TY - JOUR
T1 - The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy
T2 - Methods for children in grades 4 to 6 (8 to 12 years)
AU - Longmuir, Patricia E.
AU - Boyer, Charles
AU - Lloyd, Meghann
AU - Yang, Yan
AU - Boiarskaia, Elena
AU - Zhu, Weimo
AU - Tremblay, Mark S.
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank the CAPL Scientific Advisory Board, the experts who participated in the Delphi process, and all of the children and their families who made this study possible. We also appreciate the support of Dr. John Hay in allowing our use of the adequacy and predilection sub-scales from the Children’s Self-perceived Adequacy and Predilection for Physical Activity Scale [28]. In addition, we would like to thank the following members of our research team for their contribution to the CAPL data collection and analyses: Joel Barnes, Nick Barrowman, Priscilla Belanger, Mike Borghese, Pete Breihtaupt, Claire Francis, Kim Gratton, Laura Harding, Kelly Heffernan, Emily Knight, Richard Larouche, Allana LeBlanc, Genevieve Leduc, Daun Lynch, Katie McClelland, Allison McFarlane, Emily Meisner, Stella Muthuri, Travis Saunders, David Thivel. The development of the CAPL would not have been possible without the collaboration of the following leaders who assisted with the recruitment of children for this project: Randy Ruttan and staff from the Upper Canada District School Board Bob Thomas and staff from the Ottawa Catholic School Board The development of the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy was made possible through financial support provided by: Active Healthy Kids Canada Canadian Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance / Physical and Health Education Canada Canadian Institutes of Health Research Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network Champlain Local Health Integration Network Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport Ontario Physical and Health Education Association Ottawa Catholic School Board ParticipACTION Upper Canada District School Board
Funding Information:
In response to the need for objective data on physical literacy, the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy [16] (CAPL) was developed. The goal was to provide a valid, reliable and informative tool for monitoring the physical literacy of Canadian children. In keeping with the internationally accepted definition of physical literacy [3], the CAPL was designed to combine assessments of motivation and confidence, physical competence (health-related fitness and motor skill), knowledge and understanding, and habitual engagement in physical activity (physical activity and sedentary behaviors). Through curricula review and extensive consultations with researchers and practitioners in childhood physical activity and physical education, desired assessment protocols for monitoring physical literacy in children were identified [2, 14]. Existing measures of motivation and confidence, fitness and physical activity were combined with novel assessments of motor skill proficiency [17] and knowledge and understanding. Feasibility of the CAPL components was evaluated through an iterative design and development process. Feasibility was examined in relation to children’s ability to perform the required tasks, as well as administration time and required personnel. In response, the curl-up and push up protocols of musculoskeletal fitness initially recommended were replaced by a static plank hold [18] and the agility and movement skill assessment was revised to fit into a smaller space [17]. Finally, a 3-round Delphi expert review process was completed to establish the validity of the final CAPL model and assessment protocols [19], and to guide development of the CAPL scoring and interpretation procedures. With funding from the RBC Learn to Play Project (http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/community/learn-to-play/about-the-rbc-learn-to-play- project.html), Mitacs (www.mitacs.ca), and the Public Health Agency of Canada, the CAPL is currently being used to assess 20,000 children in 12 Canadian provinces and territories. Preliminary data from this national survey have recently been published in the 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth [20], with completion of the assessments anticipated by 2017. Although developed for Canadian children, international use of the CAPL is also rapidly expanding [21, 22]. After being introduced at the 25th Pediatric Work Physiology meeting in France [23], international invited presentations about the CAPL have been given in Oceania (29th Australian Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation International Conference, Adelaide, April 2015), Asia (Southwest University, Chong Qing; Xigang School District, Da Lian; Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou; Shanghai Sports University, Shanghai, China, March 2015) and Europe (University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland, November 2012). Based on a recent special issue of the journal of the International Council on Sport Science and Physical Education of UNESCO, the CAPL is unique [16] in its ability to monitor the broad spectrum of characteristics that influence physical literacy.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Longmuir et al.
