Current research points to Personal Meaning Mapping (PMM) as a method useful in investigating stu... more Current research points to Personal Meaning Mapping (PMM) as a method useful in investigating students' prior and current science knowledge. However, studies investigating PMM as a method for exploring specific knowledge dimensions are lacking. Ensuring that students are able to access specific knowledge dimensions is important, especially in science teaching outside the classroom, where ''hands-on'' approaches and experiments are often part of teaching and require procedural knowledge, among other things. Therefore, this study investigates PMM as a method for exploring specific knowledge dimensions in formal science education integrating teaching outside the classroom. We applied a case study design involving two schools and four sixth-grade classes. Data were collected from six students in each class who constructed personal meaning maps and were interviewed immediately after natural science and technology lessons in the classroom, and again after experiencing teaching outside the classroom. Maps and interviews were analysed drawing on Bloom's revised taxonomy of educational objectives. Our findings show that PMM is highly useful for identifying and activating factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge and the subcategories of knowledge within these dimensions as well as metacognitive self-knowledge. However, as a method for identifying and activating procedural knowledge, it seems limited. Our analysis thus provides a novel understanding of the rigor of PMM for analysing students' science knowledge, which is of relevance for educators and researchers within science education.
Background: Movement integration (MI) into traditional classroom teaching is a promising opportun... more Background: Movement integration (MI) into traditional classroom teaching is a promising opportunity for children to increase physical activity (PA). Education outside the classroom (EOtC) can be regarded as MI, and has increased children's PA in case studies. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of EOtC on children's PA by segmenting weekly activity-related behavior into a range of day types and domains. Methods: In a quasi-experimental design, 33 classes were recruited and participants' PA was objectively measured using accelerometers taped to the lower back. In total, 361 (10.89 ± 1.03 years) participants with 7 days of 24 h wear time per day were included in a day type PA analysis, and 194 of these participants (10.46 ± 0.99 years) provided information on time spent in specific domains (e.g. EOtC or recess) and were included in a domain-specific PA analysis. Differences in proportion of time spent in PA intensities were tested using mixed-effects regression models.
Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in many large-sc... more Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in many large-scale physical activity (PA) studies. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the placement of the device, the determination of device wear time, and how to solve a lack of participant compliance. The aim of this study was to assess the compliance of Axivity AX3 accelerometers taped directly to the skin of 9-13-year-old children. Children in 46 school classes (53.4% girls, age 11.0±1.0 years, BMI 17.7±2.8 kg*m) across Denmark wore two Axivity AX3 accelerometers, one taped on the thigh (n=903) and one on the lower back (n= 856), for up to ten consecutive days. Participants were instructed not to reattach an accelerometer should it fall off. Simple and multiple linear regression were used to determine associations between accelerometer wear time and age, sex, BMI percentiles, and PA level. Over 65% had >7 days of uninterrupted, 24h wear time for the thigh location, and 59.5% for the lower back location. From multiple linear regressions, PA levels showed the strongest association with lower wear time (thigh: β=-.231, R=.066; lower back: β=-.454, R=.126). In addition, being a boy, being older (only for lower back), and having higher BMI percentile were associated with lower wear time. Using skin-taped Axivity accelerometers, we obtained seven days of uninterrupted accelerometer data with 24h wear time per day with a compliance rate of more than 65%. Thigh placement resulted in higher compliance than lower back placement. Achieving days with 24h wear time reduces the need for arbitrary decisions regarding wear time validation, and most likely improves the validity of daily life PA measurements.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote schoolchildren&#... more Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote schoolchildren's learning, physical activity (PA), social relations, motivation, and well-being. EOTC activities are characterized by teachers using the local environment in their teaching, and involve innovative teaching methods, child-led approaches to problem-solving, experimentation, cooperation, PA, and play. EOTC has become common practice for many teachers in Scandinavia; however, only case studies have evaluated its impacts. The TEACHOUT study aims to evaluate the impacts of EOTC on Danish schoolchildren's PA, social relations, motivation, well-being, and learning. TEACHOUT is a quasi-experimental, cross-disciplinary study. Sixteen schools participated, containing 19 EOTC school classes and 19 parallel non-EOTC classes, with a total of 834 children aged 9 to 13 years. Measures of the children's social relations, motivation for school, well-being, and academic performance were collect...
Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching that has shown ... more Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching that has shown positive associations with children's physical activity and academic learning in small-scale case studies. The purpose of this large-scale quasi-experimental study was to determine if children who participate regularly in EOtC spend more time being physically active than children who do not. In the 2014/2015 study TEACHOUT, classes were recruited in pairs such that each EOtC class had a non-EOtC comparison class at the same school and grade level. Participants in 17 EOtC classes and 16 comparison parallel classes across Denmark wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer taped to the lower back for seven consecutive days. Data from 201 EOtC participants (63.3% girls, age 10.82 ± 1.05,) and 160 comparison participants (59.3% girls, age 10.95 ± 1.01) were analysed using an 'intention to treat' (ITT) approach. The amount of EOtC the participants were exposed to was monitored. Associations...
