The role of deliberate practice and play in career progression in sport: the early engagement hypothesis

Experts acquire domain‐specific skills as a result of the activities in which they participate throughout their development. We examine the domain‐specific activities in which two groups of elite youth soccer players participated between six and 12 years of age. Our goal was to examine early participation differences between those who progressed to professional status at 16 years of age and those who did not. Data were contrasted to a control group of recreational‐level players and examined in the context of the Developmental Model of Sport Participation, which supports the importance of late specialization and early diversity between six and 12 years of age. The elite players who went on to attain professional status accumulated more hours per year in soccer play activities, but not in soccer practice, competition or other sports, between six and 12 years of age, compared with those who did not progress. The two elite groups averaged more hours per year in soccer practice compared with recreational‐level players, but not soccer play, competition or other sports. We propose the “early engagement hypothesis” to explain our results. Accordingly, practice and play in the primary sport between six and 12 years of age contributes to the development of expert performance in English soccer.     

Play and practice in the development of sport‐specific creativity in team ball sports

Current theoretical approaches regarding the development of creativity support the view that gathering diversified experience over years is an ideal medium for creative thinking. This study examined the role of practice conditions in the development of creative behavior in team ball sports. Twelve trainers selected the most creative and the least creative players from their teams. These athletes (n=72) provided information about the quantity and type of sport‐specific and other related practice activities undertaken throughout their careers. Results indicated significant differences between the groups for time spent in unstructured play activities and a marginally significant difference for total time spent in training for their main sport. In both cases, more creative players accumulated more time than their less creative counterparts.     

Personality of elite male and female chess players and its relation to chess skill

Whereas a lot of studies examine cognitive processes in chess players, personality profiles of elite chess players are still not described well. The aim of this study was to examine personality of strong chess experts and its influence on chess skill. We tested elite male and female chess players with Freiburg Personality Inventory Revised (FPI-R), which also provides population norms for males and females. Elite male players' personality profile did not significantly differ from the population norms. Female players were more satisfied with life, had less physical complaints and higher achievement motivation in comparison with female population norms. Personality was also related with chess skill but showed different patterns in males and females. Stronger male players were more introverted, while we found the opposite pattern in female players. These results indicate that personality plays an important role in the highest level of complex intellectual activities.     

An Analysis of Physical Fitness Differences in Soccer,Handball,and Basketball

This study focuses on the evaluation of the differences of physical fitness among soccer players, handball players, and basketball players, and the investigation of the physical fitness structures of those players. The participants consisted of 160 elite players selected from university teams. Fourteen tests related to health and motor fitness were conducted. The results were subjected to a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to test the mean vector differences among the three groups of different sport. Nine out of the fourteen tests were of significantly discriminating results regarding to different group, which include side step, abdominal strength, shuttle running, 100m running, pull-up, 1,500m running, trunk flexion, grip strength and broad jump, as determined by a stepwise regression approach. MANOVA showed that there was a significant difference (p< 0.001) of the mean vectors of the 9 tests among the three events. Discriminant function analysis showed that three discriminant functions were s     

Using forum theatre in organised youth soccer to positively influence antisocial and prosocial behaviour: a pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to examine the possible effects of a forum theatre intervention on moral team atmosphere, moral reasoning, fair play attitude and on‐ and off‐field antisocial and prosocial behaviour in male adolescent soccer players from 10 to 18 years of age (n = 99). From pre‐test to post‐test, small but positive changes were found in moral atmosphere, but not in moral reasoning or fair play attitude. Changes were also found in on‐field antisocial behaviour, which showed a significant decrease one month after the intervention. However, the changes in antisocial behaviour were not affected by the changes in moral team atmosphere. Off‐field antisocial behaviour and both on‐ and off‐field prosocial behaviour did not show a significant change. The results suggest that more extended efforts built on a similar approach are worth investigating.     

