Effect of physical active math and language lessons on the academic achievement of 7-10 year old (socially disadvantaged) children
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN17021806 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17021806 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | ODB10015 |
- Submission date
- 26/08/2015
- Registration date
- 27/08/2015
- Last edited
- 25/02/2016
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
There are many benefits of taking part in physical activity for the body, but there is a good deal of evidence that it is also beneficial for the brain. Studies have shown that children who are physically active tend to perform better in the classroom at academic tasks, such as math and spelling. There have been a number of studies which have shown that physical activity can have a positive effect on academic performance in lessons afterwards. The combination of physical activity and academic learning in the classroom, however, may be an innovative way of improving academic results. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a physically active academic intervention on academic achievement, academic engagement (how well they are engaging with what they are learning), executive functioning (the ability to analyse, plan, organise, adjust and complete tasks) and the physical fitness of children.
Who can participate?
Children from second and third grades of mainstream elementary schools in the Northern Netherlands.
What does the study involve?
At each school a second and third grade class are randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group. Children in the intervention group participate in physically active academic lessons in the class room 3 times per week, 22 weeks per year, for a period of two years. The control group participates in regular classroom lessons only for the duration of the study. The children’s academic achievement, executive functioning and physical fitness is measured before the intervention starts, after the first and second intervention year and 7-9 months after the intervention ends. Children's time-on-task (time focusing on a specific task) is measured during the first intervention year.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants could potentially benefit from an improvement of academic achievement, physical fitness, executive functioning and academic engagement by participation in the physical active academic lessons. There are no significant risks of participating, although there is a possibility of muscle pain in relation to the physical activity.
Where is the study run from?
1. Public Education Group Groningen (Netherlands)
2. Christian Education Association Groningen (Netherlands)
3. Catholic Education Central (Netherlands)
4. Association of Christian education East (Netherlands)
5. Municipality Hoogezand (Netherlands)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2011 to July 2015
Who is funding the study?
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Netherlands)
Who is the main contact?
Mrs Marijke Mullender-Wijnsma
Contact information
Public
Antonius Deusinglaan 1
Groningen
9713 AV
Netherlands
Study information
| Study design | Multi-centre cluster randomized controlled trial. |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Cluster randomised trial |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | Effect of physical active math and language lessons (Fit & Vaardig op school) on the academic achievement of 7-10 year old (socially disadvantaged) children |
| Study acronym | F&V |
| Study objectives | Primary: The F&V intervention improves the academic achievement of (socially disadvantaged) children Secondary: 1. The F&V intervention improves the academic engagement of elementary school children 2. The F&V intervention improves the executive functioning of elementary school children 3. The F&V intervention improves the physical fitness of elementary school children |
| Ethics approval(s) | Ethical Committee of the Center for Human Movement Sciences of the University Medical Center Groningen/University of Groningen, 30/05/2012, ECB/15052012/4 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Academic achievement gap, physical inactivity and obesity |
| Intervention | Intervention group: Physical active academic lessons in the classroom. The intervention lessons were taught in the classroom during two school years, 22 weeks per year, three times a week for 20-30 minutes In each lesson, 10-15 minutes are spent on math activities and 10-15 minutes on language activities. Each lesson is supported by a presentation on the interactive whiteboard. The physical exercises are aimed at moderate to vigorous intensity. For example, the children jump on the spot eight times to solve the multiplication sum “2x4”. Control group: Regular sedentary classroom lessons. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Academic achievement is measured by the Speed-Test-Arithmetic, the One-Minute-Test (reading), and the spelling and math tests from a child academic monitoring system (CAMS) before the start of the intervention (T0), after the first intervention year (eight months to one year after T0; T1) after the second intervention year (one year after T1; T2), and 7-9 months after the intervention (T3). |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Physical fitness is measured using the EUROFIT physical fitness test battery before the start of the intervention (T0), after the first intervention year (eight months to one year after T0; T1) after the second intervention year (one year after T1; T2), and 7-9 months after the intervention (T3). 2. Executive functioning is measured using the Stroop test, Digit and Visual memory span (part of Wechsler Memory Scale Revised), and M-WCST before the start of the intervention (T0), after the first intervention year (eight months to one year after T0; T1) after the second intervention year (one year after T1; T2), and 7-9 months after the intervention (T3). 3. Academic engagement is measured by time-on-task observations in the classroom, during the first intervention year. |
| Overall study start date | 01/01/2011 |
| Completion date | 01/07/2015 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 600 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Children from second and third grades of mainstream elementary schools 2. Informed consent from the school principals |
| Key exclusion criteria | Special schools (schools catering for children who have special educational needs due to learning difficulties, physical disabilities or behavioural problems). |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/01/2011 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/07/2012 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Netherlands
Study participating centres
Groningen
9727 KB
Netherlands
Groningen
9735 AD
Netherlands
9701 BL
Netherlands
Groningen
9665 KN
Netherlands
Hoogezand
9600 AB
Netherlands
Sponsor information
University/education
Antonius Deusinglaan 1
Groningen
9713 AV
Netherlands
University/education
Grote Rozenstraat 3
Groningen
9712 TG
Netherlands
Not defined
| Website | http://www.umcg.nl/EN |
|---|---|
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/03cv38k47 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Netherlands, OCW
- Location
- Netherlands
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/12/2015 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| Publication and dissemination plan | We already published 2 articles that included study results. We intend to publish 4 more articles of our study results as soon as possible (2 before the end of 2015 and 2 in 2016). |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/10/2014 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | results | 19/04/2015 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | results | 01/02/2016 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
25/02/2016: Publication reference added.
