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NCT Number: NCT06592391

A Study on an Educational Tool for the Development of a Tailored Dynamic School Day in Dutch Primary Schools.

A dynamic school day is a school day that involves regular interruptions of sedentary learning with moments of physical activity. Many Dutch primary schools have thus far not succeeded in making their school day more 'dynamic' .

In this project, the researchers will develop an educational innovation to support schools in the development of a dynamic school day that is tailored to their local context. To determine the effectiveness of the educational innovation, the researchers will study the implementation process and assess the effectiveness.

The research questions for the researcher project are:

1. To what extend are school teams successful in the development and implementation of a tailored dynamic school day, and what are facilitating and hindering factors during implementation? 2. What is the effect of the tailored dynamic school day on 8 - 12 year old pupils? Sedentary time and physical activity behavior, wellbeing and in class behavior will be assessed.

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Key information

Conditions

Physical Activity Behavior Children, Only Motor Activity

Age range

8 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Within this project, the researchers will develop an educational innovation to support Dutch primary schools in the development of a tailored dynamic school day. To asses the effectiveness we will conduct a hybrid effect- implementation trial. The researchers will therefore conduct a process evaluation and an effectiveness trial.

The research questions for the researcher project are:

  • To what extend are school teams successful in the development and implementation of a tailored dynamic school day, and what are facilitating and hindering factors during implementation?
  • What is the effect of the tailored dynamic school day on 8 - 12 year old pupils? Sedentary time and physical activity behavior, wellbeing and in class behavior will be assessed.

Study sample:

A total of 21 schools will be invited to participate in this study. Three schools have already successfully implemented a dynamic school day in their local context on their own initiative. Those schools are called 'expert schools'. The other 18 schools (6 located in Amsterdam, 6 located in Eindhoven, 6 located in Groningen) have not structurally implemented a dynamic school day. These 18 schools will be divided over 2 cohorts that will start developing their tailored dynamic school day over the course of the project.

Cohort 1 (12 schools, evenly divided over the 3 regions) will start in September 2024 with an educational program that will support them during the development of a tailored dynamic school day. They will use a full school year to develop an implementation plan, and will start the implementation of their tailored dynamic school day from September 2025 onwards. The results of the process evaluation and effectiveness trial will be used to improve the educational innovation and develop an e-learning module.

Cohort 2 (6 schools, evenly divided over the 3 regions) will start in September 2025 with the development of their tailored dynamic school day using the e-learning module. They will also use a full school year to develop an implementation plan and start implementing from September 2026 onwards.

The process evaluation and effect assessment will be conducted in all participating schools. In the development year, a baseline measurement will be conducted in autumn. All other measurements, including the baseline measurement for the expert schools, will be conducted in the spring of each year.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

From participating 21 schools:

  • all teachers
  • a board member
  • all pupils from grade 4 - 8 (Dutch system, age 8 - 12)

Exclusion criteria

-

Treatment and study plan

educational innovation dynamic school day

Other

Schools will form a community of practice, and will be supported with regular workshop to develop a dynamic school day that matches the local context.

e-learning on a dynamic school day

Other

Schools will form a community of practice, and will develop a dynamic school day that matches their local context using e-learning materials

expert schools

Other

Schools that have developed a local dynamic school day without additional support

Primary outcomes

  1. process evaluation - questionnaire

    Time frame: During the year of development (1st year of participation) 2 times (fall + spring school year). After that once a year (spring school year) until the end of the study which may be 2 or 3 years depending on the cohort.

    Questionnaire on experiences with the implementation of the dynamic school day

  2. Process evaluation - semi structured interview

    Time frame: 1 time per year until the end of the study (spring school year) which is 2 or 3 years depending on the cohort

    Semi structured interview on school policy focussed on aspects that are related to a dynamic school day

  3. Process evaluation - observations within the school

    Time frame: During the year of development (1st year of participation) 2 times (fall + spring school year). After that once a year (spring school year) until the end of the study which may be 2 or 3 years depending on the cohort.

    Observations within 2 classrooms to assess physical activity behavior during the school day

  4. Process evaluation - analysis of teaching schedules

    Time frame: During the year of development (1st year of participation) 2 times (fall + spring school year). After that once a year (spring school year) until the end of the study which may be 2 or 3 years depending on the cohort.

    Teacher schedules and overview of minutes of physical activity during the schoolday to assess how many active minutes are reached.

Secondary outcomes

  1. effect evaluation - wellbeing pupils

    Time frame: During the year of development (1st year of participation) 2 times (fall + spring school year). After that once a year (spring school year) until the end of the study which may be 2 or 3 years depending on the cohort.

    wellbeing questionnaire completed by parent of 8-12 year old pupils

  2. effect evaluation - on-task behavior

    Time frame: During the year of development (1st year of participation) 2 times (fall + spring school year). After that once a year (spring school year) until the end of the study which may be 2 or 3 years depending on the cohort.

    observation within two class rooms to count the number of pupils that show on-task behavior (measured on Tuesday and Thursday)

  3. effect evaluation - physical activity behavior

    Time frame: During the year of development (1st year of participation) 2 weeks (fall + spring school year). After that one week per year (spring school year) until the end of the study which may be 2 or 3 years depending on the cohort.

    Pupils will wear an accelerometer on their hip during 5 days: Monday morning - Friday afternoon

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Anne de Jong

CONTACT

[email protected]

+31 648275920

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Other

Collaborators

  • Fontys University of Applied Sciences
  • Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen

Registry information

Official study title

Process Evaluation and Effectiveness Trial to Assess a Tailored Whole School Approach for a More Dynamic School Day in Dutch Primary Schools.

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Sep 19, 2024
Registry last updated
Sep 19, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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