The Contribution of Nintendo Wii® in children’s motricity

The increasingly visible sedentarism in the children of our current society is a problem that has been worrying the Childhood Educators. Taking into account the advancement of technology and the fact that children in today's activity rooms are considered as Digital Natives, we intend to introduce the Nintendo Wii® into the motor activities developed by children in order to verify their contribution to children's motor skills. To this end, the objectives of this study focused on the promotion of digital resources in activities related to motor expression; the analysis of the effect of the practice of motor activities performed with Nintendo Wii® and the identification of changes in children's motor development, namely in the analyzed variables, balance, laterality, body notion and global praxia, resulting from practice in the environment virtual. The present investigation was developed in the Supervised Practice in Pre-School Education, in a group of children between the ages of 4 and 5 years. In this investigation the qualitative and quantitative paradigm was combined. A mixed qualitative approach was also developed, combining action research and exploratory case study, due to the uniqueness of the study. For the collection of data, several instruments and techniques were used: participant observation, field notes, audiovisual media, BPM, semistructured interview and questionnaire surveys. The implementation was developed in seven sessions, in which the children of the experimental group used the Nintendo Wii® and its accessories (Wii Remote and Balance Board). After the due analysis of all the collected data, we can conclude that the Nintendo Wii® contributes significantly in the children's motricity, that is, in the improvement of motor skills. It is noteworthy that the accomplishment of motor activities with the Nintendo Wii® generated in the children spontaneous collaborative spirit; healthy competition, because what mattered was the accomplishment of motor activities and not exactly the gain of points, and the punctuation emerged as a motivating element in terms of people, giving rise to greater feelings of selfesteem.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire

The main objective of this study was the validation of the Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire (EVS II), using a confirmatory factorial analysis of the measurement model, with veteran athletes. A total of 348 veteran Portuguese athletes of both genders, aged between 30 and 60 years (M = 41.64, SD = 9.83), of whom 200 were males and 148 were females, from several sports. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis demonstrate the adequacy of the adapted version of the EVS II, as the factorial structure (6 factors/24 items) has acceptable validity indexes: χ2 = 305.925, p = 0.000, df = 120.017, χ2/df = 2.549, NFI (Normed Fit Index) = 0.909, TLI (Tucker Lewis Index) = 0.918, CFI (Comparative Fit Index) = 0.944, GFI (Goodness of Fit Index) = 0.944, AGFI (Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index) = 0.909, SRMR (Standardized Root Mean Square Residual) = 0.048, RMSEA (Root Mean Square of Approximation) = 0.060, allowing evaluation of the dimensions of balanced diet, respect for mealtime, tobacco and alcohol consumption, other drugs consumption and resting habits. The adaptation to sport of the Portuguese version of EVS II can be used with reasonable confidence in the evaluation of healthy lifestyles in the context of sportinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A nintendo wii® e o desenvolvimento motor das crianças da educação pré-escolar : resultados da prática supervisionada

