The Impact of an 8-Weeks At-Home Physical Activity Plan on Academic Achievement at the Time of COVID-19 Lock-Down in Italian School
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Method
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Participants
2.3. Procedures
2.4. Measures
2.4.1. Motor Tests
- Standing long jump test, a valid, reliable and easy to administer test used to assess explosive leg power [28].
- Harvard Step test, a test used to measure endurance [29].
- Sit and reach test, a common measure of flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles. It requires three measurements, and the score is the average reached by the three distances [30].
- Butt kicks test, a test used to measure the athlete’s speed of movement execution [31].
2.4.2. Body Mass Index (BMI)
2.4.3. Amos 8–15 Questionnaire
- Study approach questionnaire (QAS);
- Study strategies questionnaire (QS1 e QS2);
- Convictions questionnaire (QC1I, QC2F, QC3O) and attributions questionnaire (QCA);
- Objective study tests.
Study Approach Questionnaire (QAS)
Objective Study Tests
- Choice of titles: this measures the student’s ability to identify the most important events in the text. They should select, from an 8-title list, the 3 most meaningful. The system for calculating the score uses 1 point for each valid title.
- Open questions: the student is asked to answer 6 open questions about the text studied. The system for calculating the score uses 1 to 3 points to assess the accuracy of the response.
- True/False questions: the student is asked to answer true or false to 12 questions. They evaluate the student’s ability to understand and remember specific information. The system for calculating the score uses 1 point for each correct answer, 0 points for an answer not given, and −1 for each incorrect answer.
2.4.4. Grades
2.4.5. Exercise Training Intervention
2.4.6. Statistical Analysis
Results
Motor Tests
BMI
Study Approach Questionnaire QAS
Objective Study Tests
3. Discussion
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Week | Main Exercise |
---|---|
1 | Complete 2 sets of 12 repetitions: Jumping rope, skaters, jumping jacks, standing x crunches, chair squats, knee push-ups, knee planks (hold for 20 s), standing shoulder presses, forward lunges, step-ups, sit-ups, donkey kicks. |
2 | Complete 2 sets of 12 repetitions: Lateral toe taps, mountain climbers, side reach jacks, reverse lunges, squats, bicep curls, plank and drag (hold for 20 s), tricep dips, hip bridges, russian twists, crunches, half burpees. |
3 | Complete 2 sets of 15 repetitions: High knees, criss-cross jacks, x hops, alternating lateral lunges, squat punches, full plank (hold for 30 s), push-ups and reach, single-arm rows, straight leg jackknifes, single-leg glute bridges, overhead seated leg lifts, burpees. |
4 | Complete 2 sets of 15 repetitions: Lateral shuffle floor taps, bench runners, sit-outs, punch jacks & knee pumps, walking plank (hold for 30 s), triceps overhead extensions, T push-ups, raised-leg sit-ups & claps, half burpees & plank jacks, straight-leg sit-ups, walking lunges, sumo squats. |
5 | Complete 2 sets of 15 repetitions: Banded vertical jacks, fast-feet drops, knee pumps to overhead jacks, shoulder tap plank (hold for 40 s), alternate V-sits, Burpees 180° Jumps, leg lifts, diagonal squats, hip thrust single-arm reaches, hover leg extensions, walking push-ups, scissors. |
6 | Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions: X mountain climbers, knee to elbow-toe touches, beast shoulder taps, dumbbell thrusters, lay-down push-ups, walkout burpees, wall hip thrusts, bicycle crunches, bottoms-up lunges, hip drive step-ups, rear-foot-elevated split squats, flutter kicks. |
