Creating Active Play Opportunities During Lunch Break in Secondary School: A mixed methods case study

Play and physical activity are fundamental in young people’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Yet research shows a decline in play and physical activity, particularly during adolescence. Programs for promoting adolescents’ physical activity have focused on outcomes such as health benefits, often paying only scant attention to young people’s own views on key factors. Participation in active play activities increases physical activity levels and supports the development of fundamental motor skills. Young people spend a considerable part of their lives in school. Lunch breaks, the longest period of the school day where they and their friends can take part in active play activities, have been identified as a promising opportunity for physical activity promotion. However, while play is encouraged in primary school, in secondary school, opportunities for free outdoor play continue to be more restricted. In addition, the characteristics of a model of co-creation aimed at involving young people and adults in exploring, suggesting, and creating these opportunities are not completely identified. This is an interdisciplinary, mixed methods study bringing health and social sciences together in an innovative way. Distinctively, the approach involves early adolescents as co-researchers to explore the diverse factors which affect their participation in physical activities during lunch break. Quantitative findings on play and physical activity levels are drawn upon to support an original model of co-creation of active play opportunities. The study aims at exploring the characteristics of such a model which involved collaboratively young people, relevant adults in the school setting, and the researcher. The study highlights the importance of adopting a mixed methods approach in exploring the complexities of adolescents’ physical activity and active play behaviours. It also emphasises the value of involving adolescents and adults together in designing projects aimed at encouraging participation in physical activities. The study found that an enjoyable and challenging play context supported adolescents in their physical literacy development