The Impact of Service-Learning on the Prosocial and Professional Competencies in Undergraduate Physical Education Students and Its Effect on Fitness in Recipients.

Education is a key component of the student's transformation towards the creation of a more sustainable future. Among the methodological adaptations in teaching-learning processes, Service-Learning (SL) stands out as a meaningful academic experience to respond to social needs by developing committed citizens to transform society. The aim of the present study was to analyze the impact of this SL program on prosocial competence and satisfaction levels in university students, enhance physical fitness and analyze the reflections of the recipients. Moreover, the reflections on SL of the students and the migrants were analyzed. A mixed-methods design was performed. Forty-five students of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences provided a service to a migrant group that consisted of physical fitness training. The instruments implemented were the Prosocial and Civic Competence, the Impact of Service-Learning During Initial Training of Physical Activity and Sports and the reflective diary. The recipients participated in a physical fitness assessment and in a group discussion. The results show that SL in PAH contributes to pedagogical, communication, wellbeing and intercultural competences and also improves their prosocial and civic attitudes. Moreover, the recipients could enhance their physical fitness and their social interaction.

Towards a more sustainable future: simple recommendations to integrate planetary health into education.

This Personal View presents recommendations aimed at integrating planetary health into various stages of education, which are simple but effective, and designed with teachers in training and those who have not yet considered how to incorporate UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development into their teaching practice. However, the constantly evolving nature of the Education for Sustainable Development programme must be recognised, and the importance of being able to adapt teaching methods to meet the changing needs of students as they progress through their educational journey should be highlighted. Therefore, this Personal View considers the cognitive, social, and ethical evolution of students and offers specific recommendations for preschool, primary, secondary, and university education levels. We recommend that educators should focus on teaching students to critically evaluate data on sustainability and to develop innovative solutions to environmental challenges. We also highlight the importance of incorporating practical projects, using active methods that promote skills related to caring for the planet, or the importance of situated learning that attends to the particularities of each context. In this way, students can develop skills and values that contribute to a more sustainable future. The recommendations made here aim to provide educators and researchers with simple but effective ways to integrate planetary health into education.

Boosting Student's Motivation through Gamification in Physical Education.

Students are becoming less motivated towards current education. For this reason, teachers are investigating several innovative methodologies to learn how they affect student motivation, such as gamification. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of gamification on the motivation of elementary physical education students. A total of 72 elementary school students from two different Spanish elementary schools participated (38 boys and 34 girls), separated into a gamified group (n = 35) and a control group (n = 37). Ten gamification sessions were performed using a technological app called ClassDojo. The gamified proposal was based on both a PBL model and an MDA model. A questionnaire, "Motivation Questionnaire in Physical Education" (CMEF-EP) was used to measure the motivation of the students before and after the intervention. An increase was observed in all the variables for the gamified group: intrinsic motivation (p < 0.001), identified regulation (p < 0.001), introjected regulation (p = 0.001), and external regulation (p = 0.002), except for the amotivation (p = 0.120). No changes were observed in the control group. A significant interaction effect over time was seen only for intrinsic motivation for the gamified group versus the control group (F(1) = 5.263; p = 0.025; η2 = 0.070). The results show the efficacy of gamification to increase the motivation of elementary physical education students. However, it does not decrease amotivation. This will enable the subject to contribute to achieving the United Nations' proposed Sustainable Development Goal 4, which is to 'Improve Quality Education'.

Gamification as a Pedagogical Model to Increase Motivation and Decrease Disruptive Behaviour in Physical Education.

