Relationship between sport knowledge, sport performance and academic ability: empirical evidence from GCSE Physical Education. General Certificate of Secondary Education.

The literature concerning links between sport knowledge, sport performance and academic ability is reviewed and related to empirical evidence obtained from a GCSE examination in Physical Education, together with GCSE Mathematics and GCSE English grades. For most sports examined, there was a small but significant positive correlation between sport performance and GCSE Mathematics and English grades, confirming the findings of most previous research. Using a multilevel multivariate model, average sport performance, academic ability and sex were important explanatory variables for sport knowledge, yet only academic ability was an important explanatory variable for the concept of physical education knowledge. Ability in game sports, rather than athletics, were related to sport knowledge. Males scored higher for sport knowledge than females, after taking into account sport performance and academic ability. The effects of sport performance and academic ability on sport knowledge were stable across schools, but there was some evidence that the effect of sex varied across schools. These findings support theories of a role for sport knowledge in sport performance; that such a role should be greater in game sports; that academic ability is important for gaining such knowledge; and they highlight differences in sport knowledge between the sexes.     

An examination of the relationship between destination image and marathon participants’ behaviours

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the destination image and behaviours of marathon participants with different levels of behavioural running involvement. This study focused on the Kyoto Marathon in Japan. The survey was conducted on marathon participants. The data of marathon participants was obtained through the Kyoto Marathon 2017 runner survey website. The participants were classified into two groups by cluster analysis – those with high running involvement and those with low running involvement using their experience of marathon events and running history variables. A comprehensive destination image scale was used to assess the practical implications of a sport event. MANOVA and ANOVA were used to test the influence of running involvement on a marathon participant’s destination image perceptions, place attachment, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. These results do not support the role of sport involvement in terms of the key-dependent variables of the study, namely place identity and dependence, intentions to participate in the event again and destination image perceptions. However, the influence of destination image factors and event satisfaction were still evident in their ability to predict sport event tourist intentions to revisit a sport event that is held in the same destination every year.     

运动自信对不同等级运动员运动成绩的影响

目的:通过对不同等级运动员运动自信心与运动成绩关系的研究,探讨运动自信对不同运动等级运动员成绩的影响。方法:以参加2004年度全国各专项锦标赛的广东运动技术学院的692名运动员为研究对象,采用运动员自信心测量问卷对不同等级运动员进行运动自信心的测量,并将测量结果与运动员成绩进行相应的相关分析和回归分析。结果:运动自信与运动成绩之间存在相关关系(P<0.01),其中,技能掌握自信、技能演示自信与运动成绩之间存在较显著的正相关关系(P<0.001),对教练能力的信心和对比赛情景的自信与运动成绩之间存在显著的正相关关系(P<0.05);技能掌握自信、技能演示自信、对教练能力的信心和对比赛情景的自信均是运动成绩的重要预测因子。结论:运动员自信中技能掌握自信、技能演示自信、对教练能力的信心和对比赛情景的自信对运动成绩具有重要影响,因此在日常训练中应注意根据不同等级运动员,调整有关运动自信培养的工作重点。     

对抗项群亚类项目竞技能力要素特征的比较研究

采用问卷调查和数珲统计等方法,对所确定的对抗项群各个代表项目竞技能力四级因子的权重进行效度分析,所建立的对抗项群竞技能力因素主体结构具有鲜明的层次性特点.其中,三级层次要素的亚类属性和内容范围构成了对抗项群竞技能力的主体框架,四级层次要素的子类属性和内容细节则决定了专项运动竞技能力的特征框架.认为:对抗项群三组亚类项目竞技能力二级要素的影响程度并不相同.但是,运动素质列为对抗项群三组亚类项目竞技能力的首要或次要因子,表明运动素质的各个相关因子是至关重要的竞技能力要素;除了身体形态之外,运动机能、运动素质、运动技术、运动战术、运动心理和运动智力及其四级下的各个竞技能力要素均具有鲜明的专项特征.因此,任何专项运动特征的研究应该充分反映这些竞技能力的专项特点.     

