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AbstractPhysical activity is known to have several cognitive benefits. As a result, many teachers introduce short bouts of physical activity (active breaks) during their lessons. However, active breaks are less common in the university context, where students tend to remain passive during lessons. Therefore, there is a paucity of literature on active breaks and their benefits for undergraduate students. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 10-min active break at moderate intensity on vigilance in undergraduate students by using a psychomotor vigilance task. Twenty-six undergraduate students (Mage = 23.36, SD = 1.98; 53.8% females) participated in this study and performed two conditions: control condition (passive condition) and experimental condition (active break). Results revealed that after receiving 10 min of moderate-intensity physical activity, the students improved their attention, as they responded faster to the psychomotor vigilance task than in the control condition. Considering these results, it seems that students can benefit from physical activity breaks by improving their vigilance. However, as this conclusion is based on a pilot study, we should be cautious in interpreting these results. Further research into this finding is needed.

Este trabajo tuvo por objetivo realizar una revisión sistemática sobre intervenciones escolares basadas en descansos activos en contexto escolar con la intención de poder identificar las características clave (duración del DA, intensidad de las actividades, naturaleza de las mismas) que debe cumplir un descanso activo para proporcionar un mayor rendimiento cognitivo, como la concentración y la atención en el alumnado. Se realizó una revisión sistemática siguiendo el método PRISMA, estableciendo los siguientes criterios de inclusión: a) estudios publicados entre 2010 y 2020 (ambos inclusive), b) escritos en español o en inglés, c) descanso activo como tema principal, d) artículos elaborados dentro del contexto escolar. Las bases de datos Web of Science, Scopus y PubMed fueron consultadas. Un total de 19 artículos fueron incluidos, mostrando todos ellos mejoras sobre la atención y concentración de los alumnos, tras la realización de un programa de intervención de descansos activos en contexto escolar. Además, se observó la importante influencia que tienen las variables de duración, tipo e intensidad de la intervención para que los descansos activos mejoren el rendimiento cognitivo del alumnado. Finalmente, se concluyó que se encontraron mayores beneficios en descansos activos de corta duración, a una intensidad vigorosa y a través de una actividad con mayor carga cognitiva.

Cooperative learning (CL) is one of the pedagogical models that has had more application in the area of Physical Education (PE), being highly worked in the initial training of teachers. The aim of the study is to check to what extent future PE teachers are able to apply in the classroom the PE training they have received at university, deepening their fears, insecurities and problems when carrying it out. Thirteen future PE teachers (7 girls and 6 boys) aged 20.87 ± 1.43 participated and, after having been trained in CL in various subjects, applied it in the classroom during their internship. They were selected through purposeful non-probability sampling. A qualitative methodology was used, being the interviews, the teaching diaries and the seminars with the tutor the instruments of data collection used. Three categories of analysis were used: (a) initial expectations in the application of the CL; (b) problems encountered in its implementation; (c) reflection about its application in the future. The results showed how the future teachers did not see their expectations of success fulfilled, encountering resistance from both students and teachers in PE. Furthermore, they reflect the need to continue training in a model that has infinite nuances so that it can be implemented satisfactorily. It is necessary to continue researching a pedagogical model with so many possibilities in the area of PE and with so much transversality on a social level.

There are multiple factors that have been studied for talent identification (TI) with regard to sport performance, such as physical and physiological parameters; psychological, social, and contextual parameters; and technical–tactical parameters. However, despite the importance of these indicators for reaching the elite, new trends seem to assure that one of the key elements in a young player is decision making (DM). Thus, in the last decades, research DM in young players has increased. Nevertheless, very little has been done in relation with DM and talented players. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the effectiveness, number, and duration of DM units (DMUs) of three groups of talented young players in U-10, U-12, and U-14 levels. Ninety-seven youth players participated in the study. A total of 1,087 actions were analyzed. The Nomination Scale for Identifying Football Talent was utilized to screen the talent pool (N = 18), and the Game Performance Evaluation Tool was used for analyzing the 1,087 actions completed. The results showed that the effectiveness has to be more than 80% for children to be considered talented. Moreover, a greater effectiveness of DMUs was shown in older age groups. The game speed also increased with age. It was revealed that U-12 did not follow the progression in the decisional demands in the formative stages. It is highlighted, therefore, the necessity of reviewing the organizational aspects in the U-12 age group, related mainly to the size of the pitch and the number of players, because it does not follow the same progression in regard to decisional demands. Future studies should follow this study with the U-16, U-18, and U-23 age groups, with the purpose of knowing the effectiveness, duration, and number of DMUs in older age groups. Furthermore, policy makers and teachers/coaches from both educational and soccer context must take these results into account, with the purpose of adjusting the teaching and learning process of talented children in sport.

