Hege Eikeland Tjomsland

Physical Activity in Schools: A Qualitative Case Study of Eight Norwegian Schools' Experiences with the Implementation of a National Policy.

Purpose – Over the past decades numerous policies, programmes and interventions have been undertaken to increase students’ participation in physical activity in school. Research shows that intervention effects are mostly related to the way in which the program or policy is implemented, nevertheless, few studies have focused on the implementation process. Thus, this paper aims to explore and identify key implementation successes and barriers as perceived by principals, project leaders, teachers and students.Design/methodology/approach – A case study of eight schools participating in the Norwegian project “Physical activity and healthy school meals” was conducted, applying a qualitative approach.Findings – Findings show that all schools managed to ensure extra time for physical activity, varying from 20 to 45 minutes per day. None managed, however, to fulfil the recommendation of 60 minutes daily. Factors promoting the implementation were related to formalisation and anchoring in terms of policy plans and e...

Evaluating the Implementation of the Empowering Coaching™ Programme: Balancing Fidelity and Adaptation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of a theoretically grounded coach education training programme for youth football coaches in Norway, through observational methods. In particular, it focuses on implementation fidelity and programme adaptation, and possible differences between the coach educators (CEs) according to their level of experience. Design/methodology/approach – Implementation fidelity and programme adaptations for seven CEs were explored through the use of a fidelity scale and in-depth qualitative analyses. Participant responsiveness was applied to inform the observational analyses. Findings – Results showed that most of the programme was implemented with moderate to high fidelity, and that it was adapted when delivered. Most of the adaptations seemed to be positive, aligning with the programme’s theoretical foundation and goals. A few negative and neutral adaptations also occurred. The most experienced CEs seemed to deliver the programme with highest fidelity ...

High school physical education What contributes to the experience of flow

This study seeks to identify factors that promote positive experiences in high school physical education (PE). The study combines elements of Self-determination Theory (SDT) with the theory of flow. Special attention is given to gender differences. The study sample consisted of 167 Norwegian senior high school students (78 females and 89 males) who completed a questionnaire after having participated in a PE class. The majority of the students reported having flow experiences, although this was more true for boys than for girls. Those who had experienced flow also tended to be those who had experienced the fulfilment of basic psychological needs and were characterized by a high level of autonomous motivation. In boys, the need for competence was a stronger predictor of flow than other factors, while for girls the need for relatedness was the stronger predictor of flow. Although a high percentage of the participants in this study reported an experience of flow, a significant minority of the students (more girls than boys) did not report an experience of flow. The findings confirm previous research on the relationship between the different constructs of SDT and the experience of flow, indicating that this relationship also applies in PE. The experience of flow in PE might result in positive PE experiences that can have significant health benefits for the individual student and our society.

Creating a supportive environment among youth football players: A qualitative study of French and Norwegian youth grassroots football coaches

Purpose – The health promoting benefits of sport participation are under-utilized and should be further developed, particularly at the grassroots level. The purpose of this paper is to examine how grassroots coaches in youth football perceive their coaching practices after participating in a community-based coach education program aimed at optimizing their experiences in youth sport, namely the Empowering Coaching™ training program, based on self-determination theory (SDT) and achievement goal theory (AGT). It compares French and Norwegian coaches to suggest whether the principles of the Empowering Coaching™ training program can be applied successfully in the two countries. Design/methodology/approach – The Empowering Coaching™ training program is a six hour workshop and was delivered at the beginning of the 2011 football season. At the end of the season, the grassroots coaches’ reflections on their coaching practices were examined through a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews of 18 coaches in F...

Exploring the Importance of Peers as Leaders in the Dream School Program: From the Perspectives of Peer Leaders, Teachers and Principals.

This study explores the experiences of using peers as leaders in a secondary school intervention in Norway from the perspectives of the principals, the teachers and the peer leaders. The overall aims of the intervention are to improve the psychosocial learning environment and promote positive mental health. Five secondary schools which had used the programme for at least 1 year took part in the study. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with five principals, five focus group interviews with teachers and five focus group interviews with peer leaders. Through a thematic text analysis, the findings revealed four main categories: peer leaders’ gains, someone of their own age, positive impact on new students, and lack of collaboration between teachers and peer leaders. The study adds to the current research body on peer-led education by providing insightful knowledge from multiple informants of the benefits of using peers as leaders in a health-promoting school intervention.

Supporting pupils’ mental health through everyday practices: a qualitative study of teachers and head teachers

Abstract This study aimed to explore teachers’ and head teachers’ understandings of how they work to support pupils’ mental health through their everyday practices. A qualitative study, including individual interviews with head teachers and focus groups with teachers, was conducted in lower secondary schools in Norway. Rich descriptions of teachers’ and head teachers’ everyday practices in supporting pupils’ mental health are presented in two main themes: working with individual pupils through teaching and learning, and working with the school context. Taken together, these themes illustrate the different ways teachers and head teachers (proactively and reactively) support young people’s mental health as a core aspect of their educational role, as well as some of the challenges therein. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Enjoyment in youth soccer: its portrayals among 12- to 14-year-olds

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored the experiences of adolescents in Norwegian soccer teams. The sample included players aged 12–14 years who participated in the promoting adolescence physical activity (PAPA) project. The data were generated by twelve focus groups with seven girls’ teams and five boys’ teams and indicated that a central component of the soccer players’ experience was simply enjoyment. Their descriptions of this enjoyment resemble the psychological phenomenon of flow, the experience of feeling fully engaged and of having concentrated energy, focus and positive emotions. The results also suggest six components of their enjoyment of youth soccer: being with friends, collaborating with teammates, choosing to play the sport, having a supportive coach, and learning new skills and demonstrating mastery of them. The findings support previous conclusions in the literature about what constitutes enjoyment for young athletes, but enhances understanding of other aspects of adolescents’ experiences specifically in Norwegian soccer. A particular emphasis on learning and enjoyment for all appears evident in Norwegian youth soccer, regardless of the level of talent or competitiveness of individual players.

Evaluation Research in Health Promoting Schools and Related Challenges

Research indicates that the main reason why teachers change their practice is the recognition of improvements in students’ educational outcomes (Guskey TR, Teach Teach 8(3):381–391, 2002). To ensure widespread dissemination of health promoting schools, evidence that the health promoting school approach can be a crucial vehicle for enhancing both students’ health- and educational outcomes are therefore warranted. This advocates study designs and methods that take into account the multifaceted, whole-school and context specific characteristics of health promoting schools. In this chapter, we therefore first discuss specific challenges in health promoting school research, and secondly, we propose an evaluation design combining the advantages of different research methodologies to examine the health promoting school’s effectiveness in creating “better schools through health”.