TY - JOUR

T1 - Potentials of physical activity promotion in preschools

T2 - an overview of results of an ethnographic observation

AU - Pape, Natalie

AU - Sterdt, Elena

AU - Azouagh, Karima

AU - Kramer, Silke

AU - Walter, Ulla

AU - Urban, Michael

AU - Werning, Rolf

N1 - The research project ‘Physical activity and social behaviour of preschool children – factors influencing health resources within the context of preschool and family’ was funded by the Lower Saxony Institute for Early Childhood Education and Development (nifbe) from 10/2010 to 12/2012. It was initiated by Leibniz Universität Hannover (Project Manager: Prof. Dr Rolf Werning) and Hannover Medical School (Project Manager: Prof. Dr Ulla Walter) and implemented in cooperation with the Goethe University Frankfurt (Project Manager: Prof. Dr Michael Urban).

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - This article addresses exemplary differences between preschools with systematic physical activity (PA) programmes and preschools without PA programmes in Germany. Two preschools from each group were visited in the context of a focused ethnographic observation to examine the educational practice, PA and social behaviour of preschool children. The observation showed that children engage in PA in preschool under certain conditions (e.g. a structure providing a wide range of PA offerings that can be selected according to interest). Potentials of PA promotion can also be seen in the areas of rule-teaching and the promotion of self-confidence in children. A structure-providing policy in conjunction with the provision of exercise rooms and the promotion of children’s independence seem to have special influence on the social behaviour of children. Promoting children’s independence serves to strengthen the children’s sense of self-efficacy and may contribute to improving their social skills and reducing the burden on teachers.

AB - This article addresses exemplary differences between preschools with systematic physical activity (PA) programmes and preschools without PA programmes in Germany. Two preschools from each group were visited in the context of a focused ethnographic observation to examine the educational practice, PA and social behaviour of preschool children. The observation showed that children engage in PA in preschool under certain conditions (e.g. a structure providing a wide range of PA offerings that can be selected according to interest). Potentials of PA promotion can also be seen in the areas of rule-teaching and the promotion of self-confidence in children. A structure-providing policy in conjunction with the provision of exercise rooms and the promotion of children’s independence seem to have special influence on the social behaviour of children. Promoting children’s independence serves to strengthen the children’s sense of self-efficacy and may contribute to improving their social skills and reducing the burden on teachers.

KW - ethnography

KW - physical activity (PA)

KW - preschool

KW - qualitative methods

KW - social behaviour

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84977642788&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/1350293X.2016.1189724

DO - 10.1080/1350293X.2016.1189724

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84977642788

VL - 24

SP - 581

EP - 591

JO - European Early Childhood Education Research Journal

JF - European Early Childhood Education Research Journal

SN - 1350-293X

IS - 4

ER -