Understanding the experiences of heavy smokers after exercise

There is now strong evidence that exercise has an acute effect on the urge to smoke and the accompanying withdrawal symptoms. However, the perceptions by heavy smokers of exercise and its relationship to the urge to smoke have not been well documented. The aim of the present study is to understand the experiences of heavy smokers with regard to exercise and its effect on their urge to smoke. Five physically inactive, heavy smokers are asked to abstain from smoking the night before exercising on a cycle ergometer under two conditions (one at medium and one at vigorous intensity done a week apart). Semi-structured, in-depth interviews are conducted after the second exercise session. Thematic analysis reveals six themes describing the participants’ experience of exercise, urge to smoke, exercise preferences, exercise and smoking relationship, exercise as an aid to quit smoking, and the effects of the experimental procedure. Overall, the participants’ experiences support the existing literature, which has posited affective, biological, and cognitive mechanisms contributing to a delay in the urge to smoke after exercise. The main findings pertain to: (1) the “feel-good” effect after exercise as a relief from the “feel-bad” effect during exercise; (2) the decreased urge to smoke after exercise, stated by all participants regardless of reported positive and negative feelings; and (3) exercise as a “clearing the mind” mechanism rather than an attention-distracting mechanism

TRAINING SPORT COACHES FOR ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: THE TEAMUP PROJECT

This paper presents the Erasmus + TeamUp project which aimed to provide basic skills and knowledge to sport coaches in order to enable them to work with individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and act as facilitators in their own country and local community transmitting this knowledge and values. The rationale for conducting the program is analyzed and its aims and objectives are described, with emphasis given on all relative educational material developed for application in sport and physical education settings. In particular, one of the main activities of the program was the development of the educational package by the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, aiming to increase knowledge and skills of sport coaches in three different chapters concerning ID, Special Olympics and Paralympic Games, individualized education programming and physical activity adaptations and inclusion strategies for athletes with ID, respectively. Dissemination of this educational package and results of sport coaches’ responses from Greece, Croatia, Romania and Spain to three online questionnaires relative to the three topics created, are also presented and analyzed. Finally, practical implications and suggestions for further development are discussed. Article visualizations

DE-PASS Best Evidence Statement (BESt): modifiable determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents aged 5–19 years–a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Physical activity among children and adolescents remains insufficient, despite the substantial efforts made by researchers and policymakers. Identifying and furthering our understanding of potential modifiable determinants of physical activity behaviour (PAB) and sedentary behaviour (SB) is crucial for the development of interventions that promote a shift from SB to PAB. The current protocol details the process through which a series of systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses (MAs) will be conducted to produce a best-evidence statement (BESt) and inform policymakers. The overall aim is to identify modifiable determinants that are associated with changes in PAB and SB in children and adolescents (aged 5–19 years) and to quantify their effect on, or association with, PAB/SB. Methods and analysis A search will be performed in MEDLINE, SportDiscus, Web of Science, PsychINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials (CTs) that investigate the effect of interventions on PAB/SB and longitudinal studies that investigate the associations between modifiable determinants and PAB/SB at multiple time points will be sought. Risk of bias assessments will be performed using adapted versions of Cochrane’s RoB V.2.0 and ROBINS-I tools for RCTs and CTs, respectively, and an adapted version of the National Institute of Health’s tool for longitudinal studies. Data will be synthesised narratively and, where possible, MAs will be performed using frequentist and Bayesian statistics. Modifiable determinants will be discussed considering the settings in which they were investigated and the PAB/SB measurement methods used. Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval is needed as no primary data will be collected. The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and academic conferences where possible. The BESt will also be shared with policy makers within the DE-PASS consortium in the first instance

