Teacher Self-efficacy for Teaching PEAimToPlay3-5NCT07203313
Evaluation of Aim to Play, a User-Friendly Digital Application for Teacher Skills Training and Physical Education Activities for 3-5 Grade Students
A study testing Digital PE teaching app in people with Teacher Self-efficacy for Teaching PE and Teacher PE Instruction, run by Saavsus, Inc. at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the newly developed Pocket PE 3-5 app, designed for use by teachers of 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade students. Researchers will compare teachers and students in classrooms using the Pocket PE app with those in classrooms not using the app. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 7 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Teacher Self-efficacy for Teaching PE, Teacher PE Instruction, Student PE Enjoyment
- What is being tested?
- Digital PE teaching app
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,872 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2025to Jul 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 7 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- A 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade teacher at a participating school responsible for teaching PE at least one time a week;
- Able to read and understand English;
- Willing to use Pocket PE to facilitate their PE class instruction for 12 weeks;
- Be able to understand the study and consent to participate
- A 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader enrolled in a participating class in a participating school;
- Able to read and understand English;
- Able to understand the study and assent to participation;
Who cannot join
- None
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States2 sites, 2 recruiting
- Recruiting
Saavsus, Inc.
Eugene, Oregon, 97401
- Recruiting
Oregon Research Institute
Springfield, Oregon, 97477
Erika Westling, PhD, 541-484-2123, erikaw@ori.org
About this study
Official title: Development, Feasibility, and Acceptability of Aim to Play, a User-Friendly Digital Application for Teacher Skills Training and Physical Education Activities for 3-5 Grade Elementary Students
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the newly developed Pocket PE 3-5 app, designed for use by teachers of 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade students. Researchers will compare teachers and students in classrooms using the Pocket PE app with those in classrooms not using the app.
The main question it aims to answer is:
Read more
- Does the use of the Pocket PE 3-5 app improve classroom teacher PE self-efficacy and high-quality PE teaching behaviors, and promote students' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity participation in PE, as well as PE enjoyment and self-efficacy, compared to teachers who do not use Pocket PE 3-5?
Participants will:
- Randomly use Pocket PE 3-5 (12 intervention schools) for at least one PE class weekly, or not (12 control schools), for 12 consecutive weeks during the 2025/26 school year.
- Teachers will complete short surveys at 0 weeks (pre), 6 weeks (mid), and 13 weeks (post). Teachers in the intervention condition will complete a longer survey at 13 weeks (post-intervention) to provide feedback on the Pocket PE app. A random sub-sample of teachers in the intervention condition will be asked to participate in an exit interview to give additional input on Pocket PE 3-5 after the intervention has been completed.
- Students will complete brief surveys after PE classes at pre, mid, and post, and will wear wrist heart rate monitors during observed PE classes at these timepoints to measure their physical activity during PE.
We will also evaluate the level of implementation of Pocket PE 3-5 among teachers via class observations and objective data collected by the app.
Read the detailed description
Childhood physical inactivity is associated with a myriad of preventable health inequities among children, including greater prevalence and more severe childhood obesity, poorer cardiovascular and bone health, and lower levels of cognitive functioning, mental health, and self-esteem. While 43 states currently have laws mandating elementary school physical education (PE) to promote student public health objectives, most students do not achieve adequate PE participation because teachers (both PE certified and regular classroom teachers or paraprofessionals who teach PE) have limited or no access to easy-to-use and low-cost programmatic resources that address salient barriers for conducting effective, evidence-based, and standards-based PE.
The Pocket PE 3-5™ digital app (initially conceptualized as Aim to Play 3-5TM) is designed for 3rd - 5th grade teachers and students and works across common platforms and devices, online and offline, and provides simple, easy to use, standards-based PE lesson activities tailored by time, instructional setting (classroom, gym, outside), grade, student skill level, and equipment resources. The app is low-cost and includes brief teacher skill demonstration videos for each activity, along with printable activity cards, music, and audio cues to signal transitions to assist teachers and students with class management in 'real time' during PE. The program also includes embedded data tracking of PE minutes and completed instructional standards to assist with district and/or state-mandated reporting. Pocket PE 3-5 offers a technology-driven solution to promote the adoption of Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs) by providing a scalable, evidence-based resource to schools to promote high-quality PE participation among students.
