The Development, Short-Term Efficacy, and Pilot Implementation of an e-Learning Course in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour for Pre-Service Early Childhood Educators
Abstract
The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to develop an e-Learning course in physical activity and sedentary behaviour and test its short-term efficacy and implementation among pre- and in-service early childhood educators (ECEs). The Delphi approach was adopted for Study 1, wherein a panel of international experts in physical activity and sedentary behaviour suggested topics for the course and, together with a panel of ECE experts, rated their importance. Study 2 employed a pre-post design to explore the changes in pre- and in-service ECEs’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural intention, and perceived behavioural control following course completion. Study 3 quantitatively and qualitatively examined the pilot implementation of the course and gathered participants’ perspectives.
In Study 1, 19 unique content areas were recommended for inclusion in the e-Learning course by 26 physical activity and sedentary behaviour experts. After pooling importance ratings with the ECE expert panel (n = 35), Outdoor Play was considered the top-rated area, while Monitor Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Your Classroom had the lowest combined rating. Overall, inter-panel agreement of content area importance rankings was moderate-to-strong (rs = .60; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.83).
Results from Study 2 demonstrated that the e-Learning course significantly increased pre-service (n = 32) and in-service (n = 121) ECEs’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related knowledge (p < .05) and barrier self-efficacy (p < .025), as well as in-service ECEs’ task self-efficacy (p < .025). In-service ECEs also exhibited significant improvements in their behavioural intention (p < .007) and perceived behavioural control (p < .007), while only certain behaviours showed significant change among pre-service ECEs.
Findings from Study 3 indicated that pre- and in-service ECEs demonstrated moderate-to-high fidelity to the e-Learning course intervention (67.6% and 62.8% completion, respectively), and communicated that they enjoyed the course. Despite reporting some challenges (e.g., technology issues, lengthy modules), participants were very pleased with the content, useability, and compatibility of the e-Learning course. In conclusion, the successful pilot implementation of the expert-developed e-Learning course provides evidence of scalability to wider populations.