Influence of an increased number of physical education lessons on the motor performance of adolescents–A non-interventional cohort study
Open Access
- 14 October 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 16 (10), e0258305
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258305
Abstract
Increasing the amount of regular physical education lessons in school is currently discussed in many countries in order to increase physical activity in youth. The purpose of this study was to compare the motor performance of pupils from an observation group participating in a school trial of two additional physical education lessons (5 lessons of each 50 min/week) without a specific intervention program to a control group with a regular amount of three physical education lessons (3 lessons of each 50 min/week) as indicated by the standard Austrian school curriculum. In this cohort study motor performance of 140 adolescents (12.7±0.5 years) was assessed by means of the German Motor Performance Test 6–18 over a period of 1.5 years with measurement time points before (T1), after eight months (T2) and at the end of the observation period (T3). Two- and three-way mixed analysis of variance were used to detect time, group and interaction effects. Although the observation group demonstrated a higher total motor performance score at all time points (P = 0.005), the improvement over time in total motor performance (P < 0.001) was more pronounced in the control group. Girls and boys developed differently over time (time*gender interaction: P = 0.001), whereby group allocation did not affect this interaction (time*gender*group: P = 0.167). Anyway, girls of control group tend to benefit most of additional physical education lessons. Sports club members scored significantly higher in motor performance across the observation period (P = 0.018) irrespective of group allocation. These findings indicate that there could be a ceiling effect in what the pupils could achieve in terms of motor performance as the pupils of the observation group might have reached this point earlier than their counterparts in the control group. Nevertheless, sports club membership seems to reveal some benefits. Whether improving quality and specificity of the single physical lessons might be superior to merely adding additional ones needs to be confirmed in future studies.Funding Information
- Universität Wien (open access funding)
This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- The relationship between fundamental movement skills and self-reported physical activity during Finnish junior high schoolPhysical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2013
- Observational research — opportunities and limitationsJournal of Diabetes and its Complications, 2013
- Evidence-based intervention in physical activity: lessons from around the worldThe Lancet, 2012
- Contribution of physical education to overall physical activityScandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2011
- Observational Studies: Cohort and Case-Control StudiesPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2010
- Motor skill learning and performance: a review of influential factorsMedical Education, 2010
- School-based physical activity programs for promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents aged 6-18Published by Wiley ,2009
- The relationship between physical fitness and motor competence in childrenChild: Care, Health and Development, 2008
- The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: Guidelines for Reporting Observational StudiesPLoS Medicine, 2007
- Specificity vs. Generality in Learning and Performing Two Large Muscle Motor TasksResearch Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 1961