Differences between violent and non-violent adolescents in terms of sport background and sport-related psychological variables

Abstract

To date, neither theoretical approaches nor empirical findings allow clear predictions about the influence of sport engagement on youth violence. The present study uses a typological approach to investigate groups of adolescents with different characteristics of violent behaviour and cognition regarding their sport background and psychological variables associated with violent behaviour. A sample of 2438 Swiss adolescents aged 12–18 years completed five self-report questionnaires on sport engagement, violent behaviour and cognition, self-concept, wellbeing, and stress perception. After in-depth data cleaning and method checking, the data of 832 participants were clustered using the Ward method. Five reliable clusters based on violent behaviour and cognition can be identified: non-violent adolescents, adolescents at risk, violence supporters, psychological harassers, and violent adolescents. Harassers are most engaged in sports and are over-represented among elite athletes. Violent adolescents are over-represented in game sports with body contact, whereas non-violent adolescents are involved in individual sports with a focus on aesthetic factors. Results further reveal that non-violent adolescents scored highest on general self-concept and relationship to parents, whereas harassers scored highest on general sport abilities. Moreover, harassers and violent adolescents have the least favourable values on different scales of wellbeing and stress perception. Given the cross-sectional nature of the study, no conclusion about selection or socializing processes can be drawn. Further in-depth consideration is needed to advance our understanding of the relationship between sport, psychological dimensions, and violence.     

Sport participation and its association with social and psychological factors known to predict substance use and abuse among youth: A scoping review of the literature

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of a scoping review of the sport literature (2000–2014) on psychological and social outcomes relevant to youth alcohol and illicit drug use. Prior reviews report that sport is related to increased alcohol use and reduced illicit drug use among youth, yet provide little guidance regarding the mechanisms that can explain this relationship. We reviewed the literature on sport participation and psychological and social outcomes to identify factors that could help explain this link. Psychological and social factors were selected as they play a paramount role in understanding youth alcohol and drug use. Fifty-nine articles were identified and included in the review. The literature generally supported connections between sport and positive psychological and social outcomes, including self-esteem, self-regulation, general life skills, and pro-social behaviour. Yet limitations in the methods and measures limit the ability to draw conclusions from the literature. In addition, the diversity of youth and sport was generally ignored in the literature. This article suggests a number of directions for future research that might improve our understanding of how sport impacts psychological and social outcomes along with alcohol and illicit drug use.     

Correlates of Sport Participation among Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Most research on the correlates of sport involvement has utilized male samples. The present study focuses on a sample of high school girl gymnasts, basketball players, track participants, and a control group of nonathletes. The correlates of participation investigated include familial factors, peers, teachers and coaches' encouragement to participate in sports, and the social psychological variables of perceived femininity, self-reported athletic ability, and body image. The findings indicate that socialization into sport begins in childhood and continues into high school with considerable encouragement from significant others. The basketball players reported somewhat less encouragement and tend to see themselves as less feminine than the other athletes. Athletes had higher self-perceptions of athletic ability than the nonathletes. The athletes' perceptions of their body image were generally more positive than the nonathletes. This latter finding suggests a reduction of stigma formerly associated with female involvement in sport.     

Motivation for and Extent of Participation in Organized Sports by High School Seniors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to replicate previous studies in which selected demographic and socioeconomic factors were examined as influences on socialization into youth sport and (b) to extend previous research by analyzing the effects of parental influence on involvement in and motivations toward sport. The range of focus in this study was from the time of the subjects' first encounter with organized sport through the senior year of high school. Data were obtained from direct administration of the questionnaire to twelfth-grade students in four Jackson, Mississippi, high schools. Regression analysis revealed that significant independent variables accounted for nearly 26% of the variance in sport involvement in one setting and nearly 10% of the variance in motivations toward involvement in sport and recreational activities. Subjects' gender, their fathers' past athletic experiences, and mothers' educational levels were the most influential independent variables. Influences varied between school sports and out-of-school sports and over the sports career of subjects.     

Prospective study of sport dropout: A motivational analysis as a function of age and gender

Abstract

Introduction: This paper aimed to analyse the predictive ability of a self-determination theory (SDT) based model describing competitive sport dropout, and variance as a function of age and gender. Variables included in the model were: psychological need satisfaction, self-determined motivation, perceived conflict between sport and study, intention to practise sport, and dropout.

Methods: A prospective study was performed over a period of 19 months. Variables considered as predictors of sport dropout were measured initially, and after 19 months persistence or dropout was assessed. The sample consisted of 857 athletes aged 11–19 (mean value 15.3; standard deviation = 1.77), 680 males and 177 females.

Results: Structural equation modelling illustrated support for an “alternative” model that incorporated a direct relationship between psychological need satisfaction and intention to practise sport. Analysis of invariance showed that the model was consistent as a function of age and gender, i.e. no differences were found in regression weights. MANOVA, however, revealed some group differences with respect to the dependent variables. Specifically, in terms of engagement, although assessed at the start of the study, those athletes who persisted at 19 months demonstrated greater need satisfaction, self-determined motivation and intention to practise sport than those who dropped out. Age related differences were also identified: with increased age self-determined motivation and intention to practise sport decreased, while there were no differences in need satisfaction or perceived conflict between sport and study. There were no differences related to gender.