The scientific literature has shown the beneficial effects of chronic Physical Exercise (PE) on a wide range of tasks that involve high-order functioning. For this reason, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of active breaks on physical fitness and vigilance performance in high school students through eight weeks of physical training. A total of 42 healthy students (age = 16.50 ± 0.59 years; height = 171.08 ± 8.07 cm; weight = 67.10 ± 13.76 kg) from one Andalusian high school (Spain) were assigned for convenience and matched into two groups, a Control Group (CG) and an Active-Break Group (ABG). The ABG performed two active breaks (based on strength and self-loading exercises) during the school day, first at 10:00 a.m. and second at 12:30 p.m. The participants were assessed before and after the training program using the Alpha-Fitness test battery and the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT). Significant differences were observed in the post-training PVT results, compared with the pretraining PVT, showing ABG responding faster than CG. Thus, the presents study demonstrated that eight weeks of physical training affects vigilance performance (compared to CG) and improves the efficiency of vigilance in high school students, contributing to enhancement of quality of education.

Adults (more than 18 years old) are likely to reproduce the habits that they acquired during childhood and adolescence (from 6 to 16 years old). For that reason, teachers and parents have the responsibility to promote an active and healthy lifestyle in children and adolescents. Even though every school subject should promote healthy activities, Physical Education (PE) is the most important subject to foster well-being habits associated to healthy lifestyle during sport practice and other kinds of active tasks. Indeed, there are many factors that influence the acquisition of healthy habits that should be taken into account when programs and activities are implemented in both educational and extracurricular context. In this sense, psychological and social factors are of utmost importance to achieve optimal experiences for an active and healthy lifestyle. However, due to the myriad of studies analyzing different factors in different contexts, there could be confusion when programs and pedagogical strategies are applied in educational or extracurricular contexts. The objective of this investigation is to analyse the state of art of the psychosocial factors which influence the engagement in physical activities and sport practice. The keywords used in this review were mainly: “Self-Determination Theory,” “(intrinsic) motivation,” “Psychological need satisfaction,” “physical activity and sport engagement,” “Elementary Education,” “Secondary Education,” “Physical Education.” In addition, the Boolean data type “and,” “or,” and “not” were also used. The articles were selected according to the following criteria: (a) peer-reviewed original research published in international journals indexed in JCR or SJR, (b) published in English or Spanish, (c) about psychosocial factors which influence the physical activity and sport engagement, (d) in educational or extracurricular context. Research articles selected were found through Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, SportDiscus (EBSCO-host), ERIC, PubMed, Medline, and PsycInfo databases. It was observed that physical activities and sport practice engagement are closely related to psychological factors. In particularly, intrinsic motivation was able to determine the active participation in any activity, including physical activity and sport practice during the implementation of Small-Sided Games and other kinds of pedagogical strategies (e.g., Pedagogical Models). Motivation was also closely related to flow state. Finally, these variables should be considered in order to organize effective programs to promote an active and healthy lifestyle in Physical Education classes.