7 | Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions: Running in place, power skips, star jumps, drop squats, plyometric woodchoppers, x plank (hold for 50 s), hip thrusts, side step-ups, knee-tap burpees, bent-leg raises, heel taps, pike push-ups. |
8 | Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions: Fast feet, broad jumps, spiderman burpees, side plank & hold (hold for 60 s), dumbbell seesaw presses, knee back to knee raises, reaching oblique crunches, marching hip lifts, single-leg sit-to-stands, dumbbell squatscleans, single-leg deadlifts, glute-bridges and hamstring rolls, ab rollbacks. |
Experimental Group (n = 15) | Control Group (n = 15) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baseline | Post-Test | Δ | Baseline | Post-Test | Δ | |
Motor Tests | ||||||
Standing long jump test | 1.5 (0.11) | 1.57 (0.10) †* | 0.06 (0.03) | 1.46 (0.09) | 1.44 (0.09) | −0.01 (0.02) |
Harvard step test | 74 (4.14) | 81.73 (5.36) †* | 7.73 (3.41) | 76.53 (3.29) | 72.73 (6.09) | −3.8 (4.64) |
Sit and reach test | 18.93 (2.31) | 23.33 (2.66) †* | 4.4 (1,29) | 18.8 (2.04) | 17.06 (2.25) | −1.73 (1.86) |
Butt kicks test | 82. 8 (11.71) | 92.2 (12.32) †* | 9.4 (4.82) | 82.86 (11.55) | 78.33 (9.61) | −4.53 (6.82) |
Amos 8–15—QAS Questionnaire | ||||||
Motivation | 15.6 (1.50) | 18.66 (1.58) †* | 3.06 (1.43) | 15.33 (1.39) | 14.53 (1.55) | −0.8 (1.26) |
Organisation | 15.2 (1.37) | 18.2 (1.74) †* | 3 (1.69) | 15.26 (1.27) | 14.8 (1.56) | −0.46 (1.24) |
Didactic material development | 15.66 (1.34) | 15.46 (1.68) | −0.2 (1.47) | 15.93 (1.53) | 15.73 (2.25) | −0.2 (1.85) |
Study flexibility | 15.73 (1.62) | 18.53 (1.76) †* | 2.8 (1.82) | 14.93 (1.16) | 14.33 (1.34) | −0.6 (0.98) |
Concentration | 14.33 (1.54) | 18.06 (1.83) †* | 3.73 (1.70) | 14.2 (1.65) | 14.06 (1.33) | −0.13 (1.18) |
Anxiety | 18.26 (1.66) | 15.06 (1.90) †* | −3.2 (1.52) | 18.2 (1.56) | 19.13 (1.35) | 0.93 (1.22) |
Attitude towards school | 15.53 (1.59) | 15.26 (1.86) | −0.26 (1.09) | 15.93 (1.03) | 15.46 (1.59) | −0.46 (1.35) |
Amos 8–15—Objective Study Tests | 19 (2.26) | 25.93 (2.60) †* | 6.93 (2.12) | 19.6 (2.19) | 17.2 (2.45) | −2.4 (2.89) |
BMI percentile median (QR) Ω | 74.00 (13.55) | 67.86 (15.21) †* | −6.13 (5.12) | 61.83 (20.61) | 67.47 (16.52) | 5.63 (5.82) |
References
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Week | Main Exercise |
---|---|
1 | Complete 2 sets of 12 repetitions: Jumping rope, skaters, jumping jacks, standing x crunches, chair squats, knee push-ups, knee planks (hold for 20 s), standing shoulder presses, forward lunges, step-ups, sit-ups, donkey kicks. |
2 | Complete 2 sets of 12 repetitions: Lateral toe taps, mountain climbers, side reach jacks, reverse lunges, squats, bicep curls, plank and drag (hold for 20 s), tricep dips, hip bridges, russian twists, crunches, half burpees. |
3 | Complete 2 sets of 15 repetitions: High knees, criss-cross jacks, x hops, alternating lateral lunges, squat punches, full plank (hold for 30 s), push-ups and reach, single-arm rows, straight leg jackknifes, single-leg glute bridges, overhead seated leg lifts, burpees. |
4 | Complete 2 sets of 15 repetitions: Lateral shuffle floor taps, bench runners, sit-outs, punch jacks & knee pumps, walking plank (hold for 30 s), triceps overhead extensions, T push-ups, raised-leg sit-ups & claps, half burpees & plank jacks, straight-leg sit-ups, walking lunges, sumo squats. |
5 | Complete 2 sets of 15 repetitions: Banded vertical jacks, fast-feet drops, knee pumps to overhead jacks, shoulder tap plank (hold for 40 s), alternate V-sits, Burpees 180° Jumps, leg lifts, diagonal squats, hip thrust single-arm reaches, hover leg extensions, walking push-ups, scissors. |
