Physical Activity Levels of

Finnish School-Aged

Children

Lía Gómez Domínguez

Master’s Thesis in Education Master’s Degree Programme in Teaching and Learning

(TLearn) Faculty for Education and Welfare Studies Åbo Akademi University

Vaasa, 2021

Supervisor: Emmanuel Acquah

1

Abstract

Aim: The main aim of this study was to understand the levels of physical activity among Finnish school-aged

children (4th to 6th graders) during a school week. Other aims of the study were to analyse which are the most

common sports among Finnish school-aged children and if there are any gender differences as well as to

understand whether the amount of physical activity is sufficient in order for them to carry out a healthy lifestyle

and to try to detect the main obstacles that prevent the children from having a more active lifestyle.

Method: The participants of the study were a total of 236 school-aged children between 10 and 13 years old.

Among the sample, 125 participants were males, 107 were females, and four identified as “other”. Five different

schools around the region of Ostrobothnia in Finland participated in the research: School A (91 participants),

School B (71 participants), School C (33 participants), School D (23 participants) and School E (18 participants).

The data collection instrument used was the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) by Kowalski

et al. (2004) with a slight adaptation of the annexation of one more gender option (male/female + other). The

questionnaire was translated into the students’ mother tongues (Swedish and Finnish). The data analysis of the

quantitative data was executed with SPSS (version 26) and it was inductively coded, categorised and analysed

(content analysis) with the qualitative data analysis software of NVivo.

Results: The descriptive statistics showed that the general mean activity score for the sample was 2.9 according

to the PAQ-C scoring (5 points scale); more specifically, the mean activity score for males was 2.95 (n = 125) and

2.92 (n = 107) for females. The activity levels during physical education lessons were high (M = 4.35), during

recess time, a 50.8% of the sample did not engage with any kind of physical activity and a large part of the sample

(>40% of the sample) affirmed that they do not engage in sufficient physical activity during the school day. The

most habitual time of the day for practising sports was during the evenings (n = 236, M = 2.99, σ = 1.22). Students

affirmed that during their free time, they practised sports around two or three times during a normal week (n =

236, M = 2.90, σ = 1.17), the least active days were Friday and Monday and the most active days Wednesday and

Sunday. Regarding sport choice, it was clear that the most practised sport is cycling. A total of 75 .80% of the

sample carried out their regular physical activity, however, something hindered the other students to practise their

normal levels of physical activity. No correlations between genders were found, nonetheless, a positive significant

correlation between age (r (235) = 0.22, p = 0.00) and physical activity was found.

Conclusions: It is widely demonstrated that regular physical activity has health- related short-term and long-term

benefits. Evidence from this study showed that the physical activity levels of Finnish school-aged children (10-

13-year-olds) are insufficient; therefore, measures to counteract this situation are needed. However, it was also

demonstrated that external motivation among Finnish teachers and Finnish institutions (through programmes such

as On the Move) is ample; nevertheless, since students have negative and apathetical attitudes towards physical

activity, the fundamental challenge from now on is to grow intrinsic motivation in the students. Last, it is important

to highlight that this paper has given account for the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the pupils’ levels of

physical activity.

Key words: Physical activity, Physical education, Finland, school-age children, Finnish schools, covid-19.

2

Index

1. Introduction 4

1.1. Physical Activity (PA) Among School-Aged Children: Frequency, Intensity and

Duration 6

1.2. The Importance of PA 8

1.3. Schools’ Role in the Promotion of PA 11

1.5. Current PA Situation: The Impact of Covid-19 18

2. Method 19

2.1. Participants 19

2.2. Methods and Procedures 20

2.3. Data Analysis 21

2.4. Ethical Considerations 23

3. Results 24

3.1. Descriptive Data 24

3.2. Comparisons between the Students' Levels of PA and Gender and Grade. 29

3.3. Correlations 38

3.4. Qualitative Data 40

4. Discussion 41

5. Conclusion 50

6. References 52

3

List of Tables

Table 1: Evidence Profiles ......................................................................................................... 8

Table 2: Summary of Physical Health Benefits ....................................................................... 10

Table 3: Gender Specific Scores on the PAQ-C before and during Covid-19 Pandemic...….19

Table 4: Gender and Grade of the Sample………...…………………………………………19

Table 5: Descriptive Statistics……………..…………………………………………………25

Table 6: ANOVA – Gender Effect on PA levels ..................................................................... 30

Table 7: Descriptives - Levels of PA during Recess and Gender ............................................ 31

Table 8: Post hoc test - Levels of PA during Recess and Gender............................................ 31

Table 9: ANOVA - Grade and PA Levels ............................................................................... 32

Table 10: Descriptives - Levels of PA in the Evenings and Grade ......................................... 33

Table 11: Post-Hoc Test - Levels of PA in the Evenings and Grade ....................................... 33

Table 12: ANOVA - Levels of PA and School ........................................................................ 34

Table 13: Descriptives - Levels of PA and School .................................................................. 35

Table 14: Post hoc test - Levels of PA in the Evenings and School ........................................ 36

Table 15: Correlations.............................................................................................................. 39

Table 16: Summary of PA Recommendations......................................................................... 41

Table 17: Ranking of Countries regarding the Children and Youth Overall PA Levels ......... 42

List of Figures

Figure 1: Crosstab of the Different Schools and Grades ......................................................... 20

Figure 2: PAQ-C Score of the Sample ..................................................................................... 22

Figure 3: Students’ PA Levels during the Different Days of the Week .................................. 26

Figure 4: Frequency of different sports’ practise ..................................................................... 26

Figure 5: Students PA Levels in School .................................................................................. 28

Figure 6: Representation of Students that were Prevented from Doing their Regular PA ...... 29

Figure 7: Barriers to PA ........................................................................................................... 40

Abbreviations used:

AT: Active transportation

BMI-for-age: Body mass index-for-age

CBPA: Classroom-based physical activity

MI: multicomponent approach that includes movement integration

PA: Physical activity

PE: Physical education

WHO: World Health Organisation

4

1. Introduction

More than 60% of the world’s population does not engage adequately in physical activity (PA)

(WHO, 2020). In this day and age, articles, reports, statistics and surveys reveal that school-

aged children’s PA levels are not sufficient in order for them to keep a healthy lifestyle

(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018; Novotná & Slováková, 2016; Bull et al.,

2020; da Costa Mata et al., 2018). For instance, according to the National Institute for Health

and Welfare (THL) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (2020), only 50% of all

primary education students reach the PA recommendations. It is important to highlight that in

this paper, a “healthy lifestyle” is understood as a healthy way of living, which includes the

non-consumption of drugs or other harmful substances, getting enough sleep, eating healthy

and carrying out 60 min of PA every day.

The lack of an active lifestyle can lead to terrible consequences both in the short and

the long term (WHO, 2021; Lee et al., 2012; Arocha-Rodulfo, 2019). The increasingly

sedentary behaviours are concerning issues that affect everyone (Organización Mundial de la

Salud, 2020; Bull et al., 2020), and one of the main health consequences due to the lack of PA

is overweight and obesity (WHO, 2021). According to the systematic analysis done by Ng et

al. (2014), the number of overweight and obese individuals increased from 857 million in 1980

to 2. 1 billion in 2013, a rise in cases that leads to a threatening and dangerous situation. In

their cross-sectional study carried out in Tampere, Vuorela, Saha, and Salo (2009) give proof

of this alarming situation, demonstrating that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among

12-year-old Finnish students had increased considerably between 1986 and 2006. Specifically,

there was a 1.8-fold increase among boys (p < 0.001) and a 1.5-fold increase among girls (p =

0.008).

A dissertation by Häkkänen (2021) provided evidence that the prevalence of overweight

among Finnish school-aged children keeps on increasing. Their survey showed that in 1st

grade, 12% of the sample was classified as enduring obesity (weight by height classification)

and that in 6th grade, the count increased to 21%, therefore leading to an increase of 9% in only

five years (Häkkänen, 2021). Because of the increasing numbers of overweight and obese

individuals, there are many researchers around the world, such as Ferretti and Mariani (2017),

the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine et al. (2019) and Ryan et al.

(2021), who consider overweight and obesity a global pandemic.

5

Apart from overweight and obesity, not getting enough PA has other abounding

implications that can put human health at risk. For instance, according to the WHO (2021),

people who carry out an insufficient amount of PA have a 20% to 30% higher risk of premature

death in comparison to people who are sufficiently active. Insufficient PA can also lead to a

cardio- metabolic risk such as hypertension (Ekelund et al., 2012) and other diseases, such as

major non-communicable diseases, i.e. coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer

and colon cancer (Lee et al., 2012; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2018).

There are many benefits of PA beyond welfare at a physical level positively

contributing also to mental and emotional health and brain function s (Piercy et al. 2018); this

will be discussed and widely analysed later on in this paper. However, despite all the benefits

that PA has in all stages of life, the lifestyle and routines of a person are set early in life.

Therefore, the incorporation of PA already during the childhood is crucial (Gibson‐Moore,

2019; Nath Sinha, 2020). During these early stages of life, it is when the personality and

behaviours of a person are and it is essential to start to form a healthy way of living from the

beginning (Novotná & Slováková, 2016; Ramírez-Clavijo et al., 2013).

There are several areas in the promotion of PA in school-aged children that must be

considered in order to be able to achieve a healthy lifestyle in all school-aged children:

• The influence of the family and the creation of active family routines (Gilic et al., 2020).

• In-school interventions for the promotion of PA (Yuksel et al., 2020).

• Implementations of the promotion of PA in the curriculum (Nathan et al., 2020).

• The role of the physical education (PE) teacher (Grygoriy Griban et al., 2020).

• The role of the classroom teacher to include PA throughout the lessons (Webster et al.,

2020).

• The promotion of active transportation to and from school (Devarajan et al., 2020).

• The participation in organised sports together with the enhancement of PA programs in

schools (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018).

The overarching aim of the present research is to comprehend the PA state of school-

age children in Finland to be able to analyse the system and help for a betterment of the

situation. Furthermore, an analysis of the school-reality to understand the teachers’ job on

promoting and increasing PA in students will be carried out. Finally, an investigation about the

6

impact that the pandemic of the COVID-19 virus has had among students regarding their

practise of PA in the schools will be developed. The specific aims of the study are listed below:

- To understand the PA frequency levels of Finnish 4th to 6th graders among Finnish

school-age children.

- To understand if there are any gender or age differences related to PA levels among

Finnish 4th to 6th graders.

- To learn about the most common sports among Finnish 4th to 6th graders.

- To understand Finnish 4th to 6th graders PA practise during school hours: PE subject,

recesses and lunch break (after having lunch).

- To understand Finnish 4th to 6th graders PA practise outside school: after school, in the

late afternoons/evenings and weekends.

- To understand the impact of COVID on the PA practise of school-aged children.

1.1. Physical Activity (PA) Among School-Aged Children: Frequency, Intensity and

Duration

One of the most important things in order for school-aged-children to be able to keep a healthy

lifestyle is to practise sufficient PA (Novotná & Slováková, 2016). It is essential that the PA

those children carry out is not limited to simple movements, but it should include aerobic

activities at least three days per week (for instance, running, hiking, skating, cycling and

jumping, among others) as well as other activities to strengthen muscles and bones also at least

three days per week (for instance doing sit-ups, push-ups, dance, tennis or basketball, among

others) (Bull et al., 2020).

Aerobic PA has three components: intensity, frequency and duration. First of all, the

US Department of Health and Human Services (2018) defines intensity of PA as the energy or

effort that a person puts on the activity, and it divides it into two subcategories: moderate

intensity (equivalent in effort to brisk walking) and vigorous intensity (equivalent in effort to

running or jogging). The recommended intensity of the PA that school-aged-children should

realise is moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) every day (Australian Institute of Health and

Welfare, 2018; Parrish et al., 2020; Ruth K. Crowe et al., 2021), which equals to 4.5 MET1s

(Laine et al., 2014).

1 According to Laine et al. (2014) a MET is defined as the “ratio of work metabolic rate to a standard resting

metabolic rate of 1.0 (4.184 kJ)*kg-1 *h-1” and one MET corresponds to a resting metabolic rate obtained during

relaxed sitting for one hour (p. 74).

7

Secondly, the US Department of Health and Human Services (2018) describes the term

of duration of PA, as “how often a person does aerobic activity” (p.30). From the WHO they

have updated their guidelines, they changed from 2010 where evidence back then supported

the recommendation for ‘at least’ 60 minutes of MVPA to the most recent recommendations

from 2020, where the scientific evidence showed the need for ‘an average’ of 60 minutes of

MVPA per day (WHO, 2010; WHO, 2020). Even though roughly all countries (with National

recommendations) agree on this duration of PA (Parrish et al., 2020), the German National

Recommendations for PA and PA Promotion, have heightened up the limit of the minimum of

PA to 90 minutes a day, justified by the fact that as the evidence revealed by the WHO (2020),

this is an ‘average’ figure and that more PA also leads to greater benefits (Rütten et al., 2016)

and Finland that stipulates 90–120min per day for children from 7 to 12 years old (Gelius et

al., 2020).

