Better movers and thinkers (BMT):A quasi-experimental study into the impact of physical education on children's cognition—A study protocol

This study will extend on a pilot study and will evaluate the impact of a novel approach to PE, Better Movers and Thinkers (BMT), on students' cognition, physical activity habits, and gross motor coordination (GMC). The study will involve six mainstream state schools with students aged 9-11. years. Three schools will be allocated as the intervention condition and three as the control condition. The design of the study is a 16-week intervention with pre-, post- and 6. month follow-up measurements taken using the 'Cognitive Assessment System (CAS)' GMC tests, and the 'Physical Activity Habits Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C).' Qualitative data will be gathered using student focus groups and class teacher interviews in each of the six schools. ANCOVA will be used to evaluate any effect of intervention comparing pre-test scores with post-test scores and then pre-test scores with 6. month follow-up scores. Qualitative data will be analysed through an iterative process using grounded theory. This protocol provides the details of the rationale and design of the study and details of the intervention, outcome measures, and the recruitment process. The study will address gaps within current research by evaluating if a change of approach in the delivery of PE within schools has an effect on children's cognition, PA habits, and GMC within a Scottish setting

Exploration of an innovative approach to physical education (better movers and thinkers) on children’s coordination and cognition

In Scotland, Health and Well-Being (HWB) has become a core area in school curricula following the introduction of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence in 2004. Physical Education (PE) is one of the subjects within HWB, which places it within a prominent position to positively influence children’s decisions to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Scottish Government guidelines indicate that each child aged 3 – 11 years should receive 2 hours of PE each week and children aged 12 – 18 years should receive 2 periods of PE each week. The percentage of schools achieving 2 hours/2 periods each week is encouraging with 99% of primary schools and 93% of secondary schools in 2015. Some head teachers might have had concerns that increasing the time spent in PE would detrimentally affect academic attainment and achievement in other curricula areas such as numeracy and literacy. Evidence does not support these concerns; some studies showed no detrimental effect whilst other studies identified a beneficial effect as a result of increased time spent in PE. However, the understanding of how these positive effects were mediated remains unclear. The literature considers physical activity (PA) as a potential mediator with more recent studies evaluating the impact of physical activity (PA) on academic achievement and attainment. A clearer understanding about which approaches to PE and PA are most effective in positively influencing children’s learning would be of value aligned with the knowledge of student’s experiences and perceptions of PE. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate if a novel approach to PE known as ‘Better Movers and Thinkers (BMT)’ could positively influence children’s coordination and cognition and to evaluate student’s experiences of this approach. Three studies were planned to explore this aim. Study one involved a feasibility study being undertaken with students who were in their sixth year of education (n = 46) within two primary schools from one local authority to evaluate the feasibility of running BMT as an intervention within school. The study involved pre- and post-testing of two quantitative outcome measures; the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – 2nd Edition and the Lucid Assessment for Schools System as well as collecting qualitative data from the students and class teachers using focus groups and semi-structured interviews to obtain an understanding of their experiences following a 16-week intervention phase. Academic skills were assessed using the Lucid Assessment System for Schools 8 – 11 and physical testing was undertaken using balance and coordination subtests from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (2nd Edition). Quantitative results revealed significant increased score changes between pre- and post-test conditions in the areas of phonological skills (p = .042), segmentation skills (p = .014) and working memory (p = .040) in favour of the intervention condition. Analysis of qualitative data from a sample of students from the intervention condition (n = 8) and their class teacher indicated good acceptability of BMT as an alternative approach to PE. The results and reflections from study one informed the design of study two. In response to study one, more specific measures of cognition were used as the nature of the academic skills testing was limited in this area. Similarly, the physical testing did not specifically measure coordination and new physical subtests were added to the outcome variable. Further PA habits were included as an additional outcome measure to control for the effects of student activity levels. Finally, the addition of a follow-up testing phase helped to evaluate if changes did occur between pre- and post-testing similar to study one, would these changes be maintained over time. The aim of study two was to identify what impact BMT had on children’s coordination and cognition. The study involved 6 schools from within the same local authority, 3 acting as the control condition schools (C-schools) and 3 as the intervention condition schools (I-Schools). The schools were selected at random by the Quality Improvement Officer (QIO) within the local authority. There were a number of potential schools and the QIO chose schools based on two criteria: their proximity with one another ensuring that catchment areas would be similar in regard to local history, geography and socioeconomic variables and schools where it would be feasible to run the research. Once the schools were identified, their names were placed within opaque-sealed envelopes and a person external to the study chose 3 schools and allocated them to the intervention condition leaving the other 3 as the control condition. Students (n = 150) were all in their sixth year of primary education attending mainstream public school. Study two involved four phases; pre-test, a 16-week intervention phase, post-testing, and, 6-month follow-up testing. Physical activity habits were assessed using the ‘Physical Activity Habits Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C),’ coordination was assessed using four patterns of locomotion (crawling on the stomach, creeping on hands and knees, marching and skipping) and cognition was assessed using the ‘Cognitive Assessment System (CAS).’ Overall findings from study two suggested significant intervention effects in coordination (p = .001) and cognition (p = .001) with no significant effects for physical activity habits (p = .200). Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted in each of the 6 schools. Grounded theory was used to identify emergent themes and categories to evaluate student perceptions of their PE experiences following completion of the intervention phase. Analysis identified that BMT provided different experiences compared with traditional approaches to PE suggesting that key aspects of BMT should be incorporated into the delivery of PE lessons to build on current good practice. These aspects include the direct focus on developing the children’s ability to move and think simultaneously and, directly targeting the development of Executive Function (EF) skills. The findings from this thesis have implications for Continued Lifelong Professional Learning (CLPL) for primary school teachers and for specialist PE teachers. The findings may also influence course programmes within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and specialist PE training and for future PE programme design

