The growing number of sport-based youth development interventions provide a potential avenue for integrating sport meaningfully into the U.S. public health agenda. However, efficacy and quality must be reliably established prior to widespread implementation. A comprehensive search of databases, peer-reviewed journals, published reviews, and both published and unpublished documents yielded 10,077 distinct records. Title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening using 6 criteria, resulted in 56 distinct studies (coalescing into 10 sport-based youth development intervention types) included in the synthesis. These studies were then independently assessed and critically appraised. Limited efficacy data were identified, with the quality of methods and evidence largely classified as weak. Processes likely to contribute to the outcomes of sport-based youth development interventions were identified (e.g., predictors of ongoing engagement, alignment between target population and intervention, intervention design), although more rigorous research is needed on these and other processes. Physical health outcomes were only studied in 3 of the 10 intervention types. The evidence base does not yet warrant wide-scale implementation of sport-based youth development interventions for public health goals within the U. S., although there is promising research that identifies areas for further exploration.

The purpose of this study was to critically examine the qualitative research on childhood trauma survivors’ experiences of sporting activities. A comprehensive search of health and social science databases, manual journal searches, and contact with experts yielded 7,395 records. Full-text screening resulted in a final sample of 16 studies. Meta-study methodology was used as a diagnostic tool to rigorously analyze the theory, methods, and findings of the included studies. Studies with explicit connections between philosophy, theory, and methodology resulted in a more robust and critical contribution to the literature. There was much diversity in terms of methodological approaches and qualitative methods which was important in revealing the multifaceted nature of experiences in sporting activities following trauma. Findings from the reviewed studies indicated that a sense of belonging, psychological escape, embodied experience, and the physical and social environmental are important considerations in the study of sporting activities for trauma survivors.

Over the past decade, much attention has been paid to school-based recess and the implications of recess on child development. Large and influential groups such as the American Academy of Paediatrics (2012), the Centers for Disease Control (2017), and SHAPE America (2017) have cited recess as a crucial component to the school day, noting the potential cognitive, academic, social, emotional, and physical benefits. Although recess has been conceptualised as a means to achieve academic and health goals, children often do not share these same objectives, viewing recess as a place of fun and social interaction. Thus, a need exists to examine the potential incongruence between adult (i.e. public health researchers and practitioners) and child perspectives on recess and recess interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore and critically analyse what is known regarding children’s perspectives of school-based recess. A qualitative meta-study was conducted and 26 research manuscripts were identified and critically analysed through a systematic search and meta-study process. Specifically, meta-theory, meta-method, meta-analysis, and meta-synthesis analyses were conducted. Results of our review suggest that theory and disciplinary lenses have guided the nature of findings at environmental, institutional, social, and individual levels of recess experiences. Moreover, gender conformity, power hierarchies, and bullying, are social factors that influence access to resources, as well as engagement during recess. These findings point to a growing need to better understand the social dynamics that take place during breaktimes in schools.

This collection of papers is made up of diverse, contemporary, and thought-provoking examples of qualitative methods in the study of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP). In this conclusion, we reflect on some of the key themes that cut across the contributions. Four main topics are discussed: Interpretation (the subjects and voices at the centre of SDP research), Outcomes (the variety of results that are likely to emerge from SDP research), Creativity and Diversity (the need for SDP research that is novel, nuanced, and sometimes messy), and Hope (the productive tension between critique and optimism in SDP research). Through this deliberation, we advocate for an ongoing and even renewed commitment to the qualitative study of SDP, one that moves beyond the rather strict confines of Monitoring & Evaluation and towards an embrace of the full range of social and political implications that emerge from the activities of SDP.

Physical activity (PA) remains the primary behavioral outcome associated with school recess, while many other potentially relevant indicators of recess remain unexamined. Few studies have assessed observations of teacher/student interactions, peer conflict, social interactions, or safety within the recess environment. Furthermore, a psychometrically-sound instrument does not exist to examine safety, resources, student engagement, adult engagement, pro-social/anti-social behavior, and student empowerment on the playground. The purpose of the current study was to develop a valid, and reliable, assessment tool intended for use in measurement of the contextual factors associated with recess. An iterative and multi-step process was used to develop a tool that measures safety and structure, adult engagement and supervision, student behaviors, and transitions at recess. Exploratory structural equation modeling (Mplus v. 7.4) was used to examine the underlying measurement model with observational data of the recess environment collected at 649 school-based recess periods that spanned across 22 urban/metropolitan areas in the USA. Data were also collected by two researchers at 162 recess sessions across 9 schools to examine reliability. A 17-item observation instrument, the Great Recess Framework – Observational Tool (GRF-OT), was created. Findings of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) analyses supported factorial validity for a 4-factor solution and linear regressions established convergent validity where ‘structure and safety’, ‘adult engagement and supervision’, and ‘student behaviors’ were all significantly related to observed activity levels. Each sub-scale of the GRF-OT showed adequate levels of inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability analysis indicated a higher level of stability for the GRF-OT when using a three-day average across two time points as compared to a two-day average. Initial evidence for a valid, and reliable, assessment tool to observationally measure the recess environment with a specific focus on safety, resources, student engagement, adult engagement, pro-social/anti-social behavior, and student empowerment was established in this study. Use of the GRF-OT can inspire evaluation, and subsequent intervention, to strategically create consistent, appropriate, and engaging school recess that impact children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development.