Focusing on the case of Finland, the THL and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

(2020) state that “all school-aged children (...) should engage in at least 1-2 hours of all-round

PA each day in a manner that is appropriate for the age of each child” (p.15). Furthermore,

rather than focusing on the intensity of the PA, they emphasise more on the need of reducing

the time spent sitting during the whole day (National Institute for Health and Welfare &

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, 2020). Thirdly, the term of frequency is defined by the

US Department of Health and Human Services (2018) as “how long a person does an activity

in any one session” (p.30)

Thirdly, the term of frequency of PA, meaning the rate of PA practise that occurs over

a specific time period, children between six and seventeen years old should carry out a

minimum of 60 minutes of PA every single day (Australian Government, n.d.; CDC, 2019;

Gibson‐Moore, 2019; WHO, 2020). There is no exception, all evidence around the world is on

the same page and states remarkably clear that PA should be carried out every day (Australian

Government, n.d.; CDC, 2019; DiPietro et al., 2020; Gelius et al., 2020; Gibson‐Moore, 2019;

WHO, 2020).

The aforementioned recommendations are based on the evidence found throughout all

the consulted literature, nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that these numbers are a

just a figure and that always any PA is better than none therefore any enhancement of PA in

inactive children is favourable (Gibson‐Moore, 2019; Rütten et al., 2016).

8

1.2. The Importance of PA

In order to keep good health and quality of life, one of the most crucial features is to fulfil the

PA recommendations described and analysed in the previous section of this paper (Piercy et

al., 2018; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). The performance of PA is

essential in all stages of life; however, it is of vital importance in the early ages since it helps

to create a quality basis for a livelong active lifestyle (Gibson‐Moore, 2019; Miklánková, 2018;

Nath Sinha, 2020; Novotná & Slováková, 2016; Poitras et al., 2016; Ramírez-Clavijo et al.,

2013; Rhodes et al., 2017).

Habitual PA has a huge variety of benefits for everyone, regardless of age, sex, race,

ethnicity, body size (Piercy et al., 2018), chronic diseases/conditions or disabilities (US

Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). Some of the physical health-related benefits

that PA has for school-aged children are a reduced risk of cancer, a reduced risk of fall-related

injuries, and for the individuals who suffer from chronic medical conditions, a reduced risk of

all-cause and disease-specific mortality and improved brain function. Evidence also shows that

PA has benefits regarding emotional health (Andermo et al., 2020; Biddle et al., 2019;

Ohrnberger et al., 2017; Piercy et al., 2018; US Department of Health and Human Services,

2018). Other physical health benefits are the reduced probability of suffering from diseases

such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity or overweight, hypertension,

osteoporosis, high blood cholesterol or disease (Andermo et al., 2020; US Department of

Health and Human Services, 2018).

In order to fully understand the importance of PA in school-aged children, a specific

analysis of the critical and important outcomes proved by the scientific evidence from the

WHO’s Guidelines on PA and Sedentary Behaviour 2020 (latest update) (WHO, 2020), will

be conducted below in this paper. (See evidence profiles in Table 2).

9

Table 1

Evidence Profiles

Outcomes Importance

Physical fitness (e.g. cardiorespiratory, motor development, muscular

fitness)

Critical

Cardiometabolic health (e.g. blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, glucose,

insulin resistance)

Critical

Bone health Critical

Adiposity Critical

Adverse effects (e.g. injuries and harms) Critical

Mental health (e.g. depressive symptoms, self-esteem, anxiety symptoms,

ADHD)

Critical

Cognitive outcomes (e.g. academic performance, executive function) Critical

Prosocial behavior (e.g. conduct problems, peer relations, social inclusion) Important

Sleep duration and quality Important

*Source: WHO (2020). Web Annex: Evidence profiles.

Physical Health. The main and direct health benefit of PA that most people are aware

of is the physical aspect (Gu and Solmon, 2016; Oliveira et al., 2017; Rhodes et al., 2017). In

this section, the different benefits of PA regarding physical fitness, cardio-metabolic health,

bone health, and adiposity will be analysed.

To understand the importance of PA regarding this aspect, it is important to have a clear

definition of the significate of “physical health”; according to the Collins dictionary, the term

physical refers to the “qualities, actions, or things that are connected with a person’s body,

rather than with their mind”. Furthermore, the term health refers to “the condition of the body

and the extent to which it is free from illness or is able to resist illness”. Hence, the term

“physical health” is understood as the condition or state of one person’s body that can go from

the absence of disease to a fitness level. (See a summary of the physical health benefits in Table

2 below).

10

Table 2

Summary of Physical Health Benefits

Physical Health

Outcome Findings References

Physical fitness

(e.g.

cardiorespiratory,

motor

development,

muscular fitness)

Higher PA levels —> enhancement of

cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness.

Bull et al. (2020)

Donnelly et al. (2016)

Myers et al. (2019) Warburton and

Bredin (2017)

WHO (2020)

Cardiometabolic

health

(e.g. blood

pressure,

dyslipidaemia,

glucose, insulin

resistance)

Regular PA —> significantly associated with

the prevention of MetS and hypertension.

Bull et al. (2020)

Gabrys et al. (2021)

Gibson‐Moore (2019)

Huang et al. (2021)

Piercy et al. (2018)

Seo et al. (2019)

WHO (2020)

Bone health

High PA levels —> greater bone mass,

improved bone structure, and higher bone

strength.

Australian Government, (n.d.)

Bull et al. (2020)

Gibson‐Moore (2019)

Gómez-Bruton et al. (2020)

Piercy et al. (2018)

Rütten et al. (2016).

WHO (2020)

Adiposity

Higher levels of PA —> smaller gains of

weight

Australian Government (n.d.)

Bull et al. (2020)

Gibson‐Moore (2019)

Keane et al. (2017)

Michelle da Costa Mata et al. (2018)

Nath Sinha (2020)

Reilly (2015)

WHO (2020)

Scientific evidence demonstrates that greater levels of PA are correlated with a more

positive cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness in school-aged-children (Strong PGAC -

Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee - grade) (WHO, 2020, p.13). More evidence

has been found regarding the benefits of PA in relation to physical fitness in the studies of Bull

et al. (2020), Donnelly et al. (2016), Myers et al. (2019) and Warburton and Bredin (2017).

According to the WHO (2020) evidence proves that in school-aged-children, increased MVPA

boosts cardiorespiratory fitness and that increased resistance exercise leads to an enhancement

of muscular fitness (p.13-14), evidence based in the guidelines by the Physical Activity

Guidelines Advisory Committee (PAGAC), giving to this outcome a “Strong” grade of

evidence.

11

Scientific evidence proves that PA is positively correlated with cardio-metabolic health

(Bull et al., 2020; Gabrys et al., 2021; Gibson‐Moore, 2019; Huang et al., 2021; Piercy et al.,

2018; Seo et al., 2019; WHO, 2020). The WHO indicates that this association has a “moderate”

grade according to the PAGAC scale. A research study based on two 2-stage cluster sampling

procedure studies that has been carried out by Gabrys et al. (2021), provides evidence which

supports that the absence of PA during follow-up (inactive-inactive) was significantly

associated with higher chances of the onset of metabolic equivalents (MetS) and hypertension,

which reinforces the importance of carrying out regular PA for the prevention of cardio-

metabolic diseases. Research on this is of great importance due to the thigh mortality rates

related to cardiometabolic health and being found this association between PA and better

cardiometabolic health is of immense importance for public health messages and the

acknowledgement of health institutions and clinics of the situation (Fridolfsson et al., 2020).

Scientific evidence demonstrates a correlation between bone health and PA, in other

words, children with higher PA levels have greater bone health (Australian Government, n.d.;

Bull et al., 2020; Gibson‐Moore, 2019; Gómez-Bruton et al., 2020; Piercy et al., 2018; Rütten

et al., 2016). According to the WHO (2020) there is strong evidence (“Strong” PAGAC grade)

that proves that more physically active children have greater bone mass, improved bone

structure, and higher bone strength. This association is very important since bone strength is a

fracture risk factor and poor bone accumulation during children’s growth is associated with

increased fracture risk in childhood (Gómez-Bruton et al., 2020).

This outcome is one of the most commonly reported in studies and reviews and it is

unquestionable that PA is unmistakable beneficial to avoid adiposity, or most commonly

known as gain weight (Australian Government, n.d.; Bull et al., 2020; Gibson‐Moore, 2019;

Keane et al., 2017; Michelle da Costa Mata et al., 2018; Nath Sinha, 2020; Reilly, 2015). We

can observe that there is a negative correlation between deposition or gain of weight and PA

levels, that is to say, lower levels of PA lead to higher levels of adiposity and equal wise

conversely (Keane et al., 2017). The WHO (2020) shows strong evidence (“Strong” PAGAC

grade) demonstrates that higher levels of PA lead to are associated with smaller increases in

weight and adiposity during childhood and adolescence.

Mental Health (e.g. depressive symptoms, self-esteem, anxiety symptoms,

ADHD). As Ohrnberger et al. (2017) state in their study, PA has both direct and indirect

benefits on mental health; on the one side, the direct effect of PA is reduced stress and a

better sleep; on the other side, the indirect effect of PA is positive, generated by the positive

12

association of better physical and mental health with PA. Furthermore, it has also been found

that PA provides positive effects in children’s brain function and cognition in processes such

as attention, information processing, executive function, and memory (Donnelly et al.,

2016).

According to the WHO (2020), there is strong evidence (“Strong” PAGAC grade)

that suggests that PA reduces the probability of suffering from a depression, and it also helps

to minimise the depressive symptoms in children who suffer from a depression at any point

in their life.

In line with WHO’s (2020) evidence, Piercy et al. (2018) reaffirm that some of the

main mental health related benefits of PA include reduced anxiety and improved sleep and

quality of life. Moreover, as Biddle et al. (2019) and the US Department of Health and

Human Services (2018) state, PA is also associated with boosting the students’ self-esteem

and reducing the risk of suffering from a depression (using PA as an anti-depression

method).

According to Piercy et al. (2018) and the US Department of Health and Human

Services (2018), PA implies an improved cognitive function for youth aged six to 13 years.

It has been proven that PA and the children’s cognitive functioning show the strongest

evidence for causality (Biddle et al., 2019). According to Greef et al. (2018), the benefits of

PA also apply to cognitive functions regarding executive functions, attention and academic

performance.

1.3. Schools’ Role in the Promotion of PA

In order to achieve the previously analysed PA recommendations and make sure that students

engage in enough PA, the schools play a crucial role (Andermo et al., 2020; Bull et al., 2020;

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019; Garney et al., 2019; Michelle da Costa Mata

et al., 2018; Quarmby et al., 2019; Piercy et al., 2018; Rutberg and Lindqvist, 2019) As Rütten

et al. (2016) state, “the school setting has proved to be a central point of departure for promoting

physical activity among children and adolescents” (p.78). Notwithstanding, to be able to

understand the schools’ role as a whole, it is essential to be aware of and comprehend the

different elements and parts of the school that contribute to the promotion of PA: 1) the

curriculum, where all the aims and goals of education are set; 2) the PE as a subject and the PE

teacher; 3) enhancing PA in the classroom through physical active learning; 4) the

transportation to and from school and 5) the organisation of after school sports clubs.

13

Another important facet to be considered by schools is the incorporation of child-led

free play. This methodology has been recognised throughout the literature as an effective

activity type for eliciting high levels of MVPA (Ruth K. Crowe et al., 2021). In a study carried

out by Tsuda et al. (2020), Bluetooth Smart wGT3X-BT accelerometers were used to assess

the perceived physical competence of 72 pupils across a two-week period. This study

contributed to the knowledge in the field of PA and children, being the first one providing

evidence of the significant relationships (F (2.67) = 10.21, p<.001) among PA during free play,

fundamental motor skill competence, and perceived physical competence with MVPA.

The Current Finnish Curriculum on PA. The promotion of PA among school-aged

children is widely integrated in the Finnish Government Programme, with the main specific

goal of engaging every single individual in PA for at least one hour per day, as the WHO

recommendations suggest (National Institute for Health and Welfare and Ministry of Social

Affairs and Health, 2013). Integrating PA in the curriculum content is a paradigm shift in the

current educational practise (Quarmby et al., 2019). The Finnish National Core Curriculum

(2014) firmly emphasises the promotion of the importance of PA in schools. Even though it

highlights the meaningful task of PE, it also includes the promotion of PA as a transversal

competence in all grades. The Finnish National Core Curriculum (2014) states that “a learning

community understands the importance of physical activity for learning and diminishes a

sedentary way of living” (p.49), highlighting the importance of including PA as part of the

school’s culture.

PE Subject. The PE subject is an indispensable school element for the promotion of

PA and undertaking the universal trend of lack of PA that we were talking about at the

beginning of this paper (Miklánková, 2018; Novotná and Slováková, 2016; Roth et al., 2004;

Rütten et al., 2016; The Finnish National Agency for Education, 2018). Even though it is true

that one of the main tasks of the PE subject is enhancing the PA levels in students, another

important and specific role is to make students understand the influence of PA in their life and

making them aware of all the positive outcomes that it has in their own health (Novotná and

Slováková, 2016). In the same line, another important role of PE is promoting the desire and

interest in practicing PA, exercising and doing sport (Miklánková, 2018; Novotná and

Slováková, 2016; Novotná and Slováková, 2016)

Focusing on the Finnish National Core Curriculum, the main task of PE is “to influence

the pupils’ well-being by supporting their physical, social and psychological functional

14

capacity and a positive body image” (p.237 and p.447). Concerning the specific aims and

grade-specific requirements, the Finnish National Core Curriculum is divided into two

sections: 1st and 2nd grades and 3rd to 6th grades. In grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 the children practise

90 minutes of PE a week (two 45-minute classes) and in grade 5 they practise 135 minutes

(three 45-minute classes a week) (Salin and Huhtiniemi, 2018).

