Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programming in Dubai International Schools: A Mixed Methods Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18666/TPE-2024-V81-I5-11883Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) policies and practices in interna-tional schools in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. Following an ex-planatory-sequential mixed-methods research design, the researchers employed the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program Policies and Practices Questionnaire (CSPAP-Q) and follow-up interviews to describe CSPAP implementation and explore implementation enablers and challenges. A convenience sample of physical education teachers (N=18) participated in the questionnaire, and seven of these teachers participated in individual interviews. Teachers’ responses to the ques-tionnaire indicated considerable heterogeneity and numerous gaps in existing school-based physical activity opportunities and promotion efforts. Interviews revealed three themes related to CSPAP implemen-tation: (a) time constraints in secondary schools, (b) facilities, and (c) location. This study provides an initial glimpse into whole-of-school physical activity programming in Dubai international schools.
References
AlBlooshi, A., Shaban, S., AlTunaiji, M., Fares, N., AlShehhi, L., AlShehhi, H., ... & Souid, A. K. (2016). Increasing obesity rates in school children in United Arab Emirates. Obesity Science & Practice, 2(2), 196-202.
Bartholomew, J. B., & Jowers, E. M. (2011). Physically active academic lessons in elementary children. Preventive Medicine, 52(Suppl), S51–S54.
Beets, M. W., Beighle, A., Erwin, H. E., & Huberty, J. L. (2009). After-school program impact on physical activity and fitness: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 36(6), 527-537.
Beets, M. W., Weaver, R. G., Turner-McGrievy, G., Moore, J. B., Webster, C., Brazendale, K., ... & Beighle, A. (2016). Are we there yet? Compliance with physical activity standards in YMCA afterschool programs. Childhood Obesity, 12(4), 237-246.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2014). What can “thematic analysis” offer health and wellbeing researchers? International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 9(1), 26152.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Increasing physical education and physical activity: A framework for schools. Atlanta, GA.
Coolkens, R., Ward, P., Seghers, J., & Iserbyt, P. (2018). The effect of organized versus supervised recess on elementary school children’s participation, physical activity, play, and social behavior: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 15(10), 747-754.
Cooper, A. R., Goodman, A., Page, A. S., Sherar, L. B., Esliger, D. W., van Sluijs, E. M., ... & Ekelund, U. (2015). Objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in youth: the International Children’s Accelerometry Database (ICAD). International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12(1), 1-10.
Daly-Smith, A., Quarmby, T., Archbold, V. S., Corrigan, N., Wilson, D., Resaland, G. K., ... & McKenna, J. (2020). Using a multi-stakeholder experience-based design process to co- develop the Creating Active Schools Framework. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(1), 1-12.
Deslatte, K., & Carson, R. L. (2014). Identifying the common characteristics of comprehensive school physical activity programs in Louisiana. Physical Educator, 71(4), 610.
Durant, N., Harris, S. K., Doyle, S., Person, S., Saelens, B. E., Kerr, J., … & Sallis, J. F. (2009). Relation of school environment and policy to adolescent physical activity. The Journal of School Health, 79(4), 153–206.
Edmonds, W. A., & Kennedy, T. D. (2016). An applied guide to research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. London, UK: Sage.
Erwin, H., Beighle, A., Carson, R. L., & Castelli, D. M. (2013). Comprehensive school-based physical activity promotion: A review. Quest, 65(4), 412-428.
Erwin, H. E., Ickes, M., Ahn, S., & Fedewa, A. (2014). Impact of recess interventions on children's physical activity: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Health Promotion: AJHP, 28(3), 159–167.
Fan, W., & Yan, Z. (2010). Factors affecting response rates of the web survey: A systematic review. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), 132-139.
Farley, T. A., Meriwether, R. A., Baker, E. T., Watkins, L. T., Johnson, C. C., & Webber, L. S. (2007). Safe play spaces to promote physical activity in inner-city children: results from a pilot study of an environmental intervention. American Journal of Public Health, 97(9), 1625–1631.
