Advancing quality physical education in Europe: a scoping review on physical literacy and the bioecological model

This scoping review aims to identify the impact of educational interventions on physical activity levels and physical literacy in Europe. Using the bioecological model, we analyzed the effectiveness of interventions in increasing engagement in physical activity and examined their impact on the dimensions of physical literacy. Our results show that 10 of the 12 selected articles focus on the microsystem (PE lessons) and/or the mesosystem (school-family relationship). The analysis highlights motivation as a predominant target, positively influencing physical and cognitive aspects. The remaining two articles were multilevel interventions, more fully utilizing all dimensions of the bioecological model, and were more successful in increasing weekly physical activity. However, their impact on physical literacy, which lays the foundation for a long-term active lifestyle, remains unclear. We recommend developing intervention research according to the UNESCO framework by creating multilevel and multi-stakeholder interventions to promote physical literacy in schools and establishing cohorts for long-term evaluations. This could improve PE teacher training by raising awareness of effective strategies to promote active lifestyles.