The Influence of Teacher-Initiated Reminders on the Attainment of Students\u27 Aerobic Fitness Goals

Goal setting in the physical education classroom can be a successful technique to enhance motivation, increase effort, and improve performance. A critical component of effective goal setting is providing feedback. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of teacher-initiated reminders of the goal on the attainment of self-set aerobic goals in physical education classes. This study was quasi-experimental in nature and used a nonrandomized pretest-posttest, control group design to carry out the procedures. Participants were from two fifth grade classes: one class was designated the experimental group (n = 15) and the other was the control group (n = 16). Participants completed the aerobic fitness pre-test and then created their aerobic fitness goal. Participants completed two cardio units each two weeks in duration with the experimental group being exposed to teacher-initiated reminders of their aerobic fitness goals, three times a class period; whereas, the control group was not exposed to any teacher-initiated reminders. At post-test, both groups completed the aerobic fitness test and determined whether their goal was met or surpassed. Results showed that more students than expected in the experimental group obtained their goal, which was not the case with the control group. Specifically, 80% of students in the experimental group surpassed their goal and only 56% of those in the control group surpassed their goal. The results suggest that keeping goals in focus through feedback can increase attainment. Overall, these results can serve to help physical educators use an effective goal setting to increase the success of their students

Preferences Toward Gender of Coach and Perceptions of Roles of Basketball Coaches

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(4): 303-317. Framed within role congruity theory this study examined (a) if female collegiate basketball players have a preference toward male or female head basketball coaches, (b) if the gender and enjoyment level of past head coaches influence preferences toward a male or female head coach and/or influence the perceived roles of women’s basketball head coaches, and (c) if there is a relationship between the perceived roles of women’s basketball head coaches and female collegiate basketball players’ preferences toward male or female head coaches. Fifty-nine women’s basketball players from 10 Division I universities completed a survey that included a consent form, demographic questions, the list of managerial sub roles, and questions regarding preferences, gender, and enjoyment level of past and current coaches. Participants significantly preferred male head coaches compared to female head coaches. A cluster analysis was conducted to group participants into a male coach profile and a female coach profile using the variables of gender of past and current coaches and the gender of coach enjoyed most. Results showed that the male coach profile group preferred male coaches significantly more than the female coach profile group. Because preferences for male coaches still exist, especially with female basketball players who did not have a female high school coach, it is vital that the numbers of female coaches increase, especially at younger age levels

Perspectives of Fitness and Health in College Men and Women

Because many college students engage in low levels of physical activity, the current study used a qualitative framework to interview 11 college students to examine the meaning physically active college students assign to the practice of fitness and health. Students discussed the importance of healthy eating, but that it was difficult to accomplish at college. Additionally, students intertwined health and fitness with physical appearance and attractiveness. In particular, the media shaped many of their perceptions of health and fitness. Implications of these findings to policy making in higher education, in particular wellness programming, are highlighted

The Relationship between Sports Specialization and Mental Toughness

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(1): 44-52, 2017. The pros and cons of early sport specialization compared to diversification have been examined in many research studies. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the relationship between mental toughness and age of specialization in sport, and (b) differences in mental toughness based on early specialization of sport and gender. College athletes (N = 102) completed surveys about specialization and mental toughness, including MeBTough. The mean age of specialization was 13.45 (± 4.47). Results showed no significant difference in mental toughness of those who specialized early and those who did not. There was no significant difference in mental toughness scores based on gender. It is possible that there were no differences in mental toughness based on early specialization because most of the athletes played multiple sports in high school and did not actually specialize until their later years of high school. Because the athletes in the study had similar sporting experience, it is possible that both men and women developed similar levels of mental toughness. Mental toughness develops over the years by maximizing athletes’ opportunities and competition experiences, and athletes can develop their mental toughness by choosing to specialize or diversify in sports. More research needs to be done pertaining to sports like gymnastics and figure skating where early specialization may be critical to success

Building a Culture of Academic Integrity [Waldron]

I want to start by contextualizing my teaching in terms of academic integrity. First, I teach primarily upper-level, major courses and graduate classes. Second, academic integrity is a core value that I believe is essential to the university environment. Along with that, is my belief that it is critical that students develop academic integrity as a value as they move into their professional careers. Because of this, I work to educate students on academic dishonesty. I am also upfront with them and state that I have and will investigate potential violations and take the necessary action

Enhancing Academic Integrity and Facing Academic Dishonesty Afternoon Plenary Session & Wrap-Up

A core classroom value for many college and university instructors is academic integrity and honesty. Instructors often employ a range of strategies to strengthen academic integrity and limit academic dishonesty in their individual courses. By bringing together panelists from a variety of disciplines and professional experiences, who teach a range of courses in diverse formats, levels, and sizes, this panel aims to generate a discussion about how to support a culture of academic integrity. We will address these issues based on how we think about academic integrity and dishonesty, our discipline or course specific concerns, our physical and institutional environments, and our experiences with students and other members of our communities. Ultimately, it is worth noting that cultivating academic integrity within each individual classroom is but one dimension of strengthening and sustaining a broader culture of integrity in the academic communities of which we are a part. In keeping with the spirit of strengthening a broader culture of integrity, this session will include opportunity for discussion and synthesis with the audience