Targets of PE in 1st - 2nd grades include the following: progress in finding suitable

solutions in exercise situations, progress in practicing and learning fundamental movement

skills, progress in acting safely in connection with agreed assignments and progress in skills in

working independently and together with others. (The Finnish National Core Curriculum,

2014; p.240). As for 3rd - 6th grades the key contents are the following: the enhancement of the

students’ physical functional capacity by carrying out abundant of PA in order to improve their

balance, develop their locomotor system and manipulative skills, among others; to enhance

their social functional capacity by doing group play exercises and games; last, to better the

students’ psychological functional capacity by the performance of exercises for the students to

get positive emotions and a positive self-image. (The Finnish National Core Curriculum, 2014;

pp: 450-452).

In the Classroom. In order to succeed in the students’ education, it is beneficial to take

and implement PA beyond the PE subject. Even though the most typical action is assigning the

role of promoting PA to the PE teacher, to achieve a remarkable change in the students’ quality

of life it is crucial to make PA cross-curricular and to make all teachers and schools’ stuff

involved in the process (Bartholomew et al., 2019; Daly-Smith et al., 2020; Garney et al., 2019;

Morris et al., 2019; Quarmby et al., 2019; Skage et al., 2020).

In the same line, evidence proves that a classroom-based PA or the incorporation of PA

through active breaks can significantly benefit the students’ learning, academic performance,

concentration and healthy growth (von Klinggraeff et al., 2020; Garney et al., 2019; Wenner et

al., 2019; Abi Nader et al., 2018; Quarmby et al., 2019; Calvert et al., 2018). Furthermore, the

integration of PA in the classroom provides significant improvements in reading, math,

spelling, and composite scores (Donnelly et al., 2016).

According to the Ministry of Education and Culture (2021), sitting during classes

should be interrupted by such means as morning gymnastics and weekly exercise breaks,

moreover, it is highly recommended to use teaching methods that promote learning and

physically stimulate the pupils simultaneously. Movement integration must be incorporated in

all lessons to help students reduce their sedentary time and increase their PA levels (Russ et

15

al., 2017). Along these lines, Russ et al. (2017) suggest two different ways for enhancing PA

in the classroom:

• Deliberated multicomponent approach that includes movement integration (MI) for a

more vigorous-intensity PA (directed expressly by the teacher, for instance, morning

movements or active brain breaks during the lessons)

• Incidental MI for a more light-intensity PA (it is not directed by the teacher, for

instance, arranging the material and the furniture in the classroom, so that the students

have to move to get what they need and to retrieve it back).

Regardless of all the clear and aforementioned benefits that integrating physical activity

in a classroom has for the students, a qualitative study by Wenner et al. (2019) in the US where

35 teachers were interviewed, revealed that most teachers still do not utilise this methodology

because they feel that these strategies are unnecessary. It is essential for all schools and teachers

to rethink the amount of physical activity incorporated into the school day (Reeves et al., 2016).

.Active Transportation. According to Saidla (2018), active transportation (AT) is

defined as the “practical use of walking, cycling, and public transit” (p.600). The enhancement

of active school transportation and the implementation of schools’ programmes to “improve

access by walking, cycling and public transport, strengthen the promotion of walking; cycle

training; and teaching road safety skills to children of all ages and abilities” (p.77) are two of

the main goals of the Global Action Plan on PA by the WHO (2019).

It has been proven that active school transportation to and from school can have

beneficial outcomes for school-aged children (Scharoun Benson et al., 2020; Jones et al., 2019;

Laine et al., 2014; Larouche et al., 2018). Furthermore, active school transportation is one of

the main keys to engage the children in regular PA daily (WHO, 2019). Remarkably, Finland,

compared to other countries, has quite high rates of active transportation (Saidla, 2018).

However, as Omura et al. (2019) suggest, it is also important to consider that active

transportation is not always easy for every child. The most common barrier s for the children

to not do active transportation to school is that they live too far away from the school, traffic

related danger (Omura et al., 2019), difficulty to manage active transportation when another

sibling goes to another school at the same time (e.g. daycare), the fact that it takes a high amount

of the parents’ working time to accompany the kid to school or because winter is too cold to

go walking (Saidla, 2018).

16

Based on preliminary data collected by the author, 54.44% of schoolchildren from the

Vasa region in Finland always or almost always go to school on foot or by bicycle. A

percentage that could be improved but that is still higher than in other countries. For instance,

according to Rodríguez Fernández et al. (2018), only 23% of Spanish students go to school on

foot or by bicycle.

Organised Sports Participation. School-aged children tend to lose interest in

organised sports participation, and some reasons for that are disinterest in their content and the

fact that they are time-consuming (Novotná and Slováková, 2016). According to the Ministry

of Education and Culture (2021), it has become more expensive for children to engage in

organised sports or clubs, which leads, in many cases, to a total discontinuation of the sport

practise. A study carried out by Vallence et al. (2019) provides evidence that the participation

of school-age children in organsed sports is positively associated with greater motor

performance, coordination skills and fitness levels. In addition to this, the participation in

organised sports at school and attending after -school clubs have a positive relation with

academic achievement, and especially better outcomes in the subject of mathematics (The

Finnish National Agency for Education, 2018). Moreover, they also help the children to

develop their own personalities (Novotná and Slováková, 2016). Because of this, it is really

important to motivate children to engage in more PA and sports and remind them about the

positive health effects that PA provides (Donnelly et al., 2016).

1.4. School-Based Interventions for the Promotion of PA in Finland

Finland has taken initiative to cope with the high inactivity rates among Finnish school-

aged children. An intervention for the promotion of PA stated by the Ministry of Education

and Culture (2021) states that when schools’ nurses carry out the yearly individual health

checks, they are able to provide the students with free family swimming tickets, summer camp

places and invitations to sports clubs arranged in schools. The Ministry of Education and

Culture (2021) emphasises the fact that “all children and adolescents should engage in daily

physical activity which is safe and equally available to everyone” (p.11) and that “Physical

activity recommendations apply equally to all children and adolescents, regardless of their

potential disability, difficulty in motor learning or minority status” (p. 16).

School-based interventions are cost-effective and have a great potential in the

promotion of PA in school-age children (Laine et al., 2014). Apart from aforementioned case-

17

specific interventions, three other main school-based interventions for the promotion of PA are

On the Move, a set of programmes that aim to promote a physically active lifestyle (Families

on the Move, Early Childhood Education and Care on the Move, Finnish Schools on the Move,

Studies on the Move, Adults on the Move and On the Move in Perpetuity) (Ministry of

Education and Culture, n.d.); Moving Maths , a project to include PA during Mathematics

lessons; and the Let’s Move It programme, a research project created to promote more active

learning environments.

On the grounds that this research is focused on school-age children at comprehensive

school level, an analysis of the two first programmes will be carried out in order to better

understand their mission in education.

On the Move. The Schools on the Move is a research-based national action programme

in Finland that has been designed with the main aim of achieving a more active and pleasant

school, to support learning, increasing student participation and decreasing excessive sitting

during the school-day (Likkuva Koulu, n.d). The program is implemented by the Finnish

National Board of Education, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and regional state

administrative agencies with their motto of “Active body, active mind” (LIKES, 2021).

According to the Finnish Schools on the Move programme, more than 90% of Finnish schools

are participating in the programme. In their official page claim the success of this programme,

and they state that there have been positive results and that the PA levels of the Finnish school-

age children are increasing.

The three main aims of the Move programme are more movement and less sitting,

improved learning and increased student participation. The results from a study by Haapala et

al. (2017) demonstrate evidence that the Finnish Schools on the Move program increases the

MVPA of children and reduces their sitting time during the school day.

Moving Maths. According to the LIKES research programme (2021), “Moving Math”

is a multidisciplinary project whose main aim is to enhance learning via PA. Qualitative

research carried out by Sneck et al. (2020) showed that the integration of movement and PA

into Maths lessons was beneficial for those children with difficulties since it engages them

cognitively and also has positive outcomes regarding the students’ commitment in the subject.

In the same study, Sneck et al. (2020) examined the emotional, behavioural and cognitive

engagement of the students who participated in the programme through 403 interviews; the

18

obtained results were highly positive and students' feedback was also constructive, with

affirmation statements such as “a feeling of improved concentration”, “freedom to move”, and

“break from –tiring- math book work”. These results provide noticeable evidence of the fact

that integrating PA in Maths lessons has beneficial results that state an increment of the pupils’

emotional and behavioural engagement during math lessons. Another benefits of this

implementation are improved concentration, memorisation, reduced anxiety and increased

cognitive development.

1.5. Current PA Situation: The Impact of Covid-19

The covid -19 outbreak began in 2019, and since then, it has significantly people’s lives

(Wang et al., 2020). This pandemic has demolished the education sector; with the arrival of

this deadly virus, schools, learning centres, and all childcare providers were forced to close

their doors and implement new teaching methodologies: distance learning and hybrid learning

(Denisha, 2020). This situation has had a devastating effect on all the education community,

affecting the learning of more than 1.6 billion students around the world (US Agency for

International Development, 2021).

Kuhfeld et al. (2020) carried out a study where they followed the learning achievement

of approximately 5 million third- to seventh-grade students in 18,958 schools across the USA.

In this research, they did a follow up of the test scores from 2017 to 2019, and after their

analysis, they described their learning loss projections, which implied the need for teachers and

policymakers to take post-pandemic decisions in order to recover and adapt the teaching for

the students who might be academically behind.

Apart from the effect that the pandemic has had for teaching and learning, as well as for

the world’s economy, one of the fields that has been mostly affected is the people’s levels of

PA (Cabrera, 2020; Martinez et al., 2020; Pombo et al., 2020; Stveráková et al., 2021; Zhang

et al., 2020). During this period of time, when the global emergency prevented most individuals

from carrying out PA and exercising, it was clearly observed adverse effects in children, such

as anger, crying, fear, eating disorders and some hyperactivity (Cabrera, 2020).

For instance, a survey carried out by Pombo et al. (2020) involving 2159 children revealed

that the time allocated for PA during the lockdown period declined compared with what is

usually reported throughout the students’ normal days. In their study, they also analysed

correlations between age, sex, living conditions, siblings and parents working from home, and

it was interesting to realise that the single children had lower levels of PA compared to children

with siblings (p = .002) (Pombo et al., 2020).

19

A study carried out by Stveráková et al. (2021), where 98 Czech students carried out the

PAQ-C questionnaire (same questionnaire as the one used in the present research), also

provided evidence that corroborates the effect that the pandemic has had on children (see the

details in Table 3). Nevertheless, there is published research that shows that even though in

many countries (e.g., Spain, Italy, Norway, France, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand,

Argentina, Slovenia) a national lockdown was hindering everyone to go outside, children still

allocated some time at home to do tasks that included PA, such as movement play (Pombo et

al., 2020).

Table 3

Gender Specific Scores on the PAQ-C before and during Covid-19 Pandemic

Measure Cuberek et al.

Pre-COVID COVID

Lockdown Mean

Difference

(95% CI)

Effect Size P Value

Total

PAQ

Score

Male 2.69 (0.62) 2.32 (0.69) 0.37 (0.14,

0.61) 0.59 .002

Female 2.68 (0.56) 2.29 (0.64) 0.39 (0.20,

0.58) 0.66 < .001

*Source: Stveráková et al. (2021).

2. Method

2.1. Participants

The sample of the current study is made up of 236 Finnish students aged from 10 to 13 years

old. Specifically, 46 of them were ten-year-olds, 61 were eleven-year-olds, 86 were twelve-

year-olds and 43 were thirteen-year-olds. See Table 4 for specifics about the gender distribution

within each grade level.

Table 4

Gender and Grade of the Sample

Grade Total

4th grade 5th grade 6th grade

Gender Male 42 26 57 125

Female 31 22 54 107

Other 1 0 3 4

Total 74 48 114 236

20

Fifteen schools around Ostrobothnia were contacted through email or phone asking

them to participate in the research. However, due to the pandemic situation, the high number

of restrictions and limitations only five schools in the region of Central Ostrobothnia in Finland

decided to participate in the research. For purposes of confidentiality, schools were given the

following pseudonyms: School A (91 participants), School B (71 participants), School C (33

participants), School D (23 participants) and School E (18 participants) (see Figure 1). Due to

the pandemic and quarantine restrictions, the responses from the schools that participated were

scarce.

