Clinical trial NCT01371292: A Transformational Teaching Intervention: Adolescents in Motion (AIM) Trial
Official title: A Transformational Teaching Intervention: Adolescents in Motion (AIM) Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physical Activity
Keywords: Physical activity
Transformational leadership
Physical education
Lead sponsor: University of British Columbia
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
First posted: 2011-06-10
Enrollment: 2160
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 13
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL

Brief summary: The purpose of this Randomized Controlled Tria (RCT) is to evaluate the effects of a transformational teaching intervention in comparison to 'standard educational practices' within school-based physical education classes (within three Canadian provinces; British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia) across 5 months.

Detailed description: Physical inactivity among adolescents has been linked to a vast array of physical and mental health problems. One potential vehicle to foster adolescent involvement in physical activity relates to physical education in schools.

A potentially important framework, that has recently been applied to educational and health promotion contexts, relates to transformational leadership theory. Transformational leadership involves the demonstration of behaviors that empower and inspire others to achieve higher levels of functioning, and has been consistently found to be associated with greater motivation, self-efficacy, well-being, and performance in those being led. From an applied perspective, a growing body of evidence also suggests that transformational behaviors can be developed in leaders through short-term interventions (e.g., one-day workshops), which subsequently result in positive changes in followers' attitudinal and behavioral responses.

With this in mind, the overall goal of this Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) is to test the efficacy of a theory-driven evidence-based transformational teaching intervention for use within school-based physical activity settings. In this 5-month trial, physical education teachers from 36 schools from three provinces across Canada (British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia) will be provided with (through a one day work shop and follow-up support program) the resources they need to implement transformational teaching behaviours in their day-to-day teaching practices. The primary hypothesis for this RCT is that students taught by teachers in the intervention condition will display greater adoption and maintenance of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) behaviors outside of school hours in comparison to control students, after controlling for baseline levels. A process evaluation will also be conducted with teachers to evaluate the procedures embedded within the intervention.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Grade 9 (aged 14 (+/- 1 year))

Exclusion Criteria:

* Do not have basic working knowledge of English

Primary outcomes:
measure: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)
timeFrame: 5 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Physical activity-related cognitions and attitudes
timeFrame: 5 months
measure: Teaching efficacy
timeFrame: 5 months
measure: Transformational teaching behaviors
timeFrame: 5 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Vancouver
country: Canada
facility: University of British Columbia
state: British Columbia
city: Wolfville
country: Canada
facility: Acadia University
state: Nova Scotia
city: Kingston
country: Canada
facility: Queen's University
state: Ontario
city: North Bay
country: Canada
facility: Nipissing University
state: Ontario
Study officials:
affiliation: University of British Columbia
name: Mark R Beauchamp, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Beauchamp MR, Barling J, Li Z, Morton KL, Keith SE, Zumbo BD. Development and psychometric properties of the transformational teaching questionnaire. J Health Psychol. 2010 Nov;15(8):1123-34. doi: 10.1177/1359105310364175. Epub 2010 Jun 3.
citation: Beauchamp MR, Morton KL. Transformational teaching and physical activity engagement among adolescents. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2011 Jul;39(3):133-9. doi: 10.1097/JES.0b013e31822153e7.
citation: Morton KL, Keith SE, Beauchamp MR. Transformational teaching and physical activity: a new paradigm for adolescent health promotion? J Health Psychol. 2010 Mar;15(2):248-57. doi: 10.1177/1359105309347586.
citation: Beauchamp MR, Barling J, Morton KL. Transformational teaching and adolescent self-determined motivation, self-efficacy, and intentions to engage in leisure time physical activity: A randomised controlled pilot Trial. DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-0854.2011.01048.x