Classroom-based physical activity and teachers’ instructions on students’ movement in conventional classrooms and open learning spaces

Abstract

As a result of educational reforms in many countries, including Finland, new or renovated comprehensive schools have increasingly begun to incorporate open and flexible designs and principles. Multipurpose and adaptable open learning spaces can provide children with amplified opportunities to be physically active during general education. Classroom-based physical activity has been associated with better academic-related outcomes and students’ on-task behaviour, while overall physical activity has been associated with better health. In the present study, we investigated the effects of classroom type, gender and grade level on classroom-based physical activity, and the associations between systematically-observed teachers’ instructions about students’ movement and classroom-based physical activity. The participants consisted of 182 3rd and 5th grade students in one school with open learning space and two schools with conventional classrooms. Overall, classroom-based physical activity, assessed with accelerometery, was not higher in open learning space than in conventional classrooms. However, 5th grade students had more sedentary time and less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in open learning spaces than conventional classrooms, but both 3rd and 5th graders had more breaks from sedentary time in open learning spaces than conventional classrooms. Girls were more sedentary than boys, while 5th graders were less physically active than 3rd graders. Teachers’ instructions regarding 5th graders’ movement in open learning spaces were more restrictive and both 3rd and 5th graders had more instructed transitions in open learning spaces. In conventional classrooms, students had more teacher-organised physical activity. Teachers’ restrictive guidance was associated with less light physical activity, while teachers’ organised physical activity was associated with more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

ADHD and reification: Four ways a psychiatric construct is portrayed as a disease

“…Examples are criterion 1.b/c for hyperactivity: “Often leaves seat in situations when remaining seated is expected” and “often runs about in situations where it is inappropriate” [DSM 5, APA ( 7 )]. Contemporary schools and initiatives experiment with ‘flipping the classroom’ such as improving the possibilities for physical activity in and outside of school ( 33 ), and the use of standing desks ( 34 ). This implies that being active and not being seated in the classroom are normalized in contexts where it was previously deemed inappropriate and reason for disciplinary measures or considered as a criterion for a psychiatric classification.…”

Sedentary Patterns and Sit-to-Stand Transitions in Open Learning Spaces and Conventional Classrooms among Primary School Students

“…The CHIPASE data collection has been previously described in [30,31]. Fifteen classrooms of third and fifth grade students from three public schools from two different provinces in Finland participated in this study.…”

“…Triaxial accelerometers (RM42, UKK Terveyspalvelut Oy, Tampere, Finland, Range ±16 g, sample rate: 100 Hz, A/D conversion: 13-bit) were used. Accelerometer data reduction methods have been previously described in [29][30][31]. The teacher-reported weekly schedule was used to determine time spent inside in the classroom during general education, which was included in the analysis.…”

“…Despite the expected benefits of open and flexible classrooms, we have previously observed that students' engagement in open learning spaces may involve a surprisingly high proportion of sedentary time but more breaks from sedentary time during lessons compared to conventional classrooms [29,30]. Students have been observed to be sedentary 55-68% of classroom time, which equals 33 to 41 min of sedentary time per 60 min spent in classroom [29,30]. An increased number of breaks from sedentary time despite the higher sedentary time may indicate that sedentary time is accumulated in shorter bouts.…”