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The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of circus arts instruction on the physical literacy (PL) of children in grades 4 and 5. Methods: A prospective, clustered, quasi-experimental design was used to compare schools with circus arts instruction in physical education class (PE CIRCUS) to three matched schools using standard Physical Health and Education curriculum delivery (PE). PL assessments were obtained at the beginning and end of one semester using PLAY Tools (physicalliteracy.ca). These tools provided an assessment of 1) motor competence, confidence, and comprehension, 2) the child's self-report of physical literacy, 3) the PE teacher's surrogate assessment of the child, 4) the parental assessment of the child, and 5) an inventory of the child's activities. Results: 211 students participated, with equal numbers in grades 4 and 5, and an even distribution between PE and PE CIRCUS groups. There were significant (p<0.05) improvements in motor competence in movement skills (curricular linked) over time for both school settings, but with substantial endpoint differences (7.9%, p<0.01) in favour of PE CIRCUS for 15 of 18 movement skills in grade 5 only. The gender gap in motor competence in the PE CIRCUS group was smaller than that in the PE group. Children in the PE CIRCUS schools revealed greater movement terminology comprehension and higher confidence in execution (p<0.05). Children in the PE CIRCUS schools reported greater confidence, felt more talented, were more eager to participate (p=0.055), and girls associated physical activity with happiness (p<0.05) more than those in the PE schools. Conclusion: Circus arts instruction can effectively aid in the development of physical literacy in children. Providing a quality physical literacy experience, such as circus arts instruction, does not amplify the gender gap, but provides equitable levels of motor competence development for males and females, and assists with achieving current PE curricular objectives. The results of this study provide insight to allow for further development of effective physical education delivery methods in schools, and provide quantitative research to support the positive effects of circus arts instruction reported qualitatively. [author summary]

Dans les programmations des cours d’éducation physique, les pratiques artistiques sont peu représentées au regard des pratiques sportives. Si les arts du cirque offrent une alternative à certains enseignants peu enclins à adopter la gestuelle de la danse (Garcia, 2013), leur enseignement en milieu scolaire se limite encore souvent à une juxtaposition de techniques (Coasne, 2013). L’étude menée montre que le manque de formation est le principal obstacle évoqué par les enseignants pour mettre en œuvre une démarche de création artistique avec leurs élèves. Par ailleurs, les conditions favorisant le développement des pratiques artistiques en EPS apparaissent largement en contradiction avec le respect de « l’orthodoxie scolaire » (Arnaud, 1990). L’engagement des élèves dans un processus de création en arts du cirque s’inscrit alors dans des temps et des espaces d’expérimentation dont les règles diffèrent de celles de l’espace scolaire traditionnel. Le cirque et les pratiques physiques artistiques constituent ainsi des leviers de transformation de la forme scolaire (Vincent, 1994), des hétérotopies (Foucault, 1966) autorisant la transgression des normes et la prise de risque, des tiers-lieux pédagogiques où la relation éducative et le rapport au savoir sont questionnés, transformés.

The present document starts with a brief discussion about the originality and relevance of the expressive activities of the body, particularly given by the physical education classes and others possible fields of its application in extra classes context. Next, we focus our attention
specially on a specific circus modality “the stilt”, observing some important fundaments for the application of this activity, as well as discussing some practical consequences. Finally, based on practical experiences through the last 3 years in Spain, we present a pedagogical proposal for working with the stilt either at elementary or high school levels. [editor summary]