Before-School Physical Activity Program's Impact on Social and Emotional Learning.

Background: Despite the positive impact of social and emotional learning (SEL) on the emotional well-being of children, literature on physical activity engagement and SEL among this population has been limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether school students' SEL would improve after participation in a before-school physical activity program.

Methods: A total of 138 fourth and sixth grade students from 1 elementary school and 1 middle school participated in this study. Seventy-five students participated in the before-school physical activity program, while 63 students were in the control group. The physical education teachers implemented the program 3 days per week, for 3 weeks. The participants completed a 10-question adapted Devereux Student Strengths Assessment-Mini before and after the program. Repeated measures ANOVA was run to determine the effects of the program on SEL competence.

Results: The fourth and sixth grade students who participated in the program reported a 7 and 10% improvement in pre- versus post-intervention SEL competence, respectively. Students in the control group reported no change in their SEL competence.

Conclusion: Considering the benefits of a before-school physical activity program on students' SEL, stakeholders should consider including more physical activity programming within school policies.