Understanding sport tourists' motives and perceptions of Sabah, Malaysia as a sport tourist destination

With the focus on Mount Kinabalu as a sport tourism destination, the push and pull theory (Dann, 1981) was adopted as framework to examine the travel motivation of sport tourists visiting Sabah, Malaysia. The Leisure Motivation Scale (Beard & Ragheb, 1983) and semantic differential instrument by Attle (1996) were utilized to measure the push motives and pull factors. Analyses of data include descriptive statistics, t-test and logistic regression. A sample of 195 mountain climbers was selected with the majority comprising of international active sport tourists respondents (71.1%). Statistically, domestic active sport tourists at Mount Kinabalu were more significantly motivated by two out of four push motives namely; competence-mastery and social factors. With respect to the pull factors, analysis of result from the logistic regression shows there were few attributes which has been identified to be perceived differently by the domestic and international tourists. The findings of the study implied that: (1) market segmentations can be made according to the demographic and travel characteristics information as well as by their travel motivations among domestics and internationals sport tourists; (2) theoretical significance and practical marketing implications in addition with the recommendations for local tourism authority, destination managers and marketers are discussed

Transformational leadership and sport commitment: a study of Iranian high schools' football teams

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the transformational leadership style of Iranian high school coaches and the sport commitment of Iranian high school football players. This study also examined the effect of age and playing experience on athletes' sport commitment. A total of 270 football players were selected from 31 high school football teams in Iran using the simple random sampling procedure. Instruments of the study were the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Avolio & Bass, 1995) and Sport Commitment Model Scale (SCMS) (Scanlan, Carpenter, Schmidt, Simons, & Keeler, 1993). The results of the study indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between the transformational leadership style of coaches and sport commitment (r=.419, β=.478, ρ value=.001). In addition, the results also showed that there are no significant differences in sport commitment of football players of different ages (F=1.115, p value=0.330>0.05) and years of football experience (F=0.053, p value=0.948>0.05). Findings of this study suggest that the transformational leadership style is effective in enhancing the sport commitment of Iranian high school football players

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Influence of parents' jobs on apprentices' work values

This paper presents the findings of a study into the relationship between parents' jobs and the work values of apprentices. The findings were examined in the context of the positive relationship between work commitment and productivity of skilled workers and the need to understand influences on the work values of apprentices. The findings showed that the work values of apprentices were influenced by the kind of jobs each parent held. The importance of particular work values to apprentices differed significantly according to either their mother or father's job. ANOVA and Post Hoc analyses showed that the parents' role in their children's work values depended on the work value examined. The findings support literature specifically on intergenerational transmission of values, the occupational linkage hypothesis and the social learning theory on the influence of parents' occupation and children's values. They also show the importance for industry to focus on, and provide support to young apprentices in improving their commitment to work and help raise their productivity levels. The paper offers some suggestions on the kind of focus and support that can be offered

Application of theory of planned behavior to predict recreational sports activities participation of students in Malaysia

This study aims to understand the factors that influence the participation of high school students in recreational sports activities using the “Theory of Planned Behavior” (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991). Questionnaires that were adapted from Cunningham and Kwon (2003) were used to measure the reasons for participation of recreational sports among high school students in Malaysia. The respondents consisted of 101 high school students from the age of 13 to16. Analyses of data include descriptive statistics, Pearson Product-Moment‘s correlation and standard multiple regression. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between attitude factor and subjective norms with behavioral intention to participate in recreational sports activities. This study proposed intervention measures to increase the participation of high school students in recreational sports in Malaysia

Reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar dan hubungannya dengan pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran

Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menentukan hubungan di antara reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar dengan pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran diperoleh selepas program. Kajian ini juga untuk menentukan perbezaan pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran pelajar sebelum dan selepas program. Reka bentuk kajian kuantitatif ini melibatkan 182 responden (L=96, P=86) yang mengikuti Program Pensiswazahan Guru Sekolah Rendah. Kajian ini menggunakan Model Penilaian Kirkpatrick 1994, sebagai model penilaian. Borang soal selidik sebagai instrumen kajian dengan menggunakan format likert-scale. Data dianalisis menggunakan statistik diskriptif, ujian-t berpasangan dan korelasi. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan tahap reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar yang dijalankan adalah pada tahap yang tinggi (M=4.00, SP=0.34). Bagi penganalisaan pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran sebelum dan selepas program menunjukkan terdapat peningkatan selepas mereka mengikuti program; Nilai min bagi peningkatan ialah 3.67 (SP=0.41) sebelum program dan nilai min meningkat kepada 4.05 (SP=0.34) selepas program; Nilai min bagi sikap 3.66 (SP=0.27) sebelum program dan min 4.06 (SP=0.28) selepas program; Nilai min bagi kemahiran ialah 3.78 (SP=0.22) sebelum program dan min 4.03 (SP=0.28) selepas program. Terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan terhadap pengetahuan (t= -9.94, p= 0.01), sikap (t= -12.9, p= 0.01) dan kemahiran (t= -9.12, p= 0.01) sebelum dan selepas program dijalankan. Manakala terdapat hubungan signifikan di antara reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar dengan pengetahuan (r=0.20, p=0.01), sikap (r=0.21, p=0.01) dan kemahiran (r=0.20, p=0.02). Pelajar cenderung untuk mempelajari dan berubah kepada sesuatu yang lebih baik dari segi pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran selepas mengikuti program. Peningkatan terhadap pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran pula berkait dengan keberkesanan perancangan dan pengolahan sesuatu program itu