Figure 1

Crosstab of the Different Schools and Grades

2.2. Methods and Procedures

As stated by Kowalski et al. (1997), a self-report is the most practical tool to measure the

children’s levels of PA, however, no standard method has been set. Because of this, the present

master’s thesis employed a validated questionnaire by Richardson et al. (2011) as a data

collection tool with consistently high validity (p = 0.70) and moderate reliability (p = 0.83)

(Crocker et al., 1997). The questionnaire that was administered to the participants of the present

study is called the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), and it is a self-

administered, 7-day recall instrument that has been developed in order to assess general levels

of PA throughout an elementary school year for students in grades 4 to 8 who are approximately

eight to 14 years of age (Kowalski et al., 2004). This questionnaire measures outcomes such as

increased PA (through questions about how often students were active in different moments of

the day), fitness and leisure sport (through questions about the students’ choice of sport) and

the understanding of reduced sedentary behaviour (through questions about their overall PA

habits throughout the week). The questionnaire focuses on the most important areas of PA in

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

School A

School B

School C

School D

School E

Nam

e of

the

scho

ol

Tota l

Grade 4th grade Grade 5th grade Grade 6th grade

21

order to achieve a complete understanding of the children’s PA levels, which helps to achieve

the main aim of this study.

The main reasons for choosing this questionnaire were that it was previously validated

by Performwell (2011) as well as it was also listed in the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework,

where it was described to be highly effective and reliable. In addition, the questionnaire was

appropriate due to the clarity of the questions and easy to understand for the students, as well

as also beneficial for the researcher, since each item was easily valued. Every item has a value

from 1 to 5 the PA composite score, and the mean of these nine items results in the PAQ-C

activity summary score (a score of 1 indicates low PA, whereas a score of 5 indicates high PA

levels).

Due to Covid-19 pandemic, there was no possibility to physically visit the schools and

do the questionnaires with the students. Therefore, all communication had to be through phone

or email, an exception being one of the schools, since the author of this study was working as

a teacher there. Firstly, the headmasters of the five different schools that were able to participate

in the study were contacted through a phone call and explained how the questionnaire worked

and the need for direct contact with the PE teacher for her or him to carry out the questionnaire.

In case there was a doubt about a specific concept that the teacher could easily help to clarify

it. Secondly, after the headmasters informed the PE teacher about this, direct contact with the

subject teacher was kept and they were informed about the instructions that must be given to

the students before answering it as well as the time expenditure that it would take from the PE

lesson.

Even though all the students are fluent in English, the questionnaire was translated from

the original language (English) to Finnish and Swedish, the students’ mother tongues.

Furthermore, another change that was executed to the questionnaire was the addition of a third

gender for the children that did not identify themselves as male nor female. Lastly, the

questionnaire was administered during a PE lesson in a classroom setting together with the PE

teacher and took approximately 20 minutes for the class to finish completing it. The

questionnaire provided a summary of the students’ PA levels and each of nine items derived a

score from 1 to 5 (5-point scale). Below, the PAQ-C will be determined and, additionally, each

item will be described and analysed specifically.

2.3. Data Analysis

To analyse the quantitative data, the statistical software platform used was SPSS version 26 for

Windows 64bit edition (SPSS Inc, USA). Additionally, Microsoft Excel platform version 2110

22

compilation 16.0.14527.20234 was used for the design and creation of all the charts and

graphics.

The first analysis performed was to define the PAQ-C score of the sample. Each item

of the questionnaire (sport practise, active participation in PE lessons, PA during recess time

and lunch break, PA levels in the afternoons, evenings and weekends, the overall PA levels

during the whole week and the PA average for each day of the week) an average value was

given from 1 to 5 and afterwards, the average of all the items was analysed. As can be observed

in Figure 2, the highest PAQ-C score was found in the PE lessons, and the lowest PAQ-C

corresponded to the sport practise. Except for the extreme of these two items, and the PA levels

of the students during lunch break, the rest of the items have remained relatively constant. The

overall PAQ-C score was 2.9 and acknowledging the fact that a score of 1 indicates low PA

levels and a score of 5 indicates high PA levels, we can say that the students' PA levels are

moderate, however, not enough compared to the WHO recommendations.

Figure 2

PAQ-C Score of the Sample

Note: This Figure contains the average score of each of the items of the questionnaire (excluding item no 10).

PAQ-C score

To describe the characteristics data set from the questionnaires (gender, age, school and

the answers to the different questions) descriptive and frequency analysis was carried out of

each variable. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine whether there were any statistically

significant differences between the means of the different independent groups (levels of PA

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

4,5

5,0

23

during recess, levels of PA after school, levels of PA in the evenings, levels of PA during the

weekend, levels of PA in PE lessons, levels of PA during lunchtime (at school) and the overall

levels of PA during the week) and Post hoc tests (Scheffe or Games-Howell) were used to

identify specific differences between the groups when the previously described analysis

(analysis of variance or ANOVA) is significant.

Bivariate and partial correlations were used to find the strength of the correlation

between different variables. Pearson-product moment correlation was used to explore the

association between the different variables, for instance the students’ levels of PA during recess

and during the weekend, or the levels of PA during the PE class and after school. Moreover,

Regression analysis was also used to predict the value of a variable based on the value of

another variable.

For the analysis of the qualitative data, the software platform used was NVivo (version

12.6.0), a qualitative data management software. Firstly, all responses were imported into

NVivo, afterwards data was inductively coded based off of reading the data and a Word

Frequency Query analysis was carried out. All answers were grouped into eight main categories

and a word cloud with the most repeated words in the answers was created with the same

platform (see appendix 2).

2.4. Ethical Considerations

The study is consistent with the principles concerning Human Research Ethics of the

Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013). As well as it follows the guidelines

for the responsible conduct of research of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity

(2012).

Furthermore, schools and students' participation was evaluated as harmless and risk-

free for children. Anonymity was attended at every point during the study by observing

confidentiality obligations; for example, no recognisable names of the schools or the students

were distributed or shown in the research paper. Data processing and analysis were achieved

following ethical guidelines (Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity, 2012).

24

3. Results

3.1. Descriptive Data

The descriptive statistics for the schoolchildren’s gender, age and grade, as well as their PA

levels throughout various moments and days of the week are presented in Table 5. The

skewness and kurtosis were generally within reasonable limits, that is, between -1 and 1, and

with a figure smaller than 1 and greater than -1 for kurtosis. However, the variable that studies

the students’ activity levels during the PE classes was negatively skewed -1.418 < -1, and the

variable that studies the students’ activity levels during lunchtime was positively skewed 1.291

> 1. Moreover, non-normal kurtosis numbers were also found; on one hand, 2.764 for the

variable of that studies the PA levels during PE classes, indicating that the distribution is too

peaked. On the other hand, the kurtosis was -1.136 for gender, -1.05 for age, -1.624 for grade,

-1.239 for PA levels during recess and -1.13 for PA levels right after school, all figures lower

than -1, indicating a flat distribution.

The general mean activity score for males was 2.95 (n = 125) and for females 2.92 (n

= 107). The levels of activity during PE lessons were quite high (n = 236, M = 4.35, σ = 0.78),

indicating that averagely, students were highly active always or quite often during their PE

lessons. During recess time, in the last seven days most of the students have been sitting around

(30.5%) or standing and walking around (20 .3%). A total of 16 .1% of the students have been

running or playing a little bit, 10.2% have been running around and playing quite a bit and 19.5

% of the students have been running and playing hard most of the time. The mean activity

levels are low intensity such as standing around or playing a little bit (n = 236, M = 2.64, σ =

1.49). During lunchtime, besides eating lunch, students averagely were standing or walking

around (M = 2.14, σ = 1.66). During the week, right after school, in the evenings and during

the weekend, students did sport around one and three times, however, practicing sports in the

evenings (n = 236, M = 2.99, σ = 1.22) was a bit more common than right after school (n =

236, M = 2.78, σ = 1.38) and during the weekends (n = 236, M = 2.83, σ = 1.14). On average,

the students self-identified as doing sports in their free time around two or three times during

a normal week (n = 236, M = 2.90, σ = 1.17).

Table 5

Descriptive Statistics

Minimum Maximum Mean SD Skewness Kurtosis

Gender 1 3 1,49 0,534 0,389 -1,136

Age 1 4 2,53 1,004 -0,132 -1,05

Grade 1 3 2,17 0,878 -0,338 -1,624

Active levels of PA during PE lessons 1 5 4,35 0,777 -1,418 2,764

PA levels during recess time 1 5 2,64 1,491 0,425 -1,239

PA levels during lunchtime 1 6 2,14 1,66 1,291 0,19

PA levels in the afternoons 1 5 2,78 1,385 0,196 -1,13

PA levels in the evenings

1 5 2,99 1,222 -0,088 -0,759

PA levels during the weekend 1 5 2,83 1,137 0,119 -0,637

Overall week PA levels 1 5 2,9 1,172 0,159 -0,72

26

Another variable that was studied was the PA levels during the different days of the

week. Figure 3 shows that on average, Friday is the least active day when students do almost

no PA, Monday was a day that involved little PA (between one or two times), Wednesday was

the most common day to practise PA (3-4 times), and Sunday was mostly reported as the day

where students engaged in more PA.

Figure 3

Students’ PA Levels during the Different Days of the Week

Another variable examined in this research is the sport choice among Finnish school-

aged-children. Figure 4 displays all the different sports offered for selection with an extra

option to select in case the students did not find any sport they practise in the list. A total of

65.7% of the participants indicated that they did not practise sport last week, 18.6%

indicated that they practised sport one time, 7.2% three to four times, 4 .1% five to six times,

and 4.3% seven times or more. On the one hand, jogging or running are the most practised

sports with an average value of 20,72, followed by walking for exercise (average value =

17.84) and cycling being the third most practised sport (average value = 16.23). On the other

hand, the least practised sports which students hardly ever practised are volleyball, aerobics

and rowing.

0,00%

5,00%

10,00%

15,00%

20,00%

25,00%

30,00%

35,00%

40,00%

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

All or most of my free time was spent doing things that involve little physical effort

I sometimes (1-2 times) did physical things in my free time

I often (3-4 times) did physical things in my free time

I quite often (5-6 times) did physical things in my free time

I very often (7 or more) did physical things in my free time

27

Figure 4

Frequency of different sports’ practise

0,0 20,0 40,0 60,0 80,0 100,0

Skipping

Rowing

In line skatng

Tag

Walking for exercise

Bicycling

Jogging or running

Aerobics

Swimming

Baseball

Softball

Dance

Football

Badminton

Skateboarding

Soccer

Ice hockey

Volleyball

Basketball

Cross country skiing

Other sport

7 times or more 5-6 times 3-4 times 1-2 times None

28

This research was divided into two main categories: PA outside school and PA in school.

The levels of PA outside school have been analysed above, however, another important data

obtained is the PA levels of the sample during school hours (in recess, PE subject and

lunchtime). As it can be observed in Figure 5 (below), the results from this study reveal that,

generally, students do not choose to do PA during their break times at school since on

average, during school hours, 40% of the sample affirmed that they do not do PA.

Figure 5

Students PA Levels in School

Note. The numbers represent the students’ frequency levels of PA practise during the school day that students have self-

identified. The numbers of the columns in the axis x represent: 1 (no PA), 2 (hardly ever), 3 (sometimes), 4 (quite often) and

5 (always).

Since the current research intended to study the PA levels of the school-aged children

during a regular week, the last variable examined whether the data the students had provided

through the questionnaire was accurate to their usual PA levels or if there was something

specific that prevented them from practising their usual sport or being as active as they

normally are. The results showed that 75.80% (n ≈ 179) of the students carried out their

regular PA (see Figure 6). However, 24.2% of the students (n ≈ 57) reported that something

limited them from performing their regular levels of PA (point 3.4. and appendix 2).

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1 2 3 4 5

No. of students Percentage of students

29

Figure 6

Representation of Students that were Prevented from Doing their Regular PA

3.2. Comparisons between the Students' Levels of PA and Gender and Grade.

A one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect of gender on

the students’ levels of PA during PE lessons, recess, lunch break, right after school, in the

evenings and during the weekend. There was a significant effect of gender on the students’

levels of PA during recess at the p < 0.05 level [F (2, 233) = 3.21, p = 0.042]. (See Table

6).

Students that had something that prevented them from doing their regular PA

Students that performed their regular PA

30

Table 6

ANOVA – Gender Effect on PA levels

Sum of

Squares df

Mean

Square F Sig.

Levels of PA during

PE lessons

Between

Groups 2,387 2 1,194 1,995 0,138

Within

Groups 139,422 233 0,598

Total 141,809 235

Levels of PA during

recess

Between

Groups 14,019 2 7,009 3,214 0,042

Within

Groups 508,083 233 2,181

Total 522,102 235

Levels of PA during

lunch break (after

eating lunch)

Between

Groups 5,058 2 2,529 0,917 0,401

Within

Groups 642,603 233 2,758

Total 647,661 235

Levels of PA right

after school

Between

Groups 4,269 2 2,134 1,113 0,33

Within

Groups 446,829 233 1,918

Total 451,097 235

Levels of PA in the

evenings

Between

Groups 4,106 2 2,053 1,379 0,254

Within

Groups 346,856 233 1,489

Total 350,962 235

Levels of PA during

the weekend

Between

Groups 3,567 2 1,783 1,384 0,253

Within

Groups 300,31 233 1,289

Total 303,877 235

On the grounds that it has been found a statistically significant result of gender on the

students’ levels of PA during recess, the realization of a post hoc was needed. The selected

method to execute a post hoc test was the Tukey post hoc test. This test is a statistical procedure

that may be used to find means that are significantly different from each other. This test will

compare the gender variable with the variable of the students’ levels of PA during recess. Post

hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicated that the mean score male (M = 2.78, SD

= 1.58) was not significantly different than the female (M = 2.44, SD = 1.35). The other gender

(M = 4, SD = 1.41) did not significantly differ from the other genders. (See Table 7).

