The early evolution of modern sport in Latin America: a mainly English middle-class inspiration

In any consideration of cultural diffusion, what matters is not only what happens to a cultural form when it arrives, but that it arrives. In the twentieth century, Latin America, like too many other areas of the world, has been a place of diplomatic turmoil, social inequality, political paranoia, capitalist exploitation and class conflict. However, despite all this, and through all this, it may be stated factually and without sentimentality, that it has also been a place where people have survived and thrived, worked, loved and played. Modern sport has brought to their play both unhappy moments of disillusion and disappointment and marvellous opportunities for illusion and pleasure. Modern sport, with its beauty spots and warts, is the reality and while there are things to criticize, there are also many things to applaud. Along with others, the English middle class played a not insignificant part in the arrival of modern sport in Latin America.     

The female dragons awake: women, sport and society in the early years of the new China

This article, based on archival records, published documents, interviews with elite sportswomen and three regional case studies, deals with the radical social, economic, cultural and political changes in the early years of the Communist China, the consequent changes in women's lives and the eventual extraordinary impact on elite women's sport. It analyses the complicated relations between the communist system, gender ideology, sports policy, international politics and elite women's sport. With the establishment of a variety of sports institutions, systems and structures women in increasing numbers took part in competitive sport and produced even increasingly remarkable achievements.     

The initiation of distance learning at Thomas Jefferson University: the library as integral partner

In 1998 Thomas Jefferson University offered its first entirely online course. Librarians and library staff were integral in the development, support, evaluation, and refinement of this course. While staff members may have taken non-traditional roles in this effort, their roles generally fell within the broad guidelines of assisting University faculty with information and knowledge management. The development and support of distance course offerings will continue to be a focus at Scott Memorial Library.     

Stress reactivity after maximal exercise: the effect of manipulated performance feedback in endurance athletes

This study was designed to assess the effect of performance feedback on stress reactivity after recovery from maximal exercise. Forty competitive athletes were recruited to complete a maximal exercise test. Performance feedback was manipulated after the exercise test to give four groups: (1) high performance, (2) low performance, (3) accurate feedback and (4) no exercise control. Cardiovascular reactivity was assessed during psychological stress. The results indicate that accurate feedback participants experienced lower relative reactivity to stress (lower mean arterial pressure) than their no-exercise counterparts. These results demonstrate that the stress-buffering effect of exercise extends to maximal exercise. In addition, high-performance participants experienced lower relative reactivity than low-performance participants. Thus, low-performance feedback was sufficient to remove the buffering effect of exercise. There were no differences between the high-performance and accurate feedback conditions, or between the low-performance and control conditions.     

Student activity levels, lesson context, and teacher behavior during middle school physical education

There is little research on students' engagement in physical activity in middle school physical education (PE). We observed student activity, lesson context, and teacher behavior in 430 PE lessons taught by 126 teachers in 24 schools. Variables were analyzed by mixed-model nested analyses of covariance. Boys were more active than girls overall and during skill drills, game play, and free play. Student activity varied by lesson context, with fitness activities producing the most activity. Class size was negatively associated with student activity. Daily PE contributed a weekly total of 25 min of vigorous activity and 83 min of moderate-to-vigorous activity--much less than national objectives. Results suggest that numerous opportunities exist for increasing student physical activity during middle school PE.