Better Movers and Thinkers (BMT):An evaluation of how a novel approach to teaching physical education can impact children’s physical activity, coordination and cognition

This study aimed to identify what impact a novel approach to teaching physical education (PE) had on children's physical activity (PA), coordination and cognition compared to current provision. One hundred and fifty children were recruited from six primary schools in Scotland. Outcome measures were the Cognitive Assessment System, the Physical Activity Habits Questionnaire for Children and fundamental locomotor skills (crawling, creeping, marching and skipping). Pre-, post- and 6-month follow-up testing was conducted and data analysed comparing a control and an intervention group. Each group received 2 hours of PE each week during the 16-week intervention. Current provision in PE was delivered in the control group and a Better Movers and Thinkers approach to PE delivered in the intervention group. Significant effects of intervention relative to the control group were identified in cognition (p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.76) and coordination (p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.97). No significant effects of intervention were identified for PA (p ≤ 0.200, d = 0.24). The improvement in the outcome measures remained at the 6-month follow-up testing. The present study has identified cognitive and coordination improvements as a result of a novel PE intervention with benefits maintained 6 months later. This supports the need for modification in current PE provision to optimise the potential for learning across the curriculum

Barriers and facilitators of physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours in 3 to 4-year-old children from low-income families : a study protocol

Background: This study will evaluate the barriers and facilitators that families experience in adhering to the 24-hour movement behaviours guidelines as outlined by World Health Organisation (WHO). Methods: The study is a mixed-methods study and will recruit between 20 to 30 low-income families with children aged 3- to 4-years living in Scotland. For the quantitative part, children will be asked to wear an Actigraph (GT3X +) accelerometer to measure physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep. Parents/guardians will be asked to keep an activity diary outlining when their child has had to remove the device (i.e., showering, bathing, swimming) and record the child’s screen time each day. Once the data has been analysed, a unique activity profile chart will be sent out to each family illustrating their child’s 24-hour movement behaviours (i.e., time spent active, time spent sedentary and on screens, time spent sleeping). The activity profile will provide a day-by-day output as well as a weekly average for each of the 24-hour movement behaviours. Qualitative data will be collected using the Asynchronous Remote Communities method (ARC). The ARC involves participants completing activities using an online closed Facebook group. Parents/guardians of 3- to 4-year-old children will be asked to engage in group discussion tasks using the private and closed-group online platform (a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 8 families per discussion group). The quantitative data collated from the questionnaire and activity monitor will be presented through descriptive analysis and after the 6-week asynchronous process is complete, qualitative data will be collated and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive approach to thematic analysis. Discussion: The data collected will provide an understanding of what barriers and facilitators parent’s/guardians’ experience in relation to adhering to the 24-hour movement behaviour guidelines. This could potentially lead to the design and implementation of support and interventions to help families struggling to adhere to the guidelines

