The evidence for the impact of policy on physical activity outcomes within the school setting: A systematic review

BackgroundDespite the well-established health benefits of physical activity (PA) for young people (aged 4–19 years), most do not meet PA guidelines. Policies that support PA in schools may be promising, but their impact on PA behavior is poorly understood. The aim of this systematic review was to ascertain the level and type of evidence reported in the international scientific literature for policies within the school setting that contribute directly or indirectly to increasing PA.MethodsThis systematic review is compliant with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Six databases were searched using key concepts of policy, school, evaluation, and PA. Following title and abstract screening of 2323 studies, 25 progressed to data synthesis. Methodological quality was assessed using standardized tools, and the strength of the evidence of policy impact was described based on pre-determined codes: positive, negative, inconclusive, or untested statistically.ResultsEvidence emerged for 9 policy areas that had a direct or indirect effect on PA within the school setting. These were whole school PA policy, physical education, sport/extracurricular PA, classroom-based PA, active breaks/recess, physical environment, shared use agreements, active school transport, and surveillance. The bulk of the evidence was significantly positive (54%), 27% was inconclusive, 9% was significantly negative, and 11% was untested (due to rounding, some numbers add to 99% or 101%). Frequency of evidence was highest in the primary setting (41%), 34% in the secondary setting, and 24% in primary/secondary combined school settings. By policy area, frequency of evidence was highest for sport/extracurricular PA (35%), 17% for physical education, and 12% for whole school PA policy, with evidence for shared use agreements between schools and local communities rarely reported (2%). Comparing relative strength of evidence, the evidence for shared use agreements, though sparse, was 100% positive, while 60% of the evidence for whole school PA policy, 59% of the evidence for sport/extracurricular PA, 57% of the evidence for physical education, 50% of the evidence for PA in classroom, and 50% of the evidence for active breaks/recess were positive.ConclusionThe current evidence base supports the effectiveness of PA policy actions within the school setting but cautions against a “one-size-fits-all” approach and emphasizes the need to examine policy implementation to maximize translation into practice. Greater clarity regarding terminology, measurement, and methods for evaluation of policy interventions is needed.     

Annotated Bibliography

This short bibliography is not supposed to be a comprehensive survey of all that has been written about gender and science. Its much more modest aim is to mention a few of the many books that have been published on this subject in recent years, and to give some indication of their contents. By doing this I hope to provide readers with a starting point from which to pursue an interest in any particular aspect of the subject.     

A Matter of Degrees

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent to which computers assist high school students in learning English language vocabulary. The experience describes an experimental investigation conducted in a Teacher‐Training Practising Secondary School in Cameroon on the use of computer‐assisted software to teach English vocabulary. Specifically, the major thrust of this investigation was to compare the effects of using computers in the teaching of English language vocabulary with the conventional method of teaching. Students were split into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The latter group received the conventional method while the former group was given the computer software application. Results indicated that there was very little significant difference in the academic performance of both groups. However, the experimental group demonstrated positive attitudes toward a computer and the software program.

Abstract français: Le but de cette recherche était de déterminer jusqu'o[ugrave] les ordinateurs peuvent aider des étudiants d'école secondaire à apprendre le vocabulaire anglais. L'article décrit la recherche conduite dans un institut de formation des maîtres du second degré au Cameroun sur l'utilisation de logiciels pour l'enseignement du vocabulaire anglais. En fait, l'objectif majeur de cette recherche était de comparer les effets de l'emploi des ordinateurs à cette fin avec les méthodes traditionelles de formation. On a divisé les étudiants en deux groupes: expérimental et contrôle. Ce dernier a reçu cette formation traditionelle, tandis que le premier a subi des applications de logiciels. Les résultats ont montré qu'il n'y avait pas de différence significative entre les performances des deux groupes. Cependant, le groupe expérimental a fait preuve d'attitudes positives envers l'ordinateur et les programmes de logiciels.