Frank, M. L., Flynn, A., Farnell, G. S., & Barkley, J. E. (2018). The differences in physical activity levels in preschool children during free play recess and structured play recess. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness, 16(1), 37–42.
Huberty, J. L., Beets, M. W., Beighle, A., & Welk, G. (2011). Environmental modifications to increase physical activity during recess: preliminary findings from ready for recess. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 8(s2), S249-S256.
Institute of Medicine. (2013). Educating the student body: Taking physical activity and physical education to school. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
Mailey, E. L., Garcia, J., & Rosenkranz, R. R. (2021). A brief staff training to increase children’s physical activity during an after-school program: Preliminary effectiveness and potential for dissemination. Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living, 1(2), 74-83.
McKenzie, T. L., Crespo, N. C., Baquero, B., & Elder, J. P. (2010). Leisure-time physical activity in elementary schools: analysis of contextual conditions. The Journal of School Health, 80(10), 470–477.
McMullen, J., Ní Chróinín, D., Tammelin, T., Pogorzelska, M., & Van Der Mars, H. (2015). International approaches to whole-of-school physical activity promotion. Quest, 67(4), 384-399.
Moon, J., & Webster, C. A. (2019). MI (my) Wheelhouse: A movement integration progression framework. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 90(7), 38-45.
Ni Chróinín, D., Murtagh, E., & Bowles, R. (2012). Flying the "Active School Flag": Physical activity promotion through self-evaluation in primary schools in Ireland. Irish Educational Studies, 31(3), 281-296.
Nulty, D. D. (2008). The adequacy of response rates to online and paper surveys: what can be done? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(3), 301-314.
Parrish, A. M., Okely, A. D., Stanley, R. M., & Ridgers, N. D. (2013). The effect of school recess interventions on physical activity: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 43(4), 287–299.
Paulo, M. S., Nauman, J., Abdulle, A., Aljunaibi, A., Alzaabi, M., Barakat-Haddad, C., ... & Loney, T. (2018). Results from the United Arab Emirates’ 2018 report card on physical activity for children and youth. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 15(s2), S419-S421.
Poitras, V. J., Gray, C. E., Borghese, M. M., Carson, V., Chaput, J. P., Janssen, I., ... & Tremblay, M. S. (2016). Systematic review of the relationships between objectively measured physical activity and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(6), S197-S239.
Pulling Kuhn, A., Kim, E., Lane, H. G., Wang, Y., Deitch, R., Turner, L., … & Parker, E. A. (2021). Associations between elementary and middle school teachers’ classroom physical activity practices and teacher- and school-level factors. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), Article 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01129-4
Rush, E., Reed, P., McLennan, S., Coppinger, T., Simmons, D., & Graham, D. (2012). A school-based obesity control programme: Project Energize. Two-year outcomes. British Journal of Nutrition, 107(4), 581-587.
Schmidt, S. K., Bratland, S., & Bongaard, S. R. (2022). Secondary school teachers’ experiences with classroom-based physically active learning: “I’m excited, but it’s really hard.” Teaching and Teacher Education, 116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103753
Society of Health and Physical Educators America. (2015). National Standards & Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education. Reston, VA: Human Kinetics.
Stoepker, P., Dauenhauer, B., Carson, R. L., & Moore, J. B. (2021). Comprehensive school physical activity program policies and practices questionnaire (CSPAP-Q). Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 92(1), 100-110.
Suga, A. C. M., Silva, A. A. P. D., Brey, J. R., Guerra, P. H., & Rodriguez-Añez, C. R. (2021). Effects of interventions for promoting physical activity during recess in elementary schools: A systematic review. Jornal de Pediatria, 97(6), 585-594.
Tompkins, N. O., Weikle, M. F., Keath, A., Northrup, K., Childers, S., Grant, J., … & Wittberg, R. (2019). Professional development for increased classroom-based physical activity: Elements and strategies to reduce barriers and facilitate implementation. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 90(9), 38-52.