Discussion: The results support previous studies that had used SDT to predict sport dropout, specifically those that had reported an inverse relationship between self-determined motivation and perceived conflict between activities. Further, it suggests that other variables (emotional) may play a specific role in predicting intention to continue engagement with sport.

Conclusion: The major contribution of the study is in validating a motivational model predicting sport dropout which incorporates perceived conflict and the direct effect of psychological need satisfaction on the intention to practise sport. The invariance of regression weights between age and gender groups suggests that the relationships proposed in the model are universal.     

中美大学生体育成就动机结构模型的比较研究

采用体育运动倾向问卷对中美4所大学的413名大学生进行测试,中国157名,美国256名,旨在分析了解体育成就动机在不同文化背景下的结构及差异,为在中国的文化背景下研究体育成就动机提供参考依据。结果表明,体育成就动机差异主要表现在结构因素之间的联系方面,即:虽然中国和美国大学生的成就动机都是由3个因素构成,但各因素之间的相关系数则存在不同文化背景间的差异性。     

Empirical links between achievement goal theory and self-determination theory in sport

The aim of this study was to examine the empirical links between achievement goal theory and self-determination theory in sport. Addressing theoretical and methodological limitations of previous research, the study tested the independent and interactive effects of goal orientations and perceived competence on seven motivational variables with different degrees of self-determination. Regression analyses of data collected from 247 British university students showed that task orientation predicted motivational variables with high self-determination. In contrast, ego orientation predicted motivational variables with low self-determination. Perceived competence predicted both high self-determined and low self-determined motivational variables. A significant interaction emerged between task and ego orientations in predicting external regulation. The results suggest the adaptive role of task orientation in facilitating self-determined motivation in sport. However, the findings are not conclusive, as the variance explained in most analyses was relatively small. Suggestions are offered for a more comprehensive empirical testing of the links between the two theories.     

Empirical links between achievement goal theory and self-determination theory in sport.

The aim of this study was to examine the empirical links between achievement goal theory and self-determination theory in sport. Addressing theoretical and methodological limitations of previous research, the study tested the independent and interactive effects of goal orientations and perceived competence on seven motivational variables with different degrees of self-determination. Regression analyses of data collected from 247 British university students showed that task orientation predicted motivational variables with high self-determination. In contrast, ego orientation predicted motivational variables with low self-determination. Perceived competence predicted both high self-determined and low self-determined motivational variables. A significant interaction emerged between task and ego orientations in predicting external regulation. The results suggest the adaptive role of task orientation in facilitating self-determined motivation in sport. However, the findings are not conclusive, as the variance explained in most analyses was relatively small. Suggestions are offered for a more comprehensive empirical testing of the links between the two theories.     

运动心理咨询的态度与选择:基于运动员的视角

基于运动员的视角对运动员寻求运动心理咨询态度的测评、约束因素（个体与环境）和运动心理咨询的提升策略进行归纳与分析,研究认为,性别、种族、人格以及先前的运动心理咨询经历等个体因素,以及对运动心理咨询师的评价、文化与国籍、运动项目类型与运动水平等环境因素是运动员对运动心理咨询态度和选择的主要制约因素。运动心理咨询的有效性、良好的运动员-运动心理咨询师关系、个性化的咨询方案是改善运动员对运动心理咨询态度及选择运动心理咨询的重要手段。     

少儿身体自我知觉与孤独感关系的研究

以心理问卷为工具考察153名普通少儿的自我价值、运动技能、身体状况、身体吸引力和身体素质等身体自我知觉变量对孤独感的预测作用。结果发现：男少儿的身体自我知觉各变量对孤独感的回归效应非常显著,其中自我价值对孤独感存在负向直接的预测作用,运动技能对孤独感既存在负向直接的预测作用,又存在负向间接的预测作用,身体素质对孤独感只存在负向间接的预测作用,其他变量的作用不显著;女少儿的身体自我知觉各变量预测孤独感的回归方程也非常显著,其中自我价值负向直接预测孤独感,身体吸引力负向间接预测孤独感,其他变量的作用不显著。     

Hand–arm strength and endurance as predictors of climbing performance

Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine training characteristics, body composition, muscular strength, and endurance in sport climbers, and to demonstrate the relationship among these components by means of structural equation modelling. Altogether, 205 sport climbers (136 males, 69 females), with a performance RP (red point) of grade 4 to 11 on the Union Internationale des Association d'Alpinisme (UIAA) scale, took part in the study. The proposed structural model, with latent variable hand–arm strength and endurance (developed from reference values for simple tests), indicated by three manifest variables (grip strength, bent-arm hang, and finger hang) and three exogenous variables (body fat, volume of climbing, and climbing experience), explained 97% of the variance in climbing performance. The relationship between body fat and climbing experience/volume with climbing performance was not direct, but was better explained using the mediator hand–arm strength and endurance. We conclude that these simple tests, together with percent body fat, volume of climbing, and climbing experience, can satisfactorily predict climbing performance.     