To evaluate Pocket PE 3-5, we will conduct a cluster-randomized trial in 24 elementary schools, with one identified 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade classroom teacher and their students in each school. Participating schools will be in California and Oregon and will be randomly assigned to receive Pocket PE 3-5 (n = 12 intervention schools) or not (n = 12 control schools) over a 12-week period. We anticipate that 72 teachers and approximately 1,800 students will participate. Assessments at pre, mid, and post program will primarily occur at the teacher level on PE class instruction, fidelity of implementation, and PE teaching self-efficacy. Teachers using Pocket PE (assigned to the intervention condition) will also provide feedback on the app, including usability, acceptability, and satisfaction. We will explore secondary student outcomes focused on objectively measured minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity achieved during PE and PE enjoyment, as well as program satisfaction and enjoyment.
Hypothesis: Intervention teachers will improve their PE teaching self-efficacy and teaching practices, and students will participate in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during PE and have greater PE enjoyment and satisfaction, relative to the control group.
- Conditions
- Teacher Self-efficacy for Teaching PE, Teacher PE Instruction, Student PE Enjoyment, Student Physical Activity, Student PE Satisfaction
- Being tested
- Digital PE teaching app
- Keywords
- physical activity, physical education, elementary school, children
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Digital PE teaching appBehavioural
Also called Pocket PE 3-5, Aim to Play 3-5
Pocket PE 3-5 is a digital app designed for 3rd - 5th grade teachers and students. It works across common platforms and devices, online and offline, and provides simple, easy to use, standards-based PE lesson activities tailored by time, instructional setting (classroom, gym, outside), grade, student skill level, and equipment resources. The app is low-cost and includes brief teacher and student skill demonstration videos for each activity, along with printable activity cards, music, and audio cues to signal transitions to assist teachers in class management with students in real time during PE. The program also includes embedded data tracking of PE minutes and completed instructional standards to assist with school and/or state mandated reporting.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Pocket PE 3-5 | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Digital PE teaching app |
| Business as usual | No intervention | Control group |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Teaching Physical Activity (PE) Self Efficacy
This is a 20-item survey assessing the self-efficacy for PE instruction scale, adapted from Humphries, Daigle, \& Martin (2012). Each item is on a 10-point scale (1 = disagree/cannot do, 5 = neutral/moderate certainty, 10 = agree/highly certain can do). Items are summed for a score that can range from 20 to 200, with a higher score indicating higher levels of teacher physical activity self-efficacy.
Measured: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT)
The SOFIT assesses physical education classes by obtaining simultaneous, objective observational data on student activity levels, the context in which they occur, and how teachers interact to promote physical activity and fitness during physical education. Student activity levels include the percent of time a student is in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (% MVPA = intervals with codes 4 or 5) ÷ (total intervals) × 100) and percent of time the student is in vigorous activity (% VA = %VPA = (intervals with code 5) ÷ (total intervals) × 100). Interval 4 = walking/moderate, and interval 5 = vigorous. The context in which the activity can occur is summarized at a percentage of time in: M (general content: management/transition/break), K (knowledge), and the motor-content categories F (fitness), S (skill practice), G (game play), O (other/free play).
Measured: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Secondary outcomes (4)
Student physical activity
Students will wear heart rate wrist monitors during an observed PE class to assess activity levels. The total number of minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity will be computed from the heart rates.
Measured: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Student PE Enjoyment
This is a single-item scale created by the study asking students, "How did you like PE today?". The response option is on a 5-point scale, where 1 = 'not at all' and 5 = 'a lot'. A higher score indicates greater enjoyment of PE.