Penilaian tahap reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar dan hubungannya dengan pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran / Shamsulariffin Samsudin, Borhanuddin Abdullah dan Chee Chen Soon

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan hubungan di antara reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar dengan pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran diperoleh selepas program. Di samping itu, kajian ini juga dijalankan untuk menentukan perbezaan terhadap pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran pelajar sebelum dan selepas program. Reka bentuk kajian adalah berbentuk korelasi yang melibatkan 182 responden (L=96, P=86) yang mengikuti Program Pensiswazahan Guru Sekolah Rendah (PPGSR). Kajian ini menggunakan Model Penilaian Kirkpatrick 1994, sebagai model penilaian dan menggunakan soal selidik sebagai instrumen kajian dengan menggunakan format likert-scale. Analisis yang digunakan dalam kajian ini adalah analisis diskriptif, ujian-t berpasangan dan korelasi bagi menghuraikan dapatan kajian. Melalui analisis diskriptif menunjukkan tahap reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar yang dijalankan adalah pada tahap yang tinggi (M=4.00, SP=0.34). Bagi penganalisaan pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran sebelum dan selepas program menunjukkan peningkatan selepas program; pengetahuan min 3.67 (SP=0.41) sebelum program dan min 4.05 (SP=0.34) selepas program; sikap min 3.66 (SP=0.27) sebelum program dan min 4.06 (SP=0.28) selepas program; kemahiran min 3.78 (SP=0.22) sebelum program dan min 4.03 (SP=0.28) selepas program. Terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan terhadap pengetahuan (t = -9.94, p = 0.00), sikap (t = -12.9, p = 0.00) dan kemahiran (t = -9.12, p = 0.00) sebelum dan selepas program dijalankan. Manakala terdapat hubungan signifikan di antara reaksi pelajar terhadap program Pendidikan Luar dengan pengetahuan (r=0.20, p=0.00), sikap (r=0.21, p=0.00) dan kemahiran (r=0.20, p=0.02). Perancangan dan penyusunan terhadap keseluruhan program adalah dapat memenuhi kehendak pelajar. Pelajar juga cenderung untuk mempelajari dan berubah kepada sesuatu yang lebih baik dari segi pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran selepas program. Peningkatan terhadap pengetahuan, sikap dan kemahiran adalah sangat berkait dengan keberkesanan perancangan dan pengolahan sesuatu program

Application of push & pull theory in Island sport tourism: a study of Sipadan Island, Sabah

The purpose of this paper is to further the understanding of island sport tourism in Sabah, Malaysia. Specifically, the authors utilised the push and pull theory to examine how motives and destination image attract sport tourists to spend their holidays in Sipadan Island, Sabah, Malaysia. Findings indicate that domestic sport tourists were more significantly motivated by intellectual, social, stimulus-avoidance and competence mastery motives than international sport tourists. With respect to the pull factors, result shows some difference in perceptions of destination image between domestic and international sport tourists. The findings of the study suggest that: (1) market segmentation based on demographic profiles can be identified, (2) four push motives should be emphasized on promotional efforts and (3) unique packages of sport tourism experiences should be developed in regards to sport tourism in Sipadan Island, Malaysia

Transformational leadership and sport commitment: a study of Iranian high schools’ football teams

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the transformational leadership style of Iranian high school coaches and the sport commitment of Iranian high school football players. This study also examined the effect of age and playing experience on athletes’ sport commitment. A total of 270 football players were selected from 31 high school football teams in Iran using the simple random sampling procedure. Instruments of the study were the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Avolio & Bass, 1995) and Sport Commitment Model Scale (SCMS) (Scanlan, Carpenter, Schmidt, Simons, & Keeler, 1993). The results of the study indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between the transformational leadership style of coaches and sport commitment (r=.419, β=.478, ρ value=.001). In addition, the results also showed that there are no significant differences in sport commitment of football players of different ages (F=1.115, p value=0.330>0.05) and years of football experience (F=0.053, p value=0.948>0.05). Findings of this study suggest that the transformational leadership style is effective in enhancing the sport commitment of Iranian high school football players

Changes in heart rate variability and post exercise blood pressure from manipulating load intensities of resistance-training

Background: The isolated effect of resistance training (RT) on heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (BP) is crucial when prescribing suitable training programmes for healthy individuals. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare BP and HRV responses in physically active men after an acute RT session with loads of 5-, 10- or 15-repetition maximums (5RM, 10RM and 15RM). Method: Eighty-one men (age: 21.6±1.1yr; body mass: 74.1±5.8 kg; height: 175.3 ±7.1cm) who performed moderate to vigorous physical activities for at least 30 min a day on most days of the week participated in this study. After the of 5RM loads for the bent-over row (BR), bench press (BEP), Dead-lift (DL) and squats (SQ), participants were divided into three training load groups (15RM = GrpL, 10RM = GrpM or 5RM = GrpH). During the experimental session, each group (n=27) performed 3 sets for each of the four exercise, with 2-min rest intervals between sets and exercises with their assigned training load. BP and HRV were measured prior to, immediately after, and at 15-min intervals until two hours post-experiment. Results: All three groups attained improved BP (p = .001) reductions and longer HRV (p = .0001) changes after an acute exercise session but the GrpM (10RM) and and GrpL (15RM) performed better than GrpH (5RM). Conclusion: Strength and conditioning professionals may prescribe exercises with 10-15RM loads if the aim is to obtain an acute reduction in BP after an RT session