Social validation: a motivational theory of doping in an online bodybuilding community

Abstract

Doping research has predominantly been framed through an ethical lens, implicitly restricted to the realms of elite sport. Despite increasing anecdotal evidence of growing prevalence rates amongst recreational athletes, such as bodybuilders, these populations have largely been neglected within psychological research. This study aims to develop a theoretical framework relevant to these athletes. Data were collected over a five-month period from an online community forum dedicated to recreational bodybuilders. Purposive sampling was used to gather 118 webpages of doping-related discussion, which were qualitatively analysed using grounded theory applying Strauss’s coding paradigm. Inductive categories were integrated into a motivational framework that related recreational doping to social validation. Categories included the online community’s rite of passage, normative-inferences that facilitated doping, and deterrence factors related to fear of perceived health risks. Findings demonstrate that, for recreational bodybuilders, psychosocial processes are significantly related to doping motives, and that health factors are primary doping deterrents.     

Validity and reliability of kick count and rate in freestyle using inertial sensor technology

Abstract

In freestyle swimming the arm action is routinely quantified by stroke count and rate, yet no method is currently available for quantifying kick. In this study, we assessed the validity and reliability of inertial sensor technology (gyroscope) to assess kick count and rate. Twelve Paralympic swimmers completed a 100-m freestyle-swimming time-trial and freestyle kicking-only time-trial three times each in a season. An algorithm was developed to detect the up and down beat of individual kicks from the gyroscope trace. For comparative purposes, underwater video analysis provided the criterion measure. The standard error of the estimate (validity) for kick count, expressed as a coefficient of variation, was 5.9% (90% confidence interval 5.5 to 6.4) for swimming, and 0.6% (0.5 to 0.6) for kicking-only trials. The mean bias for kick count was ?1.7% (?2.4 to ?1.1) for swimming, and ?0.1% (?0.2 to ?0.1) for kicking-only trials. Correlations between the sensor and video for kick count were 0.96 (0.95 to 0.97) for swimming, and 1.00 (1.00 to 1.00) for kicking-only trials. The typical error of the measurement (reliability) between trials was approximately 4% for kick count and rate. The inertial sensors and associated software used generated sufficient validity and reliability estimates to quantify moderate to large changes in kick count and rate in freestyle swimming.     

Which drop jump technique is most effective at enhancing countermovement jump ability, “countermovement” drop jump or “bounce” drop jump?

Abstract

The drop jump is a popular form of plyometric exercise often undertaken to enhance countermovement jump ability (jump height). Despite its popularity the effects of drop jump training on countermovement jump height are often inconsistent. Such inconsistencies may be as a result of differences in the drop jump technique being employed. Two recognised forms of drop jump are the “countermovement” drop jump and the “bounce” drop jump and the current study examined the effects of eight weeks of training with these drop jump techniques on countermovement jump height. Methods: A kinetic and kinematic analysis of each participant's countermovement jump, bounce- and countermovement drop jumps was undertaken prior to training. Participants were then randomly assigned to a bounce drop jump training group (n = 34), a countermovement drop jump training group (n = 35) or a control group (n = 34). Changes in jump height were examined following training. Results: The countermovement drop jump training group increased their countermovement jump height by 2.9 cm (6%), which was a significant change (P < 0.05) in comparison to that experienced by the bounce drop jump (-0.2 cm, -0.4%) and the control group (-0.1 cm, 0.2%). Conclusion: The countermovement drop jump may be more effective than the bounce drop jump at enhancing countermovement jump height.     

Bridge21: teamwork,technology and learning. A pragmatic model for effective twenty-first-century team-based learning

There have been calls for decades by many educational writers and commentators for a new model of learning to facilitate what is generally described as twenty-first-century learning. Central to this challenge is the required shift in responsibility for who leads and owns the learning – from teacher to student. Such a shift requires a pragmatic pedagogical model to facilitate the transfer of control and ownership of learning. Vygotsky’s ‘more able other’ identified the peer as a key figure in learning. Teamwork facilitates project-based learning and, when mediated with technology, proves an effective partner in creating an engaging and autonomous learning experience. This paper describes the rationale for the design of a team-based model of twenty-first-century learning, particularly drawing upon the team-based learning model of the World Scout Movement. Results from a year-long study of the implementation of the model in an out-of-school context with 288 second-level students are presented. The authors argue that Bridge21 is a candidate learning model for effective, implementable, twenty-first-century, team-based learning.     

Making the invisible visible: disciplinary literacy in secondary school classrooms

In Ireland, policy on literacy now aims to expand the role that post-primary teachers of all subjects have in developing students' literacy skills. This paper draws on data from a wider research study carried out in secondary schools in 2010 and focuses on the classroom support with disciplinary literacy provided by subject teachers for students who have literacy difficulties. A brief outline is provided of the context and perspectives informing the study as well as the research methods used. Findings are examined against the backdrop of policy developments for literacy at second level and within the context of wider policy change. Teachers' lack of professional knowledge, combined with barriers at wider system level, is identified as a significant challenge to pedagogical change at classroom level. Implications for policy implementation, for initial teacher education and for cultural change at school level are discussed. It is argued that literacy must be repositioned as a central aspect of subject pedagogy and teachers, as subject experts, supported in unpacking and sharing with students, the discourse practices and ways of viewing and communicating about the world that are characteristic of their academic disciplines.     

