业技术学院2005级学生体质状况分析

通过对石家庄职业技术学院2005级学生实施《学生体质健康标准》测试情况的统计和分析,旨在了解学生现阶段体质健康状况,把体质健康指标作为体育教学改革的切入点.应以体质健康教育为中心,开展体育健康教育,建立以增强学生健康为目标的体育教学体系.     

A critical discourse analysis of Gisela's family story: a construal of deportation,illegal immigrants,and literacy

In this paper, I use critical discourse analysis to analyze a student's narrative about the arrest, incarceration, and deportation of her mother to Mexico. The student, Gisela, was a fifth grader in my classroom during the 2008/2009 school year, and I encouraged the students to collect family stories from their relatives. Gisela created this story, and she wrote and illustrated this with the help of her father, student peers, and me. I draw on Gloria Anzaldúa's constructs of nepantla and nepantlera, narrative analysis, and systemic functional linguistics to show how Gisela's construed this story to create a powerful and creative narrative that disrupted autonomous forms of literacy along with the excluding and damaging discourses circulating about immigrants in our community.     

简评批评话语分析在跨文化交际学研究中的应用

简要述评近几年批评话语分析在跨文化交际学研究中的应用,讨论从批评的视角对英美领导人在跨文化交际语境中所作的英文演讲进行分析和研究的必要性,评介跨文化交际学和批评话语分析研究领域中的新动向,并就如何深化跨文化交际语境演讲的批评分析研究提出了3点建议.