There is a concern to implement games that will be able to increase the students’ motor and sport competence during the sport contents in Physical Education. Some games encompassed in Models-Based Practice (MsBP) are more beneficial for physical and physiological development than others. The main purpose of this study is to compare the degree of physical and physiological performance in several futsal games that have been implemented through two MsBP: the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) and the Contextualized Sport Alphabetization Model (CSAM). The second objective is to analyze the relationship between physical and physiological variables. A quasi-experimental and cross-sectional study with pre- and post-test evaluations had been carried out. The sample was composed of 112 Primary Education students from First to Sixth grade (9.35 ± 1.76 years). Polar Team Pro® technology was implemented to compare and analyze the physical and physiological variables. Data was analyze comparing both models with a two-step cluster model. Afterward, Student’s t-test was executed to compare the progression of both models. Besides, two-level multilevel model (MANOVA-ANOVA, followed by MANCOVA- ANCOVA) were also executed by means of applying a 4 versus 4 Small-Sided and Conditioned Game (SSCG). Finally, Pearson correlation between physical and physiological variables was calculated. Results showed that physical and physiological performance was higher in CSAM groups. In this regard, throughout the intervention of both models, results showed significant differences in physical and physiological variables at SSCGs implemented in the CSAM over the games implemented during the TGfU. Additionally, multilevel and MANCOVA post-test analyses shows significant differences in the physical and physiological performance during the post-test 4 vs. 4 SSCG at the CSAM students, in contrast to the TGfU students (p < 0.001). These results demonstrate that both physical (e.g., distance covered) and physiological performance (e.g., Edwards’ TRIMP) are significantly higher during CSAM in contrast to TGfU. Moreover, relationship between physical and physiological variables help teachers to adapt sessions to the features of the context.

Nuestro objetivo en este estudio es comprobar la eficacia de un programa de actividad físico-deportiva (PAF) extracurricular, en un grupo de adolescentes con sobrepesoobesidad, durante un período de 6 meses, respecto al consumo máximo de oxígeno, frecuencia cardíaca de recuperación, presión arterial e índice de grasa cintura/cadera, y ver las diferencias en cuanto al género. El estudio lo realizamos con 38 estudiantes de primer ciclo de secundaria, con un IMC superior al percentil 85. Los resultados reflejan mejoras significativas en el grupo experimental (GE), tras la realización del PAF, comparado con el grupo control (GC). Los componentes del GE mejoran en las variables fisiológicas y antropométricas, y también en función del género. Por otro lado, los datos obtenidos por el GC, reflejan una leve mejora en cuanto al VO2max, pero no en el resto de variables. Estos resultados sugieren la importancia de un adecuado programa de actividad físico-deportiva como contribución a mejorar parámetros cardiovasculares en adolescentes.

Grouping people according to chronological age is popular in fields such as education and sport. Athletes who are born in the first months of the year usually have cognitive and physical development differences in contrast to those born in the last months of the same year. That is why competitive teams tend to select older players more often than youngsters. Age differences between athletes born in the same year as well as an over-representation of older players are known as the Relative Age Effect. This effect is extensively described in young and elite team sports such as basketball, volleyball or, ice-hockey, as well as in soccer. The purpose of this study is to examine the state-of-the-art of the Relative Age Effect in youth and elite soccer players. This review summarizes recent research articles on the Relative Age Effect related to competitive soccer from 2010 to 2016. The systematic literature search was conducted in four databases: SPORTDiscus, Medline, EBSCO host and Google Scholar. Although causes and final solutions have not been clearly achieved yet, it is necessary to continue investigating this phenomenon in order to provide a starting point for future research.

The identification of football talent is a critical issue both for clubs and the families of players. However, despite its importance in a sporting, economic and social sense, there appears to be a lack of instruments that can reliably measure talent performance. The aim of this study was to design and validate the Nomination Scale for Identifying Football Talent (NSIFT), with the aim of optimising the processes for identifying said talent. The scale was first validated through expert judgment, and then statistically, by means of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal reliability and convergent validity. The results reveal the presence of three factors in the scale’s factor matrix, with these results being confirmed by the CFA. The scale revealed suitable internal reliability and homogeneity indices. Convergent validity showed that it is teammates who are best able to identify football talent, followed by coaches and parents. It can be concluded that the NSIFT is suitable for use in the football world. Future studies should seek to confirm these results in different contexts by means of further CFAs.

