Parents’ Perceptions of a University-based Children’s Physical Activity Program
Mots-clés :
Physical literacy, experiential learning, university-based programming, health promotionRésumé
Physical inactivity has been called a crisis facing Canadian children and youth. Universities play a role in addressing this crisis; training future health professionals and educators and offering publicly accessible programming, such as physical activity programming. This study evaluates a children’s university-based physical activity program. A mixed-methods design was employed, capturing parents’ experience within the program through an online survey and one-on-one interviews. Participants felt that the program offered a safe place for their children to learn about their abilites while developing social and physical skills. Parents spoke to the importance of offering a quality program in an inclusive environment which could benefit both the university and community. Universities that have appropriate facilities are in a position to provide physical activity programming for their communities, offering potential learning opportunities for students and impacting health and physical activity levels of the community.
Keywords:physical literacy; physical education; health promotion; university-based programming; experiential learning
RÉSUMÉ
Les enfants et les jeunes Canadiens vivent ce qu’il est convenu d’appeler une crise de l’inactivité physique. Les universités jouent un rôle dans la résolution de cette crise par leur engagement dans la formation de professionnels de la santé, d’éducateurs et en offrant des programmes d’activité physique ouverts aux enfants. Cette étude a pour but d’évaluer un tel programme offert à des enfants dans des installations universitaires. Une approche mixte de recherche a permis de décrire l’expérience de parents dans ce programme: un questionnaire en ligne et une entrevue individuelle. Les participants estiment que le programme offre un endroit sécuritaire à leurs enfants pour développer leurs habiletés tant physiques que sociales. Les parents mentionnent l’importance d’offrir un programme de qualité dans un environnement inclusif au bénéfice de la communauté et de l’université. Les universités disposant d’installations appropriées peuvent offrir des programmes d’activité physique à leur communauté, ouvrant ainsi la porte à des occasions d’apprentissage pour les élèves, ce qui peut influencer la santé et le niveau d’activité physique de cette communauté.
Mots clés: littératie physique; éducation physique; promotion de la santé; programmation en milieu universitaire; apprentissage expérientiel
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