The application of gamified learning in physical education is becoming increasingly popular. The aim of this work was to compare the effects of gamification versus traditional methodology to check whether there were differences in the attitudes of the students. A quasi-experimental design study was carried out. The sample consisted of 66 students in Secondary Education. Three questionnaires, POSQ (Perception of Success), BPN (Basic Psychological Needs) and CCDEF (Disruptive Behaviour in Physical Education), were used in both groups before and after carrying out each proposal. Firstly, an independent samples Student's t-test was performed. The results showed significant final differences in all variables except two: competence (p = 0.068) and aggressiveness (p = 0.136). Secondly, a paired samples t-test was performed. In this case, the control group showed a significant decrease in the variables task orientation (p = 0.004) and autonomy (p < 0.001). According to the experimental group, all variables showed significant differences (p < 0.05), except for two, competence (p = 0.223) and aggressiveness (p = 0.056). Therefore, it was concluded that, with the gamified learning, the students expressed higher levels of task orientation, all BPNs and lower levels of disruptive behaviours than the students who were subjected to the traditional methodology. This kind of intervention can help to improve the quality of education as set out in the SDGs through Quality Education.

Integrating Mindfulness into the Subject of Physical Education-An Opportunity for the Development of Students' Mental Health.

Stress, uncertainty, and the abuse of technologies are components that have a negative impact on the physical, social, and psychological health of young people. One of the aims of the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is to empower individuals to reflect on their actions, and mindfulness arises as one tool with an important potential to contribute on this matter. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effects of mindfulness practices on the ability of students to focus their attention on external, internal or kinesthetic factors, awareness in acting, and acceptance. Consequently, a quasi-experimental study was developed to compare groups between the pre and post condition. The study participants were a total of 127 students (52 women) from 4th year of secondary school and 1st year of a achelor's degree (16.5 ± 1.5 years). The sample was assigned by academic convenience, with 54 students in the experimental group and 73 in the control group. The intervention was carried out for 4 weeks. During this period, the experimental group participated in mindfulness activities such as guided meditations at the end of the PE session or challenges that stimulated the student in daily actions. The control group continued with the planned programming in physical education class. These groups were subjected to the following test: (1) Mindfulness for School Scale (MSS) and (2) Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). To analyze the results, the normality of the sample was evaluated through the Mann-Whitney U test, resulting as non-parametric. The search for possible differences between the groups was carried out by using the Wilcoxon test. The statistics showed that the experimental group presented significant improvements (p ≤ 0.05) in most of the measured parameters: external attention, kinesthetics attention, and mean of the CAMM. These results seem to show that the use of mindfulness could be an appropriate tool to be implemented in the school context in order to directly contribute to the mental health of high school students, and thus to an education for the sustainable development.

Effects of Self-Construction of Materials on the Ecological Awareness of Physical Education Primary School Students.

Physical Education (PE) has unique features to expand the students' sustainability awareness. Being active in natural environments has been described as an opportunity to contribute on this matter. However, there is lack of related research. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a didactic proposal for PE based on the self-construction of materials on the ecological awareness of primary school students. A total of 111 students participated in this quasi-experimental study that lasted 4 weeks (eight sessions). The Mann-Whitney U test was applied for comparisons between groups, experimental and control, (SELF vs. CON) on two factors (PRE and POST). No significant differences were observed in any of them (p ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, to compare the data from the pre and post questionnaires within the same group (PRE vs. POST), the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used. No significant differences in any of the groups were observed (p ≤ 0.05). Although SELF improved on some scores such as reusing things after picking up litter from yards, the differences were not significant. This could be explained by the brevity of the intervention. These results could contribute to increasing research on the integration of sustainability in PE.

Effect of Physical Exercise Program Based on Active Breaks on Physical Fitness and Vigilance Performance.

