Promoting Physical Activity in Youth: Focus on Middle SchooI Environments

The sharp decline in physical activity during adolescence is a national concem. However. few studies of adherence to exercise and physical activity have heen conducted with youths. This paper focuses on ecological approaches for promoting physical activily in middle schools. Baseline data collected in physical education classes. leisure time settings, and suuctured extracurricular programs during the four-year Middle School Physical Activity and Nutrition (M-SPAN) project are reviewed. Refocusing physical education goals, promoting gender equity in physical activity opportunities. and linking schools with conimunity agencies are recommended as means for promoting physical activity among adolescents.     

Seeing the Spectrum: North American Approaches to Emotional,Social, and Moral Education

Interest in emotional, social, and moral (ESM) concerns in K—12 education in North America has grown considerably during the past decade. This increased concern is considered a response to the increased prevalence of social problems experienced by children and youth, such as bullying, substance abuse, and depression, and to research indicating that schools can influence the likelihood of students having these types of problems (Schonert-Reichl 2000). Research and theory in psychology which suggests that emotional development is an essential foundation of cognitive development and, therefore, is related to academic achievement also has contributed to this expanded interest (Martin and Reigeluth 1999). A variety of names, including affective education, social and emotional learning, values education, character education, caring education, and moral education, have been used in discussing ESM. Despite the prevalent use of these terms in the literature, the school programs that actually have been implemented under these various auspices are discussed rarely. Further, little, if any, research has explored the relative effectiveness of various approaches. Through a review of the literature, this article provides an overview of the history of ESM education in North America. It also outlines the spectrum of contemporary approaches to ESM education and explores the similarities and differences of these approaches, making suggestions for further theoretical and empirical work.     

Physical Activity Levels and Prompts in Young Children at Recess: A Two-Year Study of a Bi-Ethnic Sample

Abstract

We investigated physical activity and encouragement for activity in a bi-ethnic cohort during recess. Activity and associated interactions of 287 children were recorded at preschool and again 2.2 years later. Children expended nearly twice as much energy at preschool recess than at elementary recess. Activity levels declined as recess time elapsed. At preschool, European-American children engaged in more moderate to vigorous activity than Mexican-Americans. As participants moved to elementary school, teachers' prompts to be active decreased and prompts from peers increased. Boys and girls received similar amounts of activity prompts at preschool, but prompts to boys increased over time. The findings suggest that school environments could be altered to promote healthful physical activity among young children.     

Maximal work production following two levels of artificially induced metabolic alkalosis

In order to determine the influence of two artificially induced alkalotic states on the ability to perform maximal exercise, six male subjects (mean age, 22.0 years; mean height, 176.8 cm; mean weight, 69.1 kg; mean VO₂ max, 3.83 1 min^‐1) were studied during three experimental trials. The subjects performed six 60‐s cycling bouts, at a work rate corresponding to 125% VO₂ max, with 60 s recovery between work bouts; these regimes were performed 1 h after the ingestion of a solution containing either: I, placebo; II, NaHCO₃ in a dosage of 0.15 g per kg body weight; or III, NaHCO₃ 0.30 g per kg body weight. The sixth work bout was continued until the pedal velocity dropped below 50 rev min^‐1. Total work done for the entire work period was calculated. Blood samples were taken from a forearm vein prior to the exercise bouts for analysis of pH and HCO₃. The results showed a significant pre‐exercise difference in pH and HCO₃ for all conditions (P<0.01). In conditions where artificial alkalosis had been achieved prior to exercise there was significant increase in the work produced: I, 121.6 kJ; II, 133.1 kJ; III, 133.5 kJ (P<0.05). The time to fatigue in the sixth bout was also significantly increased: I, 74.7 s; II, 111.0 s; III, 106.0 s (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between conditions II and III. Thus augmentation of the bicarbonate reserves has a significant positive effect on the energy metabolism in interval‐type exercise, leading to an increase in the work done and in the time to fatigue. However, an increasing level of alkalosis had no additional benefit, suggesting that maximum contribution to buffering capacity had been achieved at the lower dose.     

The places of pedagogy: or,what we can do with culture through intersubjective experiences

Beginning by highlighting considerations of the intersections among social and ecological issues and the recent diversification of critical pedagogy, this paper suggests means by which approaches such as Gruenewald’s (2003 Gruenewald, D.A. 2003. The best of both worlds: A critical pedagogy of place. Educational Researcher, 32(4): 3–12. [Crossref] [Google Scholar]) “critical pedagogy of place” can be expanded to accommodate a broader range of possible places of pedagogy. The paper is centrally concerned with what happens when we consider socio‐ecological learning, not as occuring via cognitive critique or embodied place‐based experience, but rather as taking place in between the thought and the sensed via a range of intersubjective experiences. It suggests that these intersubjective locations that comprise the “where” of the learning of the student can be particular physical places, but can also be in and of experiences of friendship, art, literature, irony, cultural difference, community. By expanding our possible repertoire of “pedagogical arts,” or the range of intersubjective places and spaces of pedagogy engaged, we are able to conceptualise and practise education in ways that enable a deeper connection to place but also opportunities for other modes and outcomes of student learning. In particular, the paper outlines the possibilities for learning and cultural formation enabled by spaces of collective youth engagement.     

Who Succeeds at University? Factors predicting academic performance in first year Australian university students

With the increasing diversity of students attending university, there is a growing interest in the factors predicting academic performance. This study is a prospective investigation of the academic, psychosocial, cognitive, and demographic predictors of academic performance of first year Australian university students. Questionnaires were distributed to 197 first year students 4 to 8 weeks prior to the end of semester exams and overall grade point averages were collected at semester completion. Previous academic performance was identified as the most significant predictor of university performance. Integration into university, self efficacy, and employment responsibilities were also predictive of university grades. Identifying the factors that influence academic performance can improve the targeting of interventions and support services for students at risk of academic problems.     

Environmental and sustainability education policy research: a systematic review of methodological and thematic trends

This paper reports on a systematic literature review of policy research in the area of environmental and sustainability education. We analyzed 215 research articles, spanning four decades and representing 71 countries, and which engaged a range of methodologies. Our analysis combines quantification of geographic and methodological trends with qualitative analysis of content-based themes. Significant findings included temporal spikes in published policy research occurring in the mid-1970s, late 1990s, and after 2005, as well as geographic under-representation of Africa, South and Central America, Eastern Europe, and North and West Asia. The majority of articles reviewed were non-empirical; empirical articles overwhelmingly focused on teaching and learning directives, rather than exploring the complexity of policy development or enactment. We conclude our analysis by describing key research gaps as highlighted by the review and propose directions for moving forward policy research in environmental and sustainability education. In particular, we suggest greater research attention to critical policy theory and methodology, issues of intersectionality, and climate change education policy research. By outlining in greater detail the policy research that has been undertaken to date, the review provides a platform for a broadened diversity of policy studies in environmental and sustainability education.     

Scholarship neglected? How levels are assigned for units of study in Australian undergraduate courses

Undergraduate units of study are typically differentiated by level as introductory, intermediate or advanced. This paper considers the processes used to create such differentiations together with their implications. Results from a survey of current policy and practice in Australian universities are presented. They reveal a paucity of guidance for lecturers as they design their unit presentations and assessment expectations to reflect the level assigned to their unit. There is also a widely held view that academics intuitively know how to interpret unit levels. The authors contend that current policy and practices associated with determining levels of units are inadequate and argue that more explicit definitions and educationally defensible processes are required.