Effectiveness of accelerated reader on children's reading outcomes: A meta-analytic review.

Accelerated reader (AR) is a computerized reading program commonly used in schools. The program aims to enhance students' reading achievement and encourage students to read more through goal setting and frequent reading practice. A meta-analytic review of the AR was conducted to analyse its effectiveness as an evidence-based intervention for improving student reading achievement, attitude, and motivation. This study investigated potential moderating variables, including publication type, participant, and study characteristics that impact student reading outcomes. A total of 44 studies from peer-reviewed journal articles and dissertations met the inclusion criteria. Participants included 16,653 students enrolled in elementary, middle, and high school. Hedges' g effect sizes measures suggest pretest-posttest one-group AR studies have moderate effects (g = 0.541) while comparison group AR studies have marginal effects (g = 0.278). A meta-regression model of six potential categorical moderators of comparison group studies indicted no significant moderators. Implications and the need for further research regarding evidence-based and culturally appropriate reading interventions are discussed.

Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents: a novel combination of a systematic review and recommendations from an expert panel.

OBJECTIVE: To summarise the current evidence on the effects of physical activity (PA) interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children, and formulate research priorities and recommendations. DESIGN: Systematic review (following PRISMA guidelines) with a methodological quality assessment and an international expert panel. We based the evaluation of the consistency of the scientific evidence on the findings reported in studies rated as of high methodological quality. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, ERIC, and SPORTDiscus. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: PA-intervention studies in children with at least one cognitive or academic performance assessment. RESULTS: Eleven (19%) of 58 included intervention studies received a high-quality rating for methodological quality: four assessed effects of PA interventions on cognitive performance, six assessed effects on academic performance, and one on both. All high-quality studies contrasted the effects of additional/adapted PA activities with regular curriculum activities. For cognitive performance 10 of 21 (48%) constructs analysed showed statistically significant beneficial intervention effects of PA, while for academic performance, 15 of 25 (60%) analyses found a significant beneficial effect of PA. Across all five studies assessing PA effects on mathematics, beneficial effects were reported in six out of seven (86%) outcomes. Experts put forward 46 research questions. The most pressing research priority cluster concerned the causality of the relationship between PA and cognitive/academic performance. The remaining clusters pertained to PA characteristics, moderators and mechanisms governing the 'PA-performance' relationship and miscellaneous topics. CONCLUSION: There is currently inconclusive evidence for the beneficial effects of PA interventions on cognitive and overall academic performance in children. We conclude that there is strong evidence for beneficial effects of PA on maths performance.The expert panel confirmed that more 'high-quality' research is warranted. By prioritising the most important research questions and formulating recommendations we aim to guide researchers in generating high-quality evidence. Our recommendations focus on adequate control groups and sample size, the use of valid and reliable measurement instruments for physical activity and cognitive performance, measurement of compliance and data analysis. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017082505.

A meta-analysis of the relationship between children's physical activity and mental health.

The present study was a comprehensive, quantitative synthesis of the literature examining the effects of physical activity on children's mental health outcomes. The final analysis included 73 published and unpublished studies, totaling 246 effect sizes. Various study and participant characteristics were coded to assess moderator effects, including type of physical activity, mental health outcome, gender, cognitive ability, mental status, and implementer of the physical activity, etc. Results demonstrated varying effects depending on the methodology of the examined study [i.e., correlational vs. randomized controlled trial (RCT)/non-RCT] and characteristics of the participants, although overall effects of physical activity on children's mental health were small but significant, indicating that on average physical activity led to improved mental health outcomes for all children.

Stability balls and students with attention and hyperactivity concerns: implications for on-task and in-seat behavior.

We evaluated the effects of stability balls on in-seat and on-task behavior of students with attention and hyperactivity concerns. A group of 8 students in the 4th and 5th grades was observed 3 times/wk for 12 wk using a single-subject A-B continuous time-series design. We analyzed data collected from standardized measures and classroom observations for mean differences across pre- and postintervention phases. Results of the stability ball intervention revealed increased levels of attention, decreased levels of hyperactivity, and increased time on task and in seat or on ball. Findings from the social validity questionnaire demonstrated that teachers preferred the stability balls over chairs. This study provides additional evidence for the effectiveness of stability balls in the general education classroom for children who exhibit difficulties with attention and hyperactivity.

Long-Term Trends of Participation in Physical Activity During Adolescence With Educational Ambition and Attainment.

BACKGROUND: Insufficient physical activity is a significant concern because a growing body of research demonstrates that physical activity during adolescence has numerous benefits on physical health, mental health, and educational achievement. A less-studied area of physical activity research is how physical activity participation in adolescence relates to educational and career aspirations and attainment. METHODS: Using the Add Health dataset consisting of over 15,000 participants, this study addressed several research questions relating to the long-term benefits of habitual physical activity in adolescence. Physical activity levels in adolescence and associations with activity participation in later adolescence and young adulthood were explored as were relationships with physical activity participation in adolescence and educational ambition and attainment in young adulthood. Moderator variables including adolescent sex, race, and age were also examined. RESULTS: Results indicated several significant relationships between physical activity in adolescence and future physical activity and educational attainment outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Given short- and long-term benefits of physical activity, school personnel and parents should ensure children are meeting the required activity guidelines for children and find ways to keep children active as they approach adolescence.