A investigação foi concretizada no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1º CEB, na Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, pretendendo-se investigar qual o contributo da Nintendo Wii no desenvolvimento motor das crianças da Educação Pré-Escolar. A pesquisa foi mista (qualitativa e quantitativa) tendo-se realizado uma descrição detalhada dos fenómenos no contexto e uma análise de dados estatísticos (Wilcoxon e Mann-Whitney). A metodologia mista combinou investigação-ação, dado que se concretizou na Prática de Ensino Supervisionado, na medida que contou com a observação e envolvimento da investigadora, tendo um papel ativo na interação com os sujeitos; e estudo de caso, de carácter exploratório, porque não foram encontradas investigações que envolvessem a Nintendo Wii® no âmbito da Educação Pré-Escolar. A investigação decorreu na Associação Jardim de Infância Dr. Alfredo Mota, num grupo de 22 crianças de 5 anos. Contudo, devido às limitações de tempo e espaço e à particularidade do estudo, optámos por realizar o estudo com 11 crianças: 6 pertencentes ao grupo experimental (utilizaram a Nintendo Wii®) e 5 do grupo de controlo (não utilizaram a Nintendo Wii®). Estas crianças realizaram avaliações, no início e no final da investigação, de alguns fatores psicomotores (equilíbrio, praxia global, noção do corpo e lateralidade), presentes na Bateria Psicomotora (BPM) de Vítor da Fonseca. As técnicas e instrumentos de recolha de dados adotados foram: observação participante; notas de campo; meios audiovisuais; BPM; entrevista semiestruturada a três educadoras e inquéritos por questionários aos encarregados de educação que foram aplicados no final da intervenção. A implementação deste estudo realizou-se em sete sessões. Nestas sessões utilizou-se a Nintendo Wii® e respetivos acessórios (2 Wii Remote e 1 Balance Board). Após a análise dos dados estatísticos verificou-se melhorias no desenvolvimento motor das crianças. Verificou-se também espírito colaborativo entre as crianças, competição saudável, a pontuação era catalisadora e motivadora para que as crianças se pudessem ir superando e os sucessos geraram maiores sentimentos de autoestima. Contudo, é importante referir que da triangulação dos dados se pode afirmar que este recurso deve ser usado de forma complementar apesar dos resultados positivos alcançados.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The effects of the practice of Nintendo Wii® in the development of children in Pre-school Education : contribution of an investigation to Supervised Practice

A investigação realizada no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico teve como intuito verificar os efeitos da utilização da Nintendo Wii® no desenvolvimento de crianças da Educação Pré-Escolar. Optámos por combinar dois grandes paradigmas de investigação: qualitativo e quantitativo. A metodologia mista combinou investigação-ação e estudo de caso de carácter exploratório. Na recolha de dados foram utilizadas diversas técnicas e instrumentos: observação participante; notas de campo; meios audiovisuais; Bateria Psicomotora (BPM); entrevista semiestruturada a três Educadoras de Infância e inquéritos por questionário aos Encarregados de Educação. A amostra foi composta por 11 crianças (6 do grupo experimental e 5 do grupo de controlo) de um grupo de cinco anos. A implementação decorreu em sete sessões, utilizando-se a Nintendo Wii® e respetivos acessórios (2 Wii Remote e 1 Balance Board). Os resultados desta investigação apontam para um contributo da Nintendo Wii® no âmbito da Educação Física em crianças do Pré-Escolar, contribuindo para o aperfeiçoamento de habilidades motorasThe research carried out in the scope of the Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education and Teaching of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education had the purpose of verifying the effects of the Nintendo Wii® practice in the development of children of Pre-School Education. We have chosen to combine two major research paradigms: qualitative and quantitative. The mixed methodology combined action research and exploratory case study. In the collection of data, several techniques and instruments were used: participant observation; field notes; audiovisual media; Psychomotor Battery; semistructured interview to three Kindergarten Educators and questionnaires to the Educators. The implementation of this study was carried out in seven sessions, using the Nintendo Wii® and its accessories (2 Wii Remote and 1 Balance Board). The results of this investigation point to a contribution of Nintendo Wii® in the scope of Physical Education in Pre-School children, contributing to the improvement of motor skills.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Motivation for Physical Activity Practice and Satisfaction with Life in Health Sciences first-year students - Relationship between gender and different geographic regions

