Priorities in Intercollegiate Athletics: Development of a Scale

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 15-week aerobic activity program on the total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels of 25 high school students, ages 14–17 years (experimental group = 14, control group = 11). Participants in the activity program exercised 4 days per week in a specially designed physical education class, while the control group participated in the regular physical education program. Results of the analysis of covariance found significant reductions in TC in the training group (control group Adj M = 190.2 mg/dl, experimental group Adj M = 173.1 mg/dl, p > .05), but no significant changes in HDL-C (control group Adj M = 49.8 mg/dl, experimental group Adj M = 50 mg/dl). While the exercise program appeared to have a beneficial effect on TC in 12 of 14 participants (86%), HDL-C also dropped in 12 of 14 participants (86%).     

Individual differences, perceived task characteristics, and preferences for teaching and coaching.

One hundred ninety-two undergraduate physical education students participated in this study of the influence of individual differences, group, and task factors on respondents' preferences for teaching or coaching. The individual difference factors were gender, managerial potential (Gough, 1984), and sex role attributes (Spence & Helmreich, 1986). The group and task differences were measured by a specially developed scale that was factor analyzed to yield six factors: job status, job significance, job variety and control, job identity, ease of discipline, ease of motivation. Subgroup analyses showed that men preferred more to coach than women did, and women preferred more to teach than men did. Men and women perceived greater job variety in coaching and greater control in teaching. The genders did not differ in managerial motivation or in any of the other perceived characteristics of the teaching and coaching roles. Finally, preference for teaching or coaching was influenced by gender, perceived ease of motivating students and athletes, and perceived job variety. These results were discussed in relation to existing literature, and future research directions are identified.     

A personal journey in theorizing in sport management

The purpose of this article was to articulate the process of theorizing. For the author, theory development begins with a discontent and discomfort with existing formulations on a topic. In drawing from this premise, the author provides an overview of the theory development process he undertook, highlighting five examples: geographic versus functional centrality, athletic teams as coalitions, defining the field of sport management, organizational effectiveness, and leadership.