Training teachers to implement physical activity: Applying social cognitive theory

Objective:To evaluate the impact of three types of social cognitive theory (SCT)-based elementary school classroom physical activity (PA) training on teachers’ implementation rates, attitudes, knowledge and behaviour.Design:Key stakeholder focus groups informed development of phase II which took the form of a randomised controlled trial of three different intensities of teacher training to conduct classroom-based PA sessions.Setting:The study was conducted over one school year (2016–2017), across four elementary schools in the USA.Methods:Researchers delivered professional development to teachers, focusing on effective methods for PA use in the classroom through three formats: webinar, in-person training and in-person with personalised assistance. Training content was built on SCT constructs. This study examined the impact of the PA training on SCT construct outcomes among elementary school classroom teachers (n = 41). Study outcome measures included reciprocal determinism, behavioural capability, outcome...