Bewegungsverhältnisse in der Gesundheitsförderung

Improving environments for physical activity is a fundamental goal of health sports. Both considerations in sport science as well as practical guidelines by sport associations and sickness funds build upon that. However, currently there is neither a theory-based concept nor a systematic operationalisation of that concept. In the first part, this article therefore aims to define and conceptualise the term “environments for physical activity”. It refers to the term “setting” to underline the multidimensionality of environments with regard to physical activity as part of health promotion. The article indicates potential links of the concept to theories of sociology and political science by looking at the interdependency of structure (Verhältnisse) and agency (Verhalten). The second part of the article analyses a case study from physical activity promotion to demonstrate the explanatory power of the concept to intervention practice. The focus of the analysis is on an approach to structural change, i.e. the potential of changing environments for physical activity.     

What does playing cards have to do with science? A resource-rich view of African American young men

The study examines the resources related to science that African American young men learn and develop by playing a card game called Spades, a common cultural practice in African American communities that dates back to the Civil War Era. The qualitative study examines what the Spades players at a local high school consider when making decisions about what cards to play. A significant finding is that the players use, learn and develop resources such as the ability to make observations, draw inferences, and use empirical data to inform future actions and decisions. Such reasoning bears a resemblance to central practices of science and challenges long held deficit views of African American young men. Implications of the research findings are discussed.     

Do German-speaking children have a chance to overcome reading and spelling difficulties? A longitudinal survey from the second until the eighth grade

In a longitudinal study the development of reading and spelling abilities of 458 Viennese school children from the second until the eighth grade was analysed. Although the students’ level of performance displayed a great consistency with poor readers and spellers retaining their weaknesses, groups of students whose performance either improved or deteriorated with time were also identified. Not only cognitive prerequisites, but also the classroom behavior of the students and social factors proved to be significant for the long-term prognosis.     

Other Telecommunications

Bruce M. Owen and Ronald Braeutigam's The Regulation Game: Strategic Use of the Administrative Process (Cambridge, Mass.: Ballinger Publishing, 1978---$20.00)

Alfred Price's Instruments of Darkness: The History of Electronic Warfare (New York: Scribner's, 1978---$12.95)

Linda Fox's Broadcasting and Communications (New York: Arco/London: Marshall Cavendish, 1978---$9.95)     

Third World Communication

COMMUNICATING IN POPULAR NICARAGUA edited by Armand Mattelart (International General, PO Box 350, New York 10013—$ 8.95, paper)

PHILIPPINE CARTOONS: POLITICAL CARICATURE OF THE AMERICAN ERA, 1900–1941 by Alfred McCoy and Alfredo Roces (Quezon City: Vera-Reyes, 1985, 370 pp.)

A HISTORY OF THE KOMIKS OF THE PHILIPPINES AND OTHER COUNTRIES (Quezon City: Islas Filipinas Publishing Co., 1985, 305 pp)

RURAL EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING: A PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE by Felix Librero (Laguna: University of Philippines—Los Banos, 1985 155 pp.)

THE MANIPULATED PRESS: A HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE JOURNALISM SINCE 1945 by Rosalinda Pineda-Ofreneo (Manila: Cacho Hermanos, 1984, 256 pp.)

PHILIPPINE MASS MEDIA: A BOOK OF READINGS edited by Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. (Manila: Communication Foundation of the Philippines, 1986, 280 pp.)

THE PHILIPPINE PRESS: UNDER SIEGE by the National Press Club (Manila, Press Club, 1984, 1985, two vols)

MANUAL ON MEDIA EDUCATION by Vicente S. Froilan (Manila: Communication Foundation for Asia, 1985, 88 pp.)

MEDIA AND THE CHINESE PUBLIC: A SURVEY OF THE BEIJING MEDIA AUDIENCE, special issue of Chinese Sociology and Anthropology (Spring-Summer 1986, 200 pp.)

VIDEO PIRACY AND THE LAW by B.V. Gopal (New Delhi: Deep & Deep Publications, 1986, 160 pp.)

ASIAN PR by Vincent Lowe (Singapore: Times Books International, 1986, 208 pp.)

PUBLIC RELATIONS: THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE (Kuala Lumpur: Institute of Public Relations Malaysia, 1986, 260 pp)

SELLING DREAMS: HOW ADVERTISING MISLEADS US by the Consumers' Association of Penang (Pengan, CAP, 1986, 149 pp.)

ABUSE OF WOMEN IN THE MEDIA by the Consumer's Association of Penang (Penang: CAP, 1982, 85 pp)     

Sense of community in a higher education television-based distance education program

The purpose of this study was to measure sense of classroom community in a television-based higher education distance education course and in the same course taught by the same instructor in a traditional face-to-face learning environment, in order to determine if differences existed and if so to identify the nature of these differences. Participants for this study consisted of 120 adult learners who were enrolled in either of two sections of a semester-long undergraduate educational technology course offered by an urban state university. One section was taught tradiationally and the other section was taught to a small studio audience and at a distance to 24 remote classroom sites using synchronous one-way television and two-way audio technologies. Study results revealed a significantly lower sense of classroom community among learners in the distance education course, to include the studio audience.     

The relationship between linguistic characteristics and reading/writing performances of Norwegian children

The relations between different word categories and children's reading and writing performances were examined in twenty 9-year-old children. Results indicated for Norwegian, which is more regular than English but less regular than Finnish, that the length and the frequency of words and their interactions are factors substantially related both to children's reading, writing time (writing velocity), and spelling performances, whereas the regularity factor affected children's spelling only. Significant intercorrelations among reading and writing (accuracy and spelling) measures were found.