Pupils’ Awareness and Acceptance of Traditional Sports: An Assessment from an Intervention Trial in Schools in Northwest Vietnam

Abstract

Pupils’ physical activity participation (PA) is declining, while traditional sports remain largely unaccepted. This study aims to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of an educational intervention program tailored to the local cultural context in Northwest Vietnam. A controlled experimental study design was used with 1060 Pupils from 14 schools. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected using a 5-point Likert scale for perception and attitude/reception. Before the intervention, the level of acceptance was predominantly “normal” (44.15%), with no significant difference between the experimental and control groups (p=0.732). Following the intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in the percentage of pupils who were “very active” (21.32%) and “active” (38.68%), higher than the control group (13.21% and 28.11%), with the mean value increasing compared to the control group (p<0.001). The effectiveness of the intervention did not differ by gender and grade level. The integrated educational intervention program enhanced pupils’ awareness and acceptance of traditional sports, demonstrating its potential for widespread application in Physical Education (PE) linked to cultural factors..