A systematic review of the affective benefits of physical education and school sport for children and adolescents

Background and purposeHealth benefits within the affective domain have attracted increased attention in physical education and school sports in recent years. A preliminary descriptive literature review showed that motivation,... [ view full abstract ]

Background and purpose

Health benefits within the affective domain have attracted increased attention in physical education and school sports in recent years. A preliminary descriptive literature review showed that motivation, perceived competence, attitude, pleasure, interest, enjoyment and body image have been examined frequently as outcomes of the affective domain. Nevertheless, existing literature on the affective domain has not yet been analysed from a pedagogical perspective. This study will provide a systematic review of the affective benefits of physical education and school sport in youth within the contexts of learning, teaching, and lesson content, which Kirk et al. (2006) consider as key elements of pedagogy.

Methods

We will conduct a literature search using five electronic databases in accordance with the PRISMA statement (Moher et al., 2009). Peer-reviewed studies published in English (from January 2008 until December 2017) that examined the affective benefits of physical education and school sports for children and adolescents, will be included. Studies that did not provide aspects of teaching, learning or content will be excluded. Selected articles will be coded to synthesise the following information: purpose, design/method, theory/model, sample description, setting, and pedagogical elements (e.g., teacher behaviour, learning goals, activities/content).

Main Findings

We anticipate providing current evidence of the benefits of physical education and school sports within the affective domain of health. Furthermore, we expect to show findings on the effects of teaching and learning features, and lesson/programme content on the affective outcomes in children and adolescents.

References

Kirk, D., MacDonald, D., & O'Sullivan, M. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of physical education. Sage.

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7).