Background: Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching tha... more Background: Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching that has shown positive associations with children's physical activity and academic learning in small-scale case studies. The purpose of this large-scale quasi-experimental study was to determine if children who participate regularly in EOtC spend more time being physically active than children who do not. Methods: In the 2014/2015 study TEACHOUT, classes were recruited in pairs such that each EOtC class had a non-EOtC comparison class at the same school and grade level. Participants in 17 EOtC classes and 16 comparison parallel classes across Denmark wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer taped to the lower back for seven consecutive days. Data from 201 EOtC participants (63.3% girls, age 10.82 ± 1.05,) and 160 comparison participants (59.3% girls, age 10.95 ± 1.01) were analysed using an 'intention to treat' (ITT) approach. The amount of EOtC the participants were exposed to was monitored. Associations between time spent in different physical activity intensities and EOtC group and sex were assessed using generalised linear models adjusted for age. In a second analysis, we modified the sample using a 'per protocol' (PP) approach, only including EOtC and comparison class pairs where the EOtC class had >150 min and the comparison had <150 min of EOtC during the measured week. Results: On average, EOtC participants spent 8.4 (ITT) and 9.2 (PP) minutes more in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day than comparison participants (p < 0.05). However, EOtC boys spent 18.7 (ITT) and 20.8 (PP) minutes more in MVPA per day than comparison boys (p < 0.01), while there were no significant between-group differences for girls.
Introduction: Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in... more Introduction: Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in many large-scale physical activity (PA) studies. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the placement of the device, the determination of device wear time, and how to solve a lack of participant compliance. The aim of this study was to assess the compliance of Axivity AX3 accelerometers taped directly to the skin of 9-to 13-yr-old children. Methods: Children in 46 school classes (53.4% girls, age 11.0 T 1.0 yr, BMI 17.7 T 2.8 kgIm j1) across Denmark wore two Axivity AX3 accelerometers, one taped on the thigh (n = 903) and one on the lower back (n = 856), for up to 10 consecutive days. Participants were instructed not to reattach an accelerometer should it fall off. Simple and multiple linear regressions were used to determine associations between accelerometer wear time and age, sex, BMI percentiles, and PA level. Results: More than 65% had 97 d of uninterrupted, 24-h wear time for the thigh location and 59.5% for the lower back location. From multiple linear regressions, PA levels showed the strongest association with lower wear time (thigh: A = j0.231, R 2 = 0.066; lower back: A = j0.454, R 2 = 0.126). In addition, being a boy, being older (only for lower back), and having higher BMI percentile were associated with lower wear time. Conclusion: Using skin-taped Axivity accelerometers, we obtained 7 d of uninterrupted accelerometer data with 24-h wear time per day with a compliance rate of more than 65%. Thigh placement resulted in higher compliance than lower back placement. Achieving days with 24-h wear time reduces the need for arbitrary decisions regarding wear time validation and most likely improves the validity of daily life PA measurements. A reliable and valid measure of children"s free-living physical activity (PA) applicable in large-scale studies is crucial when linking PA behavior to health outcomes, or when assessing the PA levels of a population or the effects of interventions aiming at increasing daily PA. As it is generally accepted that accelerometers are able to measure PA accurately for multiple days and provide information on PA intensity at any given time, they are widely used to quantify children"s free-living PA level and pattern (5). However, the reliability of the measurement is affected by both the attachment method and placement of the acceler-ometer(s) (20). To reflect real-life behavior and to diminish the effects of day-today variation, high-quality measurements require high wear compliance, in terms of many hours of wear time per day and a sufficient number of included days (1,11). Despite the importance of high compliance
Since children spend a large proportion of their time in institutional settings such as schools, ... more Since children spend a large proportion of their time in institutional settings such as schools, health promotion researchers have identified this as an important setting to promote physical activity (PA). Apart from physical education, PA could be integrated into the school curriculum in other ways. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether a school excursion to a museum can increase primary school students' PA and reduce sedentary time. One hundred and ten primary school students aged 12–13, from three Danish schools, wore accelerometers for four consecutive days, of which one consisted of an excursion day to a museum. While an increase in light physical activity and reduction in the amount of sedentary time was observed, students did not spend more time in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during the visit to the museum than on a regular school day. However, over the full excursion day, the students accumulated more MVPA. One school used active transportation to and from the museum, which contributed to significantly more MVPA compared to the other
We systematically searched five databases to assess the potential of concept mapping-based techno... more We systematically searched five databases to assess the potential of concept mapping-based technologies to promote self-regulated learning in science education. Our search uncovered 17 relevant studies that investigated seven different types of learning technologies. We performed a narrative analysis assessing how each technology affects self-regulated learning through cognitive, metacognitive, and motivation strategies, according to Schraw et al. (2006)'s model. We suggest concept mapping technologies may affect self-regulated learning through enhancing these strategies to varying degrees. Computer software was particularly useful for developing cognitive strategies through ease of use. Teaching agents were particularly useful for developing metacognitive strategies by coupling visualisation of knowledge patterns with performance monitoring, aided by a teaching metaphor. Finally, mobile devices and teaching agents were most effective in enhancing motivation. Effects on knowledge gains remain unclear due to small sample sizes.