Academic-Based and Aerobic-Only Movement Breaks: Are There Differential Effects on Physical Activity and Achievement?

PURPOSE: This study investigated the academic achievement and physical activity differences between types of activity breaks implemented in elementary school classrooms. This study evaluated whether there was a difference between the impact of purely aerobic-based movement breaks and the impact of academic-based breaks on children's academic achievement outcomes. METHOD: Participants included 460 children in 3rd grade through 5th grade at 4 elementary schools. There were 176 children in the schools that engaged in academic-based breaks and 284 in the schools that engaged in aerobic-only breaks. Schools were randomly assigned at the school level to implement either aerobic movement breaks with academic content infused within the breaks ("academic-based breaks") or aerobic-only movement breaks without the addition of academic material ("aerobic-only breaks") for approximately 10 min of activity per day. Math and reading achievement as well as children's step counts were measured before and after the intervention. A mixed-effects (multilevel-growth) model, in which the repeated measures of individuals nested within a classroom are analyzed, was used to answer all posited research questions. RESULTS: Small to moderate effect sizes (ES) indicating gains in reading achievement (ES = .13) and steps (ES = .33) were found for classrooms that used aerobic-only movement breaks compared with those that used academic-based breaks. CONCLUSIONS: The type of movement breaks that are implemented in classrooms may have differential outcomes for children's achievement and activity levels. Results from the present study indicate that children who were given aerobic-only movement breaks had slightly larger gains in reading achievement and physical activity levels than children who were given academic-based breaks.

Does psychotherapy work with school-aged youth? A meta-analytic examination of moderator variables that influence therapeutic outcomes.

The present study is a quantitative synthesis of the available literature to investigate the efficacy of psychotherapy for children's mental health outcomes. In particular, this study focuses on potential moderating variables-study design, treatment, client, and therapist characteristics-that may influence therapeutic outcomes for youth but have not been thoroughly accounted for in prior meta-analytic studies. An electronic search of relevant databases resulted in 190 unpublished and published studies that met criteria for inclusion in the analysis. Effect sizes differed by study design. Pre-post-test designs resulted in absolute magnitudes of treatment effects ranging from |-0.02| to |-0.76| while treatment versus control group comparison designs resulted in absolute magnitudes of treatment effects ranging from |-0.14| to |-2.39|. Changes in youth outcomes larger than 20% were found, irrespective of study design, for outcomes focused on psychosomatization (29% reduction), school attendance (25% increase), and stress (48% reduction). The magnitude of changes after psychotherapy ranged from 6% (externalizing problems) to 48% (stress). Several moderator variables significantly influenced psychotherapy treatment effect sizes, including frequency and length of treatment as well as treatment format. However, results did not support the superiority of a single type of intervention for most outcomes. Implications for therapy with school-aged youth and future research are discussed.

How Food as a Reward Is Detrimental to Children's Health, Learning, and Behavior.

BACKGROUND: Despite small- and wide-scale prevention efforts to curb obesity, the percentage of children classified as overweight and obese has remained relatively consistent in the last decade. As school personnel are increasingly pressured to enhance student performance, many educators use food as a reward to motivate and reinforce positive behavior and high achievement. Yet, many educators have missed the link between student health and academic achievement. METHODS: Based on a review of the literature, this article explores the link between childhood obesity and adverse mental and physical health, learning, and behavior outcomes. The role in providing children with food as a reward in the relationship between obesity and detrimental health and performance outcomes are examined. RESULTS: The use of food as a reward is pervasive in school classrooms. Although there is a paucity of research in this area, the few studies published in this area show detrimental outcomes for children in the areas of physical health, learning, and behavior. CONCLUSIONS: It is imperative that educators understand the adverse outcomes associated with using food as a reward for good behavior and achievement. This study provides alternatives to using food as a reward and outlines future directions for research.

Incorporating physical activity into the schools using a 3-tiered approach.

BACKGROUND: Public health models have been used to address a number of school-based concerns, notably in the identification and treatment of students at-risk for academic or behavioral deficits. Significant benefits are associated with this model as, compared to a traditional approach, the focus is shifted from remediation to prevention, and from student pathology to student strengths. METHODS: Although this model has been applied to multiple populations and used across a variety of settings, it has yet to be conceptualized as a framework for the integration of school-based physical activity (PA). RESULTS: This article first reviews the public health service delivery model as well as the benefits of PA on children's physical health, mental health, and cognitive outcomes. Second, suggestions for incorporating PA into the schools using a 3-tiered system and as barriers to success are discussed. CONCLUSION: School-based PA is a promising tool-and yet an overlooked and undervalued intervention-for a number of concerns applicable to children's academic achievement and overall mental health.

The effects of physical activity and physical fitness on children's achievement and cognitive outcomes: a meta-analysis.

It is common knowledge that physical activity leads to numerous health and psychological benefits. However; the relationship between children's physical activity and academic achievement has been debated in the literature. Some studies have found strong, positive relationships between physical activity and cognitive outcomes, while other studies have reported small, negative associations. This study was a comprehensive, quantitative synthesis of the literature, using a total of 59 studies from 1947 to 2009 for analysis. Results indicated a significant and positive effect of physical activity on children's achievement and cognitive outcomes, with aerobic exercise having the greatest effect. A number of moderator variables were also found to play a significant role in this relationship. Findings are discussed in light of improving children's academic performance and changing school-based policy.