Measuring the perception of the teachers’ autonomy-supportive behavior in physical education: Development and initial validation of a multi-dimensional instrument

This research aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the students’ perceptions of the teachers’ autonomy-supportive behavior by the multi-dimensional scale (Multi-Dimensional Perceived Autonomy Support Scale for Physical Education). The participants were 1,476 students aged 12- to 15-years-old. In Study 1, a pool of 37 items was generated based on past literature and feedback from students and academic experts. In Study 2, the factorial structure of the questionnaire was tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The confirmatory factor analysis yielded a final 15-item three-factor solution of the Multi-Dimensional Perceived Autonomy Support Scale for Physical Education, covering organizational, procedural, and cognitive dimensions of perceived autonomy support. In Study 3, the incremental validity of the Multi-Dimensional Perceived Autonomy Support Scale for Physical Education was supported. The results provided initial evidence for the reliability and validity of the Multi-Dimensional Perceived Autonomy Support Scale for Physical Education, as well as its invariance across gender and age. Suggestions for the use of the scale and further research are discussed.     

The geometric curvature of the spine during the sirshasana,the yoga’s headstand

This study analysed the behaviour of the geometric curvature of the spine during sirshasana. The position of dorsal retroreflective markers was computed via stereophotogrammetric analysis in six males and five females (29.4 ± 8.8 years, 63.0 ± 11.4 kg, 1.66 ± 0.08 m [average ± standard deviation]). The spinal points were projected onto the sagittal and frontal planes of the trunk, a polynomial was fitted to the data and the two-dimensional geometric curvature was quantified. The inferior lumbar lordosis decreased compared to the orthostatic position and gait, which may favour the posterior protrusion of the lumbar spinal nucleus pulposus in people with posterior herniation. The lateral deviation at the middle of the thoracic spine increases during sirshasana, which may reflect increased difficulties for postural control and spinal loads. It could be useful for promoting positive spinal structural and functional chronic adaptations for healthy participants, if the yoga programme is carefully planned and the spinal alignment is carefully monitored during a headstand. However, it may aggravate some spinal diseases, especially scoliosis.     

Support or Control -- or Both? The Role of a National Agency

The article aims at critically discussing the role and position of a buffer agency from the point of view of some of its different tasks, viz. accreditation, quality audit, support of academic leadership and internal quality enhancement. The contribution seeks to illuminate the conflicting roles of a buffer organisation in the light of these tasks and pressures from the government and higher education institutions. It concludes that the different roles can support and complement each other, and that change is best accomplished by emphasising support in the early stages of the establishment of a national quality assurance system.     

Marketing of services in secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia

The goals of the research were to determine the quantity, variety and quality of service, the extent to which certain marketing activities are applied in Croatian high schools, to explore the attitudes of teachers in respect to the need for marketing activity application in secondary schools in Croatia, and the knowledge teachers have about the marketing of services. In order to achieve these goals, we conducted a survey including 271 teachers of public, private and religious high schools. Even though the research confirmed that all schools apply numerous marketing activities, teachers in religious (85%) and public (72%) high schools believe these activities are not present at all. Teachers in public (26%) and religious (48%) high schools share the opinion that marketing activities should not be applied since they work in non-profit institutions. This opinion indicates a lack of knowledge about marketing and even a wrong attitude toward it.     

Self-perceived peer harassment in a community sample of Norwegian school children

OBJECTIVE: The experience of being harassed is associated with various forms of maladjustment. This study examined the prevalence of three domains of harassment, and their associations with emotional and behavioral problems. METHOD: A total of 4130 young people in 6th through 10th grade in 66 primary and secondary schools in Norway completed questionnaires on self-perceived harassment and emotional and behavioral problems. RESULTS: The structural psychometric properties of the scales of harassment showed an acceptable fit to the data. Boys reported more harassment on all items and domains than girls across grades. Strong associations between self-perceived harassment and psychiatric impact and behavioral and emotional problems, especially peer problems and conduct disorder, were revealed. DISCUSSION: The study adds to the understanding of the concept of harassment and its correlations with emotional and behavioral problems. The study underscores the importance of conducting routine screening in school as an important basis for the subsequent improvement in children's relationships.     