Background: Since stakeholders' active engagement is essential for public health strategies to be... more Background: Since stakeholders' active engagement is essential for public health strategies to be effective, this review is focused on intervention designs and outcomes of school-and community-based noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention interventions involving children and young people. Methods: The review process was based on the principles of scoping reviews. A systematic search was conducted in eight major databases in October 2015. Empirical studies published in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were considered. Five selection criteria were applied. Included in the review were (1) empirical studies describing (2) a health intervention focused on diet and/or physical activity, (3) based on children's and young people's involvement that included (4) a relationship between school and local community while (5) providing explicit information about the outcomes of the intervention. The search provided 3995 hits, of which 3253 were screened by title and abstract, leading to the full-text screening of 24 papers. Ultimately, 12 papers were included in the review. The included papers were analysed independently by at least two reviewers.
Background: Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote scho... more Background: Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote schoolchildren's learning, physical activity (PA), social relations, motivation, and well-being. EOTC activities are characterized by teachers using the local environment in their teaching, and involve innovative teaching methods, child-led approaches to problem-solving, experimentation, cooperation, PA, and play. EOTC has become common practice for many teachers in Scandinavia; however, only case studies have evaluated its impacts. The TEACHOUT study aims to evaluate the impacts of EOTC on Danish schoolchildren's PA, social relations, motivation, well-being, and learning.
Background and purpose: Research in formative assessment often pays close attention to the strate... more Background and purpose: Research in formative assessment often pays close attention to the strategies which can be used by teachers. However, less emphasis in the literature seems to have been paid to study the application of formative assessment designs in practice. In this paper, we argue that a formative assessment design that we call Eva-Mapping, which is developed on the principles of design-based research, can be a productive starting point for disseminating and further developing formative assessment practices in outdoor science teaching. Sample, design and methods: We conducted an evaluation of the design, based on video-elicited focus group interviews with two groups of experienced science teachers. Both groups consisted of teachers who taught science outside the classroom on a regular basis. These groups watched identical video sequences which were recorded during lessons in which teachers applied the formative assessment design. These sequences focused on formative assessment in pairs, in small groups, or in whole class sessions. Afterwards, the teachers discussed each sequence. These discussions were audio recorded and later transcribed. The transcriptions were analysed using content analysis. Findings: By analysing the interview data, we identified two categories of context-determining factors that influenced the formative assessment design (namely, Resources or Lack of Resources and The Outdoors) and three mechanisms that influenced the assessment process (namely, Teacher Involvement, Structure in Peer Assessment and Knowledge Sharing). Finally, we identified four perceived outcomes of the formative assessment design: Enthusiasm, Knowledge Application, Acquirements and Insight into the Learning Processes. Conclusion: We suggest that knowledge within the identified categories can provide useful guidelines for the future development of formative assessment in science teaching that integrates the outdoors. This is because such knowledge forms part of teachers' perceptions regarding the acceptability and utility of the formative assessment design. In addition, our study contributes to evidence within an underexplored aspect of formal outdoor science education.
Keywords: Education outside the classroom Green space management Policy Teaching and learning out... more Keywords: Education outside the classroom Green space management Policy Teaching and learning outside the classroom Teacher training a b s t r a c t Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has the potential to increase children's learning, physical activity, social relations, school motivation, and well-being. In Denmark, EOtC has undergone a rapid development from a grassroots movement to part of a top-down reform in public schools. It is therefore pertinent to provide an update of the survey conducted by Bentsen et al. (2010) and a baseline to serve as the basis for evaluating future effects of policy intervention on EOtC. Based on a nationwide telephone survey of school leaders, this study shows an increase in Danish school classes practicing EOtC on a weekly or biweekly basis, from at least 14% of public and private/independent schools in 2007 to at least 17.9% of all public schools and 19.4% of all independent and private schools today. While the new school act appears to promote EOtC, we believe that teachers who are not familiar with this practice may lack the necessary competence to practice it. We argue that the widespread use of green space and nearby environment in teaching should be reflected in initial teacher training, connecting educational planning and green space management.
