A web course for PE teachers didn't get students to plan or try more
No differenceThe short version
A web course for PE teachers on choice, clear feedback and warmth didn't get students to plan or try more.
- 115
- Estonian 11- to 15-year-olds and their parents
- Randomised
- groups picked at random
- Self-rated
- people rated themselves
The study
Who took part
115 students in grades 6 and 7 in Estonia, aged about 12 on average, each with one parent. Schools, not students, were put into groups, and only the 72 students who filled in all four questionnaires were counted.
What they did
PE teachers, parents or both took a 4-week online course at their own pace. Each week they watched 5 or 6 short videos on giving children choices, clear feedback and a listening ear. Then they did a quiz and wrote in a forum. In the other schools, teachers and parents carried on as usual.
What happened
The teachers' course did not change how much students planned or tried to be active in their free time. It did make students feel more able to be active and like the idea more. The parents' course changed nothing, and fewer than half the parents did the weekly quizzes.
What the study found
- No difference
A web course for PE teachers on choice, clear feedback and warmth didn't get students to plan or try more.
Randomised trial of 115 Estonian 11- to 15-year-olds and their parents · vs students whose teachers taught as usual · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; many people dropped out; only counted people who finished; summary claims more than the results show
- Helped
Students whose PE teachers took the web course felt more able to be active in their free time.
Randomised trial of 115 Estonian 11- to 15-year-olds and their parents · vs students whose teachers taught as usual · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; many people dropped out; only counted people who finished; summary claims more than the results show
- No difference
The same online course given to parents didn't change how much their children planned or tried to be active.
Randomised trial of 115 Estonian 11- to 15-year-olds and their parents · vs children whose parents carried on as usual · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; many people dropped out; only counted people who finished; summary claims more than the results show
How solid is this?
- Groups picked at random
- People rated themselves
- Whole groups were assigned, not people
- Many people dropped out
- Only counted people who finished
- Summary claims more than the results show
Source
Web-based intervention program to foster need-supportive behaviors in physical education teachers and parents: a cluster-randomized controlled study to increase students’ intention and effort to engage in physical activity (2025)
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22590-x (opens in a new tab)