Social moderation,assessment and assuring standards for accounting graduates

Evidencing student achievement of standards is a growing imperative worldwide. Key stakeholders (including current and prospective students, government, regulators and employers) want confidence that threshold learning standards in an accounting degree have been assured. Australia’s new higher education regulatory environment requires that student achievements are benchmarked against intended programme learning outcomes, guided by published disciplinary standards and a national qualifications framework, and against other higher education providers. Here, we report on a process involving academics from 10 universities, aided by professional practitioners, to establish and equip assessors to reliably assure threshold learning standards in accounting that are nationally comparable. Importantly, we are learning more about how standards are interpreted. Based on the premise that meaning is constructed from tacit experiences, social interactions and intentional reflection on explicit information, we report outcomes of three multi-part calibration interventions, situated around judgements of the quality of the written communication skills exhibited in student work and their related assessment tasks. Qualitative data from 30 participants in the calibration process suggest that they perceive that the process both assists them both in developing a shared understanding of the accounting threshold learning standards and in the redesign of assessment tasks to more validly assess the threshold learning standards.     

EDITORS' NOTE

This study examines certain changes made within the Russian newspaper industry both before and after the political transformations occurring in the former Soviet Union. Although these changes began after Gorbachev came to power, the most dramatic changes took place after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The political economy perspective provides a useful means to explain the relation between these socioeconomic transitions and the newspaper industry. Since the failed coup of August 1991, the Russian media have attempted to adapt to conditions persistent with the free market economy. As a result of the free market economy, the Russian newspaper industry currently tends to depend on advertising revenue for survival.     

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND PLURALISM IN ZAMBIA

Today, Zambia has a comparatively unified, somewhat exceptional, approach to religious education despite a wide variety of predominantly Christian denominations. This article retraces the history of the development of religious education from when it was entirely confessional to the present time when it has become largely educational. In so doing it identifies some of the difficulties encountered and some of the problems that lie ahead in promoting an even more religiously pluralistic and educational approach to religious education in a country that has been declared a Christian nation.     

CHILDREN'S SPIRITUALITY AND “THE GOOD SHEPHERD EXPERIENCE”

This article aims to explore the connections between a religious education curriculum's methodology in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia and some contemporary theories about children's spirituality. “The Good Shepherd Experience” curriculum is intended for use with 5- and 6-year-old children in the first years of formal schooling. It forms a part of the To Know, Worship and Love religious education text based curriculum, directed for use by schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne as a key text in the religious education curricula. In exploring connections with children's spirituality, this article analyzes “The Good Shepherd Experience” in terms of wonder (mystery-sensing, contingency, and dependability), play and imagination, and the ability to use religious language and concepts.     

An examination of perceptions of parental influence on attitudes to language learning

Background The assumption that parents have some effect on their children's attitudes to learning is one that few educationalists would challenge. The ways in which this influence is brought to bear are a slightly more complex and contentious matter, however.

Purpose The paper uses data from a tri-national PhD study on pupil attitudes to examine perceptions of the ways in which parents influence children's orientations towards foreign language learning (FLL). The comparative element is useful in providing a contrasting range of settings in which to examine the issue. The paper thus aims to provide some indication of the similarity and importance of particular influences by identifying features that seem significant, irrespective of setting.

Sample A total of 411 learners of French, German and English (as foreign languages), represented in roughly equal numbers from across the ability range, took part in the survey. The pupils, aged 15 – 16, were drawn from two centrally located mixed comprehensive schools in each country—England, Germany and The Netherlands. The schools were similar in terms of size, social intake and their semi-urban location. Care was taken to ensure as close a gender balance as possible.

Design and methods The study was designed as a qualitative survey and involved three data collection instruments. The first stage of data was collected using a written word association prompt distributed to the whole sample. The second stage involved around half the pupils generating written accounts of their attitudes and the factors they perceived to be influential. A total of 80 pupils took part in the final stage, consisting of 14 focus group interviews. A system of open coding was applied to all the data to support the process of inductive category building used in their analysis.

Results The findings offer some evidence for an association between parental and pupil attitudes. Parental influence appears to operate in a number of ways, ranging from the role model potential of positive/negative behaviours and the communication of educational regrets, to the ways in which parents help to construct their children's understandings of language importance and status. The extent of parental language knowledge appears to be an important additional factor.

Conclusions The evidence suggests that the ways in which parents contribute to the construction of their children's understanding of language utility are particularly important, and that this may be a key factor in the more positive attitudes demonstrated by the German pupils and the more negative orientations among the English participants.