CURRICULUM RESEARCH IN SWEDEN II‐‐MATHEMATICS AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

In Study 1, eight‐ and 11‐year‐old children's participation in playground activities was examined by means of direct observations. At both ages, the two most common categories of behaviour engaged in were sociable activities and rule games. The older children spent significantly more time in rule games and significantly less time alone than the younger children. Girls spent significantly more time in sociable activities and significantly less time alone than boys. The proportion of time spent in these and other categories of behaviour was not found to differ from the beginning to the end of playtime. A more detailed analysis revealed the proportion of time spent in some more specific games and activities, as well as other age and sex differences. Many activities were found to be typically single sex and/or single age affairs, although others were more often played in mixed sex and/or mixed age groups. Some of the reasons for why this was the case were explored in Study 2, along with the children's feelings at being excluded by other groups. It appeared that the older boys were largely responsible for the lack of mixed age and mixed sex play on the playground.     

Exploring game experiences and game leadership in massively multiplayer online role‐playing games

This study explored the in‐game experiences of massively multiplayer online role‐playing game (MMORPG) players focusing on game leadership and offline leadership. MMORPGs have enormous potential to provide gameplayers with rich social experiences through various interactions along with social activities such as joining a game community, team play and others. In this study, a total of 808 Korean online gameplayers participated in an online survey. Amongst them, 300 MMORPG players were used as the final sample group. The results showed that joining a game community and playing in teams may help players build their leadership experience in games. The findings also suggest that there is a significant positive relationship between in‐game leadership and offline leadership. However, there were no significant differences in gender regarding in‐game and offline leadership. This study suggests that MMORPGs offer a useful place where people can grow their leadership skills and potentially transfer them into the real world.     

ISSUES IN COUNSELING OLDER PEOPLE

This paper reports a thorough investigation of reading habits and activities which may require skills used in prose recall tasks as they occur in the everyday lives of adults. Over the space of five weeks, fifty‐four participants (18 young, aged 18‐32; 18 middle, aged 40‐54; 18 older, aged over 62) kept structured diaries in which they indicated how they spent their time, as well as the specific materials they had read and how long they had spent reading each item. Analyses were performed on each of 23 reading variables and 20 activity variables. Part I of this paper considers whether there were age and vocabulary differences in activities. Results indicate that while such differences exist, primarily in the amount of time spent reading, everyday activities and reading habits were also related to the requirements of daily life‐‐school, employment, retirement. Part II uses a cluster analysis of the data to demonstrate that the patterning of everyday activities was influenced more by current schooling and career factors than by the age and vocabulary level of the participants. Part II also considers the ecological validity of prose recall studies by examining the frequency of activities similar to laboratory‐style prose recall tasks and finds that such activities have a very low incidence in the everyday lives of adults.     

经验、高度、力量与体能、灵活、速度的抉择——亚洲、欧美优秀女排队员不同位置年龄和身体形态特征剖析

以三个时段女子排球国际赛事31支队伍的参赛队员为研究对象,通过数理统计方法分析了排球队员不同位置间年龄和身体形态趋势,比较了亚洲和欧美球队不同位置间年龄和身体形态取向,为以年龄和身体形态作为衡量阵容配备合理性的基础指标提供了一种参考思路,并为基层队伍培养、后备队伍建设中不同位置队员身体基础指标选择提供指南.结果显示:二传和自由人突出经验、灵活和速度,副攻突出体能、高度和力量,接应比主攻更突出进攻能力;亚洲和欧美球队战术打法不同,不同位置间指标差异大,指标特征反映出球队扬长避短的阵容配备思路,集中体现在主攻和接应的配备上,亚洲球队增强主攻进攻能力,增大接应经验弥补防守,欧美球队接应进攻能力强,主攻经验值高.     