6 | Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions: X mountain climbers, knee to elbow-toe touches, beast shoulder taps, dumbbell thrusters, lay-down push-ups, walkout burpees, wall hip thrusts, bicycle crunches, bottoms-up lunges, hip drive step-ups, rear-foot-elevated split squats, flutter kicks. |
7 | Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions: Running in place, power skips, star jumps, drop squats, plyometric woodchoppers, x plank (hold for 50 s), hip thrusts, side step-ups, knee-tap burpees, bent-leg raises, heel taps, pike push-ups. |
8 | Complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions: Fast feet, broad jumps, spiderman burpees, side plank & hold (hold for 60 s), dumbbell seesaw presses, knee back to knee raises, reaching oblique crunches, marching hip lifts, single-leg sit-to-stands, dumbbell squatscleans, single-leg deadlifts, glute-bridges and hamstring rolls, ab rollbacks. |
Experimental Group (n = 15) | Control Group (n = 15) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baseline | Post-Test | Δ | Baseline | Post-Test | Δ | |
Motor Tests | ||||||
Standing long jump test | 1.5 (0.11) | 1.57 (0.10) †* | 0.06 (0.03) | 1.46 (0.09) | 1.44 (0.09) | −0.01 (0.02) |
Harvard step test | 74 (4.14) | 81.73 (5.36) †* | 7.73 (3.41) | 76.53 (3.29) | 72.73 (6.09) | −3.8 (4.64) |
Sit and reach test | 18.93 (2.31) | 23.33 (2.66) †* | 4.4 (1.29) | 18.8 (2.04) | 17.06 (2.25) | −1.73 (1.86) |
Butt kicks test | 82. 8 (11.71) | 92.2 (12.32) †* | 9.4 (4.82) | 82.86 (11.55) | 78.33 (9.61) | −4.53 (6.82) |
Amos 8–15—QAS Questionnaire | ||||||
Motivation | 15.6 (1.50) | 18.66 (1.58) †* | 3.06 (1.43) | 15.33 (1.39) | 14.53 (1.55) | −0.8 (1.26) |
Organisation | 15.2 (1.37) | 18.2 (1.74) †* | 3 (1.69) | 15.26 (1.27) | 14.8 (1.56) | −0.46 (1.24) |
Didactic material development | 15.66 (1.34) | 15.46 (1.68) | −0.2 (1.47) | 15.93 (1.53) | 15.73 (2.25) 2.25 | −0.2 (1.85) |
Study flexibility | 15.73 (1.62) | 18.53 (1.76) †* | 2.8 (1.82) | 14.93 (1.16) | 14.33 (1.34) | −0.6 (0.98) |
Concentration | 14.33 (1.54) | 18.06 (1.83) †* | 3.73 (1.70) | 14.2 (1.65) | 14.06 (1.33) | −0.13 (1.18) |
Anxiety | 18.26 (1.66) | 15.06 (1.90) †* | −3.2 (1.52) | 18.2 (1.56) | 19.13 (1.35) | 0.93 (1.22) |
Attitude towards school | 15.53 (1.59) | 15.26 (1.86) | −0.26 (1.09) | 15.93 (1.03) | 15.46 (1.59) | −0.46 (1.35) |
Amos 8–15–Objective Study Tests | 19 (2.26) | 25.93 (2.60) †* | 6.93 (2.12) | 19.6 (2.19) | 17.2 (2.45) | −2.4 (2.89) |
BMI percentile median (QR) Ω | 74.00 (13.55) | 67.86 (15.21) †* | −6.13 (5.12) | 61.83 (20.61) | 67.47 (16.52) | 5.63 (5.82) |
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Latino, F.; Fischetti, F.; Cataldi, S.; Monacis, D.; Colella, D. The Impact of an 8-Weeks At-Home Physical Activity Plan on Academic Achievement at the Time of COVID-19 Lock-Down in Italian School. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115812
Latino F, Fischetti F, Cataldi S, Monacis D, Colella D. The Impact of an 8-Weeks At-Home Physical Activity Plan on Academic Achievement at the Time of COVID-19 Lock-Down in Italian School. Sustainability. 2021; 13(11):5812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115812
Chicago/Turabian StyleLatino, Francesca, Francesco Fischetti, Stefania Cataldi, Domenico Monacis, and Dario Colella. 2021. "The Impact of an 8-Weeks At-Home Physical Activity Plan on Academic Achievement at the Time of COVID-19 Lock-Down in Italian School" Sustainability 13, no. 11: 5812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115812