Rhetoric in the beginning course

THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF MIND: STUDIES IN ETHNOMETHODOLOGY AND LINGUISTIC PHILOSOPHY. By Jeff Coulter. Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield, 1979; pp. ix + 190. $18.50.

A PRIMER ON ETHNOMETHODOLOGY. By Kenneth Leiter. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980; pp. viii + 252. $14.95, $4.95 paper.

EVERYDAY LANGUAGE: STUDIES IN ETHNOMETHODOLOGY. By George Psathas (ed.). New York: Irvington Publishers, 1979; pp. 294. $18.50.

INTERACTIONAL COMPETENCE. By George Psathas and Richard Frankel (eds.). (Forthcoming, New York: Irvington Publish‐ers).

QUALITATIVE SOCIOLOGY: A METHOD TO THE MADNESS. By Howard Schwartz and Jerry Jacobs. New York: Free Press, 1979; pp. xv + 458. $16.96, $9.95 paper.

DILEMMAS OF DISCOURSE: CONTROVERSIES ABOUT THE SOCIOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF LANGUAGE. By Anthony Wootton. New York: Holmes and Meier Publishers, 1975; pp. 125. $18.00, $7.50 paper.

LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION. By Don Zimmerman and Candice West, (eds.). Vol. 50, 1980, of Sociological Inquiry, pp. xx + 425. $6.50 paper. (Copies may be obtained by writing Harry M. Johnson, Editor, Sociological Inquiry, 326 Lincoln Hall, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801.)     

A Polytomous Item Response Theory Analysis of Social Physique Anxiety Scale

The present study investigated the social physique anxiety scale’s factor structure and item properties using confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory. An additional aim was to identify differences in response patterns between groups (gender). A large sample of high school students aged 11–15 years (N = 1,529) consisting of n = 562 males and n = 967 females. Confirmatory factor analysis and polytomous item response theory examined the structure of the scale. Items shown to be invariant across were identified using multidimensional differential item functioning methods. Graded response model results showed that item parameters were high with low associated standard errors. Multidimensional differential item functioning results revealed six items are biased in favor of either men (33%) or women (17%). The primary source of differential item functioning related to the item composition, and internal (male) or external (female) frames of reference.     

The relationship between sport commitment and physical self-concept: Evidence for the self-enhancement hypothesis among adolescent females

ABSTRACT

Perceptions of physical self-concept are critical to physical activity participation. In line with the reciprocal effects model of causal ordering (REM), higher perceptions of physical self-concept can function as a facilitator to physical activity, and can arise as a result of engaging in physical activity. While this relationship has been predominantly tested in physical activity contexts, directional tests between physical self-concept and sport specific outcomes are limited. The current study aimed to evaluate the generalizability of the REM to sport commitment and physical self-concept in youth athletes. Over 24 months, adolescent females (N = 215) completed self-report questionnaires at Time 1 (T1) and two years later (Time 2; T2). Using structural equation modeling, the reciprocal effects model demonstrated that the path leading from T1 physical self-concept to T2 sport commitment was significant (p = .02), whereas the path leading from T1 sport commitment to T2 physical self-concept was not significant (p = .23). The results suggest a unidirectional relationship and may underscore the importance of focusing on the physical self-concept in the development of strategies geared towards improving adolescent female’s sport participation.     

Comment

The basic self-instructional programme is, of course, the book. Many books are not, however, programmed as such. A book is generally a source of information, and it, and many others, need sampling in parts in order for a student to complete a particular course of study.     

Physical self and physical activity relationships in college women: does social physique anxiety moderate effects?

This research assessed whether social physique anxiety moderated the relationship between physical self-perceptions and the level of physical activity involvement in young women. Participants were 354 female students who completed the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), Physical Self-Perception Profile, Self-Administered 7-Day Physical Activity Recall (PAR), and Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ). Both physical activity measures were significantly related to the SPAS and all physical self-perceptions. Multiple regressions showed that only self-perceptions of conditioning significantly predicted PAR (R2 = .24) and LTEQ (R2 = .30). SPA did not add any unique variance in predicting activity, and no moderator effects were found for either PAR or LTEQ. Findings suggest that perception of physical conditioning is the dominant predictor of physical activity levels in young women, and social physique anxiety does not moderate this relationship.