Cognitive interference during competition among volleyball players with different goal orientation profiles

In this study, we examined interfering thoughts during sport competition among university volleyball players as a function of dominant goal orientation and outcome. In particular, we investigated the performance worries and thoughts of escape experienced while performing in athletes with high task and low ego orientation and athletes with high ego and low task orientation. Goal orientations were assessed before the start of a volleyball tournament, whereas cognitive interference was assessed on three different occasions after games. The results revealed no consistent differences for performance worries. In contrast, in all analyses we found that athletes with high ego and low task orientations reported more thoughts of escape when losing than when winning, and more thoughts of escape than athletes with high task and low ego orientations when winning or losing. The results support in part the suggestion that a high ego orientation, when not accompanied by a high task orientation, can be linked to motivationally maladaptive cognitions.     

Relationships among values, achievement orientations, and attitudes in youth sport

This research examines the value-expressive function of attitudes and achievement goal theory in predicting moral attitudes. In Study 1, the Youth Sport Values Questionnaire (YSVQ; Lee, Whitehead, & Balchin, 2000) was modified to measure moral, competence, and status values. In Study 2, structural equation modeling on data from 549 competitors (317 males, 232 females) aged 12-15 years showed that moral and competence values predicted prosocial attitudes, whereas moral (negatively) and status values (positively) predicted antisocial attitudes. Competence and status values predicted task and ego orientation, respectively, and task and ego orientation partially mediated the effect of competence values on prosocial attitudes and of status values on antisocial attitudes, respectively. The role of sport values is discussed, and new research directions are proposed.     

Physical Activity Promotion in Greek Preschools: The Gap Between Theory and Practice

Recent research evidence has revealed that Greek preschoolers’ physical activity (PA) levels are not satisfactory. Taking into account the amount of time spent daily in preschool settings as well as the finding that preschool appears to be a significant predictor of children’s PA, the aim of the present study is to provide an overview of the role of Greek preschool settings in children’s PA promotion. For that purpose, data regarding PA in Greek preschools are presented and the possible relevance of school characteristics to PA enhancement, namely the curriculum, school facilities and equipment, are critically discussed. Emphasis is also given to the need for the inclusion of developmentally appropriate physical education in the daily school schedule. Last but not least, the importance, of training not only the physical educators but also preschool teachers in promoting their students' PA is underscored.     

A multimethod examination of the relationship between coaching behavior and athletes' inherent self-talk

The aim of the present research was to investigate the relationship between coaching behavior and athletes' inherent self-talk (ST). Three studies were conducted. The first study tested the construct validity of the Coaching Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) in the Greek language, and provided support for its original factor structure. The second study examined the relationships between coaching behavior and athletes' ST in field, with two different samples. The results showed that supportive coaching behavior was positively related to positive ST (in one sample) and negatively related to negative ST (in both samples), whereas negative coaching behavior was negatively related to positive ST (in one sample) and positively related to negative ST (in both samples). Finally, the third study examined the relationships experimentally, to produce evidence regarding the direction of causality. The results showed that variations in coaching behavior affected participants' ST. Overall, the results of the present investigation provided considerable evidence regarding the links between coaching behavior and athletes' ST and suggested that coaches may have an impact on athletes' thoughts.     

Environmental Factors Affecting Preschoolers’ Motor Development

The process of development occurs according to the pattern established by the genetic potential and also by the influence of environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to focus on the main environmental factors affecting motor development. The review of the literature revealed that family features, such as socioeconomic status, mother’s educational level, and the existence of siblings can affect children’s motor competence. Preschool centers have also become important for children’s development, due to the large amount of time children spend at them nowadays. Moreover, the social cultural context in which a child is reared forms certain demands for his/her motor behavior, favoring specific aspects of motor development and impairing others. A very influential factor (and consequently a very significant educational means) is the use of intervention movement programs. A developmentally adequate movement program can enhance motor development, thus preventing the long term negative consequences that an unfavorable influence of several genetic or the aforementioned environmental factors may have.     