Interpretations of graphs by university biology students and practicing scientists: Toward a social practice view of scientific representation practices

Using graphs is a key social practice of professional science. As part of a research program that investigates the development of graphing practices from elementary school to professional science activities, this study was designed to investigate similarities and differences in graph‐related interpretations between scientists and college students engaged in collective graph interpretation. Forty‐five students in a second‐year university ecology course and four scientists participated in the study. Guided by domain‐ specific concerns, scientists' graph‐related activities were characterized by a large number of experience‐based, domain‐specific interpretive resources and practices. Students' group based activities were characterized by the lack of linguistic distinctions (between scientific terms) which led to ambiguities in group negotiations; there was also a lack of knowledge about specific organism populations which helped field ecologists construct meaning. Many students learned to provide correct answers to specific graphing questions but did not come to make linguistic distinctions or increase their knowledge of specific populations. In the absence of concerns other than to do well in the course, students did not appear to develop any general interpretive skills for graphs, but learned instead to apply the professor's interpretation. This is problematic because, as we have demonstrated, there are widely differing viable interpretations of the graph. Suggestions for changes in learning environments for graphing that should alleviate this problem are made. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 1020–1043, 1999     

Providing Opportunities to Learn in Home-Based Child Care Settings: Observations of Learning Contexts and Behavior

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: This observation study investigated the prevalence and correlates of learning contexts provided to preschool-age children in 133 registered child care homes in below-average-income neighborhoods in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. On average, 30% of the observed proportion of time was spent in structured teacher-led activities, 51% in free-choice activities, 10% in routine activities, 1% in watching video/TV, and 7% in transition. Home-based child care providers gave significantly more positive recognition during structured teacher-led activities, and children engaged in more prosocial behavior during free-choice time. Directives and noncompliance occurred more often during transitions. A higher child-to-caregiver ratio was associated with more time spent in free-choice time, and caregiver experience and education were not associated with the time spent in specific learning contexts. Practice or Policy: Similar to preschool and center-based child care, current practice in home-based child care is to offer a mix of structured teacher-led and free-choice activities. To facilitate young children’s skill development within these learning activities typically offered, it is necessary to increase research and provide empirically based professional development opportunities relevant to home-based child care settings. Attention to home-based child care will likely reach many young children and be particularly beneficial for those in low-income households.     

Ethical leadership in schools: creating community in an environment of accountability and The cultural proficiency journey: moving beyond ethical barriers toward profound school change

The present study, which sought to analyse adolescent sportsmen's representations of responsibility, was mainly guided by the philosophical literature on this topic. A body of literature suggests that the contextual factors of sport practice, particularly regarding the rules that regulate play, may have a key role in the building of such representations. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with two groups of 18 teenagers: one group of institutionalised athletes (who played soccer or basketball in a structured and official context) and one group of self‐organised athletes (who played the same sports in a self‐regulated context). The qualitative analysis showed that the institutionalised players described responsibility in functional terms; this result was explained by the rigid characteristics of their context of practice, which was based on task division and performance. In contrast, the self‐organised players described responsibility in moral terms; this result was explained by an open context of practice based on interaction. The overall results of our study raise questions about the educational capacity of institutionalised sport and the objective conditions that promote the social and moral development of young people.     

The role of practice in chess: A longitudinal study

We investigated the role of practice in the acquisition of chess expertise by submitting a questionnaire to 104 players of different skill levels. Players had to report their chess rating, the number of hours of individual and group practice, their use of different learning resources and activities, and whether they had been trained by a coach. The use of archival data enabled us to track the rating of some of the players throughout their career. We found that there was a strong correlation between chess skill and number of hours of practice. Moreover, group practice was a better predictor of high-level performance than individual practice. We also found that masters had a higher chess rating than expert players after only three years of serious dedication to chess, although there were no differences in the number of hours of practice. The difference that may explain the variation in rating is that masters start practising at an earlier age than experts. Finally, we found that activities such as reading books and using computer software (game databases, but not playing programs) were important for the development of high-level performance. Together with previous data and theories of expert performance, our results indicate limits in the deliberate practice framework and make suggestions on how best to carry out learning in chess and in other fields.     

