Investigating ambivalence towards organisational change in a Football Championship Subdivision intercollegiate athletic department

To date, few scholars have examined organisational change in the sport industry, with the majority focusing on forces driving change. Only a handful have investigated responses to change, primarily centering upon factors contributing to resistance. Historically, most work in measuring attitudes has placed them on a bipolar continuum ranging from negative to positive. Recently, though, researchers have presented data to support an indifference-ambivalence attitudinal dimension characterised by evaluative tension. There have been few studies, however, that have examined ambivalence towards organisational change. Therefore, this research was undertaken to investigate ambivalence towards organisational change in a Football Championship Subdivision intercollegiate athletic department in the U.S. Through a case study, we demonstrate that ambivalence was a salient response to change, and that intrapersonal conflict, perceived lack of institutional support, managerial turnover, and previous negative experience with change served as antecedents. We then highlight the theoretical and practical significance of our study.     

Reading in French-speaking adults with dyslexia

This study investigated the reading and reading-related skills of 15 French-speaking adults with dyslexia, whose performance was compared with that of chronological-age controls (CA) and reading-level controls (RL). Experiment 1 assessed the efficiency of their phonological reading-related skills (phonemic awareness, phonological short-term memory, and rapid automatic naming (RAN)) and experiment 2 assessed the efficiency of their lexical and sublexical (or phonological) reading procedures (reading aloud of pseudowords and irregular words of different lengths). Experiment 1 revealed that adults with dyslexia exhibited lower phonological reading-related skills than CAs only, and were better than RL controls on the RAN. In experiment 2, as compared with RL controls, only a deficit in the sublexical reading procedure was observed. The results of the second experiment replicated observations from English-language studies but not those of the first experiment. Several hypotheses are discussed to account for these results, including one related to the transparency of orthographic systems.     

Taking active learning into the primary school: a matter of new practices?

This paper examines the extension of active learning pedagogical practices familiar in preschool settings to the first class of primary school. Policy and practice guidance in the UK is advocating the benefits of experiential learning as a way of engaging young children as they move into primary school but for teachers this means a move to new practices which can be in tension with other expectations. In this paper, the rationale for active learning is considered along with an account of the classroom activities of teachers and children in five primary schools that were implementing the policy shift to active learning. The children in these classes spent varying amounts of time in whole class activities led by the teacher or in small groups directed to engage with specific activities. They had opportunities to engage and respond verbally, through manipulating objects and with physical actions but the emphasis was on planned, teacher-directed learning activities. The characteristics of active learning as introduced in these innovative classes are compared with the expectations of practice guidance and theorising about early learning.     

Effects of an aerobic fitness test on short- and long-term memory in elementary-aged children

ABSTRACT

Meta-analytic evidence supports that exercise has benefits for short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). However, only three studies with children have tested the differential effects of exercise on STM and LTM. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an aerobic fitness test on STM and LTM and to consider the moderating effects of grade level. Children (7–13 years of age) were randomly assigned to either perform an aerobic fitness test before (exercise prior) or after (exercise post) performing the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) to assess memory. Memory was tested again after approximately 24 hours. There were significant differences in memory performance as a function of grade with 4^th and 6^th graders consistently outperforming 2^nd graders. For learning, Day 1 Retention, 24-hr recall, and Day 2 Retention, the exercise prior group performed better than the exercise post group. It is concluded that an aerobic fitness test performed prior to a declarative memory test benefits LTM as compared to when the aerobic fitness test is performed after the memory test.     

Development and reliability of the KIM cycling scale – a measurement tool for the development process to cycling independently

ABSTRACT

Background: Cycling has gained more attention as an important lifelong physical activity. Learning to cycle independently without assistance is a milestone for most children that requires time and practice to master. Cycling was recently added to the motor development model and so a valid and reliable measure of cycling ability is required to allow accurate assessment of the skill. Cycling has many health benefits along with being a commonly reported physical activity globally and therefore is an important skill to promote in early childhood and throughout life. To date, there are no measurement tools examining the developmental process to independent cycling in the early childhood years. The current study aimed to develop and assess the inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the ‘KIM Cycling Scale’.

