Looking beyond fitness-based physical education outcomes in a tale of two cities; a complex endeavour

Encouraging children during physical education to become more active for the sake of appreciation is one thing. Enjoyment has served as an antecedent of physical activity (Crocker, Bouchard & Gessaroli, 1995). To promote activity through a health-related educational perspective during lessons is another. To facilitate and develop pupil agency through these lenses is altogether complex. This study uses a complex lens to dismantle and explore findings drawn through a series of physical educational experiences delivered in physical education (fitness-based) and then structured physical activity settings (peer-led activity games based) with elementary and middle school aged children located in South Texas, U.S. (N=1000) and South London, U.K. (N=897). In the former setting, volunteering schools were randomly assigned to one of four groups for the quasi-experimental approach and measured at the onset and end of one academic year. These groups attended daily physical education year round and participated in fitness-focused lessons twice a week. Groups participated through control, resistance-training, inquiry-learning, and resistance-training through inquiry learning. The resistance group demonstrated significantly improved scores across fitness biomotor competencies measured (z=-5.763, p<0.001). Those in the inquiry based cohort significantly improved fitness (z=-4.439, p<0.001). Pupils within the combined group of resistance as delivered through an inquiry-based teaching method demonstrated significant improvements across the collective fitness regimen (z=-6.902, p<0.001). Pupils in the control group did not improve their fitness. This reduced significantly (z=-3.675, p<0.001). Notably, in inverse response, motivation and metacognition indices reduced across all cohorts. The linear approach, set through a developmentally appropriate resistance body fitness-focused curriculum, was successful to attain the desired skill and health related fitness results across all three treatment cohorts (n=750) bar the control (n=250). It failed to evidence any notion of children either wanting to continue and or knowing how to do so despite their improved formative motor competency improvements and measured summative health and skill-related fitness gains. In view of the differing context within England, where primary children have just two classes of physical education weekly, phase two set about to explore how findings in metacognition and motivation might respond through a more creative pedagogical approach. This demanded change of both a conceptual and pragmatic nature in the methodology adopted. In the second phase, children were provided explicit instruction upon how to promote the games and activities during lunch times at the onset of the study using cues provided to all children during physical education through a school-wide initiative. Fitness indices were not measured following a pilot study (n=143) which found no significant differences in moderate to vigorous activity levels as measured through an accelerometer over a five day school period between pre and post interventions during physical education (t=0.111, p=0.913). In a simple pre-post comparative approach following the preliminary study, children (n=743) were explicitly taught a variety of fundamental skills and competencies which could transfer into the playground following class. The statistically significant findings provided from awareness and regulation of cognition and motivation illustrate that with a dynamic approach to motor development transferred into structured physical activity time, opportunities to complement existing physical education curricular provisions can be made. Such an affordance appears to have made a significant impact upon the likelihood for children interested enough to play and learn through the pertaining fundamental movement skills. Physical activity was measured during lunchtimes across one term in eight primary schools and two early year settings. Physical activity participation at lunchtime increased significantly (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test: Pre data: z=0.311, n=6253, p<0.001; Post data: x=0.400, n=6226, p<0.0001). Children significantly enhanced activity related knowledge and respective application (Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test: z=-22.86, r=-0.29, p<0.001). Most importantly and in diametric opposition to phase one, motivation significantly increased from the beginning to the end of the study (x=0.254, n=4879, p<0.001). Findings are analysed through a complexity lens to better understand and articulate the need for a holistic approach to child fundamental movement competency and wellness. The adoption of a complex approach offers insights for both pragmatic and practical contextual reconsideration of health and skill related fitness policy and enactment within and beyond the physical education curriculum.