The practice of physical activity in all age groups is fundamental. The risk of many diseases and usual health problems decrease with regular physical activity. This study has as main objective to identify the motivations and satisfaction with the life of first-year students of health sciences bachelor’s degrees and compare them between gender and different geographic regions that students came from. A total of 177 students of both genders from 3 different country regions (North, Centre and Interior of Portugal), namely 31 (17.5%) were male and 146 (82.5%) were female, with a mean age of 20.20±3.04 years from 18 to 30 years. Data collection instrument used was a questionnaire of six scales that evaluate each of the variables: Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs Exercise Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale. Descriptive statistics were presented and the Cronbach's alpha was calculated to evaluate the internal consistency of the questionnaires. A level of significance was adopted with a margin of error of 5% for a probability of at least 95% using the Levene and Mann-Whitney techniques for comparisons between genders and regions using SPSS version 20. The results show that the motivation for who maintains a constant practice of PA focuses on intrinsic motivation in both genders with significant differences. In Amotivation, external and introjected regulation women present higher levels for the practice of PA related to men. In the basic psychological needs the male gender presents higher values in all the variables with significant differences in relation and competence. In the satisfaction with life between genders, men present higher means and students who practice PA are the most satisfied with their life’s. According to the country region, this variable is more favourable to students from the north. We can conclude that the intrinsic motivation and the satisfaction with life appear as an extremely positive factor in these students that must be kept active for maintaining this satisfaction with life.A prática de atividade física em todas as faixas etárias é fundamental. O risco de muitas doenças e problemas de saúde habituais diminui com a atividade física regular. Este estudo tem como objetivo principal identificar as motivações para a prática desportiva e a satisfação com a vida de alunos inscritos no primeiro ano de cursos de Ciências da Saúde e compará-los entre género e diferentes regiões geográficas do país. O número total de participantes foi de 177 estudantes de ambos os géneros e de 3 regiões diferentes (Norte, Centro e Interior de Portugal). 31 (17,5%) eram do género masculino e 146 (82,5%) do género feminino, com uma idade média de 20,20±3,04 anos dos 18 aos 30 anos. O instrumento de recolha de dados utilizado foi um questionário de seis escalas que avaliam cada uma das variáveis: Escala de Regulação Comportamental no Desporto, Escala das Necessidades Psicológicas Básicas e Escala de Satisfação com a Vida. Foram apresentadas estatísticas descritivas e o alfa de Cronbach foi calculado para avaliar a consistência interna dos questionários. Adotou-se um nível de significância com margem de erro de 5% para uma probabilidade de pelo menos 95% usando as técnicas de Levene e Mann-Whitney para comparações entre géneros e regiões do país utilizando o programa SPSS (v20). Os resultados mostram que a motivação para quem mantém uma prática constante de AF foca-se na motivação intrínseca em ambos os géneros, com diferenças significativas. Na Amotivação, as mulheres com regulação externa e introjetada apresentam níveis mais elevados para a prática de AF em relação aos homens. Nas necessidades psicológicas básicas, o género masculino apresenta valores mais elevados em todas as variáveis com diferenças significativas na relação e na competência. Na satisfação com a vida entre os géneros, os homens apresentam médias mais elevadas e os estudantes que praticam AF são os mais satisfeitos com a vida. Segundo a região do país, essa variável é mais favorável aos estudantes do Norte. Podemos concluir que a motivação intrínseca e a satisfação com a vida resultam como um fator extremamente positivo nestes alunos que devem continuar ativos para manter essa satisfação com a vida.La práctica de actividad física en todas las edades es fundamental. El riesgo de muchas enfermedades y problemas de salud habituales disminuye con la actividad física regular. Este estudio tiene como objetivo principal identificar las motivaciones para la práctica deportiva y la satisfacción con la vida de alumnos inscritos en el primer año de cursos de Ciencias de la Salud y compararlos entre género y diferentes regiones geográficas del país. El número total de participantes fue de 177 estudiantes de ambos sexos y tres regiones diferentes (Norte, Centro y del Interior Portugal). (17,5%) eran del género masculino y 146 (82,5%) del género femenino, con una edad media de 20,20 ± 3,04 años de 18 a 30 años. El instrumento de recogida de datos utilizado fue un cuestionario de seis escalas que evalúan cada una de las variables: Escala de regulación de comportamiento en el deporte, Escala de las Necesidades Psicológicas Básicas y Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida. Se presentaron estadísticas descriptivas y el alfa de Cronbach fue calculado para evaluar la consistencia interna de los cuestionarios. Se adoptó un nivel de significancia con un margen de error del 5% para una probabilidad de al menos el 95% usando las técnicas de Levene y Mann-Whitney para comparaciones entre géneros y regiones del país utilizando el programa SPSS (v20). Los resultados muestran que la motivación para quien mantiene una práctica constante de AF se centra en la motivación intrínseca en ambos géneros, con diferencias significativas. En la amotivación, las mujeres con regulación externa e introyectada presentan niveles más elevados para la práctica de AF en relación a los hombres. En las necesidades psicológicas básicas, el género masculino presenta valores más elevados en todas las variables con diferencias significativas en la relación y en la competencia. En la satisfacción con la vida entre los géneros, los hombres presentan medias más altas y los estudiantes que practican AF son los más satisfechos con la vida. Según la región del país, esta variable es más favorable a los estudiantes del Norte. Podemos concluir que la motivación intrínseca y la satisfacción con la vida resultan como un factor extremadamente positivo en estos alumnos que deben seguir activos para mantener esa satisfacción con la vida.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Psychometric validation of Atest-EF and attention profile of students during physical education classes

