Toward a Theory of Liking

In the current essay, Kevin Burke and Adam Greteman challenge this thing called love by looking at how we might instead “like” in education. Within education, multiculturalism can be viewed as a way of loving, or learning to love, diversity and, as such, learning to love the self; this tendency is notably apparent in the recent rise of concern expressed about student self‐esteem. According to the authors, however, critical research on multiculturalism demonstrates how, in loving diversity, multicultural discourses limn the possibilities for subjects to come into being and be liked for their differences. Drawing on James Alison's On Being Liked, Burke and Greteman reframe the problem of relating in education instead through the language of liking. How does the shift from loving to liking — either our students, our teachers, or ourselves — create different social dynamics and ethical paradigms? In engaging this question, Burke and Greteman offer an alternative model of liking that is based on the practice of cruising.     

Factors Related to Rural Young Adolescents' Participation in Outdoor,Noncompetitive Physical Activity

Purpose: Young adolescents who have little interest in participating in competitive team sports are at an increased risk for physical inactivity. Noncompetitive outdoor physical activity can provide young adolescents with increased opportunities to participate in physical activities that appeal to them and have positive health effects. The purpose of this study was to examine factors related to rural young adolescents' participation in noncompetitive outdoor physical activity to inform intervention design. Method: Young adolescents aged 10 to 14 years old (N = 1,032) from 1 rural county completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing constructs from self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) related to noncompetitive outdoor physical activity. Structural equation modeling was used to examine an integrated conceptual model of hypothesized relationships among constructs. Results: The hypothesized conceptual model provided a good fit to the data with greater perceptions of autonomy support and self-determined motivation having statistically significant positive indirect effects on participation in noncompetitive outdoor physical activity mediated by the constructs of the TPB. All direct paths in the model were statistically significant; however, the direct effect of attitudes on intention was weak (.08) and self-determined motivation had no indirect effect on intention through attitudes (.03). Conclusions: Constructs of SDT and TPB should be accounted for by interventions targeting noncompetitive outdoor physical activity among young adolescents. More research is needed to determine young adolescents' preferences for noncompetitive and competitive physical activity and the potential influence that noncompetitive outdoor physical activity may have on total daily physical activity.     

More than basketball: Determining the sport components that lead to long-term benefits for African-American girls

Sport participation has the capacity to enhance the athletic and academic performance of adolescents. However, African-American participants have not enjoyed the positive academic benefits that are common among other populations. Sport is a popular developmental intervention for African-American youth, yet sport programs do not always render the intended benefits (Coalter, 2007). The purpose of this study was to determine the components of school-based sport programs that create long-term benefits for African-American girls. A high school basketball program based on positive youth development served as the program site. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with current and former players and program stakeholders. Four key values underpin the success of the program: family, education, discipline, and civic engagement. The results indicate that successful programs need flexible—not standard—design commitment to program values, and consistency in mission and implementation. Implications for the design and implementation of sport programs to improve the athletic and academic performance of African-American girls are discussed.     

Determination of football pitch locations from video footage and official pitch markings

The ability to determine a specific location on a football (soccer) pitch from television footage would provide a cost-effective method of obtaining competition-specific information on many professional and international teams. This study presents the accuracy and reliability of a new method of calculating ball location from simulated television coverage and known pitch markings. The coordinates of 99 markers of known location on a football pitch were digitized from video. An intersection point was determined from the equations of two lines that form pitch markings and the relationship from this point to other known pitch coordinates was calculated using a curve-fitting based method. Average error between known and reconstructed measures was 0.21 m for pitch width and 0.11 m for pitch length from a view simulating television coverage. Inter- and intra-rater reliability analyses showed researchers could consistently reconstruct pitch locations to within less than half a metre. The accuracy and reliability of this method will be sufficient for most practical uses in an applied sport environment, although the level of accuracy required will depend on the specific application. This method could be applied to other sports to determine specific locations on a pitch or court or to improve current competition analysis systems.     