DE-PASS Best Evidence Statement (BESt):modifiable determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents aged 5–19 years–a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Physical activity among children and adolescents remains insufficient, despite the substantial efforts made by researchers and policymakers. Identifying and furthering our understanding of potential modifiable determinants of physical activity behaviour (PAB) and sedentary behaviour (SB) is crucial for the development of interventions that promote a shift from SB to PAB. The current protocol details the process through which a series of systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) will be conducted to produce a best-evidence statement (BESt) and inform policy makers. The overall aim is to identify modifiable determinants that are associated with changes in PAB and SB in children and adolescents (aged 5-19 years) and to quantify their effect on, or association with, PAB/SB. Methods and analysis: A search will be performed in MEDLINE, SportDiscus, Web of Science, PsychINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials (CTs) that investigate the effect of interventions on PAB/SB and longitudinal studies that investigate the associations between modifiable determinants and PAB/SB at multiple time points will be sought. Risk of bias assessments will be performed using adapted versions of Cochrane’s RoB 2.0 and ROBINS-I tools for RCTs and CTs, respectively, and an adapted version of the National Institute of Health’s tool for longitudinal studies. Data will be synthesised narratively and, where possible, MAs will be performed using frequentist and Bayesian statistics. Modifiable determinants will be discussed considering the settings in which they were investigated and the PAB/SB measurement methods used. Ethics and dissemination: No ethical approval is needed as no primary data will be collected. The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and academic conferences where possible. The BESt will also be shared with policy makers within the DE-PASS consortium in the first instance. Systematic review registration: CRD4202128287

DE-PASS Best Evidence Statement (BESt): modifiable determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents aged 5-19 years-a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Physical activity among children and adolescents remains insufficient, despite the substantial efforts made by researchers and policymakers. Identifying and furthering our understanding of potential modifiable determinants of physical activity behaviour (PAB) and sedentary behaviour (SB) is crucial for the development of interventions that promote a shift from SB to PAB. The current protocol details the process through which a series of systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses (MAs) will be conducted to produce a best-evidence statement (BESt) and inform policymakers. The overall aim is to identify modifiable determinants that are associated with changes in PAB and SB in children and adolescents (aged 5-19 years) and to quantify their effect on, or association with, PAB/SB. Methods and analysis A search will be performed in MEDLINE, SportDiscus, Web of Science, PsychINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials (CTs) that investigate the effect of interventions on PAB/SB and longitudinal studies that investigate the associations between modifiable determinants and PAB/SB at multiple time points will be sought. Risk of bias assessments will be performed using adapted versions of Cochrane's RoB V.2.0 and ROBINS-I tools for RCTs and CTs, respectively, and an adapted version of the National Institute of Health's tool for longitudinal studies. Data will be synthesised narratively and, where possible, MAs will be performed using frequentist and Bayesian statistics. Modifiable determinants will be discussed considering the settings in which they were investigated and the PAB/SB measurement methods used. Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval is needed as no primary data will be collected. The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and academic conferences where possible. The BESt will also be shared with policy makers within the DE-PASS consortium in the first instance. Systematic review registration CRD42021282874

Exploring University Students’ Justifications for Making Metacognitive Judgments of Learning

The accuracy of students’ judgments has important implications for their learning and performance in educational settings. However, little is known about how students make these judgments. This study explored university students’ justifications for making their judgments of learning in a developmental psychology course. Two independent samples were involved, including a total number of 115 senior sport students. Participants responded to a knowledge test and provided their judgments at the local (Sample 1) or at the global level (Sample 2) and then provided their justifications for making these judgments. Students’ justifications for making their judgments were classified in ten categories, including the study of the learning materials, the confidence for answering (or not) correctly, the memory, the general knowledge, the knowledge of the answer and a general reference to common sense, experience, lectures, and judgment. Variations in the frequency of these justifications were found across the local and the global level, low and high accurate students, and low and high performers. These results are discussed regarding their theoretical and practical implications for undergraduate students’ learning

Exploring Performance Calibration in Relation to Better or Worse Than Average Effect in Physical Education

The aim of this study was to explore students’ calibration of sport performance in relation to better or worse than average effect in physical education settings. Participants were 147 fifth and sixth grade students (71 boys, 76 girls) who were tested in a soccer passing accuracy test after they had provided estimations for their own and their peers’ performance in this test. Based on students’ actual and estimated performance, calibration indexes of accuracy and bias were calculated. Moreover, students were classified in better, worse, or equal than average groups based on estimated scores of their own and their peers’ average performance. Results showed that students overestimated their own performance while most of them believed that their own performance was worse than their peers’ average performance. No significant differences in calibration accuracy of soccer passing were found between better, worse, or equal than average groups of students. These results were discussed with reference to previous calibration research evidence and theoretical and practical implications for self-regulated learning and performance calibration in physical education

Development, implementation, and evaluation of self-regulated learning program in physical education

The aim of the dissertation was the examination of self-regulated learning inelementary physical education. A social cognitive perspective of self-regulatedlearning was adopted for the design of five studies which examined the effectivenessof various self-regulatory processes. Participants in the five studies were 380 fifth andsixth grade students (168 boys, 212 girls) from 10 elementary schools. Amicroanalytic methodology was adopted and students participated in the studiesindividually, in pairs, or in small groups. Generally, the results showed that fifth andsixth grade students effectively used self-regulatory processes to enhance the learningof motor and sport skills in physical education. In particular, in the first study,students who practiced dart-throwing with social feedback and then with processgoals and self-recording displayed the highest performance, supporting theeffectiveness of the social cognitive model of self-regulated learning. The results ofthe second study showed a positive effect of self-recording on students’ dart-throwingperformance, while no difference among the different goal conditions (process,performance, combined goals) was found. The results of the third study showed thatself-talk had a positive effect οn students’ dart-throwing performance during goaldirectedpractice, supporting the hypothesis of the self-talk incorporation into thecyclical model of self-regulated learning. The results of the fourth study showed thatself-talk had a positive effect on performance. Instructional and motivational self-talkwere equally effective in the chest pass task, whereas motivational self-talk was moreeffective compared to instructional self-talk in the modified push-ups task, providingpartial support for the task-demand-oriented matching hypothesis. The results of thefifth study showed that the use of the reciprocal and the self-check styles had apositive effect on students’ chest pass accuracy and technique. Students’ recordingaccuracy in the reciprocal and self-check styles was moderate with a tendency tooverestimation of performance. In conclusion, the use of self-regulatory processes can enhance students’ learning and performance of motor and sport skills in elementaryphysical education. The social cognitive perspective is an appropriate framework forstudying self-regulated learning in physical education. Based on this approach and theresults of the present studies an instructional approach for teaching motor and sportskills in physical education was proposed. This approach includes instructions,modeling, practice with social feedback and self-directed practice with goals and selfmonitoring.Σκοπός της διατριβής ήταν η μελέτη της αυτο-ρύθμισης της μάθησης αθλητικών καικινητικών δεξιοτήτων στη φυσική αγωγή στο δημοτικό. Ως θεωρητικό πλαίσιοχρησιμοποιήθηκε η κοινωνική γνωστική προσέγγιση αυτο-ρύθμισης της μάθησης, γιανα σχεδιαστούν πέντε έρευνες που εξέτασαν την αποτελεσματικότητα επιμέρουςδιαδικασιών αυτο-ρύθμισης. Συνολικά συμμετείχαν 380 μαθητές/τριες Ε΄ και Στ΄τάξης (168 αγόρια, 212 κορίτσια) 10 δημοτικών σχολείων. Χρησιμοποιήθηκε κυρίωςη μικροαναλυτική μέθοδος και οι μαθητές/τριες συμμετείχαν στις έρευνες ατομικά,σε ζευγάρια ή σε μικρές ομάδες. Από τα αποτελέσματα των ερευνών φάνηκε ότι οιμαθητές/τριες δημοτικού ήταν σε θέση να χρησιμοποιήσουν αποτελεσματικάδιαδικασίες αυτο-ρύθμισης και να ενισχύσουν τη μάθηση αθλητικών και κινητικώνδεξιοτήτων στη φυσική αγωγή. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, στην πρώτη έρευνα βρέθηκε ότι οιμαθητές/τριες που ασκήθηκαν στην αρχή με κοινωνική ανατροφοδότηση και στησυνέχεια με στόχους διαδικασίας και αυτο-καταγραφή είχαν την υψηλότερη επίδοσηστη ρίψη βέλους, υποστηρίζοντας την αποτελεσματικότητα του κοινωνικούγνωστικού μοντέλου των τεσσάρων επιπέδων ανάπτυξης της αυτο-ρύθμισης τηςμάθησης. Στη δεύτερη έρευνα βρέθηκε θετική επίδραση της αυτο-καταγραφής στηναπόδοση των μαθητών/τριών στη ρίψη βέλους, ενώ δεν βρέθηκαν διαφορές μεταξύτων μαθητών/τριών που έθεσαν διαφορετικού τύπου στόχους (στόχο διαδικασίας,απόδοσης, συνδυασμό στόχων διαδικασίας και απόδοσης). Στην τρίτη έρευναβρέθηκε ότι η χρήση της αυτο-ομιλίας στη διάρκεια στοχοκατευθυνόμενηςεξάσκησης είχε θετική επίδραση στην απόδοση των μαθητών/τριών στη ρίψη βέλους,υποστηρίζοντας την υπόθεση της εισαγωγής της αυτο-ομιλίας στη φάση απόδοσηςτου κυκλικού μοντέλου αυτο-ρύθμισης της μάθησης. Στην τέταρτη έρευνα βρέθηκεότι η αυτο-ομιλία είχε θετική επίδραση στην απόδοση. Η τεχνική και η παρακινητικήαυτο-ομιλία ήταν εξίσου αποτελεσματικές στην πάσα στήθους, ενώ η παρακινητικήαυτο-ομιλία ήταν πιο αποτελεσματική σε σύγκριση με την τεχνική στις τροποποιημένες κάμψεις, υποστηρίζοντας μερικά την υπόθεση ταιριάσματος τηςαυτο-ομιλίας με τις απαιτήσεις της δεξιότητας. Στην πέμπτη έρευνα βρέθηκε ότι τοαμοιβαίο στυλ και το στυλ αυτο-ελέγχου είχαν θετική επίδραση στην απόδοση τωνμαθητών/τριών στην ακρίβεια και στην τεχνική της πάσας στήθους. Η ακρίβειακαταγραφής της απόδοσης των συμμαθητών/τριών με το αμοιβαίο στυλ και της αυτο-καταγραφής με το στυλ αυτο-ελέγχου κυμάνθηκε σε μέτρια επίπεδα με τάσειςυπερεκτίμησης της απόδοσης. Συμπερασματικά, η χρήση διαδικασιών αυτο-ρύθμισηςμπορεί να ενισχύσει τη μάθηση αθλητικών και κινητικών δεξιοτήτων στη φυσικήαγωγή στο δημοτικό. Η κοινωνική γνωστική προσέγγιση αυτο-ρύθμισης της μάθησηςαποτελεί κατάλληλο θεωρητικό πλαίσιο για τη μελέτη της αυτο-ρύθμισης τηςμάθησης στη φυσική αγωγή. Με βάση την προσέγγιση αυτή και τα αποτελέσματατων ερευνών της διατριβής προτείνεται ότι η διδασκαλία αθλητικών και κινητικώνδεξιοτήτων στη φυσική αγωγή πρέπει να περιλαμβάνει διαδοχικά σύντομεςπροφορικές οδηγίες εκτέλεσης της δεξιότητας, την επίδειξή της, την άσκηση μεανατροφοδότηση και την αυτοκατευθυνόμενη άσκηση με στόχους και αυτο-παρακολούθηση

The Effects of a Cognitively Challenging Physical Activity Intervention on School Children’s Executive Functions and Motivational Regulations

This study examined the effects of a physical education intervention consisting of cognitively challenging physical activity games on school children’s executive functions and motivational regulations. Ninety-nine fourth- and fifth-grade children participated in this two-group, repeated measures, quasi-experimental study with a cross-over design. Children’s executive functions (measured with the design fluency and Stroop and flanker tests) and motivational regulations were measured pre- and post-intervention and one month later. At post-test, the experimental group children outperformed the waiting-list control group children in all design fluency test conditions and accuracy in the Stroop and flanker tests. Both groups improved from pre- to post-intervention their speed (reaction time) in the Stroop and flanker tests. The waiting-list control group children, after receiving the intervention, improved their performance in the executive function tests except for Stroop test accuracy and flanker test speed. The positive effects were reduced significantly one month after the end of the intervention but remained significantly higher compared to pre-intervention. No intervention effects were found for the motivational regulations. These results showed that the intervention had positive effects on children’s executive functions and supported the new shift of designing physical activity programs for developing combinedly children’s physical and cognitive development