A Nonrandomized Pilot Implementation Trial of the CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning) Project

Purpose To determine the a) implementation of CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning), b) implementation process of CLASS PAL, and c) influence of the inner setting (i.e., school) and individuals (teachers and pupils) on the implementation of CLASS PAL. Methods CLASS PAL is a co-produced movement integration (MI) intervention that includes a professional development workshop for teachers and bespoke teaching resources. This study was a nonrandomized pragmatic pilot implementation trial using a mixed-methods design. Ten year-5 teachers and 232 pupils from seven state-funded UK primary schools participated. Data were collected over one academic year via mixed methods at multiple levels (school and individual) and timepoints. All qualitative data were analyzed using a priori thematic analyses, and quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results Implementation: Teacher-reported MI activities were delivered on average 2 d·wk−1 (and once per day). The most frequently delivered activities were movement breaks (2.8 d·wk−1) and physically active routines (2.4 d·wk−1), with the majority lasting <5 min. One hundred percent of attendees rated both the professional development workshop and practical content of the workshop as “quite useful/very useful;” however, the resources on the website were only utilized by 30% of teachers. Implementation process: Teachers primarily amended personal resources, with only 5% of deliveries supported by resources from the CLASS PAL website/workshop. Inner setting/individuals: Teachers reported barriers including classroom misbehavior, curriculum pressures, and access to resources. Facilitators to MI included the intervention workshop and senior school leadership support. Conclusion Teachers receiving a low touch professional development and resource program reported regular implementation of MI. A key implementation strategy was teacher-level decisions. In relation to the influence of the inner setting/individuals, a range of factors which operated at pupil, school, and teacher levels were identified. Further work is required to understand how best to support MI implementation.