Physically active learning
| PhD ceremony: | Ms M.J. (Marijke) Mullender-Wijnsma |
| When: | January 19, 2017 |
| Start: | 12:45 |
| Supervisors: | prof. dr. R.J. (Roel) Bosker, C. (Chris) Visscher |
| Co-supervisors: | dr. S. Doolaard, dr. E. (Esther) Hartman |
| Where: | Academy building RUG |
| Faculty: | Behavioural and Social Sciences |
The main aim of this thesis was to examine the effects of physically active ‘Fit & Vaardig op school’ (F&V) lessons on the academic achievement of socially disadvantaged children (SDC) and children without this disadvantage (non-SDC). SDC have performed worse academically than non-SDC for decades. F&V is a program developed for elementary school children that integrates physical activity into math and language activities. The intervention lessons were taught in the classroom 3 times a week for 20–30 minutes. For example, words had to be spelled by jumping in place for every mentioned letter.
To examine what the effects of the F&V program were, first the F&V program implementation was evaluated after one pilot year. It appeared that the F&V lessons could be implemented with success in elementary classrooms. Thereafter, the immediate effects of the F&V lessons on academic engagement were examined. The results showed that participation in the F&V physically active math and language intervention positively contributed to the academic engagement of SDC and non-SDC.
Finally, in a two-year randomized controlled trial on 12 elementary schools with 500 children the effects on academic achievement were examined. After two years the F&V intervention contributed significantly more to the math and spelling performance of SDC and non-SDC in comparison with the control group. This equates to 4 months more learning gains. At 7–9 month follow-up, when the children no longer participated in the lessons, the gains in math achievement maintained.
See also the Unifocus video: Learning through exercise