Measured: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Student PE Self-Efficacy
This is a 4-item self-efficacy scale developed by Morano, Bortoli, Ruiz, Vitali, \& Robazza (2019). Students are asked, "When I do PE at school:" and there are four response options, each with a different set of responses. For example, for one item 1 = "I run very slowly" and 5 = "I run very fast". A mean score is computed and can range from 1 to 4. A higher score indicates higher levels of student PE self-efficacy.
Measured: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Student PE Enjoymnet
This is a 4-item PE enjoyment scale developed by Morano, Bortoli, Ruiz, Vitali, \& Robazza (2019). There are 4 items, and each item has a 5-point response option (1 = not at all, 5 = very much). A mean score is computed and can range from 1 to 5. A higher score indicates higher levels of PE enjoyment.
Measured: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Oct 2025
- Study start1 Sep 2025
- Primary completionJun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionJul 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Teacher Self-efficacy for Teaching PEStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,872 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Saavsus, Inc.
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Oregon Research Institute
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07203313
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- R44DP006743
- Other IDs
- R44DP006743
- Acronym
- AimToPlay3-5
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 24 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 2 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Development, Feasibility, and Acceptability of Aim to Play, a User-Friendly Digital Application for Teacher Skills Training and Physical Education Activities for 3-5 Grade Elementary Students
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07203313
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AimToPlay3-5 / R44DP006743
- Conditions
- Teacher Self-efficacy for Teaching PE, Teacher PE Instruction, Student PE Enjoyment, Student Physical Activity, Student PE Satisfaction
- Keywords
- physical activity, physical education, elementary school, children
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 1,872 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Saavsus, Inc.University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Oregon Research Institute
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jul 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 2 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the newly developed Pocket PE 3-5 app, designed for use by teachers of 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade students. Researchers will compare teachers and students in classrooms using the Pocket PE app with those in classrooms not using the app.
The main question it aims to answer is:
- Does the use of the Pocket PE 3-5 app improve classroom teacher PE self-efficacy and high-quality PE teaching behaviors, and promote students' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity participation in PE, as well as PE enjoyment and self-efficacy, compared to teachers who do not use Pocket PE 3-5?
Participants will:
- Randomly use Pocket PE 3-5 (12 intervention schools) for at least one PE class weekly, or not (12 control schools), for 12 consecutive weeks during the 2025/26 school year.
- Teachers will complete short surveys at 0 weeks (pre), 6 weeks (mid), and 13 weeks (post). Teachers in the intervention condition will complete a longer survey at 13 weeks (post-intervention) to provide feedback on the Pocket PE app. A random sub-sample of teachers in the intervention condition will be asked to participate in an exit interview to give additional input on Pocket PE 3-5 after the intervention has been completed.
- Students will complete brief surveys after PE classes at pre, mid, and post, and will wear wrist heart rate monitors during observed PE classes at these timepoints to measure their physical activity during PE.
We will also evaluate the level of implementation of Pocket PE 3-5 among teachers via class observations and objective data collected by the app.
Detailed description
Childhood physical inactivity is associated with a myriad of preventable health inequities among children, including greater prevalence and more severe childhood obesity, poorer cardiovascular and bone health, and lower levels of cognitive functioning, mental health, and self-esteem. While 43 states currently have laws mandating elementary school physical education (PE) to promote student public health objectives, most students do not achieve adequate PE participation because teachers (both PE certified and regular classroom teachers or paraprofessionals who teach PE) have limited or no access to easy-to-use and low-cost programmatic resources that address salient barriers for conducting effective, evidence-based, and standards-based PE.
The Pocket PE 3-5™ digital app (initially conceptualized as Aim to Play 3-5TM) is designed for 3rd - 5th grade teachers and students and works across common platforms and devices, online and offline, and provides simple, easy to use, standards-based PE lesson activities tailored by time, instructional setting (classroom, gym, outside), grade, student skill level, and equipment resources. The app is low-cost and includes brief teacher skill demonstration videos for each activity, along with printable activity cards, music, and audio cues to signal transitions to assist teachers and students with class management in 'real time' during PE. The program also includes embedded data tracking of PE minutes and completed instructional standards to assist with district and/or state-mandated reporting. Pocket PE 3-5 offers a technology-driven solution to promote the adoption of Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs) by providing a scalable, evidence-based resource to schools to promote high-quality PE participation among students.
