“Everyone rolls up their sleeves and mucks in”: Exploring volunteers’ motivation and experiences of the motivational climate of a sporting event

Research examining volunteer motivation and satisfaction has been criticised for the limited explanation of the cognitive and social processes that may underpin the proposed relationships among motivation, satisfaction, performance and retention (Costa, C.A., Chalip, L., Green, B.C., & Simes, C. (2006). Reconsidering the role of training in event volunteers’ satisfaction. Sport Management Review, 9(2), 165–182.; Cuskelly, G., Hoye, R., & Auld, C. (2006). Working with volunteers in sport. Theory and practice. London: Routledge.). Self-determination theory (SDT) (Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.; Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2000a) has proven useful in both for- and not-for-profit domains (e.g., Baard, P.P. (1994). A motivational basis for consulting with not-for-profit organizations: A study of church growth and participation. Consulting Psychology Journal, 46(3), 19–31.; Deci, E.L., Connell, J.P., & Ryan, R.M. (1989). Self-determination in a work organisation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(4), 580–590.; Hollembeak, J., & Amorose, A. J. (2005). Percevied coaching behaviors and college athletes’ intrinsic motivation: A test of self-determination theory. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 17(1), 20–36.) and appears particularly suited to understanding volunteer motivation. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.). Therefore the purpose of this study was to examine sport event volunteers’ motivation and experiences of the motivational climate at a large sport event using self-determination theory. The participants were volunteers at the NZ Master's Games held biannually in Dunedin, NZ. They participated in focus group interviews in which their experiences as volunteers at the event were discussed. In general, the findings support tenets of self-determination theory. Participants reported intrinsic motivation toward volunteering but also forms of extrinsic motivation toward some volunteer tasks. With regard to the motivational climate, volunteers experienced support for their autonomy, and felt that their competence and sense of relatedness were fostered. These findings suggest that SDT is a viable framework for examining volunteer motivation.     

Comparison of a finite element model of a tennis racket to experimental data

Modern tennis rackets are manufactured from composite materials with high stiffness-to-weight ratios. In this paper, a finite element (FE) model was constructed to simulate an impact of a tennis ball on a freely suspended racket. The FE model was in good agreement with experimental data collected in a laboratory. The model showed racket stiffness to have no influence on the rebound characteristics of the ball, when simulating oblique spinning impacts at the geometric stringbed centre. The rebound velocity and topspin of the ball increased with the resultant impact velocity. It is likely that the maximum speed at which a player can swing a racket will increase as the moment of inertia (swingweight) decreases. Therefore, a player has the capacity to hit the ball faster, and with more topspin, when using a racket with a low swingweight.     

Construct validity evidence for single-response items to estimate physical activity levels in large sample studies

Valid measurement of physical activity is important for studying the risks for morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine evidence of construct validity of two similar single-response items assessing physical activity via self-report. Both items are based on the stages of change model. The sample was 687 participants (men = 504, women = 183) who completed an 8-response (PA8) or 5-response (PA5) single-response item about current level of physical activity. Responses were categorized as meeting or not meeting guidelines for sufficient physical activity to achieve a health benefit. Maximal cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health markers were obtained during a clinical examination. Partial correlation, multivariate analysis of covariance, and logistic regression were used to identify the relations between self-reported physical activity, CRF, and health markers when controlling for gender and age. Single-response items were compared to a detailed measure of physical activity. Single-response items correlated significantly with CRF determined with a maximal exercise test on a treadmill (PA8 = .53; PA5 = .57). Differences in percentage of body fat and cholesterol were in the desired direction, with those self-reporting sufficient physical activity for a health benefit having the lower values. The single-response items demonstrated evidence of construct validity and may provide feasible, cost-effective, and efficient methods to assess physical activity in large-scale studies.     

Perceived submaximal force production in young adults

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the force production patterns using perceived stimulus cues from 10% to 90% of maximal force. In Experiment 1, 54 men (age: 19-34 years) and 53 women (age: 18-37years) performed leg extensions on a dynamometer at a speed of 60 degrees/s. Participants produced actual forces perceived to be 10-90% of maximal force in 10% increments followed by a maximal force. A 2-min rest interval was maintained between each increment. Participants rested 5 min and repeated the protocol. Desired forces were calculated as the required percentage of the produced maximalforce. In Experiment 2, 40 men (age: 18-30years)followed the protocol ofExperiment 1, but the submaximal stimuli were randomly presented. In Experiment 1, test-retest results indicated consistency between the trials for actual and maximal force (r = .90). The correlations between actual and desired forces were moderately high (r > .76). Actual forces trended above desired forces at 10% of maximal, with median errors ranging 33-40% for men and 60-73% for women. From 30% to 90% of maximal forces, actual trended below desired forces, with median errors ranging from a low of 1.5% to a high of 37%. A power function analysis relating the change in actual force with desired force stimuli produced exponents of 0.68 (.95 CI = 0.62-0.74) for men and 0.5 7 (.95 CI = 0.52-0.62)for women. Findings were similar in Experiment 2, indicating that individuals tended to overshoot and then undershoot desired force production through perceptual force ranges of 10-90% of maximal forces and that force production grew more slowly than perceptual stimulus cues. The results of the present study, along with findings from past research, indicate that production of submaximal force using perceptual cues or stimuli display a great deal of specificity. This specificity is related to type of contraction, amount of muscle mass involved, and number and types of stimuli.     

Correlation of fluorescence spectra with chemical structure of some naphthalene derivatives

A definite relation is shown to exist between the chemical constitution of certain naphthalene derivatives and their fluorescence and absorption behavior. The naphthalene, naphthylamine and naphthol compounds vary in intensity and region in which they fluorescence. When a radical is changed from an α to a β position, a shift in wave-length of the maximum intensity occurs. From the shape of the densitometer tracings a difference between an acid and its salt is readily discernible.The quality of fluorescence is roughly the same whether the source of excitation be ultraviolet light, X-rays or cathode rays. It is also independent of the concentration and, in the case of the specimens studied, independent of small amounts of impurities.