Policy makers in Denmark are increasingly recognising the potential health benefits associated wi... more Policy makers in Denmark are increasingly recognising the potential health benefits associated with green space, in particular with the use of green space. Knowledge on how green space is used, why it is used, and which factors influence its use, is becoming interesting for researchers, city planners and managers of green space. The present study is based on data from a nationwide study of 11 238 randomly selected adult Danes. Respondents were asked about the distance to four different types of green space, their frequency of use of each of these types of green space, and the main reasons for visiting green space. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between potential predictor factors and visits to green space at least a few times per week. Results show that 66.9% of the respondents live within 300 m of green space, 43.0% visit green space every day and 91.5% visit green space at least once a week. Only 0.9% never visit green space. To enjoy the weather and get fresh air is the most important reason for visiting green space for 87.2% of the respondents. Distance to green space is not a limiting factor for the majority of the Danish population and for that reason we recommend a thorough analysis of a neighbourhood or city, its population, and the available green spaces, before deciding on a viable strategy to increase the use of green space.
This study examines the relationship between distance to green space and the level of physical ac... more This study examines the relationship between distance to green space and the level of physical activity among the population of Denmark. In addition, the relationship between distance to green space and obesity is investigated. Data derived from the Danish National Health Interview Survey 2005, a cross-sectional survey based on a region-stratified random nationally representative sample of 21,832 Danish adults. All data are self-reported. Respondents living more than 1 km from green space had lower odds of using green space to exercise and keep in shape compared with persons living closer than 300 m to green space (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.60-0.83). A relationship between moderate/vigorous physical activity during leisure time and distance to green space can also be found. Persons living more than 1 km from green space had higher odds of being obese (BMI ≥ 30) than those living less than 300 m from green space (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.08-1.71). Self-reported distance to green space is relate...
More and more Danish teachers have started introducing curriculum-based outdoor learning as a wee... more More and more Danish teachers have started introducing curriculum-based outdoor learning as a weekly or biweekly 'outdoor school' day for school children. This move towards schooling in non-classroom spaces presents a challenge for green space managers. Basic managerial knowledge related to what, who, when and where has thus far only been supported by anecdotal evidence, but seems fundamental to the decision-making of a range of green space providers. The present study aims to describe, characterise and discuss outdoor teachers' use, preferences and ecostrategies in relation to green space. A nationwide survey was conducted among Danish teachers practising outdoor teaching (107 respondents), and it showed that a majority used and preferred forest areas. The outdoor teachers used mainly school grounds and local green space for their outdoor teaching with a majority using the same place or mostly the same place and preferring natural environments with easy access. We recommend that green space managers try to accommodate the ecostrategy preferred by outdoor teachers, i.e. visits to local and well-known places.
Current research points to Personal Meaning Mapping (PMM) as a method useful in investigating stu... more Current research points to Personal Meaning Mapping (PMM) as a method useful in investigating students' prior and current science knowledge. However, studies investigating PMM as a method for exploring specific knowledge dimensions are lacking. Ensuring that students are able to access specific knowledge dimensions is important, especially in science teaching outside the classroom, where ''hands-on'' approaches and experiments are often part of teaching and require procedural knowledge, among other things. Therefore, this study investigates PMM as a method for exploring specific knowledge dimensions in formal science education integrating teaching outside the classroom. We applied a case study design involving two schools and four sixth-grade classes. Data were collected from six students in each class who constructed personal meaning maps and were interviewed immediately after natural science and technology lessons in the classroom, and again after experiencing teaching outside the classroom. Maps and interviews were analysed drawing on Bloom's revised taxonomy of educational objectives. Our findings show that PMM is highly useful for identifying and activating factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge and the subcategories of knowledge within these dimensions as well as metacognitive self-knowledge. However, as a method for identifying and activating procedural knowledge, it seems limited. Our analysis thus provides a novel understanding of the rigor of PMM for analysing students' science knowledge, which is of relevance for educators and researchers within science education.
Background: Movement integration (MI) into traditional classroom teaching is a promising opportun... more Background: Movement integration (MI) into traditional classroom teaching is a promising opportunity for children to increase physical activity (PA). Education outside the classroom (EOtC) can be regarded as MI, and has increased children's PA in case studies. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of EOtC on children's PA by segmenting weekly activity-related behavior into a range of day types and domains. Methods: In a quasi-experimental design, 33 classes were recruited and participants' PA was objectively measured using accelerometers taped to the lower back. In total, 361 (10.89 ± 1.03 years) participants with 7 days of 24 h wear time per day were included in a day type PA analysis, and 194 of these participants (10.46 ± 0.99 years) provided information on time spent in specific domains (e.g. EOtC or recess) and were included in a domain-specific PA analysis. Differences in proportion of time spent in PA intensities were tested using mixed-effects regression models.
Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in many large-sc... more Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in many large-scale physical activity (PA) studies. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the placement of the device, the determination of device wear time, and how to solve a lack of participant compliance. The aim of this study was to assess the compliance of Axivity AX3 accelerometers taped directly to the skin of 9-13-year-old children. Children in 46 school classes (53.4% girls, age 11.0±1.0 years, BMI 17.7±2.8 kg*m) across Denmark wore two Axivity AX3 accelerometers, one taped on the thigh (n=903) and one on the lower back (n= 856), for up to ten consecutive days. Participants were instructed not to reattach an accelerometer should it fall off. Simple and multiple linear regression were used to determine associations between accelerometer wear time and age, sex, BMI percentiles, and PA level. Over 65% had &amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;7 days of uninterrupted, 24h wear time for the thigh location, and 59.5% for the lower back location. From multiple linear regressions, PA levels showed the strongest association with lower wear time (thigh: β=-.231, R=.066; lower back: β=-.454, R=.126). In addition, being a boy, being older (only for lower back), and having higher BMI percentile were associated with lower wear time. Using skin-taped Axivity accelerometers, we obtained seven days of uninterrupted accelerometer data with 24h wear time per day with a compliance rate of more than 65%. Thigh placement resulted in higher compliance than lower back placement. Achieving days with 24h wear time reduces the need for arbitrary decisions regarding wear time validation, and most likely improves the validity of daily life PA measurements.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote schoolchildren&#... more Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote schoolchildren's learning, physical activity (PA), social relations, motivation, and well-being. EOTC activities are characterized by teachers using the local environment in their teaching, and involve innovative teaching methods, child-led approaches to problem-solving, experimentation, cooperation, PA, and play. EOTC has become common practice for many teachers in Scandinavia; however, only case studies have evaluated its impacts. The TEACHOUT study aims to evaluate the impacts of EOTC on Danish schoolchildren's PA, social relations, motivation, well-being, and learning. TEACHOUT is a quasi-experimental, cross-disciplinary study. Sixteen schools participated, containing 19 EOTC school classes and 19 parallel non-EOTC classes, with a total of 834 children aged 9 to 13 years. Measures of the children's social relations, motivation for school, well-being, and academic performance were collect...
Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching that has shown ... more Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching that has shown positive associations with children's physical activity and academic learning in small-scale case studies. The purpose of this large-scale quasi-experimental study was to determine if children who participate regularly in EOtC spend more time being physically active than children who do not. In the 2014/2015 study TEACHOUT, classes were recruited in pairs such that each EOtC class had a non-EOtC comparison class at the same school and grade level. Participants in 17 EOtC classes and 16 comparison parallel classes across Denmark wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer taped to the lower back for seven consecutive days. Data from 201 EOtC participants (63.3% girls, age 10.82 ± 1.05,) and 160 comparison participants (59.3% girls, age 10.95 ± 1.01) were analysed using an 'intention to treat' (ITT) approach. The amount of EOtC the participants were exposed to was monitored. Associations...
Background: Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching tha... more Background: Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a curriculum-based approach to teaching that has shown positive associations with children's physical activity and academic learning in small-scale case studies. The purpose of this large-scale quasi-experimental study was to determine if children who participate regularly in EOtC spend more time being physically active than children who do not. Methods: In the 2014/2015 study TEACHOUT, classes were recruited in pairs such that each EOtC class had a non-EOtC comparison class at the same school and grade level. Participants in 17 EOtC classes and 16 comparison parallel classes across Denmark wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer taped to the lower back for seven consecutive days. Data from 201 EOtC participants (63.3% girls, age 10.82 ± 1.05,) and 160 comparison participants (59.3% girls, age 10.95 ± 1.01) were analysed using an 'intention to treat' (ITT) approach. The amount of EOtC the participants were exposed to was monitored. Associations between time spent in different physical activity intensities and EOtC group and sex were assessed using generalised linear models adjusted for age. In a second analysis, we modified the sample using a 'per protocol' (PP) approach, only including EOtC and comparison class pairs where the EOtC class had >150 min and the comparison had <150 min of EOtC during the measured week. Results: On average, EOtC participants spent 8.4 (ITT) and 9.2 (PP) minutes more in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day than comparison participants (p < 0.05). However, EOtC boys spent 18.7 (ITT) and 20.8 (PP) minutes more in MVPA per day than comparison boys (p < 0.01), while there were no significant between-group differences for girls.