To evaluate Pocket PE 3-5, we will conduct a cluster-randomized trial in 24 elementary schools, with one identified 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade classroom teacher and their students in each school. Participating schools will be in California and Oregon and will be randomly assigned to receive Pocket PE 3-5 (n = 12 intervention schools) or not (n = 12 control schools) over a 12-week period. We anticipate that 72 teachers and approximately 1,800 students will participate. Assessments at pre, mid, and post program will primarily occur at the teacher level on PE class instruction, fidelity of implementation, and PE teaching self-efficacy. Teachers using Pocket PE (assigned to the intervention condition) will also provide feedback on the app, including usability, acceptability, and satisfaction. We will explore secondary student outcomes focused on objectively measured minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity achieved during PE and PE enjoyment, as well as program satisfaction and enjoyment.
Hypothesis: Intervention teachers will improve their PE teaching self-efficacy and teaching practices, and students will participate in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during PE and have greater PE enjoyment and satisfaction, relative to the control group.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Pocket PE 3-5 | Experimental | Behavioral: Digital PE teaching app |
| Business as usual | No intervention | –Control group |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 7 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- A 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade teacher at a participating school responsible for teaching PE at least one time a week;
- Able to read and understand English;
- Willing to use Pocket PE to facilitate their PE class instruction for 12 weeks;
- Be able to understand the study and consent to participate
- A 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader enrolled in a participating class in a participating school;
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Digital PE teaching appAlso: Pocket PE 3-5, Aim to Play 3-5Pocket PE 3-5 is a digital app designed for 3rd - 5th grade teachers and students. It works across common platforms and devices, online and offline, and provides simple, easy to use, standards-based PE lesson activities tailored by time, instructional setting (classroom, gym, outside), grade, student skill level, and equipment resources. The app is low-cost and includes brief teacher and student skill demonstration videos for each activity, along with printable activity cards, music, and audio cues to signal transitions to assist teachers in class management with students in real time during PE. The program also includes embedded data tracking of PE minutes and completed instructional standards to assist with school and/or state mandated reporting. | Behavioural | Pocket PE 3-5 |
Primary outcome
Teaching Physical Activity (PE) Self Efficacy
Time frame: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
This is a 20-item survey assessing the self-efficacy for PE instruction scale, adapted from Humphries, Daigle, \& Martin (2012). Each item is on a 10-point scale (1 = disagree/cannot do, 5 = neutral/moderate certainty, 10 = agree/highly certain can do). Items are summed for a score that can range from 20 to 200, with a higher score indicating higher levels of teacher physical activity self-efficacy.
System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT)
Time frame: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
The SOFIT assesses physical education classes by obtaining simultaneous, objective observational data on student activity levels, the context in which they occur, and how teachers interact to promote physical activity and fitness during physical education. Student activity levels include the percent of time a student is in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (% MVPA = intervals with codes 4 or 5) ÷ (total intervals) × 100) and percent of time the student is in vigorous activity (% VA = %VPA = (intervals with code 5) ÷ (total intervals) × 100). Interval 4 = walking/moderate, and interval 5 = vigorous. The context in which the activity can occur is summarized at a percentage of time in: M (general content: management/transition/break), K (knowledge), and the motor-content categories F (fitness), S (skill practice), G (game play), O (other/free play).
4 secondary outcomes
Student physical activity
Time frame: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Student PE Enjoyment
Time frame: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Student PE Self-Efficacy
Time frame: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Student PE Enjoymnet
Time frame: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Oct 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Digital PE teaching app in people with Teacher Self-efficacy for Teaching PE and Teacher PE Instruction, run by Saavsus, Inc. at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jeanette Ricci, PhD (530-925-1516, jeanettericci@saavsus.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Teaching Physical Activity (PE) Self Efficacy (time frame: Pre (0 weeks), mid (6 weeks after pre), and post (13 weeks after pre)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Oct 2025.