1. Wearable Technology and Childhood Fitness: Investigating Technology to Enhance Fitness Levels of Elementary Students
Stephanie S. Barbee
University of North Texas
United States
Miles Bennett
Sun West School Division
Canada
AACE/SITE Conference 2016, Savannah, Georgia

2. The Problem
Nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese ( resulting in problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma.
Children today experience less physical activity, calorie dense diets and afternoons filled with TV, video games and the internet all which contribute to the problem.
Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign launched February 9, 2010 illuminates the need to educate students and teachers to improve physical health.

3. What Can We Do?
While technology plays its role in contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic, our study proposes to leverage technology to become part of the solution.
Using the popularity of wearable fitness trackers paired with an interactive software application, we have demonstrated that technology enhanced physical education significantly improves students’ abilities to: 1) understand their fitness levels, 2) monitor fitness levels, and 3) improve their fitness levels.

4. The Study
The study was conducted over an 11-week period with fifth-grade students from a Canadian school division during the 2015 Fall Semester.
127 fifth-grade students from four different campus locations participated in the study.
88 students utilized wearable fitness trackers paired with fitness application software.
29 students did not utilize any technology.

5. The Study continued
Polar H7 Heart Rate Sensors paired with FITSTATS Technology Software were utilized by the students in the experimental group.
All students (experimental and control) participated in the Multi-stage fitness test also known as the Leger-Test and 20-meter shuttle run test to establish their baseline performance at the start of the 11-week period.
Over the 11-weeks, students in the experimental group utilized the software application to set goals, reflect on and monitor their progress. The trackers provided immediate real-time electronic badges to students as they met their goals. Students logged their progress after each session.
All students (experimental and control groups) received the same division-prepared physical education curriculum over the 11-week period.

6. The Results, Quantitative
A one-way within subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to measure the effect of the technology enhanced environment (independent variable) on the performance of the Multi-stage fitness test also known as the Leger-Test or 20-meter shuttle run test (dependent variable).
A significant effect of p < .001 and an effect size, Cohen’s d = 1.09 which is considered a very strong effect was observed.

7. The Results continued
1 = Technology-Enhanced P.E.
2 = No Technology

8. The Results, Qualitative
In addition to the quantitative results, qualitative interviews were conducted with both the teachers and the students. Below are just a few of their comments:
Teachers:
“I have also seen these heart rate monitors bring my class together. I feel the kids never compete with each other, but rather they encourage each other. My kids will look at the Ipad and say, You only have 5 minutes until you get another badge, let’s get going!”
“My kids have now realized if they are in shape or if they are out of shape. The ones who are in “better” shape have now realized that they need to work harder in class to achieve their optimal heart rate.”
“But what blew me away was how the kids helped me adapt our games so we stayed moving.”
Using the technology, “It forced me to reflect on what my goals were in my Phys Ed classes.”

9. The Results continued
In addition to the quantitative results, qualitative interviews were conducted with both the teachers and the students. Below are just a few of their comments:
Students:
“I noticed that I was getting heather and more fit too.” 
“I liked the heart rate monitors because I was really good at getting badges and I liked encouraging others. I had to work harder every day because I was getting more and more fit.”
“I tried hard to get the highest badges. I usually got 4,5 or even one day 6. I liked being able to help others reach their best, even after I had reached my max.”
“I really like using the heart rate [monitor]. Because of the heart rate [monitors] they teach me to work harder. Now I know if I'm working hard or I need to work harder.”

10. Final thoughts
Childhood obesity is an epidemic. We must do something to encourage our students and teachers to understand their fitness, monitor their fitness and improve their fitness levels.
This study demonstrates that technology enhanced physical education impacts physical fitness levels.
What if we were able to replicate this study across every school in America and Canada?
Could this technology potentially change the trajectory for the health of our children?

11. More information
For more information on the study, please see the AACE/SITE proceedings:
Wearable Technology and Childhood Fitness: Investigating Technology to Enhance Fitness levels of Elementary Students (Barbee & Bennett, 2016)
To contact the authors:
Stephanie S. Barbee,
Miles Bennett,
The authors wish to acknowledge Gerald A. Knezek, Department of Learning Technologies, University of North Texas and The Sun West School Division in Saskatchewan, Canada for supporting this research.