The influence of self-efficacy and past behaviour on the physical activity intentions of young people

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of self-efficacy and past behaviour on young people's physical activity intentions using an augmented version of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour. We hypothesized that self-efficacy would exhibit discriminant validity with perceived behavioural control and explain unique variance in young people's intentions to participate in physical activity. We also expected that past physical activity behaviour would attenuate the influence of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and self-efficacy on intention. The sample comprised 1152 young people aged 13.5 - 0.6 years (mean - s ) who completed inventories assessing their physical activity intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, self-efficacy and past physical activity behaviour. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour achieved discriminant validity. Furthermore, the measures of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and self-efficacy were significantly related to their respective belief-based measures, supporting the concurrent validity of the measures of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A non-standard structural equation model demonstrated that attitude and self-efficacy were strong predictors of physical activity intention, but perceived behavioural control and subjective norms were not. Self-efficacy attenuated the influence of attitudes and perceived behavioural control on intention. Past behaviour predicted intention directly and indirectly through self-efficacy and attitude. The present findings demonstrate that young people with positive attitudes and high self-efficacy are more likely to form intentions to participate in physical activity. Furthermore, controlling for past physical activity behaviour revealed that the unique effects of self-efficacy and attitudes on young people's physical activity intentions were unaltered.     

Can Science Education Research Give an Answer to Questions posed by History of Science and Technology? The Case of Steam Engine’s Measurement

According to the principle of virtual velocities, if on a simple machine in equilibrium we suppose a slight virtual movement, then the ratio of weights or forces equals the inverse ratio of velocities or displacements. The product of the weight raised or force applied multiplied by the height or displacement plays a central role there. British engineers used the same product in the eighteenth century in order to measure steam engines’ effectiveness. The question is whether this measure was obviously empirical or had its origin in theory of mechanics and particularly in the principle of virtual velocities. According to science education research, this measure is not likely to have arisen intuitively and most probably could not have been formulated without any acquaintance with theory of mechanics.     

希腊啃老族和边缘青年的教育、培训、就业现状

文章主要论述希腊青年(啃老族)在教育、就业和培训的现状,着重探讨希腊受经济危机和持续萧条的影响下青年失业和啃老族问题.从希腊青年和啃老族的教育水平、受培训情况、失业问题和社会弱势的现状出发,分析了希腊人贫困代际传递现象、生存战略和青年与啃老族的生活历程.     

Transferring motivation from educational to extramural contexts: a review of the trans-contextual model

Students?? self-determined or autonomous motivation in educational contexts is associated with adaptive educational and behavioural outcomes including persistence on educational tasks and academic performance. A key question for educators is whether promoting autonomous motivation toward activities in an educational context leads to increased autonomous motivation toward related activities in extramural contexts. In this article, we present a trans-contextual model that demonstrates the processes by which autonomous motivation is transferred from educational to extramural contexts. Using an integrated, multi-theory approach including self-determination and planned behaviour theories, we propose a motivational sequence in which perceived support for autonomous motivation for a given activity leads to autonomous motivation in educational contexts but also to autonomous motivation toward activities in extramural contexts. Autonomous motivation toward the activity in extramural contexts is proposed to be associated with attitudes, perceived control, and intentions to perform the activity in future and actual behaviour. We review recent prospective and intervention research that has applied the model to explain the transfer of autonomous motivation toward physical activity from a physical education context to a leisure time context. We also outline how the model can be applied in other educational contexts such as the transfer of motivation for science and language activities in educational contexts to motivation toward assignments in these subjects in extramural contexts. The applicability of the model as a basis for educational interventions to promote motivational transfer across contexts is discussed.     

The effect of an intervention to improve newly qualified teachers’ interpersonal style,students motivation and psychological need satisfaction in sport-based physical education

Recent developments in self-determination theory research in the educational setting (e.g., Reeve, Deci, & Ryan, 2004), suggest that teachers’ interpersonal style should be considered as consisting of three dimensions: autonomy support, structure and interpersonal involvement. Based on this theoretical proposition, the purpose of the present study was to test the effects of a training program for three physical education newly qualified teachers on the aforementioned teachers’ overt behaviors and students’ psychological needs satisfaction, self-determined motivation and engagement in sport-based physical education. After a baseline period of four lessons, the teachers attended an informational session on adaptive student motivation and how to support it. The training program also included individualized guidance during the last four lessons of the cycle. Results revealed that from pre- to post-intervention: (1) teachers managed to improve their teaching style in terms of all three dimensions, and (2) students were receptive to these changes, as shown by increases in their reported need satisfaction, self-determined motivation and engagement in the class.     

