Response to Fry and Kraemer

In general, women are well represented among sport participants and sport audiences but not in the media. Data show that women's sport is greatly underreported and trivialized in newspapers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure press coverage during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in the largest circulating Belgian, Danish, French, and Italian daily newspapers by: (a) number of articles, (b) size, (c) page placement, (d) accompanying photographs, and (e) photograph size. For each sport covered, the athletes' nationality and the gender were recorded. Compared to the 1996 Atlanta Games, there was an increase of 326 female athletes (+4%), and women competed in 25 sports and 132 events (44%) of the total 300 events. Although only 29.3% of the articles and 38% of photos were on women's sports, the newspaper coverage was similar to the distribution of participating athletes and events. No significant gender differences were found with respect to article size, page placement, accompanying photographs, or photograph size. The most covered sport was track and field, independent of national achievement. Other sports received different coverage in relation to national expectations, achievement, and participation. In conclusion, there was a trend to overcome gender inequities in media coverage during the Olympic Games, which may be due to the International Olympic Committee's actions to promote increased participation of women in sport activities and to publicize their achievements. Moreover, during the Olympic Games, a nationalistic fervor might affect the equality of gender coverage.     

Opportunities and challenges facing NGOs using sport as a vehicle for development in post-apartheid South Africa

Post-apartheid South Africa manifests poor social indicators with over half the population living below the poverty line and the worst levels of inequality in the world, with much work needed to overcome the skewed legacy of apartheid. Sport suffered in this system resulting in unequal access to sporting facilities and opportunities, meaning many South Africans cannot exercise their right to play. Despite this legacy, sport can fulfil a vital developmental role in alleviating some of these issues. The state has a major role to play but it must be supported by civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who have the ability to deliver in situations where government has struggled. This article researches the opportunities and challenges NGOs encounter when using sport for development within the education system, in post-apartheid South Africa. This study used a qualitative approach to collect data on the opportunities and challenges encountered by two NGOs based in Cape Town that use sport as a means of development, but in markedly different ways. The study suggests that NGOs face a variety of conceptual, technical, logistical and organisational challenges using sport in schools and should enact certain measures to reduce resistance from educators and ensure successful programmes. The interaction between NGOs, schools and the state Department of Education is a complicated process that presents obstacles and opportunities. Nevertheless, despite these challenges it is clear NGOs can support schools in South Africa to optimise their physical activity programmes in the backdrop of a stagnating education system and a lack of sporting support from the government. NGOs in an educational setting such as schools operate in what Houlihan has identified as a crowded policy space. Yet, the observations in this study suggest that, particularly in the context of education, a partnership policy model of NGO work is preferred.     

Child and informant influences on behavioral ratings of preschool children

This study investigated relationships among teacher, parent, and observer behavioral ratings of 3‐ and 4‐year‐old children using intra‐class correlations and analysis of variance. Comparisons within and across children from middle‐income (MI; N = 166; mean age = 54.25 months, standard deviation [SD] = 8.74) and low‐income (LI; N = 199; mean age = 51.21 months, SD = 7.22) backgrounds revealed significant agreement between the raters but also considerable differences in both ranking and absolute scores between raters. Teachers and parents consistently rated children from LI classrooms as having more behavioral problems and fewer prosocial behaviors. Results are conceptualized with respect to how differential expectations, comparison groups, and types of interaction with children can affect the evaluation of child behavior. Results point to the need for multiple sources of evaluation when assessing children for behavioral difficulties, particularly children from lower income backgrounds. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Motivational Factors Underlying College Students' Decisions to Resume Their Educational Pursuits in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

This study explored college student persistence at a historically Black university affected by Hurricane Katrina. Predictor variables including sex, residence status, Pell Grant status, campus housing status, college grade point average, attendance before Hurricane Katrina, and attendance at the university by parents or another close relative were used to predict educational aspirations, campus environment, and financial aid eligibility status as the reasons college students continued their education after Hurricane Katrina.