Exergames and motor learning: Systematic review

Distance learning has led to a reflection on the role of physical activity even with children in nursery and primary schools. The traditional physical space combined with online suggests a rethinking of places and teaching-learning processes. Objective: to understand if and in what way active video games were considered and studied before the pandemic and if exergames can represent a useful teaching strategy to reclaim the priority role of physical activity in the education of the student and a tool for combating overweight, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle. Fixed point: exergames must not replace the physical exercise and movement inherent in the physical and motor education curriculum but integrate them

Pediatric Oncology: Causes, Treatments, and the Role of Integrated Medicine

Cancer is responsible for approximately 10%-12% of childhood deaths, and is second only to accidents as the leading cause of death in individuals over age 14 (Rape & Bush, 1994). There are various forms of cancer that can afflict a child and numerous ways to combat the disease. While it is important to fight the physical aspects of the disease to increase the child\u27s chance of survival, it is also important to deal with the psychological issues that accompany pediatric oncology. Various psychological treatments are available to help a child endure the emotional and physical stresses associated with chemotherapy and other medical procedures. This review paper assesses various studies that evaluate the effects of many psychological treatments aimed at reducing anticipatory nausea/vomiting and children\u27s emotional reactions to future treatments. The studies found that caring attention and emphasis on relaxing techniques to take the children\u27s minds off the pain cancer treatment is causing help the children cope with the effects that the treatment has on them both physically and emotionally

Classroom Exercise Breaks and Educational Outcomes in Elementary School Students

Previous research has shown that physical activity may have beneficial effects on cognitive performance and academic achievement in children, but the optimal type and dose are unknown. Classroom exercise breaks are one type of physical activity opportunity in schools, with the potential to reach a large number of children. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of classroom exercise breaks in central South Carolina, and to determine the acute effects of classroom exercise breaks on executive functions, math performance, on-task behavior and affective responses in 9 to 12 year-old children. Additionally, the dissertation examined the dose-response relationship between 5, 10, and 20 minutes of classroom exercise and these educational outcomes. Finally, the dissertation examined whether these relationships between the duration of acute classroom exercise breaks and educational outcomes varied by student characteristics. The dissertation used multiple designs including cross-sectional surveys and an experimental design

Active video games: An opportunity for enhanced learning and positive health effects?

Active video games are an emerging genre of electronic games that provide engaging exercise experiences by combining physical exertion with interactive game play. As such they have attracted increased interest from health promotion professionals to reduce sedentary behavior, increase physical activity, and improve health outcomes such as body composition. However their potential for enhancing the educational experience has not been extensively explored. This paper provides a brief overview of active video game research to date and outlines opportunities for future research. Specifically, we highlight the need to develop a conceptual framework to better understand the determinants, mediators, moderators, and consequences of active video gaming and integrate learning and health outcomes. We propose that active video games can be a key part of a wider “digital” supportive environment where education and health researchers and professionals work with, rather than against, video game technologies to promote learning and health

Master of Science

thesisThe purpose of this study was to assess the influence of an acute bout of cardiovascular exercise on selective and sustained attention in preadolescent children. Secondary aims included determining if gender, baseline physical activity level, or intensity of exercise moderates the relationship between acute exercise and attentional processes. A within-subjects design was used to measure performance on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT II) following 20 min of sedentary activity (passively viewing a video) and 20 min of cardiovascular (CV) exercise. The CPT II was administered on two different testing days to 26 preadolescent children (age = 10.4 ± 1.16 years; 13 females). Participants wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers at the waist during the exercise session, which consisted of a 10-station aerobic circuit, designed to elicit and maintain a cardiovascular response. Testing began once heart rate returned to within 10% of preexercise levels. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) was administered as a baseline measure of physical activity levels. Average exercise intensities met national guidelines of spending greater than 50% exercise time at moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results indicated that CV exercise had no adverse effects on selective or sustained attentional processes. Neither gender nor baseline physical activity level influenced this relationship. To meet daily recommended levels of MVPA, opportunities for CV exercise may be incorporated in the school day without adversely affecting student attention

Eye quietness and quiet eye in expert and novice golf performance: an electrooculographic analysis

Quiet eye (QE) is the final ocular fixation on the target of an action (e.g., the ball in golf putting). Camerabased eye-tracking studies have consistently found longer QE durations in experts than novices; however, mechanisms underlying QE are not known. To offer a new perspective we examined the feasibility of measuring the QE using electrooculography (EOG) and developed an index to assess ocular activity across time: eye quietness (EQ). Ten expert and ten novice golfers putted 60 balls to a 2.4 m distant hole. Horizontal EOG (2ms resolution) was recorded from two electrodes placed on the outer sides of the eyes. QE duration was measured using a EOG voltage threshold and comprised the sum of the pre-movement and post-movement initiation components. EQ was computed as the standard deviation of the EOG in 0.5 s bins from –4 to +2 s, relative to backswing initiation: lower values indicate less movement of the eyes, hence greater quietness. Finally, we measured club-ball address and swing durations. T-tests showed that total QE did not differ between groups (p = .31); however, experts had marginally shorter pre-movement QE (p = .08) and longer post-movement QE (p < .001) than novices. A group × time ANOVA revealed that experts had less EQ before backswing initiation and greater EQ after backswing initiation (p = .002). QE durations were inversely correlated with EQ from –1.5 to 1 s (rs = –.48 - –.90, ps = .03 - .001). Experts had longer swing durations than novices (p = .01) and, importantly, swing durations correlated positively with post-movement QE (r = .52, p = .02) and negatively with EQ from 0.5 to 1s (r = –.63, p = .003). This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring ocular activity using EOG and validates EQ as an index of ocular activity. Its findings challenge the dominant perspective on QE and provide new evidence that expert-novice differences in ocular activity may reflect differences in the kinematics of how experts and novices execute skills

