‘Necessary Cessation from Toil and Work’: Young Christian Workers and the Question of Sport on Sundays in Post-War Melbourne

Abstract

The Young Christian Workers (YCW) is an international movement for young Catholics, engaged through a method of education called ‘See, Judge, and Act’. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the Australian YCW became known for running campaigns on a range of social issues and the provision of services – including sporting events and competitions. In this paper, the development of the Australian YCW Football Association during the 1950s is explored, and the history of YCW members’ participation in public debates about the morality of Sunday sport, which culminated in a local referendum in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell in 1959, is traced. Drawing on archival materials and interviews conducted with former young workers, the paper explores tensions within Christianity around the meaning of ‘leisure’, ‘idleness’, and Sunday as a day of observance and rest. This examination of the Melbourne debate of 1959 will show how religious tensions around Sunday sport were shaped by class, youth, and masculine identities.     

Strength training: Isometric training at a range of joint angles versus dynamic training

Strength training with isometric contractions produces large but highly angle-specific adaptations. To contrast the contractile mode of isometric versus dynamic training, but diminish the strong angle specificity effect, we compared the strength gains produced by isometric training at four joint angles with conventional dynamic training. Thirty-three recreationally active healthy males aged 18?–?30 years completed 9 weeks of strength training of the quadriceps muscle group three times per week. An intra-individual design was adopted: one leg performed purely isometric training at each of four joint angles (isometrically trained leg); the other leg performed conventional dynamic training, lifting and lowering (dynamically trained leg). Both legs trained at similar relative loads for the same duration. The quadriceps strength of each leg was measured isometrically (at four angles) and isokinetically (at three velocities) pre and post training. After 9 weeks of training, the increase in isokinetic strength was similar in both legs (pooled data from three velocities: dynamically trained leg, 10.7%; isometrically trained leg, 10.5%). Isometric strength increases were significantly greater for the isometrically trained leg (pooled data from four angles: dynamically trained leg, 13.1%; isometrically trained leg, 18.0%). This may have been due to the greater absolute torque involved with isometric training or a residual angle specificity effect despite the isometric training being divided over four angles.     

Improvement of cellular health indicators and muscle quality in older women with different resistance training volumes

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study was to compare the effects of resistance training (RT) performed with different training volumes on phase angle (PhA), body water components, and muscle quality (MQ) in untrained older adult women. A second purpose was to assess the relationship between PhA and MQ. Sixty-two older adult women (68.6 ± 5.0 years, 65.2 ± 13.3 kg, 156.1 ± 6.2 cm) were randomly assigned into one of the three groups: two training groups performed either 1 set (G1S) or 3 sets (G3S), or a control group (CG). Body water components and PhA were estimated by bioelectrical impedance (BIA). MQ was determined by dividing skeletal muscle mass estimated by dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) by total muscle strength from three exercises. After the intervention period, both training groups demonstrated improvements (P < 0.05) when compared with CON for intracellular water, total body water, PhA, and MQ. These results suggest that RT can improve PhA, body water components, and MQ after 12 weeks of RT in untrained older women, regardless of training volume. Furthermore, changes in MQ were positively correlated with changes in PhA (r = 0.60, P < 0.01).     

An evaluation of inertial sensor technology in the discrimination of human gait

Abstract

Inertial sensors may provide the opportunity for broader and more cost effective gait analysis; however some questions remain over their potential use in this capacity. The aim of the study was to determine whether an inertial sensor could discriminate between normal walking, fast walking, and running. A single group crossover design was used to compare acceleration profiles between three gait conditions: normal walking, fast walking, and running. An inertial sensor was placed on the sacrum of 12 participants (6 male, 6 female) who performed 3 trials of each gait condition on both overground and treadmill settings. A significant difference (P < 0.001) in the occurrence of heel strike in the gait cycle was found between running and both walking conditions. No differences were seen between overground and treadmill in any condition or variable. The results indicate that a single sacral mounted inertial sensor can differentiate running from normal walking and fast walking using temporal gait event measures. This study indicates that inertial sensors can differentiate walking from running gait in healthy individuals which may have potential for application in the quantification of physical activity in the health and exercise industry.     

