Implications for the current study Enjoyment should be the focus of any intervention designed to increase physical activity
in children and youth, and enjoyment of Outdoor and Adventure Activities should be the
focus of the professional development programme in the current study. As physical
education was identified as one of the top three favourite subjects by the children this
needs to be capitalized upon when preparing the schemes and lessons for the children.
The efficacy of the professional development programme is measured not only by
teacher change but through exploring the impact of the programme on children and their
learning. Examining enjoyment of physical activity and its origins in children and youth
could help guide such interventions in the future.
Ensuring that each lesson prepared for the professional development
programme includes moderate to vigorous physical activity will appeal to the children
and in the majority of cases as reflected in the findings ensure enjoyment of the lessons
by the children.
Interviews and observations. A selection of children from each year group
was given an opportunity to voice their thoughts and perspectives on physical
education, physical activity and the proposed PDP during the focus group interviews.
This information was designed to supplement the findings from the teachers’ practices
and perspectives data and to enable a more holistic review of the proposed PDP. The
children’s focus group interviews were carried out following the analysis of the
teacher’s data, therefore a section on children’s understanding of Outdoor and
Adventure Activities, was included in their interview schedule. The children involved
in the focus group are shown on Table 4.5.
136
Table 4.5 Children participating in focus-group interviews.