Introduction: Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in... more Introduction: Accelerometer-based physical activity monitoring has become the method of choice in many large-scale physical activity (PA) studies. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the placement of the device, the determination of device wear time, and how to solve a lack of participant compliance. The aim of this study was to assess the compliance of Axivity AX3 accelerometers taped directly to the skin of 9-to 13-yr-old children. Methods: Children in 46 school classes (53.4% girls, age 11.0 T 1.0 yr, BMI 17.7 T 2.8 kgIm j1) across Denmark wore two Axivity AX3 accelerometers, one taped on the thigh (n = 903) and one on the lower back (n = 856), for up to 10 consecutive days. Participants were instructed not to reattach an accelerometer should it fall off. Simple and multiple linear regressions were used to determine associations between accelerometer wear time and age, sex, BMI percentiles, and PA level. Results: More than 65% had 97 d of uninterrupted, 24-h wear time for the thigh location and 59.5% for the lower back location. From multiple linear regressions, PA levels showed the strongest association with lower wear time (thigh: A = j0.231, R 2 = 0.066; lower back: A = j0.454, R 2 = 0.126). In addition, being a boy, being older (only for lower back), and having higher BMI percentile were associated with lower wear time. Conclusion: Using skin-taped Axivity accelerometers, we obtained 7 d of uninterrupted accelerometer data with 24-h wear time per day with a compliance rate of more than 65%. Thigh placement resulted in higher compliance than lower back placement. Achieving days with 24-h wear time reduces the need for arbitrary decisions regarding wear time validation and most likely improves the validity of daily life PA measurements. A reliable and valid measure of children"s free-living physical activity (PA) applicable in large-scale studies is crucial when linking PA behavior to health outcomes, or when assessing the PA levels of a population or the effects of interventions aiming at increasing daily PA. As it is generally accepted that accelerometers are able to measure PA accurately for multiple days and provide information on PA intensity at any given time, they are widely used to quantify children"s free-living PA level and pattern (5). However, the reliability of the measurement is affected by both the attachment method and placement of the acceler-ometer(s) (20). To reflect real-life behavior and to diminish the effects of day-today variation, high-quality measurements require high wear compliance, in terms of many hours of wear time per day and a sufficient number of included days (1,11). Despite the importance of high compliance
Since children spend a large proportion of their time in institutional settings such as schools, ... more Since children spend a large proportion of their time in institutional settings such as schools, health promotion researchers have identified this as an important setting to promote physical activity (PA). Apart from physical education, PA could be integrated into the school curriculum in other ways. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether a school excursion to a museum can increase primary school students' PA and reduce sedentary time. One hundred and ten primary school students aged 12–13, from three Danish schools, wore accelerometers for four consecutive days, of which one consisted of an excursion day to a museum. While an increase in light physical activity and reduction in the amount of sedentary time was observed, students did not spend more time in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during the visit to the museum than on a regular school day. However, over the full excursion day, the students accumulated more MVPA. One school used active transportation to and from the museum, which contributed to significantly more MVPA compared to the other
We systematically searched five databases to assess the potential of concept mapping-based techno... more We systematically searched five databases to assess the potential of concept mapping-based technologies to promote self-regulated learning in science education. Our search uncovered 17 relevant studies that investigated seven different types of learning technologies. We performed a narrative analysis assessing how each technology affects self-regulated learning through cognitive, metacognitive, and motivation strategies, according to Schraw et al. (2006)'s model. We suggest concept mapping technologies may affect self-regulated learning through enhancing these strategies to varying degrees. Computer software was particularly useful for developing cognitive strategies through ease of use. Teaching agents were particularly useful for developing metacognitive strategies by coupling visualisation of knowledge patterns with performance monitoring, aided by a teaching metaphor. Finally, mobile devices and teaching agents were most effective in enhancing motivation. Effects on knowledge gains remain unclear due to small sample sizes.
Background: Since stakeholders' active engagement is essential for public health strategies to be... more Background: Since stakeholders' active engagement is essential for public health strategies to be effective, this review is focused on intervention designs and outcomes of school-and community-based noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention interventions involving children and young people. Methods: The review process was based on the principles of scoping reviews. A systematic search was conducted in eight major databases in October 2015. Empirical studies published in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were considered. Five selection criteria were applied. Included in the review were (1) empirical studies describing (2) a health intervention focused on diet and/or physical activity, (3) based on children's and young people's involvement that included (4) a relationship between school and local community while (5) providing explicit information about the outcomes of the intervention. The search provided 3995 hits, of which 3253 were screened by title and abstract, leading to the full-text screening of 24 papers. Ultimately, 12 papers were included in the review. The included papers were analysed independently by at least two reviewers.
Background: Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote scho... more Background: Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote schoolchildren's learning, physical activity (PA), social relations, motivation, and well-being. EOTC activities are characterized by teachers using the local environment in their teaching, and involve innovative teaching methods, child-led approaches to problem-solving, experimentation, cooperation, PA, and play. EOTC has become common practice for many teachers in Scandinavia; however, only case studies have evaluated its impacts. The TEACHOUT study aims to evaluate the impacts of EOTC on Danish schoolchildren's PA, social relations, motivation, well-being, and learning.
