The AQUA-PE Study – Research – Department of Teacher Education
The AQUA-PE Study: The Developmental Journey Toward Aquatic Literacy in Children: A Longitudinal Study in a Physical Education Context
Interdisciplinary research is needed to understand how children develop swimming competence as an essential life skill and pinpoint the key elements of pedagogical approaches in primary physical education (PE) that can support individual children’s journey towards water competence and aquatic literacy.
Project periode
01.04.2025-01.04.2032
Funding
NTNU
Research group
Leader of research project
Project plan
An Ecological Approach to the Developmental Progression of Basic Aquatic Skills in Children (BASiC)
From Basic Aquatic Skills Towards Initial Swimming Competence
Becoming Swimming Competent in Indoor Aquatic Environments
The Transfer from Indoor Swimming Competence to Outdoor Naturalistic Aquatic Environments
The Journey Towards Water Competency and Aquatic Literacy
About the project
AQUA-PE is a longitudinal study that follow a cohort of children from 2nd to 7th grade with repeated measurements across different timepoints and tracking of individual developmental trajectories to understand the how aspects of basic aquatic skills and swimming competence evolve with age and aquatic experience and practice through physical education. The two primary goals of the AQUA-PE study is:
- To establish key pedagogical factors that can facilitate the developmental process toward swimming competence
- To understand individual determinants, barriers, and pathways in the development of water competency and aquatic literacy