The Effect of Adding External Weight on the Aerobic Requirement of Bench Stepping

Purpose

As there is little research that investigates the experiences of minority boys participating in youth development programs (Fashola, 2003), the current research focused on a sport-based youth development program for early adolescent Black and Latino boys in Hartford, CT. Specifically, the present study explored (a) what attracted minority boys to participate in youth development programs, (b) what kept them involved, and (c) whether their involvement translated into positive developmental outcomes.

Method

The study used semistructured individual interviews to collect data from 8 participants and their parents. The research team deductively coded interviews in accordance with the a-priori framework of the Five Cs and Sixth C of youth development (i.e., competence, character, caring, confidence, connection, and contribution; Roth &; Brooks-Gunn, 2003). In addition, interviews were deductively coded to investigate why participants became involved in the program and why they continued participation.

Results

Findings from the study indicated that participants became involved with the Sport Hartford Boys (SHB) program mainly due to its emphasis on sport-related activities. Moreover, findings related to the youths' continued involvement revealed their value for the SHB program as a safe place that kept them out of trouble and provided experiences that led to positive personal development. Furthermore, results indicated that participation in the program facilitated the development of each “C” of youth development.

Conclusion

By promoting positive relationships and providing opportunities for self-exploration in a safe and trusting environment, afterschool programs can cultivate positive youth development in minority boys, at least in the short term.     

Anxiety and cueing in a visual concept learning task

This study investigated the relationship of two anxiety measures to performance on a visual concept acquisition task. Criterial information was embedded at two levels for the noncued treatment group and made salient by color cues for the cued treatment group. Two-way analyses of variance were used and indicated a significant interaction between cueing treatment andState-Trait Anxiety Inventory (stai) anxiety scores for the heavily embedded figures. Further research is suggested utilizing different populations and cueing techniques. The addition of cues is suggested for deeply embedded criterial information for use with high-anxiety students.     

A three-dimensional kinematic analysis of the long jump take-off

The long jump has been widely studied in recent years. Two models exist in the literature which define the relationship between selected variables that affect performance. Both models suggest that the critical phase of the long jump event is the touch-down to take-off phase, as it is in this phase that the necessary vertical velocity is generated. Many three dimensional studies of the long jump exist, but the only studies to have reported detailed data on this phase were two-dimensional in nature. In these, the poor relationships obtained between key variables and performance led to the suggestion that there may be some relevant information in data in the third dimension. The aims of this study were to conduct a three-dimensional analysis of the touch-down to take-off phase in the long jump and to explore the interrelationships between key variables. Fourteen male long jumpers were filmed using three-dimensional methods during the finals of the 1994 (n = 8) and 1995 (n = 6) UK National Championships. Various key variables for the long jump were used in a series of correlational and multiple regression analyses. The relationships between key variables when correlated directly one-to-one were generally poor. However, when analysed using a multiple regression approach, a series of variables was identified which supported the general principles outlined in the two models. These variables could be interpreted in terms of speed, technique and strength. We concluded that in the long jump, variables that are important to performance are interdependent and can only be identified by using appropriate statistical techniques. This has implications for a better understanding of the long jump event and it is likely that this finding can be generalized to other technical sports skills.