Background and purpose: Research in formative assessment often pays close attention to the strate... more Background and purpose: Research in formative assessment often pays close attention to the strategies which can be used by teachers. However, less emphasis in the literature seems to have been paid to study the application of formative assessment designs in practice. In this paper, we argue that a formative assessment design that we call Eva-Mapping, which is developed on the principles of design-based research, can be a productive starting point for disseminating and further developing formative assessment practices in outdoor science teaching. Sample, design and methods: We conducted an evaluation of the design, based on video-elicited focus group interviews with two groups of experienced science teachers. Both groups consisted of teachers who taught science outside the classroom on a regular basis. These groups watched identical video sequences which were recorded during lessons in which teachers applied the formative assessment design. These sequences focused on formative assessment in pairs, in small groups, or in whole class sessions. Afterwards, the teachers discussed each sequence. These discussions were audio recorded and later transcribed. The transcriptions were analysed using content analysis. Findings: By analysing the interview data, we identified two categories of context-determining factors that influenced the formative assessment design (namely, Resources or Lack of Resources and The Outdoors) and three mechanisms that influenced the assessment process (namely, Teacher Involvement, Structure in Peer Assessment and Knowledge Sharing). Finally, we identified four perceived outcomes of the formative assessment design: Enthusiasm, Knowledge Application, Acquirements and Insight into the Learning Processes. Conclusion: We suggest that knowledge within the identified categories can provide useful guidelines for the future development of formative assessment in science teaching that integrates the outdoors. This is because such knowledge forms part of teachers' perceptions regarding the acceptability and utility of the formative assessment design. In addition, our study contributes to evidence within an underexplored aspect of formal outdoor science education.
Keywords: Education outside the classroom Green space management Policy Teaching and learning out... more Keywords: Education outside the classroom Green space management Policy Teaching and learning outside the classroom Teacher training a b s t r a c t Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has the potential to increase children's learning, physical activity, social relations, school motivation, and well-being. In Denmark, EOtC has undergone a rapid development from a grassroots movement to part of a top-down reform in public schools. It is therefore pertinent to provide an update of the survey conducted by Bentsen et al. (2010) and a baseline to serve as the basis for evaluating future effects of policy intervention on EOtC. Based on a nationwide telephone survey of school leaders, this study shows an increase in Danish school classes practicing EOtC on a weekly or biweekly basis, from at least 14% of public and private/independent schools in 2007 to at least 17.9% of all public schools and 19.4% of all independent and private schools today. While the new school act appears to promote EOtC, we believe that teachers who are not familiar with this practice may lack the necessary competence to practice it. We argue that the widespread use of green space and nearby environment in teaching should be reflected in initial teacher training, connecting educational planning and green space management.
Policy makers in Denmark are increasingly recognising the potential health benefits associated wi... more Policy makers in Denmark are increasingly recognising the potential health benefits associated with green space, in particular with the use of green space. Knowledge on how green space is used, why it is used, and which factors influence its use, is becoming interesting for researchers, city planners and managers of green space. The present study is based on data from a nationwide study of 11 238 randomly selected adult Danes. Respondents were asked about the distance to four different types of green space, their frequency of use of each of these types of green space, and the main reasons for visiting green space. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between potential predictor factors and visits to green space at least a few times per week. Results show that 66.9% of the respondents live within 300 m of green space, 43.0% visit green space every day and 91.5% visit green space at least once a week. Only 0.9% never visit green space. To enjoy the weather and get fresh air is the most important reason for visiting green space for 87.2% of the respondents. Distance to green space is not a limiting factor for the majority of the Danish population and for that reason we recommend a thorough analysis of a neighbourhood or city, its population, and the available green spaces, before deciding on a viable strategy to increase the use of green space.
This study examines the relationship between distance to green space and the level of physical ac... more This study examines the relationship between distance to green space and the level of physical activity among the population of Denmark. In addition, the relationship between distance to green space and obesity is investigated. Data derived from the Danish National Health Interview Survey 2005, a cross-sectional survey based on a region-stratified random nationally representative sample of 21,832 Danish adults. All data are self-reported. Respondents living more than 1 km from green space had lower odds of using green space to exercise and keep in shape compared with persons living closer than 300 m to green space (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.60-0.83). A relationship between moderate/vigorous physical activity during leisure time and distance to green space can also be found. Persons living more than 1 km from green space had higher odds of being obese (BMI ≥ 30) than those living less than 300 m from green space (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.08-1.71). Self-reported distance to green space is relate...