Compelling Case Experiences; Performance,Practice, and Application for Emerging Instructional Designers

Instructional design (ID) case studies, which pose authentic ill‐defined design problems in realistic environments, can help instructional design students bridge the gap between novice and expert practice. Over the past three years, we have explored aspects of this educational approach through the development of Web‐based ID cases at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. This paper begins with a look at case study methods and how they are used to help students gain experience in professional practice. We describe the design and development of our Web‐based ID Case Competition and follow with a report on the competition involving seven universities. Officials and students felt that the case experience was valuable for developing ID expertise and preparation for professional practice. These advantages, and the opportunity for team collaboration, were noted as motivators for participation. Most of the students were enthusiastic about the inclusion of emergent ID and performance technology issues in the case and felt the experience expanded their knowledge of ID practice and application. We close with a discussion of implications for professional development and recommendations for future development activities.     

THE TESTING OF SPOKEN ENGLISH IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Ten boys and ten girls in a nursery class, who were matched in age and in nursery experience, were each observed for a complete school day. Every response uttered by and to them was recorded in longhand. Their activities and the time spent on each were noted. The behaviour of the staff and the entire nursery environment were scrutinized. The responses and activities were categorized and analysed in relation to their social class and intellectual and verbal ability. However, no association appeared to exist between the use of certain language forms, such as the question, and certain types of behaviour and any of these dimensions. It was suspected that this was due to the minimal interaction between children and staff, for the same children, in a more structured situation, appeared more ready to use a variety of linguistic forms to explore and to seek to understand their environment. The result would suggest a re‐orientation of aims and a more structured approach to nursery activities, if pre‐school education is to have a beneficial effect on the linguistic and cognitive development of the young child.     

优秀击剑运动员弓步刺动作生物力学研究概述

通过文献资料法对优秀击剑运动员弓步刺动作生物力学研究进行分析和归纳总结,探讨优秀击剑运动员弓步刺动作生物力学特征,为加深了解优秀击剑运动员弓步刺动作特征,运用针对性训练手段发展专项力量训练提供参考依据。     

高职精品课建设探究

精品课程建设是推动教改,提高教学质量的"推助器",目前,高职精品课建设已取得一定的成效,但在具体建设过程中还存在着各种不足与问题。基于此,对高职精品课建设过程中存在的问题进行剖析的基础上,就精品课建设过程中应如何确保精品课的质量提出若干思路。     

对现代足球运动员体能训练的探讨

现代足球运动要求运动员能够在的任何时段、任何区域都能出色发挥。因此,足球运动员的体能训练尤为显得重要,每个体能单项都有它自身的敏感发展阶段,所以对于足球教练员来讲,熟知这些知识至关重要。练习内容的选择与应用,只有在适时、适量、适龄的情况下,才能使球员实战能力的发展达到最佳效果。     

论精英人才的培养

精英人才的内涵随着高等教育的发展在不断扩大,坚守＂文化批判＂这一最高理想,不蜕变为纯粹技术精英的培养,是今天各国精英高等教育面临的主要挑战,更是转型时期中国大学尤其应该重视的问题。中国近代大学的精英教育实践为今天的高水平大学建设提供了重要的经验和借鉴,其未完成的文化改良与社会启蒙任务,也是处于转型社会中的精英教育不容推卸的责任。     

The effect of self‐directed work teams on work ethic

This study examined the work ethic of manufacturing machine operators between self‐directed work teams and traditional work groups using four work ethic subscales: dependable, considerate, ambitious, and cooperative (Dawson, 1999 ; Petty, 1991 ). Differences in measured work ethic scores were also compared across six demographic variables: age, gender, level of education, years of full‐time work experience, years of experience as a supervisor, and work shift preference. Findings showed that there were significant differences in the work ethic between those two team structures and age groups. Implications for future research were presented.