31

Table 7

Descriptives - Levels of PA during Recess and Gender

Levels of PA

during recess

N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std.

Error

95% Confidence

Interval for Mean Minimum Maximum

Lower

Bound Upper Bound

Male 125 2,78 1,58 0,141 2,5 3,06 1 5

Female 107 2,44 1,347 0,13 2,18 2,7 1 5

Other 4 4 1,414 0,707 1,75 6,25 2 5

Total 236 2,64 1,491 0,097 2,45 2,84 1 5

Considering the aforementioned, the conclusion is that there is no statistically

significant difference between the variable of gender. Seemingly, differences between the

variables are likely to change due to chance and not likely due to the manipulation of the gender

variable (see Table 8).

Table 8

Post hoc test - Levels of PA during Recess and Gender

Dependent Variable: Levels of PA during recess

Tukey HSD

(I) About yourself

- gender

(J) About yourself

- gender

Mean

Difference (I-

J)

Std.

Error Sig.

95% Confidence

Interval

Lower

Bound

Upper

Bound

Male Female 0,337 0,194 0,196 -0,12 0,8

Other -1,224 0,75 0,234 -2,99 0,55

Female Male -0,337 0,194 0,196 -0,8 0,12

Other -1,561 0,752 0,097 -3,33 0,21

Other Male 1,224 0,75 0,234 -0,55 2,99

Female 1,561 0,752 0,097 -0,21 3,33

Another one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect

of grade on the students’ levels of PA during PE lessons, recess, lunch break, right after

school, in the evenings and during the weekend. There was a significant effect of grade on

the students’ levels of PA in the evenings and recess at the p < 0.05 level for the three

conditions [F (2.233) = 6.70, p = 0.001]. There was not a significant effect of grade on the

32

students’ levels of PA during PE lessons, recess, lunch break, right after school and during

the weekend at the p < 0.05 level. (See Table 9).

Table 9

ANOVA - Grade and PA Levels

Sum of

Squares df

Mean

Square F Sig.

Levels of PA

during PE

lessons

Between Groups

0,767 2 0,384 0,634 0,531

Within Groups 141,042 233 0,605

Total 141,809 235

Levels of PA

during recess Between Groups

12,842 2 6,421 2,938 0,055

Within Groups 509,26 233 2,186

Total 522,102 235

Levels of PA

during lunch

break (after

eating lunch)

Between Groups

1,007 2 0,503 0,181 0,834

Within Groups 646,654 233 2,775

Total 647,661 235

Levels of PA

right after

school

Between Groups

4,364 2 2,182 1,138 0,322

Within Groups 446,733 233 1,917

Total 451,097 235

Levels of PA in

the evenings Between Groups

19,066 2 9,533 6,692 0,001

Within Groups 331,896 233 1,424

Total 350,962 235

Levels of PA

during the

weekend

Between Groups

3,054 2 1,527 1,183 0,308

Within Groups 300,823 233 1,291

Because it has been found a statistically significant result of grade on the students’

levels of PA in the evenings, a post hoc test was conducted. Post-hoc comparisons using

the Tukey HSD test indicated that the mean score for 4th grade (M = 2.57, SD = 1.12) was

significantly different than 5th grade (M = 3.25, SD = 1.07) as well as than 6th grade (M =

3.19, SD = 1.28). The other two grades, 5th grade (M = 3.15, SD = 1.07) and 6th grade (M =

33

3.19, SD = 1.28) did not significantly differ from each other. Considering the

aforementioned data, the conclusion is that there is a statistically significant difference

between grades, being older children (5th and 6th graders) the ones that carry out a higher

amount of PA. Presumably, the variable of PA in the evenings is likely to change due to the

manipulation of the variable of grade: the higher the grade, the higher the PA levels. (See

Table 10 and Table 11).

Table 10

Descriptives - Levels of PA in the Evenings and Grade

Levels of PA

in the evenings

N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std.

Error

95%

Confidence

Interval for

Mean Minimum Maximum

Lower

Bound Upper Bound

4th grade 74 2,57 1,124 0,131 2,31 2,83 1 5

5th grade 48 3,15 1,072 0,155 2,83 3,46 1 5

6th grade 114 3,19 1,282 0,12 2,96 3,43 1 5

Total 236 2,99 1,222 0,08 2,83 3,14 1 5

Table 11

Post-Hoc Test - Levels of PA in the Evenings and Grade

Dependent Variable:

Levels of PA in the

evenings

Tukey HSD

(I) Grade (J) Grade

Mean

Difference

(I-J)

Std.

Error Sig.

95%

Confidence

Interval

Lower

Bound

Upper

Bound

4th grade 5th grade -,578* 0,221 0,026 -1,1 -0,06

6th grade -,625* 0,178 0,002 -1,05 -0,21

5th grade 4th grade ,578* 0,221 0,026 0,06 1,1

6th grade -0,047 0,205 0,971 -0,53 0,44

6th grade 4th grade ,625* 0,178 0,002 0,21 1,05

5th grade 0,047 0,205 0,971 -0,44 0,53

* The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level.

A last one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect of

school on the students’ levels of PA during PE lessons, recess, lunch break, right after

school, in the evenings and during the weekend. There was a significant effect of the school

on the students’ levels of PA during PE lessons at the p < 0.05 level [F (4, 231) = 2.45, p =

0.047] and also a significant effect on the PA levels in the evenings [F (4, 231) = 6.73, p =

0.000]. There was not a significant effect of the school on the students’ levels of PA recess,

lunch break, right after school and during the weekend at the p < 0.05 level. (See Table 12).

Table 12

ANOVA - Levels of PA and School

Sum of

Squares df

Mean

Square F Sig.

Levels of PA during PE

lessons

Between Groups

5,773 4 1,443 2,451 0,047

Within Groups 136,036 231 0,589

Total 141,809 235

Levels of PA during recess Between Groups 17,976 4 4,494 2,059 0,087

Within Groups 504,125 231 2,182

Total 522,102 235

Levels of PA during lunch

break (after eating lunch)

Between Groups

19,122 4 4,78 1,757 0,138

Within Groups 628,539 231 2,721

Total 647,661 235

Levels of PA right after

school

Between Groups

10,844 4 2,711 1,423 0,227

Within Groups 440,253 231 1,906

Total 451,097 235

Levels of PA in the

evenings

Between Groups

36,628 4 9,157 6,729 0,000

Within Groups 314,334 231 1,361

Total 350,962 235

Levels of PA during the

weekend

Between Groups

6,194 4 1,548 1,202 0,311

Within Groups 297,683 231 1,289

Total 303,877 235

The results obtained shows a statistically significant result, meaning this that

depending on the school the sample was from (School A, School B, School C, School D or

School E) the sample’s PA levels during PE lessons and in the evenings was significantly

different. On one hand, the Tukey HSD post hoc test indicated that there was not a

significant effect of the school on the students’ levels of PA during PE lessons, at the p <

0.05 level. However, on the other hand, the Tukey HSD post hoc test indicated that the mean

35

score for School A (M = 2.7, SD = 1.24) was significantly different than School D (M = 3.7,

SD = 0.93) as well as than School E (M = 3.78, SD = 1.17). School B (M = 2.77, SD = 1.14)

was also found to be statistically different than School D and School E. Because of this, we

can say that differences between the variable of PA in the evenings is likely to change

possible due to the manipulation of the variable of the school the participants go to, but not

the variable of the PA during PE lessons is not (See Table 13 and Table 14). To summarise,

the conclusion is that PA in the evenings is different depending on the school the participants

belong to, schools D and E being the ones with higher levels of PA in the evenings.

Table 13

Descriptives - Levels of PA and School

N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std.

Error

95%

Confidence

Interval for

Mean Min Max

Lower

Bound

Upper

Bound Levels of

PA during

PE

lessons

School A 91 4,23 0,804 0,084 4,06 4,4 2 5

School B 71 4,38 0,884 0,105 4,17 4,59 1 5

School C 33 4,24 0,663 0,115 4,01 4,48 2 5

School D 23 4,61 0,499 0,104 4,39 4,82 4 5

School E 18 4,72 0,461 0,109 4,49 4,95 4 5

Total 23

6

4,35 0,777 0,051 4,25 4,45 1 5

Levels of

PA in the

evenings

School A 91 2,7 1,243 0,13 2,44 2,96 1 5

School B 71 2,77 1,136 0,135 2,51 3,04 1 5

School C 33 3,3 1,159 0,202 2,89 3,71 1 5

School D 23 3,7 0,926 0,193 3,3 4,1 2 5

School E 18 3,78 1,166 0,275 3,2 4,36 1 5

Total 236 2,99 1,222 0,08 2,83 3,14 1 5

Table 14

Post hoc test - Levels of PA in the Evenings and School

Tukey HSD

Dependent

Variable (I) Name of the school

(J) Name of the

school Mean Difference (I-J) Std. Error Sig.

95% Confidence

Interval

Lower Bound Upper Bound

Levels of PA

during PE

lessons School A School B -0,15 0,122 0,734 -0,48 0,18

School C -0,012 0,156 1 -0,44 0,42

School D -0,378 0,179 0,219 -0,87 0,11

School E -0,491 0,198 0,098 -1,04 0,05

School B School A 0,15 0,122 0,734 -0,18 0,48

School C 0,138 0,162 0,914 -0,31 0,58

School D -0,228 0,184 0,728 -0,73 0,28

School E -0,342 0,203 0,443 -0,9 0,21

School C School A 0,012 0,156 1 -0,42 0,44

School B -0,138 0,162 0,914 -0,58 0,31

School D -0,366 0,208 0,401 -0,94 0,21

School E -0,48 0,225 0,209 -1,1 0,14

School D School A 0,378 0,179 0,219 -0,11 0,87

School B 0,228 0,184 0,728 -0,28 0,73

School C 0,366 0,208 0,401 -0,21 0,94

School E -0,114 0,241 0,99 -0,78 0,55

School E School A 0,491 0,198 0,098 -0,05 1,04

School B 0,342 0,203 0,443 -0,21 0,9

School C 0,48 0,225 0,209 -0,14 1,1

School D 0,114 0,241 0,99 -0,55 0,78

Levels of PA

in the

evenings School A School B -0,071 0,185 0,995 -0,58 0,44

School C -0,6 0,237 0,088 -1,25 0,05

School D -,992* 0,272 0,003 -1,74 -0,24

School E -1,074* 0,301 0,004 -1,9 -0,25

School B School A 0,071 0,185 0,995 -0,44 0,58

37

School C -0,528 0,246 0,203 -1,2 0,15

School D -,921* 0,28 0,01 -1,69 -0,15

School E -1,003* 0,308 0,011 -1,85 -0,16

School C School A 0,6 0,237 0,088 -0,05 1,25

School B 0,528 0,246 0,203 -0,15 1,2

School D -0,393 0,317 0,728 -1,26 0,48

School E -0,475 0,342 0,635 -1,41 0,47

School D School A ,992* 0,272 0,003 0,24 1,74

School B ,921* 0,28 0,01 0,15 1,69

School C 0,393 0,317 0,728 -0,48 1,26

School E -0,082 0,367 0,999 -1,09 0,93

School E School A 1,074* 0,301 0,004 0,25 1,9

School B 1,003* 0,308 0,011 0,16 1,85

School C 0,475 0,342 0,635 -0,47 1,41

School D 0,082 0,367 0,999 -0,93 1,09

* The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level.

3.3. Correlations

Correlations among all variables were carried out to understand the gathered data and study if

there are any statistically significant linear relationships between the different variables and

trying to as well determine the strength and direction of the associations. Below, some of the

most interesting correlations will be described (for more information check Table 15).

Firstly, it was found a weak positive significant correlation (r (235) = 0.22, p = 0.00)

between the dependent variable of grade and the independent variable of PA levels in the

evenings and a very weak positive significant correlation with the overall levels of PA during

the week as a whole (r (235) = 0.13, p = 0.04). In other words, we can say that these findings

demonstrate that the older the students, the more likely they are to do PA in the evenings and

the higher the probability of their overall levels of PA during the week. (See Table 15).

Secondly, the variable of the levels of PA during recess was significantly associated

with the levels of PA during lunch break (r(235) = 0.44, p = 0.00), right after school (r(235) =

0.34, p = 0.00), in the evenings (r(235) = 0.27, p = 0.00), during the weekend (r(235) = 0.25, p

= 0.00) and overall, during the whole week (r(235) = 0.26, p = 0.00). These results provide us

with information that explains that the more active the students were during recess, the more

active they tend to be during the rest of the day and week. (See Table 15). In addition to this,

the fact that there was also found a positive strong significant correlation the variable of PA in

the afternoons and the levels of PA in the evenings (r(235) = 0.61, p = 0.00), reinforces the idea

that the most active students tend to be very active during the whole day.