Van Sluijs, E. M., McMinn, A. M., & Griffin, S. J. (2007). Effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity in children and adolescents: systematic review of controlled trials. British Medical Journal, 335(7622), 703.
Wang, G. Y., Pereira, B. O., & Mota, J. (2005). In door physical education measured by heart rate monitor: A case study in Portugal.
Warehime, S., Snyder, K., Schaffer, C., Bice, M., Adkins-Bollwit, M. & Dinkel, D. (2019). Exploring secondary science teachers’ use of classroom physical activity. Physical Educator, 76(1), 197-223.
Webster, C. A. (2022). The comprehensive school physical activity program: An invited review. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15598276221093543.
Webster, C. A., Buchan, H., Perreault, M., Doan, R., Doutis, P., & Weaver, R. G. (2015). An exploratory study of elementary classroom teachers’ physical activity promotion from a social learning perspective. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 34(3), 474–495.
Webster, C. A., Rink, J. E., Carson, R. L., Moon, J., & Gaudreault, K. (2020). The comprehensive school physical activity program model: A proposed illustrative supplement to help move the needle on youth physical activity. Kinesiology Review, 9(2), 112-121.
Webster, C. A., Russ, L., Vazou, S., Goh, T. L., & Erwin, H. (2015). Integrating movement in academic classrooms: understanding, applying and advancing the knowledge base. Obesity Reviews, 16(8), 691–701.
World Health Organization. (2010). Population-based prevention strategies for childhood obesity: Report of a WHO forum and technical meeting, Geneva, 15-17 December 2009.
Zhang, X., Smith, N. A., Sumowski, M. T., Anderson, J. M., Anderson, K., Badenoch, E. A., … & Speakman, J. R. (2020). Active travelling to school is not associated with increased total daily physical activity levels, or reduced obesity and cardiovascular/pulmonary health parameters in 10-12-year olds: A cross-sectional cohort study. International Journal of Obesity (2005), 44(7), 1452–1466.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)
Journal Publishing Copyright Agreement for Authors
PLEASE REVIEW OUR POLICIES AND THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT, AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BY CHECKING THE ‘AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE’ CHECKBOX BELOW.
I understand that by submitting an article to The Physical Educator, I am granting the copyright to the article submitted for consideration for publication in The Physical Educator to the Copyright Owner. If after consideration of the Editor of the The Physical Educator, the article is not accepted for publication, all copyright covered under this agreement will be automatically returned to the Author(s).
THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
Assignment of Copyright
I hereby assign to the Copyright Owner the copyright in the manuscript I am submitting in this online procedure and any tables, illustrations or other material submitted for publication as part of the manuscript in all forms and media (whether now known or later developed), throughout the world, in all languages, for the full term of copyright, effective when the article is accepted for publication.
Reversion of Rights
Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later be rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in “Articles in Press” form, in which case all rights will revert to the Author.
Retention of Rights for Scholarly Purposes
I understand that I retain or am hereby granted the Retained Rights. The Retained Rights include the right to use the Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and the Published Journal Article for Personal Use and Internal Institutional Use.
All journal material is under a 12 month embargo. Authors who would like to have their articles available as open access should contact Sagamore-Venture for further information.
In the case of the Accepted Manuscript and the Published Journal Article, the Retained Rights exclude Commercial Use, other than use by the author in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works or to extend the Article to book length form or re-use by the author of portions or excerpts in other works.
Published Journal Article: the author may share a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI.
Author Representations
- The Article I have submitted to the journal for review is original, has been written by the stated author(s) and has not been published elsewhere.
- The Article was not submitted for review to another journal while under review by this journal and will not be submitted to any other journal.
- The Article contains no libelous or other unlawful statements and does not contain any materials that violate any personal or proprietary rights of any other person or entity.
- I have obtained written permission from copyright owners for any excerpts from copyrighted works that are included and have credited the sources in the Article.
- If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, I have informed the co-author(s) of the terms of this Journal Publishing Agreement and that I am signing on their behalf as their agent, and I am authorized to do so.