Nuestro objetivo en este estudio es comprobar la eficacia de un programa de actividad físico-deportiva (PAF) extracurricular, en un grupo de adolescentes con sobrepeso obesidad, durante un período de 6 meses, respecto al consumo máximo de oxígeno, frecuencia cardíaca de recuperación, presión arterial e índice de grasa cintura/cadera, y ver las diferencias en cuanto al género. El estudio lo realizamos con 38 estudiantes de primer ciclo de secundaria, con un IMC superior al percentil 85. Los resultados reflejan mejoras significativas en el grupo experimental (GE), tras la realización del PAF, comparado con el grupo control (GC). Los componentes del GE mejoran en las variables fisiológicas y antropométricas, y también en función del género. Por otro lado, los datos obtenidos por el GC, reflejan una leve mejora en cuanto al VO2max, pero no en el resto de variables. Estos resultados sugieren la importancia de un adecuado programa de actividad físico-deportiva como contribución a mejorar parámetros cardiovasculares en adolescentes.

Los agrupamientos por edad cronológica ponen de manifiesto diferencias de desarrollo entre las personas que lo componen. Estas diferencias de hasta doce meses de edad es lo que se conoce como edad relativa, y sus consecuencias configuran el llamado efecto de la edad relativa (RAE). Actualmente, estudios relacionados con el fútbol indican la posible selección de jugadores con talento influenciado por este fenómeno, perjudicando a aquellos deportistas nacidos en los últimos meses del año. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la presencia del efecto de la edad relativa en la liga de fútbol profesional española durante la temporada 2013/2014. El análisis ha incluido a la totalidad de los futbolistas de la primera división durante dicha temporada (20 equipos, n=474). Se establecieron frecuencias por trimestres y semestres, y se procedió con el estadístico chi cuadrado para comprobar la homogeneidad en la distribución. Los resultados confirmaron una mayor representación de jugadores nacidos en el primer semestre del año, indicando valores estadísticamente significativos (p 0,05). Las conclusiones confirman un ligero aumento de RAE en la temporada 2013/2014, por tanto, se hace necesaria una revisión en los procesos de selección de jugadores con el objetivo de equilibrar las probabilidades de éxito de los jugadores nacidos a finales del año.

En los últimos años nuestro sistema educativo ha sufrido dos reformas significativas que comparten la necesidad imperiosa de mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza en general y los resultados académicos de nuestros alumnos y alumnas en el área de lengua extranjera en particular. El presente estudio nace de la falta de concreción del que adolecen el planteamiento y desarrollo de las competencias básicas en los currículos de la Ley Orgánica (2/2006) de Educación de Enseñanzas Mínimas en primaria (R.D. 1513/2006) y en secundaria (R.D. 1631/2006). Sobre esta base, se analiza el uso de los weblogs con fines educativos como una herramienta para implantar las nuevas tecnologías en el aula de lengua extranjera. El objetivo principal es demostrar que estos blogs no sólo son una herramienta de apoyo imprescindible en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, sino que además, desde un enfoque globalizador, se convierten en un elemento clave para la concreción de las competencias básicas.

Tras el acuerdo de Bolonia han llegado nuevos tiempos en la Unión Europea para la Educación Superior. La innovación y, más aún, la investigación educativa no puede quedar al margen de cualquier cambio, máxime de los cambios que se avecinan, principalmente cuando dichos cambios afectarán a la forma de enseñar de los profesores y al modo de aprendizaje o de enfrentarse a las enseñanzas propuestas por los denominados créditos ECTS por parte de los alumnos. Es por ello por lo que a unos, los profesores, a otros, los alumnos, y a otros terceros, los responsables de las instituciones superiores (diseñadores de los planes de estudios, directivos y administradores de instalaciones docentes) precisan estar al tanto de cuáles son los estilos de aprendizaje de las personas que acuden a la universidad con la intención de hacer una determinada carrera. En este sentido, el caso que nos ocupa en esta investigación es conocer el modo de aprendizaje, los estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes de Magisterio en la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha en las diferentes especialidades. Saber al dedillo las semejanzas y diferencias entre unos y otros estudiantes. La finalidad no es otra que dar luz a la comunidad universitaria (alumnos, profesores y decanos) con estos informes sobre los estilos de aprendizaje del alumnado, para que cada cual en su respectiva parcela de actuación tome las medidas adecuadas.