Thirdly, the variable that studies whereas the students carried out their usual PA or not

(item number 10 of the questionnaire) was also found to be associated with the variable of the

levels of PA during the PE lessons. This means that, as expected, students that had a motive

for not being able to carry out their regular PA (for instance, trainings affected by covid-19

pandemic restrictions or being sick) had lower levels of PA during PE lessons at school,

probably because they were not able to attend to school the week before the questionnaire was

carried out.

Table 15

Correlations

Gender Grade

Levels of PA

during PE

lessons

Levels of PA

during recess

Levels of PA during

lunch break (after eating

lunch)

Levels of PA

right after

school

Levels of PA in the

evenings

Levels of PA

during the

weekend

Overall levels of

PA during the

week

Motive for not

doing PA

Gender Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed)

N

Grade Pearson Correlation 0,068 Sig. (2-tailed) 0,297

N 236 236

Levels of PA during PE lessons Pearson Correlation 0,036 0,056

Sig. (2-tailed) 0,577 0,394

N 236 236 236 Levels of PA

during recess Pearson Correlation -0,059 -0,002 ,252**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0,365 0,97 0 N 236 236 236 236

Levels of PA

during lunch break (after eating lunch) Pearson Correlation 0,036 -0,022 ,250** ,444**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0,587 0,741 0 0

N 236 236 236 236 236 Levels of PA right

after school Pearson Correlation 0,062 0,031 ,204** ,336** ,296** Sig. (2-tailed) 0,341 0,631 0,002 0 0

N 236 236 236 236 236 236

Levels of PA in the evenings Pearson Correlation 0,101 ,216** ,242** ,271** ,290** ,609**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0,122 0,001 0 0 0 0

N 236 236 236 236 236 236 236 Levels of PA

during the weekend Pearson Correlation -0,091 0,098 ,137* ,252** ,215** ,502** ,464**

Sig. (2-tailed) 0,162 0,134 0,036 0 0,001 0 0 N 236 236 236 236 236 236 236 236

Overall levels of

PA during the week Pearson Correlation -0,019 ,132* ,248** ,263** ,219** ,406** ,501** ,441** Sig. (2-tailed) 0,772 0,043 0 0 0,001 0 0 0

N 236 236 236 236 236 236 236 236 236

Motive for not doing PA Pearson Correlation -0,041 -0,004 ,128* -0,088 -0,073 -0,042 -0,046 -0,078 0,012 Sig. (2-tailed) 0,527 0,953 0,049 0,176 0,262 0,525 0,477 0,235 0,852

N 236 236 236 236 236 236 236 236 236 236

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

3.4. Qualitative data

The last question in the questionnaire was open-ended therefore a qualitative data analysis

was carried through NVivo. In this last query of the study, the students were asked to mark

if they had been sick last week, or did anything prevent them from doing their normal PA.

In this part of the questionnaire, 24.2% of the students affirmed that something had prevented

them from doing their regular PA and the rest (75.8%) did their usual PA (see Figure 7).

Apart from choosing, they had also the possibility to write what prevented them from not

doing PA. The participants responded in their native language and the responses were

translated to English.

Figure 7

Barriers to PA

25%

19%

16%

12%

10%

8%

6%4%

Negation COVID-19

Injury Laziness

Organised sports ended or cancelled Other things to do

Gaming or phone Heavy workload or no time

41

4. Discussion

In this part of the paper, the obtained results will be interpreted and explained. The obtained

results will be compared with the aims of the research and an explanation will be provided.

Afterwards, the findings will be described and compared and contrasted with other findings

that other similar researchers have encounter. Furthermore, throughout this chapter, an

evaluation, discussion of the significance and implications and analysis of the research

findings will be compelled. The findings are discussed below under six themes: (a) Children

engage in insufficient levels of MVPA, (b) deficient levels of PA during after school hours

among Finnish school-age children, (c) Sport choice and preferred moments for MVPA

practise, (d) gender and age differences regarding the students’ PA levels, (e) understanding

the impact of covid-19 on the students’ PA levels, and (f) limitations of the study

Children Engage in Insufficient Levels of MVPA

The PA recommendations by the WHO (2021) state that children should carry out MVPA

every single day for at least 60 minutes (see Table 16). A global report by Active and Healthy

Kids (2016), which included 49 countries from six different continents, states that 75% of

those countries have failing PA levels regarding children and youth.

Table 16

Summary of PA Recommendations

PA Recommendations

Intensity MVPA

Frequency Every day

Duration 60 minutes/day

The main aim of this study was to understand the PA levels of Finnish 4th to 6th

graders. The results provide evidence that shows that the students’ levels of PA are not

enough based on the WHO recommendations. When evaluating their MVPA levels

throughout their week as a whole, the findings show that on average, they only engage in

MVPA from two to three days during a normal week and the overall PAQ-C score among

all the studied items (excluding the item number 10 of the questionnaire) was 2.9 (out of a

score of 5, meaning 1 low levels of PA and 5 high levels of PA). This is consistent with what

has been found in previous research and ties well with the results by Active and Healthy

42

Kids (2016), whose evidence shows that 67% -72% of the children and youth do not engage

in sufficient PA and do not follow the national nor global PA recommendations.

The WHO recommendations state that children at this age should be engaging in

moderate to vigorous PA 60 min per day (every day), and the present research provides

evidence that suggest that the sample studied do not follow these recommendations. The

results from the present research are consistent with previous studies carried out in Finland

such as the one by Aittasalo et al. (2019), Eskola et al. (2018) and Liukkonen et al. (2014)

both affirming the high levels of physical inactivity among Finnish children. In the same line

as the evidence found in this research, Finland’s report card (LIKES Research Centre, 2018),

reported that only 51% of 9-year-old children (65% of boys, 41% of girls) and 37% of 11-

year-olds (50% of boys, 27% of girls) were active according to the recommendations.

According to the global report by Active and Healthy Kids (2016), the only country

where most of the children (80%-86%) are succeeding with the global recommendations (see

Table 17) is Slovenia. The country of Zimbabwe is succeeding with slightly more than half

of the children and youth (54%–59%) and the rest of the countries from the list are not even

reaching half of the children and youth. Therefore, after considering all this data, we can say

that every country around the world has a lot to work on and improve in order to get the

children moving and help them to grow healthy and have a better quality of life. The country

of Slovenia, with high rates of PA among children and youth should be taken as an example

and as a model for the guidance and planning of new implementations for the promotion of

PA among children and youth.

Table 17

Ranking of Countries regarding the Children and Youth Overall PA Levels

Position Country Percentage of children succeeding with

PA recommendations

1st Slovenia 80%–86%

2nd Zimbabwe 54%–59%

3rd Ghana 47%–53%

6th - 21st Netherlands, Nigeria, South Africa,

Bangladesh, England, Hong Kong,

Lithuania, Bulgaria, Canada,

Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, Sweden,

Wales, Brazil, Czech Republic,

Ecuador, Ethiopia

27%-53%

22nd Finland 27%–33%

*Source of information: Active and Healthy Kids (2016)

43

Children do not Involve Themselves in Enough PA throughout the School Day

To understand the PA levels of the students at school, students were asked about their

PA levels during recess, PE subject and lunchtime (after having lunch) and results were

analysed, not observing positive outcomes. Most of the students do not choose to do PA

voluntarily (recess and lunchtime) and during the PE subject, they confirm that they are not

very active.

Researchers have put a lot of focus on general levels of PA in kids and its benefits as

well as correlations with gender, however, few studies have been found addressing the issue

of PA levels during recess times throughout the school day or the active levels of

participation during the PE lessons. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether PA during

school hours affects the students’ overall PA levels. Furthermore, there is not enough

evidence to acknowledge the students’ levels of PA during school hours at at a national level.

From a teacher’s point of view, PE is a fundamental subject at school where it is possible

to engage children with PA and sport during school time (PE and recess) and also motivating

them to recall PA games from the PE lessons at home or practise different sports outside

school. In previous a previous study carried out by the author of this paper, interviews to

Finnish teachers were conducted and one interesting thing that an interviewee mentioned

was the following:

“In Finland we have a lot of possibilities to do PE and I find it important to use the

PE lessons as a learning ground as well to get in touch with different kind of sports.

Because a lot of kids have only soccer or ice hockey or ballet in their free time but

then in the PE lesson you can try many different sports and that’s the most important

thing. We have a lot of possibilities to give this to the kids: we have the ice rink that

we can go and play ice hockey, the swimming hall, and here in the school we have a

lot of material that the kids can use”. (See appendix 3).

Regarding the amount and attention given to the PA at school, as one interviewee stated,

it is not enough. In order to be able to educate physically active children, especially creating

healthy active habits in those students that do not receive this education at home, more hours

dedicated to PE are needed, as well as more attention in the classroom. It was interesting to

see when analysing the findings obtained through the qualitative part of the research, that a

high percentage of the students are aware of the fact that they (themselves) do not practise

enough PA. Several of the mentioned barriers that they have self-identified which prevented

them from doing PA are laziness and negation behaviours towards PA and sport such as: “I

44

cannot stand it”, “I have better things to do”, “I am not into that”, etc. This is an important

finding in the understanding of the lack of PA among school-aged children that helps to

understand and explain this problematic. Even though school is a crucial pillar in the

students’ life and that students spend a great part of their day at school, the truth is that

teachers and schools have many duties and tasks to fulfil apart from educating active and

healthy children. For the students to compel with the WHO requirements of 60 minutes of

moderate to vigorous PA, the collaboration of other institutions for after school is essential.

This evidence also raises an inquiry about how PA could be promoted in a different way

at schools in order to diminish these negative thoughts towards sports and exercising and

make them embrace PA. As it was shown from the example of an interview with a Finnish

PE teacher, teachers are doing all they can to motivate (extrinsically) students, however, the

solution might be finding ways for students to be motivated intrinsically, a challenge that

demands for the PE subject to provide the students a climate of autonomy, quality

relationships, and opportunities for students to be competent and activities with similar skills

and tactics that the students can relate to (Pereira et al., 2021, p.44).

Deficient Levels of PA during After-School Hours among Finnish School-Aged

Children

The collected data suggests that students practise less PA outside school than in school: at

school, almost all students affirm to be always very active during PE lessons (on average,

4.35/5); furthermore, most of the students stated that every day they walk around or play

sports during recess (four or five periods of recess, that is equivalent to approximately 75

minutes of low to moderate PA). The results of this study show that after school the PA

levels decline and that on average, students only carry out moderate to vigorous PA around

one and three times per week outside school. However, despite the low numbers of PA

practise outside school found in the present research, the cross‐sectional study by Mathisen

et al. (2019), showed progress in the field of PA practise outside school and their evidence

shows that participants in organised sports clubs increased from 1985/1986 to 2014,

somethings that gives us some prosperity.

When comparing these results to those of older studies, it must be pointed out that not

everyone is agreement; for instance, Finland’s report card (LIKES Research Centre, 2018)

reports higher levels of PA outside school, with evidence that proves that 70% of 9-year-

olds (70% of boys, 70% of girls) and 58% of 11-year-olds (56% of boys, 60% of girls)

participate in unorganised PA in their free time at least four times a week and that 67% of 9-

45

year-olds (69% of boys, 65% of girls) and 71% of 11-year-olds (70% of boys, 72% of girls)

participate in organised PA and sports. This incongruence might be because of the time and

population in the study.

An interesting point of this investigation is that it has been found a clear support for the

relationship between the students’ activeness during the school day and after school. In other

words, the study shows that the most active pupils during the school hours (during breaks

and lunch break) are the most active students also during their leisure time outside school.

From these results it is clear that the very antithesis is that less active pupils tend to be

likewise less active in the afternoons and evenings. These conclusions might be convenient

and fruitful for agencies and schools in order to understand that an outset for the students

undertake of PA practise as a leisure time activity could be to manage to get them

participating in PA at school. In order to make this a reality, it is essential to connect with

these less active students and enquire into what they are keen on, what games they find

appealing and design an action plan from the gathered data. However, it is also important to

mention that, for the collected data and findings gathered, the extent to which the

aforementioned is possible or that could have a positive outcome is unknown.

Sport Choice and Preferred Moments for MVPA Practise

To start with, an objective of the study was to learn about the most common sports among

Finnish 4th to 6th graders. The most practised sport among Finnish school children was

without any doubt cycling. One of the main reasons why this is happening is because Finnish

students have cycling as a popular custom and this sport is really integrated in the society,

making all students used to ride their bikes to and from school, when they go to visit a friend

or when they go to the store; an unquestionable marvellous habitude of helping to create

active kids. Observing these results and realising how highly practised and amusing it is for

Finnish kids to cycle, might be thought-provoking for other countries and institutions that

want to incentive a more active lifestyle among the community. Furthermore, since evidence

from this study shows that cycling is such a common sport, and that most children tend to

enjoy, these results might be also advantageous for Finnish institutions, to apply and

motivate students suffering from high levels of adiposity (overweight or obesity) or that are

not active enough. Some ways to promote this sport is for example by doing displays and

advertisements around the schools, organizing reunions and encounters by bikes or trips by

bikes.