The scientific literature has shown the beneficial effects of chronic Physical Exercise (PE) on a wide range of tasks that involve high-order functioning. For this reason, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of active breaks on physical fitness and vigilance performance in high school students through eight weeks of physical training. A total of 42 healthy students (age = 16.50 ± 0.59 years; height = 171.08 ± 8.07 cm; weight = 67.10 ± 13.76 kg) from one Andalusian high school (Spain) were assigned for convenience and matched into two groups, a Control Group (CG) and an Active-Break Group (ABG). The ABG performed two active breaks (based on strength and self-loading exercises) during the school day, first at 10:00 a.m. and second at 12:30 p.m. The participants were assessed before and after the training program using the Alpha-Fitness test battery and the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT). Significant differences were observed in the post-training PVT results, compared with the pretraining PVT, showing ABG responding faster than CG. Thus, the presents study demonstrated that eight weeks of physical training affects vigilance performance (compared to CG) and improves the efficiency of vigilance in high school students, contributing to enhancement of quality of education.

Sustainable Development Goals and Physical Education. A Proposal for Practice-Based Models.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a global strategy that aims to obtain a more equitable and just world. These objectives are organized into 17 SDGs, detailing 169 targets. Different international institutions have emphasized the relevance of education to developing citizens who contribute to achieving the SDGs for 2030. However, a review focused on physical education (PE) has yet to be performed. Therefore, the objective of this work is two-fold. First, to analyze and select the specific SDGs that can be implemented in the area of physical education. Second, to relate these specific goals to the different models based on physical education practices. This review showed how three institutional documents have previously related sport, physical exercise, and physical education to specific SDGs. Based on the search done, this review article selects those goals that could be integrated into the educational context through physical education. The bibliographic and critical analysis in this research shows that of the 169 specific goals proposed in the SDGs, only 24 could be worked on in physical education. Upon completion of the analysis, a proposal for the relationship between the practice-based models and these 24 goals is presented. The contributions made in this paper will allow teachers to establish links between PE sessions and SDGs while raising awareness to develop students who contribute to a more sustainable world.

Physical activity recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a practical approach for different target groups.

INTRODUCTION: Ensuring health and well-being during this pandemic is essential according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Physical exercise has an important role in the preservation of the immune system, which is vital to prevent infections. To promote physical exercise and maintain a healthy status, recent studies have suggested general exercise routines to be implemented during the quarantine period. However, to improve the health-related physical fitness components, any specific prescription should include intensity, volume, duration, and mode. Controversy persists about which is the best intensity of physical activity, while performing exercise at a moderate intensity could bring important benefits to asymptomatic people. High intensity or unaccustomed exercise should be restricted for older people, and for people of all ages with chronic diseases or compromised immune system, obesity, or upper respiratory tract infection with limited symptoms. Besides, physical activity guidelines should be particular to each population group, giving special consideration to those vulnerable to COVID-19 who are much more likely to suffer more self-isolation. Therefore, the present study is to provide specific physical activity recommendations for different populations during this pandemic.

INTRODUCCIÓN: En este periodo de pandemia es vital garantizar la salud y el bienestar según indican los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la ONU. El ejercicio físico desempeña un papel importante en la mejora del sistema inmunológico, siendo vital en la prevención de infecciones. Por todo ello, se recomienda la realización de actividad física de manera regular para preservar la salud mental, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, metabólica y endocrina. Para promover el ejercicio físico y mantener un estado saludable, estudios recientes han sugerido que se apliquen rutinas generales de actividad física durante el período de cuarentena. Sin embargo, para mejorar los componentes de la aptitud física relacionados con la salud, la prescripción específica debe matizar la intensidad, el volumen, la duración y el modo. Se ha detectado cierta controversia acerca de cuál es la intensidad adecuada de la actividad física durante el periodo de pandemia, ya que la realización de ejercicios de intensidad moderada podría aportar importantes beneficios. Se debería ser cauteloso con el ejercicio de alta intensidad en las personas no entrenadas o incluso limitarse en los grupos de riesgo. Se deben establecer pautas de actividad física adaptadas para cada grupo de población, prestando especial consideración a los vulnerables a la COVID 19, ya que tienen más probabilidades de volver a aislarse. Por lo tanto, el presente estudio proporciona recomendaciones específicas de actividad física para diferentes poblaciones y su estado de condición física durante esta pandemia.