Learning Engagement of Adult Females in Remote Physical Fitness Program Through Mobile App Intervention

The use of digital devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants, and mobile phones as learning tools has gained prominence in formal education, generating increased research interest in potential growth areas. According to Jeong and So (2020), there seems to be inadequate empirical evidence from extensive research to support its learning effectiveness in the fitness domain, especially among women who have been underrepresented in economically stressed areas. One of the several explanations for this disparity is the failure to consider women’s intersecting cultural identities or potential for social impact. This paper focuses on addressing this issue by conducting a qualitative study. It involves a focus group comprising 15 adult females aged 24 and above. The primary objective is to assess how virtual learning influences the learning perception of adult female learners at a yoga and fitness studio. Interactive self-paced mobile-assisted learning modules were facilitated through the use of mobile phones.  An open-ended questionnaire was designed using online resources for primary data collection. The findings were derived by cross-referencing data collected from recordings, interviews, and questionnaires. The study revealed that participating in online fitness classes could enhance women's involvement in fitness-related activities

Relooking at the Common Core Standards Through the Lens of Equity – Closing the Achievement Gap

On the failure of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to close the “achievement gap” between whites and minorities, the Common Core State Standards were heralded as the best way of raising academic standards for all children around the country and closing the achievement gap. Numerous reports have emerged questioning the efficacy of the Common Core Standards to deliver what was promised. Public disillusion is apparent. This paper is an attempt to revisit the Common Core Standards through the lens of data generated by its implementation. Quantitative data available from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 4th, 8th and 12th grade students and their achievements scores for mathematics and reading for the years 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 were taken into consideration. Results have revealed no increase, much less significant, in the average achievement scores and no indication that the achievement gap was being narrowed. Recommendations have been made for having a relook at the content and the implementation of the standards

Learning Engagement of Adult Females in Remote Physical Fitness Program Through Mobile App Intervention

The use of digital devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants, and mobile phones as learning tools has gained prominence in formal education, generating increased research interest in potential growth areas. According to Jeong and So (2020), there seems to be inadequate empirical evidence from extensive research to support its learning effectiveness in the fitness domain, especially among women who have been underrepresented in economically stressed areas. One of the several explanations for this disparity is the failure to consider women’s intersecting cultural identities or potential for social impact. This paper focuses on addressing this issue by conducting a qualitative study. It involves a focus group comprising 15 adult females aged 24 and above. The primary objective is to assess how virtual learning influences the learning perception of adult female learners at a yoga and fitness studio. Interactive self-paced mobile-assisted learning modules were facilitated through the use of mobile phones. An open-ended questionnaire was designed using online resources for primary data collection. The findings were derived by cross-referencing data collected from recordings, interviews, and questionnaires. The study revealed that participating in online fitness classes could enhance women's involvement in fitness-related activities

PARENTAL AWARENESS ON PRENATAL CONCERNS: AN EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Having a healthy baby is a dream of every parent and a cherished goal of every nation. However, the latest statistics indicate that in US about one in every 33 babies is born with birth defects or disabilities, and that the birth defects are one of the most leading causes of infant deaths, accounting for more than 20% of all infant deaths. Many of these birth defects or disabilities are avoidable if precautions are taken and care is provided during prenatal period. Awareness among parents about such prenatal concerns is therefore, critical. This exploratory pilot study was conducted to find out the level of basic awareness among parents about prenatal concerns and avoidable factors leading to birth defects and disabilities. The subjects (N= 73) were African American parents residing in the city of Dover and surrounding areas in Delaware State. The subjects were interviewed and administered the Prenatal Concerns Survey designed for this research. The results on various aspects revealed unawareness among parent on many critical issues, and the overall results indicate that 19.4% of the parents expressed ignorance about the basic prenatal concerns. A broad based research is recommended for in-depth analysis

Designing An Instrument For Gauging Equity Literacy

Equity literacy refers to the skills and mindsets needed to recognize, respond to, and redress conditions that deny equitable access to education. It involves understanding how identities such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, immigration status, and disability intersect and contribute to class inequities. More than mere awareness, equity literacy demands a commitment to deepening individual and institutional understandings of the dynamics of equity and injustice within organizations and communities. Its goal is to pinpoint disparities, eradicate inequities, and actively foster a culture of equity. Evaluating equity literacy is essential to understand how educational disparities impact access to equitable opportunities free from bias and discrimination. Considering the existing deficiency in tools for assessing equity literacy, this study introduces a survey instrument designed to assess equity literacy in educational institutions. This survey was developed based on Gorski's equity literacy framework (2016). To establish its validity, the survey was reviewed by experts and refined using Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Items with CVR scores below the established threshold were removed. The revised 20-item survey was administered to 34 individuals to assess reliability using Cronbach’s alpha. The survey demonstrated robust reliability with an alpha of 0.87. Additionally, the survey categorizes total scores into four rubric levels of equity literacy: exceptional, fair, developing, and little/none. This survey serves as a foundational tool for implementing this framework, thus empowering educators to challenge prevailing mindsets and cultural deficits. &nbsp

Designing An Instrument For Gauging Equity Literacy

Equity literacy refers to the skills and mindsets needed to recognize, respond to, and redress conditions that deny equitable access to education. It involves understanding how identities such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, immigration status, and disability intersect and contribute to class inequities. More than mere awareness, equity literacy demands a commitment to deepening individual and institutional understandings of the dynamics of equity and injustice within organizations and communities. Its goal is to pinpoint disparities, eradicate inequities, and actively foster a culture of equity. Evaluating equity literacy is essential to understand how educational disparities impact access to equitable opportunities free from bias and discrimination. Considering the existing deficiency in tools for assessing equity literacy, this study introduces a survey instrument designed to assess equity literacy in educational institutions. This survey was developed based on Gorski's equity literacy framework (2016). To establish its validity, the survey was reviewed by experts and refined using Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Items with CVR scores below the established threshold were removed. The revised 20-item survey was administered to 34 individuals to assess reliability using Cronbach’s alpha. The survey demonstrated robust reliability with an alpha of 0.87. Additionally, the survey categorizes total scores into four rubric levels of equity literacy: exceptional, fair, developing, and little/none. This survey serves as a foundational tool for implementing this framework,  thus empowering educators to challenge prevailing mindsets and cultural deficits

EXPLORING PSYCHO-SOMATIC IMPLICATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICES – A STRATEGIC INQUIRY

Benefits of yogic practices are well documented, and its popularity is increasing day by day across the world. Yoga has gained new avenues and has started to explore the new facts and hidden benefits by objectively testing the potential benefits of yogic practices for human well-being and holistic health. The present research adopts a philosophical descriptive approach to analyze the popular belief regarding the psychosomatic qualities developed through yogic practices. An opinionnaire consisting to two broad themes was designed to obtain the responses from the surveyed yoga practitioners (N=400: Male=200 and Female=200), aged 18 to 25 years. Data was statistically analyzed to find out the somatic and psychological qualities that the subjects perceived were developed through yoga practices. The results indicated that the female participants believed that yoga practices will much contribute to their Stability and Balance, while the male subjects believed it will help them in developing their Core Strength. With regard to the psychological qualities, both male and female subjects listed Self-Confidence as their first preference. Overall, the subjects believed that the yogic practices can be quite useful to promote somatic qualities of stability and balance, and core strength. Regarding the psychological qualities, self-confidence and mental rejuvenation were found to be most favorable reasons to practice yoga. Implications of the study have been discussed and the recommendations for future research have been made.  Article visualizations

A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF MENTAL PERSEVERANCE AND MENTAL CONCENTRATION AMONG ELITE AND SUB-ELITE WRESTLERS

Sports itself is a stressor and it demands a high level of resolutions, unflagging eagerness and obstinate persistence from its participants. It is believed that athletes having strong mental hardiness, concentration and optimum skill level do have a dominant hand upon the psychological weaker opponents. In sports, right from the motor acquisition stage to the highest competitive performance level, concentration plays an exceptionally vital role. It is a psycho-physiological process, an intense function of mind which is carried out through cognitive abilities and supplemented by emotional and conational factors. This research is an attempt to examine the dimensions of mental toughness and concentration abilities among wrestlers performing at national and international levels. It also attempts to find the interrelationship between these two parameters. The subjects (N=80) were wrestlers performing at two different levels i.e. national (N=40) and international (N=40). The subjects were asked to complete the Mental Toughness Questionnaire and to work on the Concentration Grid Exercise against time. The data was statistically analyzed. The results indicate that the international level wrestlers possessed significantly higher level of mental toughness as compared to the national level wrestlers. Female wrestlers have been found to possess significantly higher level of concentration abilities. No significant correlation was, however, observed between these two parameters

KINEMATICS OF BOARD BREAKING IN KARATE USING VIDEO ANALYSIS – A DYNAMIC MODEL OF APPLIED PHYSICS AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

Martial arts have fascinated the world with its fast paced actions andamazing feats. In this study the kinematics of a karate straight punch hasbeen studied through slow motion video analysis in relation to momentum,velocity, acceleration and impact of force as a function of time to enhancethe execution of the karate straight punch. It has been found that the impulsewas significantly smaller when the board is broken.From an educational perspective, this analysis will help in integrating somevalid concepts of physics in teaching mechanical concepts of movements insports. This quantitative analysis will enable the students to understand themovement technique to avoid the injuries. It will be helpful in devisingtraining schedule for karate students and in teaching them karate skills inproper manner. A person, regardless of size and strength, if trained properlyin the terms of body mechanics, kinematics, and physics of martial arts, canput out optimum performance and derive maximum benefits withoutunnecessary wastage of energy. The subjects had also completed theConcentration Grid to find out their concentration levels. The karateka whowas successful in breaking the board has been found to have a higher level ofconcentration as compared to the unsuccessful karateka, indicating that thispsychological parameter also has significant impact on the impulse leadingto board breaking karate performance

HYPERCOMPETITIVE ATTITUDE AMONG ATHLETES: A BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS

Maintaining competitive attitude provides confidence, focus and ability to achieve but over competitiveness can result in maladjusted behavior and lead to neurotic behavior. The present investigation was focused to explore the hypercompetitive attitude among track and field athletes across gender. The subjects were intercollegiate medalist and non-medalist athletes, age ranging from 18 to 25 years. The subjects objectively responded to a 26 items’ Hypercompetitive Attitude Scale (Ryckman et al., 1990). Researchers tested the Null hypothesis by employing ‘t’ test to find out the comparative differentials in hypercompetitive attitude between track and field athletes, medalist and non-medalist athletes and the gender groups. Findings of the study revealed that the athletic groups i.e. the track and field groups and medalist and non-medalist groups had not demonstrated any significant differences. However, significant differences were noticed among the gender groups. Results revealed that only medalist female athletes exhibited significantly higher level of hypercompetitive attitude as compared to the male athletes. Further in-depth investigation is needed to observe the intense attributes of hyper competitiveness in relation to sports performance.  Article visualizations