The present study aimed for the adaptation and validation of the Questionnaire Atest-EF, with the use of a confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) of the measurement model, applied to students of the 3rd cycle of Basic Education. A total of 156 students of both genders, aged between 12 and 16 years (M = 14.7 ± SD = 1.3) were included in the study, with 84 female and 71 males, from the 7th, 8th and 9th grade. The main results reveal that the psychometric qualities confirm the adequacy of this model, demonstrating that the Atest-EF factorial structure: 1 factor/4 items, has very acceptable indexes of Atest - EF validity: (χ2 = 6.141, p = .000, χ2/gl = 3.07, NFI = 0.90 CFI = .925, IFI = .930, MFI = .9997, GFI = .995, AGFI = .975, RMR = .042, RMSEA = .08, SRMR = .028). With these results, the structural model reveals a satisfactory factorial assessment. This led to conclude that the Portuguese version of Atest-EF can be used, with high confidence in the evaluation of the student’s attention profiles in Physical Education classes. Compared with the moments of the class, there were only significant differences in students’ attention in the approach to sports in the first and fourth moments of the class, as well as in the general profile of attention, with significantly higher values in the approach to team sports.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Postural patterns in the first year of life: contributions of maternal physical activity in the pregnancy period

BACKGROUND: The study objective was intended to verify whether the practice of maternal physical activity during the pregnancy period could be assumed as a contribution to the acquisition of postural patterns in the child during its first year of life. METHODS: A transversal and descriptive study was carried where we recorded the developments observed in a sample of 80 Portuguese children, according to the habits and type of physical activity of the mothers. Statistical descriptive and inferential test were performed. RESULTS: The results were clearly positive in terms of temporal gains of neck tonic control, and also in the acquisition of an erect position. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the average values are not statistical significant we have observed indicators that the maternal physical activity during pregnancy apparently is a factor that can favor the child’s motor development during their first year of life, particularly in the acquisition of postural patterns.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

La atención de los estudiantes durante la clase de educación física basada en el rendimiento académico

