Yes / This paper explores why teachers adopt physically active learning (PAL). Data were collected through ‘go-alongs’ supplemented by individual interviews with 13 teachers in seven Norwegian lower secondary schools. Data were then analysed thematically. Results indicated that as well as to enhance their teaching and pupils' learning, teachers adopt PAL to adhere to school policy (The Conforming Teacher), to be an innovative educator (The Innovating Teacher), and, because it matches past positive personal experiences (The Connecting Teacher). The findings can be used to shape PAL teacher training programs to increase the likelihood of adoption.

Yes / This paper explores teachers’ educational values and how they shape their judgements about physically active learning (PAL). Twenty one teachers from four primary schools in Norway participated in focus groups. By conceptualising PAL as a didaktikk approach, the findings indicated that teachers engaged with PAL in a way that reflected their professional identity and previous experiences with the curriculum. Teachers valued PAL as a way of getting to know pupils in educational situations that were different from those when sedentary. These insights illustrate how PAL, as a didaktikk approach to teaching, can shift teachers’ perceptions of pupils’ knowledge, learning, and identity formation in ways that reflect the wider purposes of education. The paper gives support to a classroom discourse that moves beyond the traditional, sedentary one-way transfer of knowledge towards a more collaborative effort for pupils’ development. / This work was supported by Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills: [Grant Number 2019-1-NO01-KA203-060324]. The authors of this manuscript were supported and funded by the European Union ERASMUS+Strategic Partnership Fund as part of the Activating Classroom Teachers (ACTivate) project.

Yes / The adoption of physically active learning (PAL) in schools is becoming more widespread. To understand how PAL is being used in different countries and explore if and how methods and strategies differ, this paper draws cross-national comparisons in primary school teachers' use of PAL. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 54 teachers from Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. Four themes were identified using thematic analysis: 1) teachers' values and beliefs about PAL; 2) influence of school context; 3) influence of the national policy context and; 4) managing teacher dissonance when using PAL. Use of PAL was related to teachers' values and beliefs and the degree to which these aligned with the context of the school and the wider educational system. The findings underline the importance of addressing teachers’ competence, opportunity and agency to use PAL in different contexts. / The authors of this manuscript were supported and funded by the European Union ERASMUS + Strategic Partnership Fund as part of the Activating Classroom Teachers project, ACTivate (Grant no 2019-1-N001-KA203-063024).

Yes / Physically active learning (PAL) has emerged as a promising way of eliciting health and education-based outcomes for pupils. Concurrently, research suggests large variability in how PAL is perceived, operationalized, and prioritized in practice across Europe. Therefore, this study aimed to co-develop a framework for action to support the adoption and implementation of PAL. Adopting a design thinking approach, 40 international stakeholders representing 13 countries engaged in an idea generation workshop during a two-day PAL international conference. Participants included professionals from research (n = 20), practice (n = 4) and policy (n = 1) or a combination (n = 15). Their experience with PAL ranged from none to 19 years (with an average of 3.9 years). Participants were allocated into one of six heterogeneous and multidisciplinary groups and led through interactive tasks to identify: the landscape for PAL across Europe, barriers to the adoption and implementation of PAL, and key objectives for research, policy and practice to improve the adoption and implementation of PAL. All discussions were audio recorded and prioritized objectives were transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Five interlinked and mutually reinforcing themes were identified: (1) Integration of the health and education paradigms (2) Coherent national policy and decision making (3) Building confident and competent teachers (4) Adopting a whole school approach for PAL (5) Strengthening the evidence base for PAL. The priority action framework identifies five key areas for action to facilitate PAL adoption and implementation across Europe. Central to the success of border uptake of PAL is the integration of the health and education paradigms. To achieve this aim, reframing PAL as movement-centered pedagogy would provide a more holistic and inclusive perspective. / The authors of this manuscript were supported and funded by the European Union ERASMUS + Strategic Partnership Fund as part of the Activating Classroom Teachers project, ACTivate (Grant no 2019-1-N001-KA203-063024).

Cette thèse de doctorat aborde le problème de l’inactivité physique et des inégalités sociales en matière d’activité physique (AP) au Québec. Dans un premier temps, puisqu’une faible compétence motrice pendant l’enfance constitue un obstacle important à la pratique ultérieure d’AP, nous brossons le premier portrait québécois des disparités sociales en matière de compétence motrice chez les enfants. Les associations entre la compétence motrice de 2654 enfants québécois et le statut socioéconomique de leur école primaire sont examinées à l’aide de régressions logistiques. Nos résultats révèlent des disparités sociales en matière de développement moteur : les enfants qui fréquentent une école en milieu plus défavorisé présentent des besoins plus importants que ceux qui fréquentent une école en milieu moyen et que ces derniers présentent, à leur tour, des besoins plus importants que les élèves des écoles les plus favorisés (article 1 : Gosselin, Leone et Laberge, 2020). Dans un deuxième temps, nous explorons en quoi les programmes scolaires d’AP peuvent être pertinents pour favoriser la pratique d’AP et le développement global des enfants dans une perspective de réduction des inégalités sociales. Une réflexion critique qui s’appuie sur une revue de littérature est présentée (article 2 : Gosselin, Boccanfuso et Laberge, 2020), et deux points clés sont soulignés : 1) l’importance d’évaluer l’implantation et les effets différentiels de ces programmes; et 2) la pertinence d’adapter ces programmes selon trois conditions : 1) l’approche universelle proportionnée; 2) le renforcement des capacités, et 3) la complexité des programmes (agir à plusieurs niveaux). Ces points constituent aussi un appel aux chercheurs en vue d’entreprendre davantage de recherches pour clarifier les effets différentiels des programmes scolaires d’AP et pour mieux comprendre comment les adapter, selon les besoins des différents milieux, afin de lutter contre les inégalités sociales en matière d’AP. Dans un troisième temps, un premier pas pour répondre à cet appel est réalisé par l’évaluation du plus récent programme d’AP au quotidien implanté en milieu scolaire au Canada : la mesure québécoise « À l’école, on bouge! ». Cette évaluation souligne que le caractère flexible de la mesure québécoise semble avoir alimenté, à travers un processus d’autonomisation (community empowerment) et au fil des trois années d’implantation, un changement de culture scolaire orienté vers une intégration durable d’AP au quotidien dans tous les contextes, à l’exception des écoles situées en milieu urbain défavorisé (articles 3 et 4 : Gosselin et Laberge, 2022). Puisque les enfants qui fréquentent ces dernières ont plus de chances que les enfants des milieux favorisés d’avoir des retards au regard du développement de leur compétence motrice (article 1), il s’avère crucial de favoriser l’intégration de la mesure pour maximiser le temps actif dans ces écoles afin de réduire les disparités. Des ressources additionnelles pour supporter des structures de leadership locales (comme un comité) pourraient permettre aux écoles de ces milieux d’implanter et maintenir l’intégration quotidienne de temps actif pour leurs élèves. Cette suggestion s’aligne avec deux des trois conditions qui semblent favoriser l’AP des enfants dans une perspective de réduction des inégalités sociales. / In this thesis, we address the problem of physical inactivity and social inequalities in physical activity (PA) in Quebec. The first chapter examines socioeconomic disparities in children’s motor competence in Quebec. Differences in the motor skills of 2654 children (6 to 12 years old) were measured using validated tests to assess agility, balance and coordination. ANCOVA and logistic regressions were performed to examine associations between motor competence and socioeconomic status (SES). The results, presented in a published article (Gosselin, Leone and Laberge, 2020), revealed that children who attend a school in a low SES setting have greater needs (in terms of their motor development) than children who attend a school in a middle-SES environment and that the latter present, in turn, greater need than the pupils of the school of the most privileged environments. The second chapter presents a critical reflection, based on a review of the literature, which explores how school-based PA programs might be relevant to create enabling environments that can both support children’s PA and contribute to the reduction of social inequalities. This reflection, presented as a published commentary (Gosselin, Boccanfuso and Laberge, 2020), raises the importance of evaluating the implementation and differential effects of school-based universal public policies (addressing all children). The third chapter examines the specific case of the Quebec school-based daily PA program “À l’école, on bouge!” and attempts to meet two objectives: 1) to assess the initial implementation of this program within the first cohort of participating schools (415); and 2) to verify whether the implementation of the program varies according to the socioeconomic status of the schools. Online questionnaires were sent to all participating schools throughout the three-year implementation period (one questionnaire per year, in May 2018, 2019 and 2020). To meet the first objective of the chapter, we relied on a logic model and examined, using logistic regressions, what factors are associated with the school’s adherence to providing at least 60 minutes of daily PA. The results presented in an article (submitted; accepted), showed that the financial resources granted, a shared vision amongst the school-team members that PA benefits learning outcomes and, for urban schools, having conducted a detailed situational analysis, are three factors facilitating the mobilization of school teams towards offering 60 minutes of daily active time. Then, to better understand the mechanisms underlying the implementation of the program in different socioeconomic contexts (second objective), we carried out a realistic evaluation. The results, presented in an article (Gosselin and Laberge, 2022), revealed that the “bottom-up” nature of the program has enabled the participating schools to take ownership of its implementation, which resulted in a cultural shift towards a sustainable DPA provision in most settings. In disadvantaged urban settings, implementing local leadership structures provided pivotal assistance to members of the school teams in providing new DPA opportunities. However, without continued external funding, those schools seem unable to support local leadership structures on their own, jeopardizing the sustainability of the program for children living in disadvantaged urban areas.