Feasibility and students' preliminary views on parkour in a group of primary school children

• Published in: Physical education and sport pedagogy Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 281 - 294
• Main Authors: Fernández-Río, Javier, Suarez, Carlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 03.05.2016
• Subjects: Adventure Education; Content Analysis; Cooperative Learning; Elementary School Students; Fear; Feasibility Studies; Foreign Countries; Grade 6; Inclusion; Interpersonal Competence; Intervention; Physical Activities; Physical Education; Problem Solving; Psychological Patterns; Qualitative Research; Spain; Student Attitudes; Thematic Approach; Spain
• ISSN: 1740-8989; 1742-5786
• DOI: 10.1080/17408989.2014.946008

Background: Adventure education is an instructional model where students participate in adventurous activities to acquire physical, cognitive, and affective skills. It also has strong connections with cooperative learning. Parkour is a fast-growing sport practiced by thousands of youngsters all over the world. The media does not portray it as an educational content, but resourcefulness, maturity, cooperation, and respect are among its basic principles. It also appears to have a direct connection with risk-taking, self-discipline, and autonomy. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess students' ideas, views, and/or feelings after experiencing a parkour learning unit. Participants and settings: The research project was conducted in an intact, sixth-grade physical education class in an elementary school located in the northern part of Spain. A total of 26 students with ages ranging between 11 and 12 years (mean age 11.4 ± 0.6) participated in the study. There were 14 boys and 12 girls. Data collection: At the end of the intervention programme, all participating students were asked to 'Describe your feelings, your thoughts, and your ideas on the parkour learning unit that you just experience in physical education'. Data analysis: MAXQDA 11, a qualitative software package, was used to assist with data management. All participants' answers were analysed via thematic content analysis and constant comparison. Findings: Five major categories emerged from data analysis: enjoyment, fear, social skills, problem-solving skills, and integration. Our findings agree with previous researchers who believe that parkour could be considered an educational content due to all the different positive outcomes that it brings to the physical education class. It seems to promote the development of social and problem-solving skills in the students. Both are competences that should be encouraged and fostered in our youngsters. Furthermore, it is considered a fun activity, it promotes students' integration, and it teaches them how to cope with fear. Conclusion: In contrast to popular views portrayed by the media, the sport of parkour can be a safe, educational content. School cannot turn its back on sports or contents whose popularity is rapidly increasing.