Psychological need thwarting in the sport context: assessing the darker side of athletic experience

Research in self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2002) has shown that satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs in sport contexts is associated with enhanced engagement, performance, and well-being. This article outlines the initial development of a multidimensional measure designed to assess psychological need thwarting, an under-studied area of conceptual and practical importance. Study 1 generated a pool of items designed to tap the negative experiential state that occurs when athletes perceive their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness to be actively undermined. Study 2 tested the factorial structure of the questionnaire using confirmatory factor analysis. The supported model comprised 3 factors, which represented the hypothesized interrelated dimensions of need thwarting. The model was refined and cross-validated using an independent sample in Study 3. Overall, the psychological need thwarting scale (PNTS) demonstrated good content, factorial, and predictive validity, as well as internal consistency and invariance across gender, sport type, competitive level, and competitive experience. The conceptualization of psychological need thwarting is discussed, and suggestions are made regarding the use of the PNTS in research pertaining to the darker side of sport participation.     

Influences of volitional and forced intentions on physical activity and effort within the theory of planned behaviour

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the utility of volitional and forced intentions in predicting participation in physical activities and effort within the theory of planned behaviour. Four hundred and forty-four participants (184 males, 260 females) aged 19.1 ± 3.3 years (mean ± s) completed self-report measures of intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, volitional intentions, forced intentions, and past behaviour in a physical activity context. Six weeks later, they completed self-report measures of physical activity behaviour and effort. Results indicated that volitional intentions and forced intentions contributed to the prediction of effort over and above intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, perceptions of control, past behaviour, and the product terms of attitudes×intentions and subjective norms×intentions. Volitional intentions and forced intentions did not predict participation in physical activities over and above effort. We concluded that volitional intentions and forced intentions assist in the explanation of effort in the context of physical activity behaviour.     

Non-english web search: an evaluation of indexing and searching the Greek web

The study reports on a longitudinal and comparative evaluation of Greek language searching on the web. Ten engines, five global (A9, AltaVista, Google, MSN Search, and Yahoo!) and five Greek (Anazitisi, Ano-Kato, Phantis. Trinity, and Visto), were evaluated using (a) navigational queries in 2004 and 2006; and (b) by measuring the freshness of the search engine indices in 2005 and 2006. Homepage finding queries for known Greek organizations were created and searched. Queries included the name of the organization in its Greek and non-Greek, English or transliterated equivalent forms. The organizations represented ten categories: government departments, universities, colleges, travel agencies, museums, media (TV, radio, newspapers), transportation, and banks. The freshness of the indices was evaluated by examining the status of the returned URLs (live versus dead) from the navigational queries, and by identifying if the engines have indexed 32480 active (live) Greek domain URLs. Effectiveness measures included (a) qualitative assessment of how engines handle the Greek language; (b) precision at 10 documents (P@10); (c) mean reciprocal rank (MRR); (d) Navigational Query Discounted Cumulative Gain (NQ-DCG), a new heuristic evaluation measure; (e) response time; (f) the ratio of the dead URL links returned, (g) the presence or absence of URLs and the decay observed over the period of the study. The results report on which of the global and Greek search engines perform best; and if the performance achieved is good enough from a user’s perspective.     

希腊篮球职业队赛前训练内容分析

希腊职业篮球俱乐部组织比赛前的季前训练,无论是国家队还是俱乐队都多次在欧洲比赛中取得优异成绩。季前训练包括基础训练、提高运动员的身体素质和比赛的必胜心。通过跟踪训练和巡回参赛,运动员的个人素质和球队的整体素质都得到进一步提高。文章探讨了参加季前训练、教练员为提高运动状态、运动员个体素质和整体素质所采取的措施,指出季前训练的重要性和效果。