Coaching competency and satisfaction with the coach: A multi-level structural equation model

Abstract

The purpose of this initial predictive validity study was to determine the ability of measures derived from the Athletes' Perceptions of Coaching Competency Scale II – High School Teams (APCCS II-HST) to predict satisfaction with the head coach. Specification of the statistical model was informed by the mediational model of coach–athlete interactions. The technical quality of the satisfaction measure was evaluated before testing the predictive validity of the coaching competency measures. Data were collected from athletes of seven sports. Athlete observations (N = 748) were clustered within teams (G = 74). Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) provided evidence for factorial invariance of a reduced version of the satisfaction measure by athlete gender. Multi-level CFA provided evidence of model–data consistency for a reduced version of the satisfaction measure. Multi-level structural equation modelling provided evidence for the ability of latent coaching competency to positively predict latent satisfaction at both the athlete level (technique competency and motivation competency) and the team level (coaching competency) and for close model–data fit. Implications of this study include: that the APCCS II-HST should be viewed as a replacement for the Coaching Competency Scale when the intended population is appropriate; a preliminary multi-level measurement model for satisfaction with one's coach that should be considered as a potential starting point in subsequent studies; and empirical support for a key relationship proposed in the mediational model of coach–athlete interactions.     

Does student learning style affect performance on different formats of biomechanics examinations?

Students' learning style preferences have been widely adapted into teaching and learning environments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-reported and assessed learning style preferences (visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic: VARK) on performance in different types of multiple-choice examinations (T1: text only format and T2: visual format) given in an introductory biomechanics class. Students who enrolled in three biomechanics classes at a state university were recruited to participate in the study. Ninety students (47 males and 43 females) completed a learning style survey and two types of examinations. Results showed that approximately half of the students were assessed and self-reported as kinesthetic for their preferred learning style. There was no significant difference in test performance between students who preferred visual and reading/writing learning styles (self-reported and assessed). These students demonstrated similar learning and comprehension of biomechanical concepts regardless of whether the test material was presented in their preferred sensory mode or not. Interestingly, female students' perceptions of their learning style preference may have a positive effect on the test results when the test is presented in their preferred format.     

无边界高等教育及其资格认证

在全球化背景下 ,特别是世贸组织的发展 ,高等教育已越来越被视为一种国际商品和服务贸易中的出口产业。各国积极谋求开拓高等教育的国际市场 ,吸引海外学生 ,在别国开办和接管高校 ,运用信息与传播技术实施远程高等教育 ,从而出现了无边界高等教育。无边界高等教育的发展 ,在较大程度上依赖于教育质量的保障和受教育者的资格认证 ,因而有效发展国际认可的资格认证制度 ,将是无边界高等教育发展的一个重要方面     

Children's Academic and Behavioral Adjustment as a Function of the Chronicity and Proximity of Peer Rejection

The experience of peer rejection is associated with a number of concurrent and later problems for children. However, we know very little about differences in risk relative to different experiences of rejection over time. This study examined later academic and behavioral problems as a function of two dimensions by which rejection may vary over time: chronicity and temporal proximity. 622 second- through fourth-grade children (ages 7–12) were tested in the spring of 4 consecutive years. The results indicated that both chronicity and proximity directly influenced later adjustment. Taken together, the findings suggest that all levels of rejection were associated with greater absenteeism from school, and more chronic and proximal experiences of rejection were associated with elevated externalizing behavior problems and teacher-rated internalizing behavior problems. There was evidence that initial level of adjustment, gender, and development moderated the relation among these dimensions of rejection and later adjustment.     

AN INVESTIGATION OF CRITICAL MASS: The Role of Latino Representation in the Success of Urban Community College Students

The community college has historically functioned as a primary access point to postsecondary education for Latino students. This study, an investigation conducted through an analysis of the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students (TRUCCS) project, focuses on Latino students enrolled in urban “minority-majority” community colleges, where Latino students have a high representation. The specific interest of this research is the role and effect of the level of representation of Latino community college students on their academic outcomes. The relationship between the level of representation of Latinos, and the levels of academic success are analyzed in concert with other variables, such as, the level of representation of Latino faculty on campus, student age, attitude, academic integration, English ability and aspiration. Findings indicate a relationship between academic success of Latino community college students and the proportion of Latino students and faculty on campus. The findings thus suggest that a critical mass of Latinos may be a positive influence encouraging “minority” students to higher academic performance.     

Missing children in educational research: investigating school-based versus household-based assessments in India

Including all children in large-scale educational studies is a pressing concern. Omitting certain types of children from studies can lead to skewed findings that promote inaccuracies about learning levels or educational quality. Increasingly, assessments are a method for investigating the quality of education systems, but national assessments are typically conducted in classrooms and may fail to accurately represent a country’s full range of children. Alternatively, households can be a site for testing or collecting data on children’s learning. Analysing the quantitative data from two studies in India that use both household-based and school-based methods alongside data from Government of India sources, the issues with child representation in school-based assessments are examined, and the benefits of household-based research as an alternative are explored.