Using the self-determination theory to understand Chinese adolescent leisure-time physical activity

Purposes: This study applies the self-determination theory (SDT) to test the hypothesized relationships among perceived autonomy support from parents, physical education (PE) teachers, and peers, the fulfilment of psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness), autonomous motivation, and leisure-time physical activity of Chinese adolescents. Method: There are 255 grade six to eight student participants from four middle schools around Shanghai, China included in this study. An accelerometer was used to measure the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The participants completed the questionnaires regarding SDT variables. The structural equation modelling was applied to examine the hypothesized relationships among the study variables. Results: The model of hypothesized relationships demonstrated a good fit with the data [X²?=?20.84, df?=?9, P?=?.01; CFI?=?0.98; IFI?=?0.98; SRMR?=?0.04; RMSEA?=?0.05]. The findings revealed that autonomy support from parents, PE teachers, and peers foster social conditions in which the three basic psychological needs can be met. In turn, autonomy, competence, and relatedness are positively associated with autonomous motivation for MVPA. The autonomous motivation positively relates to the MVPA time of adolescents. The three psychological needs partially mediate the influence of autonomy support from parents (β?=?0.18, P?<?.01; Bootstrap 95% CI?=?0.06–0.33) and teachers (β?=?0.17, P?<?.01; Bootstrap 95% CI?=?0.03–0.26) in the autonomous motivation. Conclusion: In conclusion, these findings support the applicability of SDT in understanding and promoting physical activity of Chinese adolescents.     

乔纳森建构主义学习环境设计理论的系统研究与当代启示

作为当代美国教学设计领域的领军人物,乔纳森提出了建构主义学习环境设计的理论与模型,对教学设计的发展产生了很大影响。本文主要针对建构主义学习环境设计模型,以及与该模型相关的研究和案例进行了系统的分析与评介,并基于对乔纳森建构主义学习环境设计理论的理解,从教学设计方法、技术观和实践三方面提出了我国教学设计研究可借鉴的新思路或新路径。     

Pre-service teachers' implicit and explicit beliefs about English language learners: An implicit association test study

Pre-service teachers' attitudes and beliefs about English Learners (ELs) are especially critical as they enter their professions among an increasingly diverse student population. This study uses an Implicit Association Test to explore implicit and explicit beliefs and attitudes of pre-service teachers about ELs. Pre-service teachers from a Southeastern U.S. university hold generally positive implicit beliefs about ELs and express positive expectations for working with ELs and school support. Implicit association test measures have potential as tools for preparing pre-service teachers and evaluating the impact of interventions that seek to improve teachers’ readiness to serve this population.     

Paternal support for child sexual abuse victims: A qualitative study

BackgroundThe current state of knowledge regarding the role of non-offending fathers in supporting their sexually abused children is very scarce.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to further our understanding of fathers’ roles following disclosure of their children’s sexual abuse (SA) by evaluating fathers’ perceptions of the impact of disclosure on their involvement and support of their children.Participants and methodThis qualitative study relies on individual semi-structured interviews conducted with 17 fathers of allegedly abused children.ResultsInductive thematic analysis first highlighted that some reported a period of disengagement from the child during which they put into question their role and attitudes, followed by a period of re-involvement. This period of difficulties experienced by some fathers in regard to their involvement towards their children was due to either their own important psychological distress, their ambivalence towards their child or even because of feelings of uneasiness experienced during physical contact with them. Despite this, findings indicate the presence of thoughts and attitudes that suggest children are a source of concern for fathers. The four forms of abuse-specific support previously observed among mothers (believing the child, seeking out professional services, protecting him/her from the offender, supporting him/her emotionally) were also observed among fathers. In accordance with the activation theory, a form of support specific to fathers, namely, encouraging the child to open up to and explore the world outside the family, thereby, fostering the child’s self-esteem development, was observed and constitutes a relevant finding.ConclusionClinical and empirical implications are discussed.     

