Fit to Study: Reflections on designing and implementing a large-scale randomized controlled trial in secondary schools

Abstract

Background The randomised controlled trial (RCT) design is increasingly common among studies seeking good-quality evidence to advance educational neuroscience, but conducting RCTs in schools is challenging. Fit to Study, one of six such trials funded by the Education Endowment Foundation and Wellcome Trust, tested an intervention to increase vigorous physical activity during PE lessons on maths attainment among pupils aged 12–13. This review of designing and conducting an RCT in 104 schools is intended as a resource on which researchers might draw for future studies. Method We consider intervention design and delivery; recruitment, retention, trial management, data collection and analysis including ethical considerations and working with evaluators. Results Teacher training, intervention delivery and data collection during large-scale RCTs require a flexible approach appropriate to educational settings, which in turn entails planning and resources. Conclusion Simple interventions, with few outcome measures and minimal missing data, are preferable to more complex designs.

The effect of a one-year vigorous physical activity intervention on fitness, cognitive performance and mental health in young adolescents: the Fit to Study cluster randomised controlled trial

“…The intervention was co-developed with PE experts and teachers. A pilot phase in seven schools explored the feasibility of a multi-component approach to maximising activity during PE, which included a mix of practical lesson organisation strategies and theory-led teaching principles [ 59 ]. But feedback from schools indicated a simpler, more structured intervention would be more feasible for teachers to administer while also following the PE curriculum.…”

“…[32,89] for reviews). Thorough implementation evaluations of Fit to Study [53], as well as a reflection paper [59], including recommendations for future HIIT-based PA trials, have been published elsewhere [53,59] and various reviews have been published on school-related barriers [32,33]; here we highlight challenges related to the scale and intervention approach of Fit to Study.…”

Cross‐Sectional Association Between Level of School Sports and Different Cognitive Parameters in Schoolchildren, Considering Multiple Covariates

“…As a result of the PE selection, the study had an inhomogeneous distribution of sex. In addition, there was a lack of randomization and measurement of children's motor skills, which could have strengthened the analysis (Wheatley et al, 2020). Only the children themselves were asked about the frequency of nonschool PA.…”

Intellectual readiness of future engineers to master the disciplines of the professional curriculum part while online learning

“…Test tasks are developed by analogy with the tasks in the tests that determine the level of mental development (School Test of Mental Development (SHTUR), Test of an Applicant's and a Student's Mental Development (ASTUR), and their modifications). On the one hand it monitors the process of knowledge development; on the other hand, it contributes to the development of professional thinking, the ability to carry out logical actions and operations with the concepts of discipline, to solve problems that are elements of future professional activity [12,13]. There have been developed blocks of test tasks of various forms ("General awareness", "Analogies", "Excluding unnecessary", "Problems"), the content of which reflects the sections of the "Electrical materials" course and provides quick controlling the peculiarities of their mastering [14,15].…”