Page 325 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 325
the role of physical activity in esl
lifestyle behaviours that can have a potentially negative impact on health,
such as diet, lower levels of physical activity, and drug abuse. This means
(Limerick Health Promotion, 2008; Share, Hennessy, Stewart-Knox, &
Davison, 2013) that young people who stay in the school setting have longer
access to positive school cultures, supportive environments and healthy
policies that can impact positively on their health and lifestyle choices (e.g.
healthy eating, physical activity etc.). ESLers are deprived of this. In this
manner, a lower level of physical activity is one of the negative consequenc-
es of an individual’s ESL and can also be considered one of the characteris-
tics of students who left the educational setting too early (ibid.). This is the
connection between ESL and physical activity that is most often described
in the literature.
On the other hand, the link between physical activity and ESL also
goes in the other direction, i.e. physical activity leading to lower levels of
ESL. The aim of this article is to look at theoretical and empirical inves-
tigations that consider physical activity as a characteristic of ESLers and
as an important prevention activity that can be strengthened in order to
help lower ESL rates; we explain via which mechanisms physical activi-
ty can contribute to low ESL. In this context, we will pay special attention
to the effects of physical education on the individual’s physical and mental
health, the effects on learning processes and ways that the physical activity
of ESLers can be bolstered through different community-based approach-
es to education and improving the individual’s social and emotional health.
Methodology
In the process of reviewing the literature in field of interaction between
physical activity and ESL, we first conducted a literature search of the sci-
entific EBSCOhost online research databases (Academic Search Complete,
ERIC, PsycARTICLES, PsycBOOKS, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX with Full
Text databases) and the Web of Science database. In order to review pro-
ject reports and practical implications of community-based programmes
that encourage physical activity in ESL, we also searched for related results
online. The main key words initially used in both cases were: physical ac-
tivity and academic achievement, physical activity and ESL, physical edu-
cation for ESLers, physical health of ESLers, physical education and emo-
tional well-being, and active teaching methods of community learning. In
the first step, we noticed a very limited number of search results in response
to the mentioned terms that would consider all three: the role of physical
325
lifestyle behaviours that can have a potentially negative impact on health,
such as diet, lower levels of physical activity, and drug abuse. This means
(Limerick Health Promotion, 2008; Share, Hennessy, Stewart-Knox, &
Davison, 2013) that young people who stay in the school setting have longer
access to positive school cultures, supportive environments and healthy
policies that can impact positively on their health and lifestyle choices (e.g.
healthy eating, physical activity etc.). ESLers are deprived of this. In this
manner, a lower level of physical activity is one of the negative consequenc-
es of an individual’s ESL and can also be considered one of the characteris-
tics of students who left the educational setting too early (ibid.). This is the
connection between ESL and physical activity that is most often described
in the literature.
On the other hand, the link between physical activity and ESL also
goes in the other direction, i.e. physical activity leading to lower levels of
ESL. The aim of this article is to look at theoretical and empirical inves-
tigations that consider physical activity as a characteristic of ESLers and
as an important prevention activity that can be strengthened in order to
help lower ESL rates; we explain via which mechanisms physical activi-
ty can contribute to low ESL. In this context, we will pay special attention
to the effects of physical education on the individual’s physical and mental
health, the effects on learning processes and ways that the physical activity
of ESLers can be bolstered through different community-based approach-
es to education and improving the individual’s social and emotional health.
Methodology
In the process of reviewing the literature in field of interaction between
physical activity and ESL, we first conducted a literature search of the sci-
entific EBSCOhost online research databases (Academic Search Complete,
ERIC, PsycARTICLES, PsycBOOKS, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX with Full
Text databases) and the Web of Science database. In order to review pro-
ject reports and practical implications of community-based programmes
that encourage physical activity in ESL, we also searched for related results
online. The main key words initially used in both cases were: physical ac-
tivity and academic achievement, physical activity and ESL, physical edu-
cation for ESLers, physical health of ESLers, physical education and emo-
tional well-being, and active teaching methods of community learning. In
the first step, we noticed a very limited number of search results in response
to the mentioned terms that would consider all three: the role of physical
325