Healing after traumatic events: Aligning interventions with cultural background and religious and spiritual beliefs

Historically, disaster response efforts have focused primarily on basic physical survival and safety—addressing medical emergencies and ensuring adequate shelter and supplies of food and water. However, in addition to physical survival, relief efforts must also consider strategies to promote emotional healing and psychological well-being. In particular, those who intervene must consider the acceptability of intervention strategies, taking into account survivors' cultural background, religious customs, and spiritual beliefs. This article offers recommendations to better align school-based therapeutic interventions with children's religious and spiritual beliefs.     

The impact of socioeconomic status on parental factors in promoting academic achievement in Chinese children

Children from families of low socioeconomic status (SES) tend to experience lower academic achievement than children from middle-SES families. This discrepancy can be attributed to a range of parental factors. The present study tested: (1) the extent to which academic achievement in three core subjects differs between children from low- and middle-SES backgrounds; (2) the differences in parental expectation, parental involvement, and child engagement across the two groups; and (3) the mediating role of parental expectation, parental involvement, and child engagement in explaining how SES influences children’s academic achievement. The sample consisted of 184 primary students with low SES and 165 primary students with middle SES from mainstream primary schools in Hong Kong. Results revealed significant differences in parental expectation, parental involvement, child engagement, as well as academic achievement in Chinese and English subjects between the low-SES and middle-SES groups. Our findings also suggest that parental expectation, parental involvement, and child engagement may be important mediators in the relationship between SES and academic achievement.     

Closing the gap: supporting literacy through a computer-assisted-reading-intervention

Schools in England are expected to ‘close the gap’ for a range of vulnerable pupils who are achieving below the levels seen amongst their same-aged peers. They are also highly accountable for additional funding that is provided to support this goal. The project reported here involved collating and analysing a range of data in order to evaluate the impact of a widely used computer-assisted-reading-intervention (CARI). Sixteen primary school pupils, all of whom were identified by their school as underachieving in literacy, used the CARI daily over a five-week period. The post-intervention data showed some clear gains in reading and spelling skills for all bar one of the children. The findings are discussed in relation to the wider literatures on CARIs. The research concludes that the CARI under investigation offers a useful and cost-effective adjunct to whole-class and group reading instruction and may be particularly beneficial for supporting the learning of pupils who are struggling to consolidate the knowledge and skills covered in their regular classroom reading instruction.     

体育教育专业学生社会支持的研究

采用文献资料、问卷调查、访问调查和数理统计,对305名体育教育专业的大学生为研究对象,主要了解普通高校体育教育专业的大学生感知到的社会支持(情感支持、信息支持和工具支持)以及对社会支持满意度等方面的情况.结果显示:社会支持是影响人们身心健康和行为表现的重要社会心理干预因素;体育教育专业学生获得的社会支持率较低,利用率也较低;由于家人及他人对体育教育专业的支持率不高,研究对象倾向于向朋友、同学寻求精神上的理解和安慰;且有时或很少寻求经济援助或解决实际问题.这些是由于与性别和个体生理因素、社会文化条件、人际交往、自我期待水平等因素决定的.     

Perceived social support from team-mates: Direct and stress-buffering effects on self-confidence

Abstract

In this study, we wished to determine whether the perceived support available from team-mates predicts levels of self-confidence. Four dimensions of support were examined: emotional, esteem, informational, and tangible. The sample consisted of 152 university athletes (74 females, 78 males) with a mean age of 20.1 years (s=1.4). Participants completed measures of perceived support, stressors, and self-confidence at the training session before an important match. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed that all four dimensions of support had direct effects on self-confidence (ΔR ²=0.13–0.17, all P<0.01), with support positively predicting self-confidence. Perceived emotional (ΔR ²=0.05, P<0.05), esteem (ΔR ²=0.02, P<0.05), and informational (ΔR ²=0.03, P <0.05) support also had stress-buffering effects on self-confidence. The findings suggest that although university athletes perceived different levels of emotional, esteem, informational, and tangible support to be available from their team-mates, all four dimensions of support positively predicted self-confidence.     

中国体育产业化金融支持的基本途径

针对中国体育产业与发达国家所存在的差距,提出加紧构建中国体育产业金融支持体系建设刻不容缓。中国体育产业化金融支持的基本途径是:设立国家政策性体育金融机构,建立中国体育产业投资基金,启动体育资本市场,加大体育风险投资力度,开发体育保险新兴市场和扩大体育博彩业规模。