Fostering Holistic Development with a Designed Multisport Intervention in Physical Education: A Class-Randomized Cross-Over Trial

Giancarlo Condello, Emiliano Mazzoli, Ilaria Masci, Antonio De Fano, Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan, Rosalba Marchetti and Caterina Pesce
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Giancarlo Condello: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Emiliano Mazzoli: Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong 3125, Australia
Ilaria Masci: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy
Antonio De Fano: Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics Center, Università degli Studi G. d’Annunzio Chieti e Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan: Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education, and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation, 06081 Assisi, Italy
Rosalba Marchetti: Italian Ministry of Education, 00153 Rome, Italy
Caterina Pesce: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-23

Abstract: Physical education (PE) is acknowledged as a relevant context for holistic child and youth development promotion. However, interventional research mostly builds on individual theories focused on specific outcome domains. This study presents a multisport enriched PE intervention that capitalizes on the intersection of different theory-based approaches to motor, cognitive and socio-emotional skills development promotion. With a cross-over design, 181 fifth graders, coming from a past class-randomized trial of enriched or traditional PE in their 1st–3rd grade, were stratified (based on their previous PE experience) and class-randomized to multisport enriched PE or control group. They completed pre-post assessments in motor and sport skills, cool (inhibition, working memory) and hot (decision making) executive functions, prosocial (empathy, cooperation) and antisocial (quick-temperedness, disruptiveness) behaviors. Children in the enriched PE group showed advantages in motor and prosocial skills after the intervention, which were linked by a mediation path, and an interactive effect of past and actual PE experience on decision making but no differential effects on other variables. The results suggest that a PE intervention designed with an integrative theory base, although not allowing disentangling the contribution of individual components to its efficacy, may help pursue benefits in motor and non-motor domains relevant to whole-child development.

Keywords: physical activity; motor competence; executive function; social emotional skills; life skills; children; enrichment; hybridization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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