Significant Others and Professionalized Sport Attitudes

Abstract

Using an extension of Webb's concept of professionalized sport attitudes, it was explored whether the type of significant other and degree of parental psychological support were related to professionalized sport attitudes (win/skill orientation) or to nonprofessionalized sport attitudes (fair play/total participation orientation). Comparisons were made between 1236 economically disadvantaged boys and 1096 economically disadvantaged girls enrolled in the summer portion of the National Youth Sports Program, resulting in the following findings. Males demonstrated a more professionalized sport attitude than did females. Males perceived their father/male guardian as the most important significant other whereas females perceived their mother/female guardian as the most important significant other. No relationship was found between the type of significant other (mother/female guardian, father/male guardian, teacher/coach, or friend) and professionalized sport attitudes for both boys and girls. However, parental psychological support factors were found to be related to professionalized sport attitudes for males but not for females. Explanations for the demonstrated relationship between parental psychological factors and professionalized sport attitudes were discussed which included support for the growing concern that parents may be in part responsible for developing “winning” and “skill” values in youth sport participants. This adult intervention, however, presently may only be significant for male youth sport participants.     

Is “school sport” associated with school belongingness? Testing the influence of school sport policy

One of the primary justifications for middle school sport is the presumed association between sport participation and school belongingness. However, concerns regarding school sport values have called this association into question. Previous researchers have focused primarily on school sport as a single entity, with far less consideration for the different policies available to guide sport management and delivery in the school context. The authors examine the association between sport participation and school belongingness under two sport policies (i.e., interscholastic and intramural). Moderated mediation analysis is used to examine the relationships underpinning this connection in both policy contexts. Results indicate differences across policy contexts related to the salience of perceived sport and academic competence. The discussion highlights intriguing implications for sport administrators regarding school sport policy, particularly as it pertains to promoting school belongingness.     

Implicit beliefs of ability,approach-avoidance goals and cognitive anxiety among team sport athletes

Abstract

People's implicit beliefs of ability have been suggested as an antecedent of achievement goal adoption, which has in turn been associated with behavioural, cognitive and affective outcomes. This study examined a conditional process model with team sport athletes' approach-avoidance achievement goals as mediators between their implicit beliefs of sport ability and sport-related cognitive anxiety. We expected gender to moderate the paths from implicit beliefs of ability to approach-avoidance goals and from approach-avoidance goals to cognitive anxiety. Team sport athletes with a mean age of 20 years (163 females and 152 males) responded to questionnaires about their implicit beliefs of sport ability, approach-avoidance goals and sport-related cognitive anxiety. Incremental beliefs, gender and the interaction between them predicted mastery-approach goals. Gender also predicted mastery-avoidance goals, with females reporting higher levels than males. Mastery-avoidance goals, gender and the interaction between them predicted cognitive anxiety, with females reporting higher levels of anxiety than males. Entity beliefs positively predicted performance-avoidance goals and the interaction between performance-approach and gender predicted anxiety. The indirect effects also showed gender differences in relation to performance-approach goals. Taken together, our results suggest that coaches trying to create a facilitating climate for their male and female athletes may be wise to consider their athletes' anxiety and achievement goal patterns as these may affect both the athletes' well-being and performance.     

Analyzing the impact of sport infrastructure on sport participation using geo-coded data: Evidence from multi-level models

Sport policies aiming at increasing mass participation and club participation have stressed the importance of sport infrastructure. Previous research has mainly analyzed the influence of individual factors (age, income, etc.) on sport participation. Although a few studies have dealt with the impact of sport facilities on sport participation, some methodological shortcomings can be observed regarding the integration of sport infrastructure into the research design. Oftentimes, subjective measures of infrastructure are employed, leading to biased results, for example inactive people have a worse perception of the actual supply of facilities. In fact it is important to measure the available sport infrastructure objectively using a quantitative approach and integrate it into statistical models. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of individual and infrastructure variables on sport participation in general and in sport clubs using geo-coded data following a multi-level design. For this purpose, both primary data (individual level) and secondary data (infrastructure level) were collected in the city of Munich, Germany. A telephone survey of the resident population was carried out (n = 11,175) and secondary data on the available sport infrastructure in Munich were collected. Both datasets were geo-coded using Gauss–Krueger coordinates and integrated into multi-level analyses. The multi-level models show that swimming pools are of particular importance for sport participation in general and sport fields for participation in sport clubs. Challenges and implications for a more holistic modeling of sport participation including infrastructure variables are discussed.