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ERIC Number: EJ818684
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-8543
EISSN: N/A
Physical Activity of Children Ages 6-8: The Beginning of School Attendance
Fromel, Karel; Stelzer, Jiri; Groffik, Dorota; Ernest, James
Journal of Research in Childhood Education, v23 n1 p29 Fall 2008
This study investigated the physical activity (PA) levels of 6- to 8-year-old children over a seven-day period. The participants consisted of 35 girls and 36 boys in kindergarten and 113 girls and 131 boys in 1st grade. Physical activity (PA) is defined as "any body movement produced by skeletal muscles resulting in energy expenditure" and measured in this study using a Caltrac accelerometer. In addition to the data produced by the accelerometer, a detailed activity log was kept for each participant. The results revealed no statistically significant difference in PA levels between kindergarten and 1st-grade participants, F(1, 311) = 1.16, p = 0.282. However, boys were more physically active than girls F(1, 311) = 66.10, p less than 0.001, [omega] [superscript 2] = 0.17, and the level of PA was higher on school days than on free days for both sexes, F(1, 311) = 20.45, p less than 0.001, [omega] [superscript 2] = 0.06. Finally, the data on the children's PA at school strongly supports the importance of physical education lessons (PE lessons) and recess periods in the daily school routine. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)
Association for Childhood Education International. 17904 Georgia Avenue Suite 215, Olney, MD 20832. Tel: 800-423-3563; Tel: 301-570-2111; Fax: 301-570-2212; e-mail: headquarters@acei.org; Web site: http://www.acei.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 1; Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Poland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A