Abstract
The greatest challenge for sports policy is not getting children involved but maintaining the involvement of teenagers and young adults. Research consistently cites that young adolescent teenagers (especially females) are at the greatest risk of dropping out of physical activity (Lunn et al. 2013; Woods et al. 2010). Some of the main reasons cited are lack of enjoyment, or not willing to take part in team activities. To this end there is a move towards individual activities (mainly personal exercise).
This small scale pilot project run in partnership 3rd year students from the BA in Sports, Exercise & Enterprise in DKIT along with the Louth Local Sports Partnership (LLSP) seeks to engage teenage girls in physical activity by instructing participants in circuit based exercises over a 6 week period. Nutritional advice and healthy eating guidance was also provided to participants. This took place in a local girl’s secondary school with 60 participants each week.
DKIT students created instructional videos and an Instagram page (see_fitness_dkit) which acted a repository for videos that the girls could access to re-do their sessions at home and for nutritional advice which was taken from safefood.eu.
Initial feedback from participants and teachers is positive. Students enjoyed the classes and they also engaged with the Instagram page. Many indicated that they watched the videos multiple times and made the meals which were suggested on the Instagram page.
Students liked that they could view and review the videos at a time and place of their choosing. Many indicated that they re-did their circuit sessions at home following the videos. Almost all participants had an Instagram account and quite a few chose to follow the page. The use of Instagram as an instructional video repository is a useful way to communicate with this target population.
The teachers liked the circuit activities which were age and stage appropriate, and the simple instructional videos that the DkIT students created. They plan to use this format in their school in the future.
DkIT along with the Louth LSP plan to roll this project out to other Secondary school in the academic year 2018-2019.
Keywords
Students as Partners, Instagram, Video Instruction, Circuit training, Nutrition.
References:
Lunn, P., Kelly, E. and Fitzpatrick, N., 2013. Keeping them in the game: Taking up and dropping out of sport and exercise in Ireland. Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) Research Series.
Woods, C., Moyna, N. and Quinlan, A., 2010. The children’s sport participation and physical activity study (CSPPA study).
Topics: Innovations and Design in Online and Blended Learning , Topics: Students as Partners