46

The implementation of this measures of AT has been already a success in Finland:

Saidla’s (2018) research analysed the outstanding Finnish success in AT and alongside the

health benefits this procedure has, Saidla (2018) also underscores the fact that this action

was fundamentally motivated by concerns (e.g., liveability, the environment) that would not

be directly considered health-related, for instance, the environment or community. These

conclusions might be riveting for Finnish schools and might make them able to realise the

huge effect they could make in the students’ life and health-related choices.

Secondly, the results showed that Friday was the day when students had the lowest PA

levels, and that Monday was also a day when generally the amount of PA those pupils were

involved in were scant. On the contrary, Wednesday and Sunday were the days where the

students spent more time engaging in PA. Indirectly, these results clearly show that students

the first day before and after the weekend are the two days where students feel more tired

and with less energy to engage in PA practise. Furthermore, the results also suggest that

Wednesday, the day in the middle of the week, and Sunday, after having the possibility to

rest the whole Saturday, are the two days of the week when, on average, students have more

energy and willingness to engage on PA or engage in exercise. Regarding these two findings

of the study, scant studies have been found to corroborate or contrast the obtained

information in this study.

Gender and Age Differences Regarding the Students’ PA Levels

While previous research has found differences between gender and PA levels, this research

provides us with evidence that there is no difference between gender and the students’ levels

of PA among the participants. Even though the present study fails to demonstrate a gender

difference regarding the practise of PA (Haapala et al., 2017; Mathisen et al., 2019; Salin et

al., 2019). For instance, a study carried out by Salin et al. (2019) that collected data from 17

representative Finnish schools demonstrated that boys performed more moderate to vigorous

PA. Focusing on the age-group studied in the present research, in a comparison study from

1985/1986 to 2014 by Mathisen et al. (2019) the findings showed that there were some

gender differences in PA among Finnish children and provided evidence suggesting that

boys were more active than girls (p = 0.012). In the same line, other studies, such as the one

carried out by Liikkuva Koulu (n.d.), have also been found to be inconsistent with the results

from the present research that stated that differences between genders were substantial,

always finding boys with higher PA levels than girls.

47

The last interesting finding to highlight is incongruency with the age-related assumptions

when planning the research. This research hints at the fact that older students have higher

overall levels of PA during the week, however, our finding is not congruent to most research

found. Since the explanation of the Finland’s PA report card of 2018 of children and

adolescents (LIKES Research Centre, 2018) prove that that the older the students, the lower

the PA levels, the finding from our study leaves an interesting issue to debate and to think if

it could be a region-specific characteristic. This issue could be due to the fact that older

students have a higher amount of homework that could lead to a higher academic stress

therefore the increment of sports dropout and therefore the lower the levels of PA.

Alternatively, it could simply mean that the age difference among the participants is not wide

enough to determine if the school workload affects the PA practise and that it might be purely

related to the student’s personal characteristics and their own social environment. According

to the National Institute for Health and Wealfare & Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

(2013), Finnish students reach the PA peaks at the age of 11 (one of the focus groups in this

study) and that the most striking decline in PA happens when students are at the age of 15,

when teenage behaviours and hormone changes are also strong and significant.

A similar pattern of results was obtained in the Spanish study by Martínez-Martínez &

González-Hernández (2018) with a sample of 409 students, where the findings showed a

negative correlation between age and PA levels, in other words, as students get older (both,

boys and girls) they tend to practise less PA, the results from this from this research do not

provide the same evidence. On the same line, according to the LIKES Research Centre

(2018), research based on accelerometer measurements provide evidence that shows that

Finnish children are predominantly active during the early years of elementary school and

that the moderate to vigorous PA levels tend to decline throughout the school years.

The last interesting finding regarding the differences between ages concurs with the

speculations gathered before the beginning of this research. As was supposed from the

outset, a significant effect of grades on the students’ levels of PA was found in the evenings.

This is an important finding in the understanding of the students’ choice for PA practise

during the day. As it was predicted, as students get older, they leave later from school and

their choice for practicing sports and engaging with exercise tend to be later in the day than

their younger peers.

48

Understanding the Impact of Covid-19 on the Students’ PA Levels

A different purpose of the research was also to understand the impact of Covid-19 in the PA

practise of school-aged children. From this standpoint, covid-19 can be considered as one of

the main obstacles for children nowadays to carry out normal levels of PA. These results tie

well with previous studies wherein how covid-19 has affected the PA levels of the school-aged

children. Overall, these findings are in accordance with findings reported by Cabrera (2020),

Martinez et al. (2020), Pombo et al. (2020), Stveráková et al. (2021), Zhang et al. (2020).

As has been mentioned in a previous point (p. 45), in a previous unpublished study

carried out by the author of this paper interviews to real Finnish teachers were conducted and

their answers are in line with the results from this study regarding the impact of Covid-19 in

children. Generally, this pandemic has had negative outcomes for all the children regarding

their sport and PA practise; the cancelling of training, distance teaching and overall country

restrictions have significantly affected the students’ PA levels. However, as one teacher from

the interview explained, teachers have done their best to avoid students sitting all day in from

of the computer when doing distance-learning, imposing physical active tasks for children to

fulfill such as a morning routine with a YouTube dance, brain breaks with tasks that involve

movement, activities to go outside and look for different things (leaves, insects, etc.) or to

follow a workout, go for a walk or go cycling. (See interview in appendix 3).

As stated by Pombo et al. (2020), the children that have been most positively affected

regarding activity levels are children from families with all adults working from home, being

in possession of an outdoor space in the household and having at least one adult free from

working from home two significant predictors of high levels of PA levels. This data might be

of great utility for future research on the field.

As Roy T. Bennett said once, “we don’t truly appreciate what we have until it’s gone…”,

so, despite the fact that everyone’s lives have taken a hit form the Covid-19 pandemic, and

everything that it took away from all individuals, it is important to also recognise the learning

that it has provided. This pandemic has taught children, parents and families around the world

the importance of PA in order to stay healthy and to be happy. Parents now are better aware of

the benefits of moving and being outside have from their children. This is a positive learning

for the future, valuing the possibility to move free outdoors without limitations or joining teams

to do sport, among many other, helping with the enormous challenge that is still present in this

day and age of promoting PA in school-age children or to be more precise, making each and

49

every child to engage in 60 minutes of MVPA each and every day (in children between six and

12 years old).

Limitations of the Study

The situation and timing for the development of the present research was not ideal. The process

was difficult and time consuming. The reason for this was the situation of the Covid-19

pandemic, something that affected every individual and field of work worldwide, not the

development of the present paper being an exception. It is considered of high importance to

mention that this study was designed and planned for approximately 600 participants from 10

different schools, however, only 230 students from five different schools were able to

participate. The reason for this low percentage of participation, compared to the expected

numbers at the beginning was due to the covid-19 pandemic. The questionnaires were realised

between March and April of 2021, some difficult months in the pandemic and due to the

regulations that came into force, quarantine periods of some schools, the completion of the

questionnaires was not possible in all the schools that were asked to participate, nor all grades

and students in the schools that participated were able to fill the questionnaire.

Another limitation to highlight is that from the data obtained, even though 75.8% of the

sample provided actual data of their usual PA levels, the rest, a total of 24.2% affirmed that

something had prevented them from doing their regular PA, such as covid-19 restrictions,

sickness or injuries. Due to this, it is not possible to generalise the results obtained as the

everyday overall PA levels of all the participants.

It is considered a limitation of the present study that the sample is too small to draw

conclusive results that can be extrapolated to the Finnish child population as a whole, although

the exposed findings might be an important hint for the PA levels of Finnish school-age children

in the region of Ostrobothnia. Nonetheless, the fact that the sample taken for this research is

exclusively from the Ostrobothnia region requires further studies in other regions of the country

and a comparison to be made, so that more conclusive results can be drawn from the Finnish

population on this issue.

Lastly, three questionnaire-specific limitations must be mentioned. Firstly, the PAQ-C

questionnaire has been developed with the main objective of assessing general levels of PA,

therefore an analysis of an estimate of caloric expenditure or specific frequency, time, and

intensity information cannot be carried out. Secondly, even though the students were warned

about the fact that they should exclusively answer about the PA that made them sweat and

50

significantly elevated their heartbeat, the questionnaire did not discriminate between specific

activity intensities, such as low PA or MVPA. Thirdly, the questionnaire was just valid for the

students that had been in school for at least two consecutive weeks (since the questions are

about their MVPA during the last seven days); therefore, when the questionnaires were handled

out, if a student was sick the previous week, in quarantine, holiday or any other reason that

prevented them from coming to school, they were not able to answer.

5. Conclusion

It is clear that regular PA is highly beneficial for our health and quality of life (Gu & Solmon,

2016), a term that refers to an individual’s or a group’s perceived physical and mental health

over time (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). The regular practise of PA can

provide individuals a high number of benefits short and long term and at all stages of life. It is

important to highlight that, children are developing their bodies and building their personalities;

therefore, the practise of PA in their daily lives is more than crucial in order to assure them a

healthy future.

Although this is a small-scale study which cannot be generalised, the collected students’

self-perceptions through the questionnaire suggest some interesting areas for future research

and raises some thought provoking questions. First and foremost, the present research, in line

with previous results, provides evidence that the PA levels of Finnish school-ages children is

insufficient based on the WHO recommendations. Three possible reasons for these insufficient

levels of PA have been recognised by the author:

• Long dark cold winters. The low amount of daylight together with temperatures

below zero is something that make people feel tired and therefore less active.

something that affects everyone, people become more tired and therefore less

active, leading to a decrease in the amount of PA for always almost half of the

year.

• Technology. Today technology is taking a lot of time from us, especially

smartphones, videogames, and computes, which students tend to overuse

nowadays with the consequence of choosing to stay at home with this

entertainment, rather than playing games that require movement, going outside

to play with friends or practicing a sport. Third, the dark and long Finnish

winters make it hard for one to have willpower to go outside and get some

exercise.

51

In addition to this, as a second and intriguing result is that despite the teachers’ efforts

that were exposed through the interviews, the PA levels of the students at school during school

hours are also deficient. From this standpoint, the findings from this research can also be

considered as starting point for new school level initiatives for agencies to consider the

possibilities for students’ intrinsic motivation towards PA and awareness of the health benefits

that come along with exercise and PA. Nonetheless, since this is not a big enough sample to

generalize the findings at a national level, future research would be needed to see if there is a

pattern that remains around other school-aged children or if it is a finding that could just be

applied to the studied area in the present study.

Even though it was not one of the aims of this research initially, through the qualitative

data that Finnish pupils have a rather negative attitude towards PA. Various students have self-

identified themselves against PA considering this practise as harbouring, unpleasant or simply

indifferent. Additionally, it was highly unexpected the number of students self-identified with

laziness as one of the main actors preventing them from PA practise. Wherefore, in this paper

it has been identified students’ intrinsic motivation as the main challenge for Finnish schools,

education agencies and institutions to take into account in future programmes and regulations.

Previous studies agree on the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the PA

practise of school-aged children. Although there have been many studies on this field, it is

important to highlight that among Finnish school-age children, analysis of the impact of the

pandemic of Covid-19 in the levels of PA is deficient, almost non-existent, therefore further

research on this matter is needed in other to better understand the situation and be able to recover

from it.

Drawing to a close, PA is crucial for everyone, however, it is especially important in middle

childhood since they are developing their whole physical and emotional selves.

Notwithstanding the high importance of PA the worldwide situation does not look promising.

Aiming to assuring today’s children a healthy adulthood and a reasonable quality of life a

change is needed, and the collaboration of the whole society is required.

52

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7. Appendices

Appendix 1. Physical Activity Questionnaire (Elementary School)

Age:___________ Grade:__________

Sex: M_______ F_______ Other _____________

We are trying to find out about your level of physical activity from the last 7 days (in the last

week). This includes sports or dance that make you sweat or make your legs feel tired, or games

that make you breathe hard, like tag, skipping, running, climbing, and others.

Remember:

1. There are no right and wrong answers — this is not a test.

2. Please answer all the questions as honestly and accurately as you can — this is very

important.

1. Physical activity in your spare time: Have you done any of the following activities in the past

7 days (last week)? If yes, how many times? (Mark only one circle per row.)

Sport No 1-2 3-4 5-6 7 times or

more

Skipping

Rowing/canoeing

In-line skating

Tag

Walking for exercise

Bicycling

Jogging or running

Aerobics

Swimming

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Baseball

Softball

Dance

Football

Badminton

Skateboarding

Soccer

Street hockey

Volleyball

Floor hockey

Basketball

Ice skating

Cross-country skiing

Ice hockey/ringette

Other:

____________

2. In the last 7 days, during your physical education (PE) classes, how often were you very

active?

(playing hard, running, jumping, throwing)? (Check one only.)

I don’t do PE ............................................................

Hardly ever ..............................................................

Sometimes ...............................................................

Quite often ................................................................

Always .....................................................................

3. In the last 7 days, what did you do most of the time at recess? (Check one only.)

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Sat down (talking, reading, doing schoolwork)…….

Stood around or walked around ................................

Ran or played a little bit ...........................................

Ran around and played quite a bit ............................

Ran and played hard most of the time .....................