Daybreak

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library

Dawn song in superb fairy-wrens: a bird that seeks extrapair copulations during the dawn chorus

Functional explanations of the dawn chorus in birds remain elusive. One hypothesis suggests that this acoustic display may play a role in female choice of extrapair males. Most young in cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus, are sired by extra-group males. Females initiate extra-group copulations exclusively through predawn forays to males singing in the dawn chorus. We measured variation between males in dawn singing at three levels of song production: song components, structured into songs, which make up recitals. We related this variation to independent measures of male quality and social status. Males sing two distinct categories of songs during the dawn chorus: a complex and variable chatter song and a more repeatable trill song. Dominant males with male subordinate helpers produced chatter songs at a greater rate than either dominant males without helpers or subordinates, suggesting a role in the competition between male group members. However, the trill song is implicated in female choice because older males sing songs with a longer trill component and have greater extrapair success, and trade-offs between phrases within the trill component imply constraints on the length of the trill component in entirety that could enforce honesty. The dawn chorus of the superb fairy-wren may thus have a duel role, involving enforcement of dominance among male group members (male-male competition), and signalling attractiveness to mates (female choice)

Dawn song in superb fairy-wrens : a bird that seeks extrapair copulations during the dawn chorus

Functional explanations of the dawn chorus in birds remain elusive. One hypothesis suggests that this acoustic display may play a role in female choice of extrapair males. Most young in cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus, are sired by extra-group males. Females initiate extra-group copulations exclusively through predawn forays to males singing in the dawn chorus. We measured variation between males in dawn singing at three levels of song production: song components, structured into songs, which make up recitals. We related this variation to independent measures of male quality and social status. Males sing two distinct categories of songs during the dawn chorus: a complex and variable chatter song and a more repeatable trill song. Dominant males with male subordinate helpers produced chatter songs at a greater rate than either dominant males without helpers or subordinates, suggesting a role in the competition between male group members. However, the trill song is implicated in female choice because older males sing songs with a longer trill component and have greater extrapair success, and trade-offs between phrases within the trill component imply constraints on the length of the trill component in entirety that could enforce honesty. The dawn chorus of the superb fairy-wren may thus have a duel role, involving enforcement of dominance among male group members (male–male competition), and signalling attractiveness to mates (female choice)

Better Movers and Thinkers (BMT): An Exploratory Study of an Innovative Approach to Physical Education

Recent research has confirmed a positive relationship between levels of physical activity and academic achievement. Some of these studies have been informed by neurological models of Executive Functioning (EF). There is a general consensus within the literature that the three core EF skills are; working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. The development of these core EF skills has been linked with learning and academic achievement and is an essential component in the delivery of PE using a new and innovative approach called ‘Better Movers and Thinkers (BMT).’ A mixed methods design was used to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of a 16-week intervention programme using BMT where 46 children were tested on two separate occasions for coordination and balance control, academic skills, working memory and non-verbal reasoning skills. One school acted as the control condition (21 students, aged 9 – 10 years) and another school acted as the intervention condition (25 students, aged 9 – 10 years). Quantitative data revealed an effect between pre and post-test conditions in the areas of phonological skills (p = .042), segmentation skills (p = .014) and working memory (p = .040) in favour of the intervention condition. Further analysis identified a gender-interaction with male students in the intervention condition making significant gains in phonological skills (p = .005) segmentation skills (p = .014) and spelling (p = .007) compared to boys in the control condition. Analysis of qualitative data from a sample of students from the intervention condition and their class teacher indicated good acceptability of BMT as an alternative approach to PE

Dance choreography is coordinated with song repertoire in a complex Avian display

All human cultures have music and dance [1, 2], and the two activities are so closely integrated that many languages use just one word to describe both [1, 3]. Recent research points to a deep cognitive connection between music and dance-like movements i