Education, Faculty of

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Browsing Education, Faculty of by Author "Balderson, Daniel"

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    Childhood physical activity engagement: a qualitative bioecological investigation of children and their parents' perceptions and experiences
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2021) Schaerz, Simon; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Balderson, Daniel
    Many Canadian children are not meeting the minimum physical activity guidelines that are associated with healthy growth and development. The mechanisms that underpin childhood physical activity are complex and vary by child. Few researchers have broached this complexity through bioecological approaches that directly source children and their parents. I sought to hear directly from children and their parents about the factors they feel are important in promoting and deterring childhood physical activity; and to learn about the mechanisms by which these factors promote and deter childhood physical activity. The 16 children and 11 parents that participated commented extensively about the importance of coactivity; that is, physical activity with others. Their perceptions and experiences suggest that personal, contextual, and temporal factors affect physical activity by way of promoting or deterring coactivity. Childhood physical activity research should strive to further incorporate coactivity-oriented, bioecological perspectives.
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    Effects of an instructional resource on preschool children's physical activity levels / Nadine van Wyk
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, c2011, 2011) Van Wyk, Nadine; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Balderson, Daniel
    Children are not obtaining adequate amounts of physical activity (PA) and it is important to determine how we can increase PA. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a physical activity curriculum resource, Busy Bodies©, on preschool children’s physical activity levels. A total of five preschools from the NW quadrant of Calgary, Alberta were included in this study. The 48 participants involved in the study were all 4 years old. The preschools were divided into three groups: Control Group (no intervention), Intervention Group (school received the resource), and Intervention and Teacher Training Group (schools received the resource and teacher training). The researcher placed pedometers on all participants and observed selected participants using the System of Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). The results of this study did not confirm that teacher training impacted physical activity levels. The effects of the resource on the Intervention and Intervention and Teacher Training groups were similar as derived from pedometer and direct observation. Alternative forms of teacher intervention may further increase physical activity.