4. In the last 7 days, what did you normally do at lunch (besides eating lunch)? (Check

one only.)

Sat down (talking, reading, doing schoolwork).…...

Stood around or walked around ...............................

Ran or played a little bit ..........................................

Ran around and played quite a bit ...........................

Ran and played hard most of the time .....................

5. In the last 7 days, on how many days right after school, did you do sports, dance, or

play games in which you were very active? (Check one only.)

None .................................................................……

1 time last week .......................................................

2 or 3 times last week ..............................................

4 times last week .....................................................

5 times last week .....................................................

6. In the last 7 days, on how many evenings did you do sports, dance, or play games in

which you were very active? (Check one only.)

None ........................................................................

1 time last week .......................................................

2 or 3 times last week ..............................................

4 or 5 last week ........................................................

6 or 7 times last week ..............................................

7. On the last weekend, how many times did you do sports, dance, or play games in which

you were very active? (Check one only.)

None ........................................................................

1 time .......................................................................

2 — 3 times .............................................................

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4 — 5 times .............................................................

6 or more times ........................................................

8. Which one of the following describes you best for the last 7 days? Read all five

statements before deciding on the one answer that describes you.

A. All or most of my free time was spent doing things that involve little

physical effort .................................................................................................………….

B. I sometimes (1 — 2 times last week) did physical things in my free time

(e.g. played sports, went running, swimming, bike riding, did aerobics) .......………….

C. I often (3 — 4 times last week) did physical things in my free time ..........………....

D. I quite often (5 — 6 times last week) did physical things in my free time ………….

E. I very often (7 or more times last week) did physical things in my free time ……….

9. Mark how often you did physical activity (like playing sports, games, doing dance, or

any other physical activity) for each day last week.

Day None Little bit Medium Often Very often

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

10. Were you sick last week, or did anything prevent you from doing your normal physical

activities? (Check one.)

Yes ...................................................……

No ............................................................

If Yes, what prevented you? __________________________________

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Appendix 2. Qualitative research – students’ answers to the last question of the

questionnaire.

- Arbete → work.

- Att jag var med mina kompisar → I was with my friends.

- Att köra

- Bröt 2 ben i vristen → I broke two bones in my wrist.

- En halunnut tai jaksanut → I didn't want to or couldn't stand it.

- En sak → something.

- En vain jaksanut → I just couldn't stand it.

- Eten tulisi enempää kipeäksi → It would get more sore.

- För att hockeysäsongen är slut → Because the hockey season is over.

- Gar it på na sport

- Hade inte lust. Orkar inte. → Did not feel like it. Can't stand it.

- Ingenting. Jag var lat. → Nothing. I was lazy.

- Inget går ej på sport det är så dyrt och jag föredrar att Callas dem inte hon → Nothing

goes in sports it is so expensive and I prefer that Callas them not she

- Inte ork/tid → Not strength / time

- Jaha har opererat min hals men sätter veckan före operationen → I had surgery on my

neck the week before

- Jag är lat → I am lazy

- Jag går inte i någon sport → I am not into any sport.

- Jag hade ont i halsen → I had a sore throat.

- Jag hade ont i knät → I had a sore knee.

- Jag hade skadat mig i benet → I had injured my leg.

- Jag har annat och göra, och jag tycker inte om det → I had other things to do, and I do

not like it.

- Jag har fraktur i hälen. Därför får jag inte röra på mig. Annars skulle jag det. → I have

a fracture in my heel. That's why I'm not allowed to move. Otherwise I would.

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- Jag orkar inte → I cannot take it.

- Jag spelade på datorn. Men jag ville nog gå ut och jogga. → I played on the computer.

But I probably wanted to go out and jog.

- Jag spelar inte sport → I do not play sports.

- Jag var inne det var dåligt väder → I was inside, it was bad weather.

- Jag var inne och måla, Sjuk på söndag vila på måndag → I was inside painting, Sick on

Sunday resting on Monday.

- Jag var på fotbollsläger → I was in a football camp.

- Jag var sjuk → I was sick.

- Jag var vid mina kusiner. → I was with my cousins.

- Jag vill ha mer träningar ..... → I want to have more training.

- Jag ville ta det lugnt de andra dagarna → I wanted to take it easy the other days.

- Jos tulee talvi → if winter comes.

- Korona → corona.

- Korona raijotukest → corona restrictions.

- Korona raijotukset → corona restrictions.

- korona rajoitukset → corona restrictions.

- Korona rajoituksen takia → corona restrictions.

- Korona rajoitukset → corona restrictions.

- Korona rajoitus → corona restrictions.

- Koska oli loma → because it was vacation.

- Kun ei ole ollut treenejä → There have been no workouts.

- Laiskuus → Lazyness.

- Laiskuus → Lazyness.

- Laiskuus ja stressi → Lazyness and stress.

- Mä en päässyt sinne → I didn't get there.

- Minulla oli selkä kipeä → I had a sore back.

- Selkä kipeä → Back hurting.

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- Sjuk → sick.

- Spel → gaming.

- Telefon och sövning → Telephone and

- Treenieni takia. Välillä kotona olen pitänyt itse treenejä. → Because of my training.

Sometimes at home I have held my own workouts

Appendix 3. Interview conducted by the author of this Master thesis with two current

Finnish teachers working at one of the schools.

Introduction: My name is Lía, I am 22 years old and I am from Spain. I am doing a research

about physical activity in kids for my Master Thesis. To have some real and direct information

about the teacher education and the Physical Education subject per se I have made a few

questions that I would like you to answer as a current Physical Education teacher in the Finnish

Education System.

I have divided the interview in three parts: The first part is about your actual job as a Physical

Education teacher; the second part is about the Physical Education subject per se; the third part

is about how has the COVID-19 affected to the PE lessons.

Interviewee 1: Class teacher and music, Finnish and Physical Education

teacher. Studied from 1988 to 1992.

Interviewee 2: Recently graduated class teacher and specialised in class teacher. Studied from

2015 and finished in 2020.

Part I: The teacher’s duty

Question: How do you start working as a teacher?

Answers:

You apply and usually you have and interview. In some schools you come

and teach a lesson or two and then you have the interview. You have to be

a master’s degree for this.

So, in Finland you have to have the Master’s degree from the university to work as

a teacher. There are some teachers that don’t have the Master’s degree but to get

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a full-time job you have to have the Master’s degree. Then, of course, you have to

apply for the job, there’s often interview or test lesson that you have to do for the

principal.

Question: How is it being a teacher in Finland? And a Physical Education

teacher? Clarification: For instance, if it is well-considered around pupils and

society in general.

Answers:

I would say yes, most are. And mostly it is quite good to be a teacher. Of course,

there are always people, or families or someone who don’t agree, well, like in

every other work. But mostly is quite good I would say.

I think for the teachers that teach PE as well as other lessons is like the same as

for the kids, you get something else to do, is not just the Math and the Swedish

and that stuff and also for the teachers is something else than the normal school

work. I really think that is recognised because is not the easiest subject to do, so I

think a lot of teachers also give their PE to somebody else to teach so that is why

here in this school we have only teachers that teach only PE.

Question: What is the best part of being a Physical Education teacher in Finland?

And the worst?

Answers:

The best part is that you come close to the kids and you see them developing skills

and for me as an elementary teacher, I see the kids outside the classroom too and

doing completely different things and that strengthens the bond, that I would say

is the best part. The worst maybe, all this carrying of things everywhere.

The best part is that we have a lot of possibilities to do PE and I find it important

to use the PE lessons as a learning ground as well to get in touch with different

kind of sports. Because a lot of kids have only soccer or ice hockey or ballet in their

free time but then in the PE lesson you can try many different sports and that’s the

most important thing. We have a lot of possibilities to give this to the kids: we

have the ice rink that we can go and play ice hockey, the swimming hall, and here

in the school we have a lot of material that the kids can use.

The worst thing is to keep the study environment. When you do PE is more

free than other lessons but you still need to teach the kids something, so I think

the balance it’s hard, to keep it fun at the same time but also a learning

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situation. And also the kids that get a little bit too excited sometimes and you have,

at least the small kids, running around like crazy, so to gather them and teach them

something it is something that you have to think a little bit extra then.

Part III: Physical Education subject

Question: How many hours of PE do kids have? Do you think those hours are

enough? Answers:

From grade 1 to 6 they have 2 hours a week, but grade 5 has an extra hour. The

reason for that is because in the last reform of the curriculum they added a test

(Move!) for grade 5 and grade 8; so, this extra lesson of PE in grade 5 is according

to that test.

The kids have two lessons, ones have 3, I think is 5th graders. I think is enough for

some kids, but I do think that some kids would need more.

Question: Do you think the hours of PE at school are enough? What would you

change about PE at schools?

Answers:

The hours I don’t think they are enough because they kids should be every

day physically active, a couple of hours. Many kids are but all are not.

I don’t know what I would change honestly.

I think that I would be nice or important f we would have the opportunity to hire in

people that are experts in their own field. So that we could hire in ice

hockey trainers or basketball trainers from local clubs, for example. So, they

could teach the right way to do things, at least sometimes, because I don’t

know every rule of basketball and I have still to teach it so… I think it would be

nice to have professionals to come in and teach some sports, I would like that.

Question: How has the PE subject changed through time?

Answers:

Earlier it was more now we are doing skating, now we are doing skiing, now

we are doing volleyball… and now everything is more about being physically

active and developing skills and being able to move in different ways and so on.

When my parents were young, the PE was a lot about learning different skills. So,

for example if they had long jump, they would all stand in a line and each one goes

and do the jump, receive some feedback about what they could improve for the

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next time. So, I think a lot of waiting and about working specific skills. Nowadays

is more about social skills, so if we practise long jump, everyone stands in a line

and jump at the same time. And now maybe now is more about trying new things

than learning specific skills.

Question: What is the most recent innovation that Finland has made PE related?

Answers:

The test “Move!” is the latest innovation in the curriculum. It is hard to say if

it’s good or not since it has been just implemented and it’s quite new yet. My

own kids (I have 2 kids in grade 5 now) they have done the test, we got the

results home and it was interesting to see; but the follow up is in grade 8 so they

do the same test in grade 8, and that will show how has de develop been, so maybe

is quite early to say.

We have this “Move!” thing that is like a survey about different skillsets the

kids have. I think that in Finland the newest mindsets is that no kid should stand

still in the classroom and we have to plan our lessons so every kid is moving all

the time. And then we have a lot of this “station things” we have 6 different

stations where they practise one different skill in each.

Question: What do you think about having PE every day at school?

Answers:

It is hard to say because we should change the curriculum then and put in more

lessons generally. But with this amount of lessons that the kids have is we put in

more PE something else will fall. But of course, in every classroom is possible to

be physically active is not just PE.

We have Röris in the mornings (the smaller children have it) that they have

15 minutes of dance in the morning and there’s a teacher who teaches these dances

to the kids and then they do them outdoors. So maybe we could have this more

often, because I think is good that they take out this energy and if they don’t get it

out they have to get it in and so that is very good and you can really see that the

kids are more motivated when they come in from the Röris and they have started

the day with some dance. So maybe we could have that, but I don’t think the kids

need more of training specific things like in the PE lesson.

Question: What do you think about the “brain breaks”? Are they a reality in

Finnish schools?

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Answers:

Yes. All the teachers try to get involved with it. If you are physically active you

learn better, you remember things better.

I do think so. We have this thing called Folkhalsan and they have made this really

good notes for teachers that you can just pull out a note and it tells you what to do

with the kids for this brain break. So, there’s a lot of new materials and I hope all

teachers use it. At least in this school we use them a lot and we have a lot of brain

breaks and in other schools I have been too they also use them a lot.

Question: Do you think children enjoy PE?

Answers:

Most of them, not everyone, but most of them.

I do think so, yes.

Question: Are parents and the society aware of the benefits that PE has for

children?

Answers:

Like everything else, some are, and some are not. But I do not think any

parent would like to remove the subject

I do think that the society is aware of it and that most of the parents are. But I think

some of the parents have a hard time moving their kids in the afternoon and this

are the same kids that do not feel so comfortable in the PE lessons so I think there

is a connection between that the kids don’t want to move at school are the ones

that have a hard time to move at home.

Part III: COVID-19

Question: How has COVID-19 affected PE? Do you still teach PE now?

How? Answers:

Some kids this is going to affect a lot. But in every family where the parents

and the kids are aware of that the kids should be physically active; they will do

their best encourage the kids to do exercise at home.

Yes, of course. We teach PE virtually, the kids get tasks to do by Seesaw, it might

be to follow a workout, to go for a walk, to go cycling.

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Because I teach here at the school I have now all the first graders with me we do have PE twice

a week now outside and we have all these games that we play altogether and some basketball,

things like this so they get to move and to be outside. Also, we have all these brain breaks with

dance and YouTube videos where they move and do different exercises. But I think that the

distance teaching and the PE there is a lot of like inner motivating that has to come from the

kids to do the things correctly and take the time to do the tasks because many people here in

Vasa live in apartments so is hard to like get everything going in the apartment. So, a lot of the

tasks have been go for a walk and look for these things when you are outside… So I think PE

have taken some hit from the coronavirus but if the parents are aware of the benefits of moving

and being outside maybe they are even more outside now.