The Evaluation and Fidelity of an Interdisciplinary Educational Programme

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to evaluate the fidelity of the implementation of an interdisciplinary educational programme and to examine the differences between the teaching strategies and interpersonal teaching style used by teachers who apply an interdisciplinary educational programme and those teachers who use a conventional methodology. This is a quasi-experimental repeated measures research with a non-randomised Experimental Group (EG) and Control Group (CG). A total of 4 teachers, aged 27–52 years (M = 38.5), and 104 6th grade primary school students, aged 11–13 years (M = 11.59; SD = 0.60), participated. The intervention programme lasted 16 weeks in which the EG implemented a teaching methodology based on the incorporation of active breaks (AB) into the structure of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model, while the CG used a conventional methodology. The results show that the teachers who adhered to the educational programme significantly improved the implementation of strategies related to the TPSR + AB throughout the intervention, particularly when compared with the CG. In addition, the strategies used by the EG had a positive impact on the improvement of the students’ educational values and physical activity during the classes, as well as their perception of the transfer of autonomy. In conclusion, the present study evidences the compatibility and feasibility of combining the TPSR and AB in any educational matrix to improve teachers’ teaching strategies, students’ behavioural and motor responses, as well as the autonomy support style.