Constructing One Component of a Survey Instrument to Measure the Influence of an Athletic Trainer\u27s Worldview in his Decision Making Process

Athletic trainers are often put in situations where they may be pressured to make morally compromising decisions regarding issues ranging from insurance fraud to substance abuse. The Athletic Training Department at Liberty University seeks to produce findings based on the results of a survey focusing on the role that an athletic trainer\u27s worldview plays in these decision-making processes that shows a correlation between an individual\u27s worldview and the types of decisions he makes. It is the goal of the Liberty University Athletic Training Program to determine how significant the effects of an athletic trainer\u27s worldview would have on the decisions that he makes in a given situation. The purpose of this research project was to develop one of two surveys which will be combined to form the final survey instrument that the Athletic Training Program will use to collect and classify the data concerning the effects of an athletic trainer\u27s worldview in his decision-making process. Designing this research instrument included tasks such as pre-testing reliability, establishing objectivity, and determining variables. These, among other things, were all considerations during the process of constructing such a survey instrument. It is important to note that the purpose of this project was to develop only one of the two surveys which will then be combined to form the final instrument that will be used in a future study by the Athletic Training Program at Liberty University

The design principles of edutainment system for autistic children with communication difficulties

The number of children with autism is increasing worldwide. Children with autism face three major problems; socializing, communicating, and behaviour. Approximately 50% of all individuals with autism have difficulties in developing functional language owing to communication deterioration. Mobile devices with installed educational games help these individuals feel more comfortable and relaxed doing such activities. Although numerous mobile applications are available for individuals with autism, they are difficult to use; particularly in terms of user-interface design. This study analysed the existing apps in order to determine the design principles applicable to the Edutainment App being studied. Five applications were involved in this analysis. As outlined in the objectives of this study, identifying these design principles is important in designing the app. The analysis identified fifteen suggestions for the design principles. These suggestions addressed, simple interfaces; image size; number of pictures; home page icon; colour; having images identical to real life objects; the use of caregivers; navigation; password-protection; audio appropriate to the images; the app language used; evaluating parameters to measure the child’s growth; option for photo loading; PECS-based communication; and sentence pronunciation function. These recommendations are offered by this study towards designing and developing a prototype app for autistic children. This study introduces an edutainment-system design principle formulated to help develop the communication skills of children with autism-spectrum disorders. This study also describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the ICanTalk app-a mobile edutainment app that can be used to improve users’ understanding and communication skills and help them to connect with society and the surrounding environment particularly for autistic children with communication difficulties. This app allows caregivers to create personalized content using pictures and audio on their mobile devices (tablets). The evaluation of the app by teachers suggests that it is useful and easy-to-use. In conclusion, based on the evaluation results, it is found that the ICanTalk app is effective in helping autistic children with communication difficultie

Identity and affect in design cognition

Much Design Research effort has been afforded to investigating how designers think and what they do; often in the form of protocol analysis. These investigations have mainly focused on how designers influence material culture however, little attention has been paid to another line of enquiry; that is how the act of designing affects the individual undertaking the work and the role of social psychological phenomena e.g. attitudes, evaluations, emotions, impressions, motivations and social behaviour - on design activity. This interplay of affect between design activity and a designer’s social psychological behaviour is a complex two way process that warrants further investigation. Our research agenda focuses on the individual undertaking design activity and asks how does designing affect the designer and their behaviour? In this paper two issues are addressed: 1. The immediate effects of design activity on the designer 2. The role of self-concept in design cognition These two issues are investigated through a series of experiments carried out under semi-controlled conditions using several forms of observation and novel self-concept inventories. This paper draws attention to the need to consider self-concept and affect in design cognition and introduces the idea of design identity, which is uniquely different to the concept of design experience often quoted in the literature. This is an area of the ongoing research agenda within the Department of Design and Technology, Loughborough University, UK. Keywords: Design Activity; Design Behaviour; Psychology of Design; Self-Concept; Immediate Effects</p

An Examination of the Challenges Experienced by Canadian Ice-Hockey Players in the National Hockey League

Semistructured interviews were used in this study to learn about the challenges experienced by four groups of National Hockey League (NHL) players (N=11): prospects (n=3), rookies (n=3), veterans (n=2), and retirees (n=3). The database is comprised of 757 meaning units grouped into 11 contextual challenges pertaining to scouting demands, training camp, increased athletic demands, team expectations, and earning team trust. The veterans spoke mostly of challenges including scouting demands, athletic demands, and team expectations. Retirees considered mostly challenges pertaining to team expectations, athletic demands, lifestyle, media demands, transactions, cross-cultural encounters, and playoffs. An expert panel ensured that the interview guide, data analysis, and the findings represented the participants’ experiences in the NHL. Recommendations for practitioners and researchers working with NHL players are proposed

An Examination of Differences in Division I FBS Student-Athlete Academic and Athletic Performance

The student-athlete literature if rife with studies that examine the factors that appear to improve or inhibit academic or athletic performance. However, internal characteristics that may influence variations in performance have been understudied, and athletic performance tends to be examined separately from academic performance. This study examined how different types of Division I FBS performers – high academic, high athletic; high academic, low athletic; low athletic, high academic; and low academic, low athletic – differ on three theoretical and conceptual frameworks representing internal factors. Each of the frameworks, Mindset, Personal Growth Initiative, and Student-Athlete Experiences, have positive attributes relative to performance, development, and well-being. Although not all variables were statistically significant, there were meaningful differences between high and low academic performers on academic experiences. Student-athletes in this sample also displayed a growth mindset towards academic and athletic abilities, as well as high levels of Personal Growth Initiative. In addition, student-athletes who performed at high levels athletically did not report fewer experiences academically. This study also contributed an athletic performance metric that can be used and improved upon to quantify individual athletic performance in higher education, irrespective of sport

Design and Implementation of a Distance Training Device of Physical and Sports Education’s Future Teachers : Application of ADDIE Model

Distance learning has largely infiltrated several higher education institutions in Morocco driven by the expansion of opportunities offered by information and communication technologies such as ODL, MOOC, SPOC. However, countless challenges continue to hamper the design, implementation and evaluation of these devices in education and vocational training for desired effectiveness.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The aim of this study is to design an ODL system based on the SPOCs model which aims to develop professional skills for 70 future teachers of Physical and Sports Education.We have used ADDIE model as a methodological tool for our technopedagogical design with its Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation phases.Using Chi-square test, we examined the effect of the following independent variables: form of content, on trained type groups : hybrid and distanced at the threshold of p &lt;.05. The results obtained show that trainee teachers have an increased need for their professional skills development through our FP@STAPS device using various digital resources. Thus, the evaluation of this device has shown its usefulness and effectiveness.The study therefore recommends the integration of this type of training into vocational training centers in Morocco. In addition, the study recommends that its technopedagogical design be based on referenced models such as ADDIE