Middle school teachers’ perceptions on the use of physically active learning during lessons

Abstract. Children’s physical activity under ten years of age is usually spontaneous and non-organized. A significant decline in activeness occurs during the second decade of a child’s life which can be avoided with more organized activity. In middle school or secondary school, the time during a school day spent doing sedentary activities increases. Studies show that an increase in physical activity benefit students’ physical, social and emotional wellbeing. Use of physically active learning during lessons, especially cognitively engaging activities, has been shown to benefit students learning and health. This master’s thesis focuses on the qualitatively differing aspects in middle school teachers’ perceptions on the use of physically active learning during lessons and methods of its implementation. The objectives of this study were to provide reflections on the phenomenon and practical methods for individual teachers, teacher education programs and the wider public. This thesis is a qualitative study using a phenomenography approach to systematically analyze the data. The research data collection included 6 middle school teacher participants from Finland, Lithuania and Denmark, who took part in focus group discussions. The research results conveyed that teachers perceived the use of physically active learning during lessons to be beneficial for students as well as challenging to implement. The benefits for students perceived included improvement in memory, motivation, concentration and wellbeing during lessons. The challenges perceived with implementation included struggling with set school structure and culture, taxing nature on teachers, and the concern of student’s adaptability. The participants conceptualized three different ways of implementing physically active learning during lessons including: non-cognitively engaging physically active breaks, physically active breaks reviewing curriculum learning goals and the integration of physical activity into a lesson. Participants did not address social and emotional benefits and cognitively engaging activities that introduced new content. This research brings new insights from teachers for further research and developing physically active learning methods

Contribution of Exergaming Behaviour to Physical Activity: Toward Better Understanding the Role of Motivation

Physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous health benefits. Because PA patterns established early in life track into adulthood, it is important that children develop and sustain healthy PA habits. Current guidelines recommend that youth accumulate ≥ 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity PA daily, but many youth do not attain this level. Evaluation of public health interventions that aim to promote PA provide little evidence of sustained positive effects over time. This could relate, at least in part, to interventions lacking a strong conceptual foundation and, in particular, to a lack of underpinnings that recognize the central role of motivation in PA. It is important that effective strategies to increase and sustain healthy PA levels in youth are identified. The Self-Determination Theory is used to explain why people adopt and maintain healthy PA behaviors and posits that sustained PA relates to natural or intrinsic tendencies or motivations to behave in healthy and effective ways. Positive PA experiences in school, at home and in community settings may foster an internal desire or motivation to sustain PA participation simply for its challenges or for enjoyment. Lack of sustained PA among youth could reflect a scarcity of enjoyable PA options that fit with the sophisticated technetronic expectations of youth today. PA interventions must “keep up with the times,” by acknowledging young peoples’ prevailing interests and by incorporating advancements in technology that heighten interest and motivation for PA. Exergaming, a type of non-sedentary videogame that requires players to be physically active in order to attain a series of incrementally challenging goals, is increasingly viewed as an enjoyable PA option among today’s technology-immersed youth. However, although critical to informing the design, implementation and sustainability of exergaming interventions, evidence on exergaming-related motivation, preferences, intentions and sustainability is lacking. Research in this domain is needed to ascertain whether exergaming interventions can help youth become and remain physically active, and which facets of exergaming hold the most promise in sustaining positive PA change. More specifically, using “gamified augmented reality” such as exergaming could help youth attain recommended PA levels and promote sustainable healthy behaviour, while at the same time contributing to enjoyment of PA. The three studies described in this thesis examine motivation and exergaming in-depth using SDT and its tenants as a theoretical guide and a common theme across studies. Thus, the role of motivation and intentions in exergaming behaviour and how they contribute to PA in the general population of youth is a key contribution of this dissertation. Study 1, a review of reviews on exergaming, provides background for the next two studies, each of which was conducted in population-based (as opposed to clinical or experimental) settings. Twenty-five reviews spanning 2009 to 2016 were retained, each of which incorporated between 5 and 100 articles. A positive relationship between exergaming and energy expenditure (EE) was well-documented, but whether exergaming increases PA or changes body composition was not established. There is however, evidence that exergaming (i.e., as a non-sedentary use of screens) is a healthy alternative to sedentary behaviour, that it improves cognitive function, that it is an interesting and enjoyable pastime in youth, that it shows promise as a PA option by adding variety and alternative PA forms in health and dietary interventions and finally that it is likely more health-promoting than traditional videogames because of higher EE and possibly improved physical fitness, body composition and cognitive health. However, more research and specifically, longitudinal studies are needed to assess whether exergaming can be sustained to obtain these benefits over time. Study 2 identified correlates of sustained exergaming. We reported that almost 50% of grade 9 students sustained exergaming for 2-3 years. Study results suggest that in non-clinical settings, exergaming may be a practical approach to help adolescents maintain PA during adolescence. Study 3 examined the psychometric properties of a new scale to assess reasons for exergaming (i.e., the Reasons to Exergame (RTEX) scale). This study also examined whether and how the scale relates to the timing, intensity and duration of past-month exergaming. RTEX items were developed in consultation with PA and exergaming experts and using key exergaming constructs, including PA, general interest in videogames and enjoyment of exergaming. RTEX was found to be a reliable and valid assessment of reasons to exergame. However, further studies should replicate these initial findings in larger, more diverse samples