The museum in adult education: A psychological study of visitor reactions

The authors of this article argue that classroom education does not fit the museum setting and that researchers need to re-think the basic principles for the use of museums in adult education. In order to do this, it is necessary to understand the psychology of the museum visitor. However, while much has been published on visitor behaviour and the factors influencing it, very little is known about what visitors think or feel in the exhibition room. A research team at the University of Montreal is currently studying the psychological reactions of adults when observing museum exhibits. This paper describes the methodology used by this team, some of the results obtained and the perspectives opened up by the study.

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Zusammenfassung Die Autoren dieses Artikels argumentieren, daß Klassenunterricht nicht in die Räumlichkeiten eines Museums passe und daß Forscher die Grundprinzipien für die Nutzung von Museen für die Erwachsenenbildung überdenken müßten. Dazu muß man die Psychologie der Museumsbesucher verstehen. Während jedoch viel über den Besucher und die ihn beeinflussenden Faktoren geschrieben wurde, ist nur sehr wenig darüber bekannt, was Besucher in den Ausstellungssräumen denken und fühlen. Ein Forschungsteam an der Universität von Montreal untersucht gegenwärtig die psychologische Reaktion von Erwachsenen bei Museumsausstellungen. Dieser Artikel beschreibt die von diesem Team angewandte Methodologie, einige der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse und die von dieser Studie eröffeneten Perspektiven.

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Résumé Ce que l'on sait de l'éducation scolaire s'applique mal à la situation des musées. Il faut donc innover et élaborer les principes d'une éducation de l'adulte au musée. Le fonctionnement psychologique du visiteur pourrait servir de base à cette création, mais ce que l'on a écrit sur le visiteur révèle que l'on connaît bien le comportement de celui-ci ou les facteurs qui l'influencent, alors que l'on ignore presque tout de ce qu'il pense ou ressent dans une salle d'exposition. Une équipe de l'Université de Montréal a entrepris une série de recherches qui porte justement sur ce point: le fonctionnement psychologique de l'adulte face aux objets qu'il regarde. Elle comprend une présentation de l'approche et des instruments utilisés par cette équipe, de quelques-unes des données qu'elle a obtenues et des perspectives ouvertes par celles-ci.

     

How Physical Education Teachers’ Interpersonal Behaviour is Related to Students’ Health-Related Quality of Life

ABSTRACT

Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT), this cross-sectional study tested relations of students’ perceptions of autonomy-supportive and controlling behaviour from teachers in physical education with students’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and the potential role of students’ perceived need satisfaction and need frustration as a mediator of these relationships. School students (N?=?1031) completed self-report measures of perceived autonomy support, perceived teachers’ controlling behaviour, students’ need satisfaction and need frustration, and HRQoL. Results indicated that students’ perceptions of autonomy support from teachers was positively associated with HRQoL through need satisfaction. Students’ perceptions of controlling behaviour from teachers was negatively related with HRQoL through need frustration. There was no significant association between autonomy support and need frustration, or between controlling behaviour and need satisfaction. Findings provide evidence that perceived autonomy support and controlling behaviour from the teacher in PE contributes to students’ HRQoL through unique pathways.     

Differences in African‐American and European‐American students' engagement with nanotechnology experiences: Perceptual position or assessment artifact?

This study examined middle and high school students' perceptions of a weeklong science experience with nanotechnology and atomic force microscopy. Through an examination of student self assessments and their writing, the study allowed us to examine some of the issues that may contribute to discrepancies that are seen between European‐American and African‐American students in science. The results of the study showed that after instruction, African‐American students were significantly more likely to agree with the statement that “science involves mostly memorizing things and getting the right answer,” than European‐American students. In addition, European‐American students were significantly more likely to write their newspaper stories from a first person perspective than their African‐American peers. The results are discussed in light of the assessment task, students' interpretations of formal writing, cultural differences in the use of language in writing, and possible cultural differences in students' perceptions of the science experience. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 787–799, 2007     

Do Mothers or Children Lead the Dance? Disentangling Individual and Influence Effects During Conflict

Are mother–child conflict discussions shaped by time-varying, reciprocal influences, even after accounting for stable contributions from each individual? Mothers were filmed discussing a conflict for 5 min, separately with their younger (ages 5–9, N = 217) and older (ages 7–13, N = 220) children. Each person’s conflict constructiveness was coded in 20-s intervals and data were analyzed using dynamic structural equation modeling, which separates individual and influence effects. Children influenced their mothers’ behavior under certain conditions, with evidence for developmental differences in the magnitude and direction of influence, whereas mothers did not influence their children under any circumstance. Results are discussed in the context of child effects on parent behavior and changes in parenting across middle childhood.