Sport and International Relations

This article explicates the inconvenient truth that is at the core of the crisis currently facing the field of kinesiology. Namely, the instantiation of an epistemological hierarchy that privileges positivist over postpositivist, quantitative over qualitative, and predictive over interpretive ways of knowing. The discussion outlines the political, economic, and cultural forces responsible for kinesiology's putative scientific hegemony and speaks to its corollary: the very demise of the field caused by intensified subdisciplinary specialization and fragmentation and fundamental lack of comprehensiveness. The article outlines a potential corrective to kinesiology's blinkered epistemological and empirical vision, currently being developed at the University of Maryland. Physical Cultural Studies (PCS) is introduced as a synthesis of empirical, theoretical, and methodological influences (drawn from, among other sources, the sociology and history of sport and physical activity, the sociology of the body, and cultural studies) that are focused on the critical analysis of active bodies and specifically the manner in which they become organized, represented, and experienced in relation to the operations of social power. Thus, PCS is offered as an important contribution toward realizing the truly integrative and comprehensive kinesiology to which we as kinesiologists—and regardless of our empirical, theoretical, or epistemological proclivities—should aspire.     

Physical Characteristic,Perceptual-Motor,and Intelligence Differences between Third- and Sixth-Grade Children

Abstract

The following measures were recorded for third- and sixth-grade children: height; weight; grip strength of the dominant and nondominant hands; elbow flexion and elbow extension strength; hip flexion and hip extension strength; dynamic balance; ball-throwing accuracy; speed of hand-arm movement; eye-hand coordination; stimulus discrimination and hand speed; perceptual ability; academic achievement; and intelligence. It was concluded that sixth-grade boys had, in general, the most favorable recorded measures, followed by sixth-grade girls, third-grade boys, and third-grade girls, these differences usually being significant.     

Effect of Learner Strategies With Modular Versus Traditional Instruction on Motor Skill Learning and Retention

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of learner strategies on learning and remembering a series of juggling skills, using modular versus traditional modes of instruction. The 48 subjects (M age = 16.6 years) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (a) a group taught by a live instructor (traditional) using learner strategies; (b) a traditionally taught no-strategies group; (c) a self-instructed group that used strategies with a modular instructional approach; and (d) a control group exposed to a similar module without the use of strategies. Two juggling experts rated subjects on their ability to perform five juggling skills immediately following eight learning sessions (acquisition) and 7 days after the first test (retention). The use of ANOVA revealed that the groups which used modular instruction, as opposed to traditional instruction, and strategies in comparison to no strategies, performed significantly better when scores on the acquisition and retention tests were combined. Performance on the retention test was similar for all groups. The results provided partial support for the use of modular instruction and learner strategies in the learning and remembering of complex gross motor skills. However, contrary to expectations, the combination of these factors did not elicit performance superior to that elicited by the other conditions.