More and more Danish teachers have started introducing curriculum-based outdoor learning as a wee... more More and more Danish teachers have started introducing curriculum-based outdoor learning as a weekly or biweekly 'outdoor school' day for school children. This move towards schooling in non-classroom spaces presents a challenge for green space managers. Basic managerial knowledge related to what, who, when and where has thus far only been supported by anecdotal evidence, but seems fundamental to the decision-making of a range of green space providers. The present study aims to describe, characterise and discuss outdoor teachers' use, preferences and ecostrategies in relation to green space. A nationwide survey was conducted among Danish teachers practising outdoor teaching (107 respondents), and it showed that a majority used and preferred forest areas. The outdoor teachers used mainly school grounds and local green space for their outdoor teaching with a majority using the same place or mostly the same place and preferring natural environments with easy access. We recommend that green space managers try to accommodate the ecostrategy preferred by outdoor teachers, i.e. visits to local and well-known places.
Increasing attention is being paid to the role of the outdoors as an important aspect of childhoo... more Increasing attention is being paid to the role of the outdoors as an important aspect of childhood internationally (Lester and Russell, 2010). This can be seen most clearly in industrial and post-industrial societies (e.g. Bentsen. Andkjaer and Ejbye-Ernst, 2009). In these, children’s contact with the natural world and outdoor environments has changed due to growing urban living conditions, risk and safety concerns, video games amongst other issues (for a popular-scientific overview see e.g. Louv, 2005). As children in industrialised countries spend a large amount of their childhood in school – approximately 14,000 hours from kindergarten to year 12 (Arbogast et al., 2009) – initiatives to take them outside and embed outdoor learning within the school system have been put forward as a solution to this disconnect from nature. Thus, outdoor learning as a part of day-care and school curriculum has received greater attention in industrialised societies in recent decades; however, countries are presently at very different stages in integrating outdoor learning in the school curriculum.
Brookes (2002) criticised the outdoor education field for consisting of predominately nationally informed interpretations, and Waite and Pleasants (2010) called for comparative perspectives on outdoor learning and drew attention to the importance of awareness of the impacts of culture on the fields of outdoor learning and on cultural differences within and between countries. There is a clear value in international and comparative perspectives as well as cross-national curriculum studies to raise awareness of the impacts of cultural differences within and between countries on learning outside the classroom and how challenges have been variously overcome.
This chapter takes a “global” view on learning outside the classroom and focuses on and discusses theoretical, cultural and practical aspects of learning outside the classroom from an international perspective. Due to space issues, the chapter provides only a broad introduction to four different examples of outdoor learning. One of our intentions is to show the diversity of possibilities which learning outside can offer, for example in schools and pre-schools. The starting point for this chapter is the globalisation of learning outside the classroom, calling attention to essential questions about what kind of, why, how, where, and by whom learning outside the classroom is enacted internationally. Theories in relation to globalisation and cultural perspectives are introduced and discussed. The summary of the chapter draws together the ideas and arguments made throughout and provides recommendations for future policy, practice and research that we hope will illuminate lessons across as well as within countries. Throughout the chapter, specific examples and case studies are provided of outdoor learning practices from countries around the world, and drawing particularly on insights from an Economic and Social Research Council International Partnerships award (ES/J019445/1) between colleagues in Australia, Denmark, England, and Singapore.
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Papers by Peter Bentsen
Brookes (2002) criticised the outdoor education field for consisting of predominately nationally informed interpretations, and Waite and Pleasants (2010) called for comparative perspectives on outdoor learning and drew attention to the importance of awareness of the impacts of culture on the fields of outdoor learning and on cultural differences within and between countries. There is a clear value in international and comparative perspectives as well as cross-national curriculum studies to raise awareness of the impacts of cultural differences within and between countries on learning outside the classroom and how challenges have been variously overcome.
This chapter takes a “global” view on learning outside the classroom and focuses on and discusses theoretical, cultural and practical aspects of learning outside the classroom from an international perspective. Due to space issues, the chapter provides only a broad introduction to four different examples of outdoor learning. One of our intentions is to show the diversity of possibilities which learning outside can offer, for example in schools and pre-schools. The starting point for this chapter is the globalisation of learning outside the classroom, calling attention to essential questions about what kind of, why, how, where, and by whom learning outside the classroom is enacted internationally. Theories in relation to globalisation and cultural perspectives are introduced and discussed. The summary of the chapter draws together the ideas and arguments made throughout and provides recommendations for future policy, practice and research that we hope will illuminate lessons across as well as within countries. Throughout the chapter, specific examples and case studies are provided of outdoor learning practices from countries around the world, and drawing particularly on insights from an Economic and Social Research Council International Partnerships award (ES/J019445/1) between colleagues in Australia, Denmark, England, and Singapore.