PY - 2015/8/11
Y1 - 2015/8/11
N2 - Background: Physical literacy is described as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and engage in a physically active lifestyle. As such, it is expected that those who have greater physical literacy would be more likely to obtain the health benefits offered by habitual physical activity. A theoretical model and assessment battery, the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL), for the assessment of childhood physical literacy had been proposed in theory but validity data were lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore validity evidence for the CAPL among children in grades 4 to 6. Methods: CAPL validity was evaluated through three analyses that utilized cross-sectional data obtained through local schools in Eastern Ontario, Canada. A confirmatory factor analysis compared the data to the theoretical model. Patterns of association between self-reported age and gender and the CAPL total and domain scores were examined using regression models. Teacher ratings of participants' knowledge, attitude and physical activity competence were compared to assessment results. Results: The CAPL was completed by 963 children (55 % female) in grades 4, 5 and 6. Children were 8 to 12 years of age (mean 10.1 years), with 85 % of children approached agreeing to participate. A confirmatory factor analysis using data from 489 children with complete raw scores supported a model with four domains: engagement in physical activity (active and sedentary), physical competence (fitness and motor skill), motivation and confidence, and knowledge and understanding. Raw domain scores followed expected patterns for age and gender, providing evidence for their validity. Interpretive categories, developed from age and gender adjusted normative data, were not associated with age indicating that the CAPL is suitable for use across this age range. Children's gender was associated with the physical competence, motivation and engagement in physical activity domain scores, indicating that further research is required regarding the gender adjustment of the raw CAPL scores. CAPL domain and total scores were statistically significantly associated with teacher ratings of the child's motivation, attitudes, fitness, skill and overall physical activity. Conclusions: CAPL offers a comprehensive assessment of engagement in physical activity, physical competence, motivation and confidence, and knowledge and understanding as components of childhood (grades 4 to 6, 8 to 12 years) physical literacy. Monitoring of these measures enhances our understanding of children's physical literacy, and assists with the identification of areas where additional supports are required.
AB - Background: Physical literacy is described as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and engage in a physically active lifestyle. As such, it is expected that those who have greater physical literacy would be more likely to obtain the health benefits offered by habitual physical activity. A theoretical model and assessment battery, the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL), for the assessment of childhood physical literacy had been proposed in theory but validity data were lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore validity evidence for the CAPL among children in grades 4 to 6. Methods: CAPL validity was evaluated through three analyses that utilized cross-sectional data obtained through local schools in Eastern Ontario, Canada. A confirmatory factor analysis compared the data to the theoretical model. Patterns of association between self-reported age and gender and the CAPL total and domain scores were examined using regression models. Teacher ratings of participants' knowledge, attitude and physical activity competence were compared to assessment results. Results: The CAPL was completed by 963 children (55 % female) in grades 4, 5 and 6. Children were 8 to 12 years of age (mean 10.1 years), with 85 % of children approached agreeing to participate. A confirmatory factor analysis using data from 489 children with complete raw scores supported a model with four domains: engagement in physical activity (active and sedentary), physical competence (fitness and motor skill), motivation and confidence, and knowledge and understanding. Raw domain scores followed expected patterns for age and gender, providing evidence for their validity. Interpretive categories, developed from age and gender adjusted normative data, were not associated with age indicating that the CAPL is suitable for use across this age range. Children's gender was associated with the physical competence, motivation and engagement in physical activity domain scores, indicating that further research is required regarding the gender adjustment of the raw CAPL scores. CAPL domain and total scores were statistically significantly associated with teacher ratings of the child's motivation, attitudes, fitness, skill and overall physical activity. Conclusions: CAPL offers a comprehensive assessment of engagement in physical activity, physical competence, motivation and confidence, and knowledge and understanding as components of childhood (grades 4 to 6, 8 to 12 years) physical literacy. Monitoring of these measures enhances our understanding of children's physical literacy, and assists with the identification of areas where additional supports are required.
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U2 - 10.1186/s12889-015-2106-6
DO - 10.1186/s12889-015-2106-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 26260572
AN - SCOPUS:84938861311
VL - 15
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
SN - 1471-2458
IS - 1
M1 - 767
ER -