Attention is an important variable that can dictate the success and failure of an activity or task. This variable is characterized by the ability to direct cognitive resources to a given situation. The purpose of this research was to find patterns in the students’ attention profiles, according to their academic achievement, during the physical education class and in different sports. We used the ATEST-EF questionnaire (Petrica, 2010) in which students had to answer the question «What were you thinking the moment you heard the signal?» The study involved 156 students from the 3th cycle of basic education, aged between 12 and 16 years old ( = 14,7 ± 1,3) evaluated in four different sports taught in the discipline of physical education (athletics, gymnastics, basketball and football), and in four moments of the class. Considering our variables, we used Chi-Square and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests. The results show that task attendance holdsthehighestpercentagevalues throughouttheclassinrelationtotheremainingcategories,regardlessoftheiracademicperformance and sport, but we observed that students with satisfactory and good academic performance have more stable values of attention regarding the students with less academic performance. We found statistical significance at the end of the class between students with good academic performance and affective attention, and among students with lower academic performance and attention to other things. Subsequently, we used the same classification to compare the profiles of attention among the four mentioned sports. We observed some patterns between team and individual sports, but did not find statistically differences, however the results suggest a positive relationship between attention and academic performance.La atención es una variable importante que puede dictar el éxito y el fracaso de una actividad o tarea. Esta variable se caracteriza por la capacidad de dirigir recursos cognitivos a una situación dada. El propósito de esta investigación fue encontrar patrones en los perfiles de atención de los estudiantes, de acuerdo con sus logros académicos, durante la clase de educación física y en diferentes deportes. Utilizamos el cuestionario ATEST-EF (Petrica, 2010) en el que los estudiantes tenían que responder la pregunta «Qué estaba pensando en el momento en que escuchó la señal?» En el estudio participaron 156 estudiantes del tercer ciclo de educación básica, con edades comprendidas entre 12 y 16 años (= 14,7 ± 1,3) evaluados en cuatro deportes diferentes que se imparten en la disciplina de educación física (atletismo, gimnasia, baloncesto y fútbol), y en cuatro momentos de la clase. Considerando nuestras variables, utilizamos las pruebas estadísticas Chi-Square y Kruskal-Wallis. Los resultados muestran que la asistencia a las tareas tiene los valores porcentuales más altos en toda la clase en relación con las categorías restantes, independientemente de su rendimiento académico y deporte, pero observamos que los estudiantes con un rendimiento académico satisfactorio y bueno tienen valores de atención más estables con respecto a los estudiantes con Menos rendimiento académico. Encontramos significación estadística al final de la clase entre estudiantes con buen rendimiento académico y atención afectiva, y entre estudiantes con bajo rendimiento académico y atención a otras cosas. Posteriormente, utilizamos la misma clasificación para comparar los perfiles de atención entre los cuatro deportes mencionados. Observamos algunos patrones entre el equipo y los deportes individuales, pero no encontramos diferencias estadísticas, sin embargo, los resultados sugieren una relación positiva entre la atención y el rendimiento académico.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Physical activity practice and healthy lifestyles related to resting heart rate in health sciences first-year students

The expression of "lifestyles" describes a frame of expressed behaviours, usually in the form of patterns of consumption, that defines how an individual or social group fits into society. It presents as a focus of interest by researchers in this field, who classically favour the study of alcohol consumption, tobacco, eating habits and physical activity. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between physical activity and healthy lifestyles, especially in terms of eating habits, tobacco, alcohol consumption, resting habits and resting heart rate in Health Sciences first-year students. A total of 177 students of both genders participated, of which 31 (17.5%) were male and 146 (82.5%) were female, with a mean age of 20.20 years, from 18 to 30 years. The data collection instrument used was the Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire (EVS), using S.P.S.S. 21.0 for descriptive statistics and the Cronbach's alpha to evaluate the internal consistency of the questionnaires. A level of significance was adopted with a margin of error of 5% for a probability of at least 95% using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov technique and Mann-Whitney test for comparisons between practitioners’ students and genders. The results obtained demonstrate more favourable results in all variables in students practicing physical activity with significant differences in eating habits and Resting Heart Rate. In terms of gender there were significant differences in all variables except for eating habits. We conclude that physical activity students present more favourable results in terms of lifestyles combined with lower Resting Heart Rate values considered as positive factors in terms of quality of life.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Effects of 10 week multicomponent exercise with different heart rate frequencies on body composition and physical fitness in overweight and obese young school-aged children

Introduction: During childhood and adolescence, obesity is an important predictor of adulthood obesity. Therefore, there should be given an important care to young population to improve the future of our society. To compare the effects of ten-week multicomponent exercise training with different exercise frequencies on body composition (BC) and physical fitness (PF) in overweight and obese young children. Material and Methods: 40 children, aged 12-15 (14.77 ± 1.49), were randomly selected and assigned to two experimental groups to train 3 times per week (EG1) or twice a week (EG2) for 10 weeks: EG1 (n=10), EG2 (n= 10) groups and a CG group (n= 20; no training program). Results: It was shown that experimental groups (EG1 and EG2) increased aerobic capacity, muscular strength and flexibility from pre- to post-training. The highest gains on muscular strength were observed in experimental group that performed twice a week; but better improvements on flexibility, body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP) were observed in experimental group that performed 3 times per week. Conclusions: This type of exercise suggests that performing physical activities 2 or 3 times per week appears to be effective for physical fitness improvement, independently of the exercise frequency. However, to improve BMI and decrease BFP (body fat percentage) exercise frequency will be important in overweight and obese children. This could be a reliable choice to optimize physical fitness and improve well-being in overweight and obese children.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio