Description:
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the integration of physical education and language on oral and written speech of preschool children. Sixty seven preschool children (34 girls and 33 boys), ages 4 to 6, were randomly divided into two groups. Group A participated at a 5-week movement and language program in the gym while Group B participated at the same program, in class, without the movement integration. The programs were applied four times per week for forty minutes each time during the typical school program. A knowledge test with 19 tasks/criteria was constructed for the pre-, post-, and retention test measurement of children's oral and written speech. Analysis of covariance was used for data analysis. Results revealed that children of Group A outperformed those of Group B both in the post-test and the retention test, while controlling for the effects of the pre-test scores. These findings show that an integrated physical education program may assist in the development of language skills of preschool children. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
Greece