Search Results (6)

Background: This study developed and validated the Aquatic Competence Assessment for Children (ACA-C), an instrument designed to measure personal aquatic competence index in children aged 6 to 12 years. Aquatic competence is essential for water safety and the promotion of healthy habits, yet few validated tools integrate its multiple dimensions. The ACA-C is based on an ecological approach, considering the interaction between the child and various aquatic environments, both artificial (swimming pools) and natural (seas, rivers, and lakes). It is structured into three dimensions: aquatic literacy, drowning prevention, and environmental education, facilitating its application in diverse contexts. Methods: The ACA-C was validated using the Delphi method, with experts in aquatic education and safety. Kendall’s W coefficient of concordance was employed to measure the level of agreement among judges, ensuring rigorous criteria for item selection. Additionally, pilot studies were conducted with children in controlled aquatic environments to refine the instrument’s structure and content. Results: The results demonstrated high reliability and validity of the ACA-C for assessing children’s aquatic competence. This tool enables the identification of both actual and perceived competence levels, guiding pedagogical strategies for improvement. The inclusion of environmental education reinforces a comprehensive approach, fostering safety, responsible decision making, and enjoyment of aquatic environments. Conclusions: This study provides a validated instrument for use in educational and preventive contexts, contributing to water safety and well-being. Full article

In today’s world, the importance of preserving the environment has become increasingly evident. As a result, more sustainable solutions and techniques are being developed to combat environmental destruction. Higher education institutions are now including environmental themes in their technological courses to promote sustainable behavior and indirectly enhance environmental literacy among the population. This study aims to evaluate the level of literacy to biotechnological solutions for environmental sustainability in four areas, namely Air Pollution, Aquatic Pollution, Global Warming, and Energy Resources. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a sample consisting of 471 individuals of both genders, age range between 15 and 78 years old, to collect data characterizing the sample and assess their literacy in environmental issues. The questionnaire was distributed in Portugal, and the participants were asked to indicate their level of agreement with several statements related to the aforementioned environmental themes. The findings suggest that literacy regarding biotechnological solutions for environmental sustainability is influenced by age group and academic qualifications. The age group above 65 years old is the one with the lowest levels of literacy, exhibiting frequencies of response I don’t know exceeding 50% in 10 out of the 22 issues present in the questionnaire. The findings also suggest that the levels of literacy are higher in the thematic areas of Global Warming and Aquatic Pollution and lower in the thematic areas of Air Pollution and Energy Resources, with lower levels of literacy in the issues that have not been widely disseminated by the media. Additionally, a model based on Artificial Neural Networks was presented to predict literacy to biotechnological solutions for environmental sustainability. The proposed model performs well, achieving accuracy rates of 90.8% for the training set and 86.6% for the test set. Full article

Background: Swimming and the skills associated with participation in the aquatic environment tend to be an integral part of the movement literacy complex. Non-participation then affects the safety of movement in the aquatic environment and may also be the reason for the limitation of movement, psychological, and social development compared to peers. Methods: This study is a single-subject research study. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a seven-week intervention program of the Halliwick method in the development of aquatic skills, gross motor skills, and mental skills relevant for aquatic competence for children with autism spectrum disorder. Seven children with autism spectrum disorder participated in swimming classes for a two-week baseline period and a seven-week intervention program of the Halliwick method, one time per week. To measure the effect in the field of aquatic skills, we used the Alyn Water Orientation Test 1. To determine the level of gross motor skills, we used the Gross Motor Function Measure test. Results: There was an improvement in aquatic skills and gross motor skills in seven participants; two of them did not improve in mental adjustment oriented to the breathing control sections in the water. Full article

Children between the ages of 4–6 years represent the population most affected by drowning accidents, while their early involvement in physical activity, and more specifically in aquatic activities is a key factor in their future physical life journey. The systematic review’s purpose was to identify aspects in the intervention’s studies with children and/or their parents that had a significant impact on the Aquatic Literacy (AL) dimensions mentioned as motor, psychological, affective, and cognitive. The PICO method was used to define the research question and PRISMA checklist searched for articles in nine databases: Cochrane, Embase, ERIC, ProQuest, PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria were: (1) English language, (2) primary research, (3) population of 4–6 year old children or their parents, (4) intervention study design, and (5) results related to at least one of the AL domains. The strength of evidence and the risk of bias were assessed. Results showed relatively poor number of studies for such a vulnerable population regarding the drowning risk (n = 8 for parents and n = 14 for children intervention). Studies did not show a consensus on which educational approach was more beneficial than others. Concerning parental education, results were rather homogeneous, especially concerning the theoretical frameworks employed and the relevancy to include parents in swimming programs. The development of pedagogical tools for promotion and evaluation, based on the AL theoretical framework, could help to clarify the question of “how to teach” children to prevent drowning and engage young children in long-term physical activities. Full article

As children’s actual aquatic skills are important for the prevention of drowning as well as their engagement in lifelong aquatic physical activity, researchers and practitioners should be able to assess this vital concept accurately and reliably. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the Actual Aquatic Skills Test (AAST), consisting of 17 different test items for the assessment of young children’s motor competence in the water. Six raters received a training and evaluation session on scoring the AAST, after which five of them assessed four test videos (of various children (n = 38) performing the test items) twice, with one to two weeks in between (i.e., test and re-test). Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were determined per test video and for the different AAST test items across videos using Gwet’s Agreement Coefficient 2 (Gwet’s AC2). The Gwet’s AC2 for inter-rater reliability at the test varied from 0.414 to 1.000, indicating a moderate to perfect agreement between raters. For intra-rater reliability, it ranged from 0.628 to 1.000, demonstrating a good to perfect agreement between test and re-test scoring. In conclusion, the AAST is a promising tool to reliably assess young children’s actual aquatic skills in an indoor swimming pool. Full article

The goal of swimming school during early school age is to promote physical literacy. According to linear or non-linear pedagogy, a linear or non-linear approach teaching style can be used. The aim of our study was to investigate whether a different teaching methodology, as in using a teacher-centered approach (linear pedagogy), or a student-centered approach (non-linear pedagogy), could differently influence the perceptions of aquatic activity of children and parents. Parents of 100 children (53 females and 47 males, age 5.9 ± 0.3 years old) participating in the study were previously interviewed to ascertain their expectations regarding the swimming course. Participants were in a medium-high social context. Subsequently, considering the data of the incoming aquatic motor competence’s tests, children were divided into a linear (LI) and non-linear (NL) pedagogy group. A total of 4 instructors were enrolled. Upon completing the swimming course, the aquatic motor competence’s test was repeated, a pictorial scale of perceived motor competence was administered, and a questionnaire regarding the course was proposed to children’s parents. Physical development and learn to swim resulted two of the most important reasons leading parents to choose swimming courses. LI achieved greater progress than the NL in actual motor competence (A.M.C.), while NL perceived a higher aquatic motor competence (P.M.C.) in 7 out of 10 items of the pictorial scale. Parents of children in LI, gave greater importance to the teacher’s role, while NL’s parents pointed the acquisition of children’s abilities as pivotal. In conclusion, NL approach was more appreciated by children, while LI method was more rewarding for parents because initial expectations were satisfied. Full article