Using scenarios to design complex technology-enhanced learning environments

Science Created by You (SCY) learning environments are computer-based environments in which students learn about science topics in the context of addressing a socio-scientific problem. Along their way to a solution for this problem students produce many types of intermediate products or learning objects. SCY learning environments center the entire learning process around creating, sharing, discussing, and re-using these learning objects. This instructional approach requires dedicated instructional designs, which are supplied in the form of what are called pedagogical scenarios. A SCY pedagogical scenario presents the learning process as an organized assembly of elementary learning processes, each associated with a specific learning object and a tool for creating this learning object. Designing a SCY learning environment is basically a two-step procedure: the first step is to select one of the available scenarios, and the second step is to define the domain content. The SCY technical infrastructure then handles the instantiation of the scenario as a SCY computer-based learning environment. In this article we describe the SCY pedagogical design scenarios and report on our experiences in designing four different SCY learning environments.     

Repeat participation as a function of program attractiveness,socializing opportunities,loyalty and the sportscape across three sport facility contexts

Effects of sport facility services of program attractiveness, socializing opportunities customer loyalty, and the sportscape on frequency of participation at three different types of sport facilities; special purpose – health and fitness centers, single-purpose – tennis, golf or swim pool amenities, and multi-use – gymnasia were examined. The purpose of the study was to identify differences between, and effects on, participation at different types of participant sport facilities due to service quality. Data were collected on a sample of 1199 participants from a mid-sized east coast Australian city. Linear restrictions testing determined that the three sport facility types were significantly different in the ways in which the constructs affect repeat participation. The sportscape has the most impact on participation frequency at fitness facilities, and minimal impact on participation at multi-sport facilities. Implications for retaining customers at each facility type are discussed.     

Effects of previous lateral ankle sprain and taping on the latency of the peroneus longus

The latency of the peroneus longus may be a key factor in the prevention of lateral ankle sprains (LASs). In addition, ankle taping is often applied to help prevent LASs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a previous LAS and ankle taping on the latency of the peroneus longus after an inversion perturbation. Twenty-six participants, including 13 participants with no previous history of a LAS and 13 participants with a history of a single LAS completed the testing. Ankle taping was applied in a closed basket weave technique on one of the two testing days. The latency of the peroneus longus was determined by the onset of muscle activity exceeding 10 SD from baseline activity, after initiation of the 25 degrees inversion perturbation. A significant main effect (p < 0.05) was present for the ankle support condition, with ankle taping causing a significant reduction in latency of the peroneus longus (65.04 +/- 10.81 to 57.70 +/- 9.39 ms). There was no difference (p > 0.05) in latency between the injury groups. Ankle taping, immediately after application, reduces the latency of the peroneus longus among participants with and without a history of a LAS.     

Anthropometrics and electromyography as predictors for maximal voluntary isometric arm strength

BackgroundMuscular strength can be conceptually determined by two components: muscle activation and size. Muscle activation by the central nervous system can be measured by surface electromyography (sEMG). Muscular size reflects the amount of contractile protein within a skeletal muscle and can be estimated by anthropometric measurements. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative contributions of size parameters and muscle activation to the prediction of maximal voluntary isometric elbow flexion strength.MethodsA series of anthropometric measurements were taken from 96 participants. Torque and root-mean-square (RMS) of the sEMG from the biceps brachii were averaged across three maximal voluntary isometric contractions. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed based on a Pearson's correlation matrix.ResultsBody weight (BW) accounted for 39.1% and 27.3% in males and females, respectively, and was the strongest predictor of strength for males. Forearm length (L3) was the strongest predictor of strength in females (partial R² = 0.391). Elbow circumference (ELB) accounted for a significant (p < 0.05) amount of variance in males but not females. The addition of sEMG RMS as a third variable accounted for an average of 10.1% of the variance excluding the equation of BW and L3 in females. The strongest prediction equation included BW, L3, and ELB accounting for 55.6% and 58.5% of the variance in males and females, respectively.ConclusionAnthropometrics provide a strong prediction equation for the estimation of isometric elbow flexion strength. Muscle activation, as measured by sEMG activity, accounted for a significant (p < 0.05) amount of variance in most prediction equations, however, its contribution was comparable to an additional anthropometric variable.