Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) Physical Education: Meeting the needs of Irish teachers and students in second-level schools

Y-PATH (Youth- Physical Activity Towards Health) is a school-based physical literacy programme. The programme focuses on developing fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency and knowledge of health-related activity, through... [ view full abstract ]

Y-PATH (Youth- Physical Activity Towards Health) is a school-based physical literacy programme. The programme focuses on developing fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency and knowledge of health-related activity, through quality physical education (PE) classes to improve levels of youth physical activity (PA). The programme, which began in 2010, has been extensively evaluated through a 2-year cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) (N = 600), and has been shown to be effective in positively influencing PA participation, and the FMS proficiency of second-level students. The purpose of the current study was to refine and extend the existing Y-PATH programme in order to maximise its potential for meeting the needs of students and PE teachers, particularly in the wake of a changing curricular framework in Ireland.

Twenty six PE teachers piloted elements of the programme with first and second year students (n = 1,020) across 9 schools. Following this pilot phase, focus group interviews were used to evaluate teachers’ experiences of implementing the programme. Questionnaires were also used to assess student learning, and their opinions of PE during the Y-PATH intervention period. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings highlight positive outcomes for Y-PATH, including programme design, the variety of activities, the inclusion of visual aids for lesson plans, and the content’s alignment with the new Junior Cycle Wellbeing framework. Barriers to the implementation of Y-PATH include an over-reliance on resource cards, and the increased amount of teacher preparation time required for lesson delivery. A number of recommendations for the Y-PATH programme were conveyed, particularly in relation to time and organisation, and year 2 of the programme content.

Findings provide a solid platform for Y-PATH to align closely with the new curricular landscape for PE in Ireland, in accordance with the needs of teachers and students.