Learning to Swim: What Influences Success? (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2012
Data gathered indicate that reductions in annual Australian drowning fatalities for not only children, but people of all ages, have hit a plateau, and if anything, figures suggest that fatal drownings in recent years are on the increase. It is alarm- ing that figures are not falling despite the many well-developed swimming and water safety education programs available. The number of drowning deaths in Australia is regarded by governing bodies as far too many, hence it is proposed that the necessary changes required to further reduce drowning may involve teachers within primary schools being used more efficiently in the educational process. This paper concludes that by implementing swimming and water safety with conviction into the school curriculum, all students will become more aware of drowning risk behaviors, thus successfully decreasing drowning fatalities in both the short and long terms.
Injury Epidemiology
Background Globally, drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury and death among children. Teaching aquatic competencies (swimming skills and water safety knowledge) to children has been proposed as a prevention strategy. In Australia, however, many children are not meeting standard aquatic competency benchmarks. Exploration of the connection between demographic and background factors and aquatic competencies could provide insight into why differences in acquisition of aquatic knowledge and skills occur. Main body A systematic literature review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was performed to identify studies that reported on the association between demographic and background factors and aquatic competencies. Nine databases were searched for English language peer-reviewed studies published since 2000. Fourteen studies fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Studies were quasi-experimental or cross-sectional in design, which is consi...
Swimming and water safety education: continuing the journey of belief. doi:10.13140/2.1.1841.0887
Paper presented at the 28th Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) International Conference, 2013
The purpose of this paper is to share the continuing swimming and water safety education journey, within a university unit which culminates in pre-service teachers implementing quality swimming and water safety lessons for children from local primary schools within the Latrobe Valley, Victoria. There is no cost for children to participate in these lessons and for some it is the only swimming and water safety lessons they receive. This journey began in semester one, 2011 and involved 39 Monash University (Gippsland) students preparing and conducting swimming lessons over three weeks to approximately 80 children. In semester one, 2013 the journey continued increasing to approximately 70 Monash University (Gippsland) students and 140 children. Pathways were investigated and initiated in 2011 which began a journey of collaboration between Australian Registered Training Organisations (RTO), the local health industry (local leisure and sports centre) and external swimming instructors employed at the venue, local primary schools and the university sector; Monash University (Gippsland). Pathways created the opportunity for the university students to obtain qualifications for safe implementation of swimming lessons; Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association (ASCTA) - Swim Australia Teacher (SAT), Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) Bronze Medallion (BM) and RLSSA Resuscitation (RE) courses. Dr. Tim Lynch, Senior Lecturer at Monash University reflects on this swimming education journey towards achieving the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (December, 2008) and shares feedback evidencing benefits for the various community stakeholders.
Can you swim? Self-report and actual swimming competence among young adults in Ballarat, Australia
International Journal of …, 2012
This paper reports the Australian findings in an international study comparing self-reported and actual swimming and aquatic skills of young adults. Physical Education and Sports Sciences students (n = 263) completed the “Can You Swim?” self-report survey and practical skills assessment, unaware that the practical tests replicated survey items. Relationships for comparisons between practical tests and their matched survey item were weak, indicating participants had inaccurate perceptions of their own swimming skills. Typically, they underestimated their competence in terms of distance and fundamental aquatic skills. Understanding of what constitutes different levels of swimming ability was poor; for example, most participants identified as average or good to excellent swimmers, but more than half of self-identified average swimmers and 20% of good to excellent swimmers estimated they could complete < 100 m of continuous swimming. The implications of study findings for drowning prevention and the need for further research are discussed.
Swimming education in Australian society. doi: 10.13140/2.1.2365.3765
International journal of sport & society, 2014
The purpose of this paper is to explore a community swimming program using autoethnography qualitative research. Autoethnography is an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyze (graphy) personal experience (auto) in order to understand cultural experience (ethno) (Ellis 2004; Holman Jones 2005). Through childhood reflection of lived swimming experiences, and adult life reflection of lived swimming teaching experiences as a primary school teacher, health and physical education (HPE) specialist teacher and teacher educator, the author, illustrates how aquatic practices and education has shaped his belief, and consequently his drive to initiate a community swimming program. Furthermore, through this illustration, the reader is invited to enter the world of the author as a program pioneer, and share examination of dynamics involved in initiating opportunities for collaboratively developing swimming ability and confidence in primary school children, pre-service teachers and classroom teachers. More specifically, this involves critical analysis of course preparation, participant benefits and barriers during a collaborative swimming education process within Australian society.
Learning to Swim: An Exploration of Negative Prior Aquatic Experiences Among Children
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
Learning to swim via a structured program is an important skill to develop aquatic competencies and prevent drowning. Fear of water can produce phobic behaviors counterproductive to the learning process. No research examines the influence of negative aquatic experiences on learning to swim. This study explored the influence of children’s negative prior aquatic experiences (NPAE) on learn-to-swim achievement via swim school data. Children’s enrolment records (5–12 years) in the Australian Capital Territory were analyzed via demographics, level achieved and NPAE. NPAE was recorded as yes/no, with free text thematically coded to 16 categories. Of 14,012 records analyzed (51% female; 64% aged 6–8 years), 535 (4%) reported a NPAE at enrolment. Males, children with a medical condition and attending public schools were significantly more likely (p = 0.001) to report a NPAE. Children reporting a NPAE achieved a lower average skill level at each year of age. The largest proportion (19%) of N...
Developing sustainable education in regional Australia, 2014
The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the “commitment to action” designed by ministers of education, which act as stepping stones during implementation of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. The reflection conceptualises what these goals look like in practice within the Health and Physical Education (HPE) key learning area. “Swimming and water safety” for both pre-service teachers and children in Primary schools was implemented, which in hindsight provided a win-win situation. Furthermore, a framework enabling sustainable swimming education within the Gippsland rural community was developed. There were barriers to be overcome and amendments identified for possible future improvements; however, the project is strongly supported by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) Discussion Paper “A Tertiary Education Plan for Gippsland, Victoria”. The pathway involving collaboration of various stakeholders has begun, a process that can now be reflected upon, reassessed, amendments made and relationships strengthened for the sustainability of swimming and water safety within local rural primary schools in the Gippsland region.