A systematic review of self‐regulation strategies to improve academic outcomes of students with EBD

Self‐regulatory interventions have demonstrated numerous benefits for helping improve the academic performance of students. The purpose of this review was to report on the effectiveness and focus of academic self‐regulation interventions for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural disorders. Thirty‐six studies published in 35 papers and involving 189 participants met inclusionary criteria. Overall, self‐regulation interventions showed moderate/medium effect size gains [percentage of nonoverlapping data (PND) 75%; standard mean difference (SMD) 2.27; Tau‐U 0.81] across academic subject areas. When assessing the effectiveness of self‐regulation interventions for addressing specific academic content areas, the largest ES gains were observed in reading (PND 93%; SMD 2.13; Tau‐U 0.94), although medium/moderate ES gains were observed in math (PND 71%; SMD 2.08; Tau‐U 0.70) and writing (PND 83%; SMD 2.57; Tau‐U 0.91). Self‐regulated strategy development, self‐monitoring interventions and strategy instruction were the predominant types of self‐regulation techniques implemented by researchers. There was evidence to support a claim of the generalisation and maintenance of findings. Implications, limitations and areas for future research are discussed.     

Reading behaviour of the Greek population 1998–1999: National Book Centre of Greece

The National Book Centre of Greece has conducted a quantitative research in November 1998–January 1999 that covered the whole country of Greece, with sample size of 3.807 Greek citizens, aged 15 years old and over. The aim of this research was to answer questions such as how much do Greeks read, what kind of books do they prefer, what are their main representations about book reading, what are the main reasons for not reading and, in general, to define the population of readers in Greece and analyze their reading practices using both quantitative and qualitative criteria. We also tried to examine the relation of book reading with other cultural and leisure time activities.     

Economic News and Personal Economic Expectations

Personal economic evaluations are a component of consumer confidence and predict political behavior. However, very few studies have examined the link between mediated information and personal economic evaluations. This research examines the conditions under which exposure to media content influences personal economic expectations as well as which sources of information impact personal economic expectations. Results are based on an integration of a four-wave national panel survey and media content data. Findings show that exposure to unemployment news in tabloid outlets was a significant predictor of personal economic expectations. The implications of these results are further discussed.     

Team cohesion and ethnic–cultural identity in adolescent migrant athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of sport participation in the social integration of adolescents with non-dominant ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In particular, this study investigated the relationship between team cohesion and ethnic–cultural identity. Participants were 83 young migrant athletes (mean age 15.60 years). Participants completed the Ethnic/Cultural Identity Salience Questionnaire and the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire. Regression analyses showed that cohesion negatively predicted feelings of fringe and lack of interaction. Our findings suggest that sport participation, particularly in cohesive teams, can facilitate the development of adaptive identity toward the goal of social integration in migrant adolescents.     

The role of environment design in an educational Multi‐User Virtual Environment

This paper presents empirical results from an exploratory study conducted in an authentic educational situation with preservice education students enrolled in an undergraduate course, which was partially taught in Second Life. The study investigated the effect of environment design on presence, learning outcomes and the overall experience of the students. Two different educational virtual environments (a traditional university auditorium and an open‐air setting) were designed and presented to different groups of students (n = 51). Results indicate that students' experience from the educational activities, their attitudes toward the environment and the induced sense of presence are not affected by the design of the educational setting. Learning outcomes seem to be slightly better in virtual educational settings that replicate traditional educational settings. Experience shows that undergraduate university classes can be successfully taught in Second Life and such environments elicit satisfaction, positive experiences and attitudes and high levels of social presence from the participants. Course design in a Multi‐User Virtual Environment (MUVE) should take into account the time and training necessary for all students to become familiar with the virtual environment and possible time losses due to technical issues. This study could act as support to construct and test hypotheses regarding the role of educational setting design in teaching and learning in MUVEs.