Methods: Development of the scale occurred in four phases: (1) development of criteria and stages, which used observation of children when learning to cycle and expert panels to develop the initial developmental stages, (2) review of instructions and criteria and pilot inter-rater and test-retest reliability, to ensure that the scale could be used as a standalone scale without requiring further instructions (3) cycling intervention, which allowed assessment of the developmental nature of children along the scale as they learn to cycle independently and to assess typical and alternate routes to independent cycling and (4) inter-rater and test-retest reliability.

Results: Ninety children took part in phase 1, thirty-six children took part in phase 2, seventy-four children took part in phase 3 and one hundred and forty-nine children took part in phase 4. All three hundred and forty-nine children were between 2 and 6 years. The developed scale included eight stages in total. The scale was found to have excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC?=?0.97, 95% CI?=?0.96–0.98) and good to excellent test-retest reliability [(ICC?=?0.91, 95% CI?=?0.87–0.94) & (ICC?=?0.90, 95% CI?=?0.85–0.93)]. Typical routes to independent cycling along the scale were examined and reported as being step-wise on all occasions except one where a two stage jump was as common as the step-wise route. Alternate routes were also reported.

Conclusion: The current study developed a reliable measurement tool for assessing children between 2 and 6 years of age on the developmental process to independent cycling. Having a cycling scale will allow teachers and practitioners to assess competence in cycling and moreover, track changes in skill development. Furthermore, parents could also use the scale to better understand and better asses their child’s progression when learning to cycle.     

Preservice teachers perspectives and experiences teaching personal and social responsibility

ABSTRACT

Background: Pedagogical models have become an established component of physical education over the past several decades. One such model, the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model, has gained momentum in practice and research, though little is known regarding its use in preservice teacher training. The model follows a flexible format focused on teaching life skills (e.g. leadership) that can be applied in all lived ecologies. Occupational socialization theory provides insight into the pretraining and teacher education experiences of preservice teachers that shape their understanding and practice of physical education and associated pedagogical models.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of a sequence of methods courses and early field experiences on U.S. preservice teachers’ understanding and implementation of the teaching personal and social responsibility model with youth from a community affected by poverty.

Method: This study took on a phenomenological and social constructivist approach. Ten preservice teachers (9 males, 1 female) took part in the study. The participants were an average age of 22.10 years old (SD?=?4.38) and seven identified as White and three as Black. Each participant was enrolled in methods and early field experience coursework that provided scaffolded training in primary education in a community affected by poverty. Preservice teachers team-taught groups of 10–15 children twice a week along with one day committed to on-campus reflection. Data collection included autobiographical essays, critical incident reports, reflective journals, non-participatory observations and field notes, and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed deductively through the lens of occupational socialization theory, and inductively as theory divergent trends were sought. Open and axial coding was completed with member checking throughout, resulting in a final set of themes and subthemes.

Findings: The preservice teachers initially struggled to connect with their students due to conflicting backgrounds, but the teaching personal and social responsibility model guided the relationship-building process. As the model was continuously utilized, more empathy and care were shown towards the children. Preservice teachers felt there was a lack of progression in positive behaviors but were able to empower youth and felt that the model was culturally relevant. Overtime, the students began to appreciate the affective domain despite the challenge of working in a community affected by poverty through frustration towards the larger system limiting any potential progress was present.

Conclusions: Subjective theories transitioned to include relationship building and life skills learning, likely because of the extended field experience and faculty support. The preservice teachers desire to connect with and teach the students well displays the connection between models-based practice and positive relationships. Preservice teachers’ knowledge of their students was limited as it was based on secondhand knowledge of youth, teacher educators, and school staff. Evidence indicates some cultural responsiveness development though there were also elements of a deficit model due to white privilege and class differences. Further work explicitly integrating a culturally relevant approach and social justice in teacher education programming should occur.