Teacher acceptability of physically active learning in UK secondary schools – a mixed methods study

Background:
Physically active learning (PAL), where movement is integrated into curricular lessons, is a promising approach to address insufficient physical activity amongst UK adolescents, especially those who encounter participation barriers outside school. Studies have largely focussed on primary schools; little is known about PAL in UK secondary schools.

Purpose:
To explore, using mixed-methods, the acceptability of PAL for UK secondary school teachers, and their delivery preferences, perceived implementation barriers and facilitators.

Methods:
Cross-sectional data were collected from UK secondary teachers via online survey (N=75). In addition to descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to examine differences by gender and school types (urban/rural, state-funded/independent), and Kruskal-Wallis tests for differences by subject. Qualitative data on teachers’ current teaching practice, PAL acceptability, and perceived barriers and facilitators, collected through open survey questions (N=63), and online teacher interviews (N=7), were analysed using the framework method.

Results
Using a scale of 1.0 (strong disagreement) to 5.0 (strong agreement), participants liked the concept of PAL (median 4.0, IQR 4.0,5.0) and would use PAL if it was school policy (median 4.0, IQR 3.5,5.0). Female participants were more certain that PAL should be implemented than male (U=361.5, p=0.04). Languages teachers found PAL appropriate for their subject more than humanities and social science teachers (U=6, p=0.01). Four main themes were generated: (1) ‘It’s time for a change’; (2) ‘PAL seems like common sense’; (3) ‘Is PAL realistic in secondary schools?’, including concerns around academic pressures and (4) ‘Recommendations for implementation’, highlighting a collaborative, whole-school approach.

Conclusions:
This study indicated UK secondary teacher acceptability of PAL, with PAL felt to be a logical, enjoyable tool to contribute to education system improvement and benefit pupils, if appropriately implemented.

Practical implications:
Further research into UK secondary school PAL is warranted. These findings can inform future research and intervention development.

Funding:
N/A