Introducing tablets and a mobile fitness application into primary school physical education

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the integration of tablets and a mobile application for fitness development into a PE lesson in primary education, in schools that did not apply a ‘one tablet per child’ policy, on students’ intrinsic motivation for the PE lesson. Four 5th grade and four 6th grade classes (145 students aged 10–12 years) were assigned either to an experimental or a control group. The experimental group used 4 tablets and an age-appropriate, kid-friendly fitness app, whereas the control group did the same fitness program without technology. Students’ intrinsic motivation for the PE lesson attended was assessed in both cases through anonymous questionnaires. The experimental group students reported a higher level of interest and enjoyment than the control group students, although students’ perceived effort, perceived competence and feeling of pressure did not differ significantly between the two groups. The experimental lesson proved to be equally motivational for both boys and girls, and for both 5th and 6th graders. In the experimental lesson, the students particularly appreciated the usefulness of the activity for their body, certain features of the app used and that they trained in subgroups, whereas the PE teachers were freed from the duty of repeatedly demonstrating exercises and had more time to provide individualized feedback to students.