An enjoyable school-based swimming training programme improves students' aquaticity.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Exercise Science
• Aquatic Rehabilitation
• Physical Education

Background:

• Childhood aquatic skills are crucial for water safety and physical development.
• Integrating swimming into physical education can enhance motor skill acquisition.
• Assessing aquatic ability requires reliable and valid measurement tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of an aquaticity test for primary school students.
• To determine the effectiveness of a swimming lesson program within physical education on improving aquatic skills.
• To assess primary school students' enjoyment of swimming lessons.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Assessed test-retest reliability of an aquaticity test in 23 third-grade students over two sessions.
• Study 2: Evaluated aquatic skill improvements in 30 students after a 9-session swimming program.
• Study 3: Examined enjoyment levels in 273 students participating in the swimming program.

Main Results:

• The aquaticity test demonstrated high reliability (ICC = 0.87-0.99).
• Students showed significant improvements in aquaticity (28-62.7%) after the swimming program.
• A high percentage of students (92.2%) reported high enjoyment levels.

Conclusions:

• A short-term swimming program integrated into physical education effectively improves children's aquatic skills and is enjoyable.
• The aquaticity testing protocol is reliable for assessing pediatric populations.
• Swimming lessons in physical education are a viable and engaging method for enhancing aquatic competence.