Endurance training adherence in elite junior netball athletes: A test of the theory of planned behaviour and a revised theory of planned behaviour

This study examined the utility of Ajzen's () theory of planned behaviour and Maddux's () revised theory of planned behaviour to predict endurance training intentions and adherence of elite junior netball athletes. One hundred and fifteen athletes from the England Netball World Class Start Programme were assessed on constructs central to the predictions of the two theories. Adherence to a recommended endurance training programme was recorded in self-report diaries across a 9-week period. Validity for the diaries was supported by significant correlations (P <?0.001) with recalls across 7 days and 9 weeks. Adherence was moderate and variable between athletes (mean = 66.05, s = 25.75%). Two separate path analyses were conducted to examine the predictions of the theories. Goodness-of-fit indices suggested acceptable fit of the data to the models. Analyses showed that attitude towards the new behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control predicted training intentions. The relationship between intention and adherence was weak. The present results suggest that the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour offer some insight into the explanation of intentions to follow an endurance training programme. Constructs unique to the revised theory of planned behaviour did not significantly predict training intentions or behaviour. Implications for practitioners working with team sport performers are provided.     

Design and implementation of an M.B.A. program in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The current leadership literature includes the concepts of visionary leadership, transformational leadership, situational leadership, breakthrough leadership, and shared leadership. This article relates the literature to specific distance education settings and presents cases in higher education that reflect relevant leadership issues and dimensions of leadership. The article includes theory‐ and practice‐based applications to assist leaders in higher education in the implementation of distance education initiatives. Case examples from outside the United States illustrate important leadership variables in exporting distance education to new settings. The significance of networking and collaboration as leadership strategies is explored as a major theme of the article.     

Inter‐professional collaboration and the implementation of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1981

This paper draws upon quantitative and qualitative data from a four‐year study conducted in Scotland to examine the impact of the special educational needs sections of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1981. The particular focus of the paper is the examination of inter‐professional collaboration in the process of drafting a Record of Needs. The origins of the special educational needs legislation are considered and changes are set in the context of relevant social policy literature. Role conflict and confusion were experienced by educational psychologists and educational administrators with inter‐professional collaboration being patchy and restricted to a minority of the 17 administrative areas. The position of health board personnel was seen to be marginalized, in part a consequence of a perceived power struggle between doctors and psychologists ‐ a phenomenon already addressed in the literature.     

Instructional Settings in Science for Students with Disabilities: Implications for Teacher Education

Finding appropriate instructional settings in science for students with disabilities is challenging, and the range of services or placements used is currently unknown. This study identifies administrative structures, instructional settings, and special/general education teacher roles in teaching science to students with disabilities. A phone survey was conducted with special education coordinators of fifth graders in 137 districts in Texas. Survey data indicated that while nearly all districts reported special education settings for the instruction of science for students with disabilities, some districts provided only general education settings. Theoretical and practical implications for teacher preparation are discussed.     

Novelty and functional equivalence in superordinate categorization by pigeons

Superordinate categorization via association with a common response was studied in pigeons. Original training paired disparate classes (e.g., people + chairs and cars + flowers) with a common response (Responses 1 and 2, respectively). Reassignment training taught new responses (Responses 3 and 4, respectively) to one component class from each pair (e.g., people and cars). Superordinate categorization was documented in testing when the pigeons made the same responses to the stimuli that were withheld in reassignment training (e.g., chairs and flowers) as they did to the reassigned stimuli themselves (e.g., people and cars) and when the birds transferred these discriminative responses to novel stimuli from all four component classes. Reassignment training with novel stimuli produced effects that were similar to those of reassignment training with familiar stimuli. Superordinate categorization via association with a common response is thus a robust effect that generalizes to novel stimuli from each of the component classes.     

Working children and educational inclusion in Yemen

The Republic of Yemen has a very high number of working children, employed in a variety of occupations, ranging from street vending to guards on farms, and domestic labour. Including these children in formal education is a major challenge facing the Republic, which has one of the lowest rates of female participation in primary education in the world, and a very underdeveloped non-formal sector. In a context where poverty levels are very high, particularly in rural areas, families remain under significant financial pressure to rely on children's work to supplement, or indeed provide, their income and survival. This broader context challenges school-based efforts to include working children, particularly where initiatives aiming to improve the quality of the formal system are only just beginning to make an impact. This paper discusses key challenges of providing education to working children in Yemen, focusing on the work of the International Labour Organisation's International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and some of the issues that it faces in using schooling as a strategy to prevent child labour.