Boosting girls’ confidence through judgement free spaces
New research highlights that safe spaces can help boost primary school girls’ confidence, self-esteem and resilience when it comes to PE.
New research from Leeds Beckett University analysed how to boost young girls’ confidence when it comes to participating in physical activity. The study involved girls aged between seven and 11 and used the programme Where Movement and Mindfulness Meet (M2).
The M2 scheme offers an eight-session programme that combines running/walking with mindfulness. Girls are given the chance to play games, do structured workouts and capture their experience through words and pictures in their own journal. They finish with a 5km challenge.
Overall, five schools participated in the university study, which is part of a larger initiative, created by the Jane Tomlinson Appeal (JTA), comprising more than 30 schools across Leeds and Lincolnshire in the 2023-24 school year.
Results from the programme include:
- Improvements in physical developments and fitness
- Better social outcomes including connecting with others and developing friendships
- Positive mental health developments including resilience, pride and confidence
Dr Annette Stride, lead author of the study, said: ‘Our research across the schools demonstrates the power of the M2 programme to these girls’ lives. It was particularly reassuring to hear the girls acknowledge how aspects of their fitness had improved from the start to the end of the programme, their recognition of the new friendships they had made, and the achievement of actually attending an after-school club for the first time.
‘However, the value of this programme, echoed by the girls and their teachers, lies in the changes seen in their confidence. This manifest in a multitude of ways including raising their hands in class more, a positive outlook towards exam results, increased belief in their own abilities, public speaking, leadership roles, a more positive attitude towards physical activity, increased engagement in PE, participation in other after-school clubs, and becoming more active in wider community settings’.
Image: M2
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