Updating models for restoration and management of fiery ecosystems

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Scientific models that guide restoration/management protocols should be reviewed periodically as new data become available. We examine ecological concepts used to guide restoration of pine savannas and woodlands, historically prominent but now rare habitats in the southern North American Coastal Plain. For many decades, pine savanna management has been guided predominantly by a biome-centric succession model. Pine savannas have been considered early-successional communities that, in the absence of fire, transition rapidly toward closed-canopy hardwood forests. Recurrent fires have been viewed as exogenous disturbances that maintain savanna ecosystems as a sub-climax, blocking succession to an equilibrium steady state (closed-canopy forests). Over recent decades, a vegetation-fire feedback model has emerged in which pine savannas are conceptualized as persistent, non-equilibrium communities maintained by endogenous, co-evolutionary vegetation-fire feedbacks. Endemic plant species are resistant to fires and specialized for post-fire conditions generated by frequent lightning fires, primarily within a distinct fire season. These species produce pyrogenic fine fuels that are easily ignited. The resulting fire regimes, entrained by these vegetation-fire feedbacks, are predicted to result in persistent pine savannas. Local variation over space and time in evolutionary feedback mechanisms between pyrogenic vegetation and fire regimes produces heterogeneous landscapes. Disturbances of these feedbacks, such as human fire suppression, are postulated to result in rapid transition to communities lacking feedback elements, such as closed-canopy forest and those without pyrogenic species. Succession-based management focuses on reversing the transition to forest, primarily by removing hardwoods and reintroducing fire as a disturbance. However, we advocate restoration and management approaches that target reinstitution of functional vegetation-fire feedbacks. Such approaches should favor native pyrogenic plant species and reinstitute fire regimes that mimic historical, evolutionarily derived fire regimes. Vegetation-fire feedback concepts should be useful in addressing resistance and resilience of fiery ecosystems worldwide to inherent changes in feedback mechanisms, constituting a framework useful in addressing global management challenges

The Effect of Dietary Supplements on Endurance Exercise Performance and Core Temperature in Hot Environments: A Meta-analysis and Meta-regression

BackgroundThe ergogenic effects of dietary supplements on endurance exercise performance are well-established; however, their efficacy in hot environmental conditions has not been systematically evaluated.Objectives(1) To meta-analyse studies investigating the effects of selected dietary supplements on endurance performance and core temperature responses in the heat. Supplements were included if they were deemed to: (a) have a strong evidence base for ‘directly’ improving thermoneutral endurance performance, based on current position statements, or (b) have a proposed mechanism of action that related to modifiable factors associated with thermal balance. (2) To conduct meta-regressions to evaluate the moderating effect of selected variables on endurance performance and core temperature responses in the heat following dietary supplementation.MethodsA search was performed using various databases in May 2020. After screening, 25 peer-reviewed articles were identified for inclusion, across three separate meta-analyses: (1) exercise performance; (2) end core temperature; (3) submaximal core temperature. The moderating effect of several variables were assessed via sub-analysis and meta-regression.ResultsOverall, dietary supplementation had a trivial significant positive effect on exercise performance (Hedges’ g = 0.18, 95% CI 0.007–0.352, P = 0.042), a trivial non-significant positive effect on submaximal core temperature (Hedges’ g = 0.18, 95% CI − 0.021 to 0.379, P = 0.080) and a small non-significant positive effect on end core temperature (Hedges’ g = 0.20, 95% CI − 0.041 to 0.439, P = 0.104) in the heat. There was a non-significant effect of individual supplements on exercise performance (P = 0.973) and submaximal core temperature (P = 0.599). However, end core temperature was significantly affected by supplement type (P = 0.003), which was attributable to caffeine’s large significant positive effect (n = 8; Hedges’ g = 0.82, 95% CI 0.433–1.202, P < 0.001) and taurine’s medium significant negative effect (n = 1; Hedges’ g = − 0.96, 95% CI − 1.855 to − 0.069, P = 0.035).ConclusionSupplements such as caffeine and nitrates do not enhance endurance performance in the heat, with caffeine also increasing core temperature responses. Some amino acids might offer the greatest performance benefits in the heat. Exercising in the heat negatively affected the efficacy of many dietary supplements, indicating that further research is needed and current guidelines for performance in hot environments likely require revision

Bringing Social Science Into Critical Zone Science:Exploring Smallholder Farmers' Learning Preferences in Chinese Human-Modified Critical Zones

There is a growing global emphasis on sustainable agriculture to reduce human impacts and improve delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With increasing investment in critical zone observatories (CZOs), it becomes important to understand how sustainable agricultural knowledge is produced, shared and used between different groups including farmers, scientists and government. To explore these issues, scientists leading the knowledge exchange (KE) component of a China-UK CZO program studied three farming regions with contrasting geologies and varying economic levels, using a practice-based research method. We demonstrate how additional funding for social science research allowed us to understand how farmers access and share farming knowledge through bonding, bridging and linking networks, and how this varies spatially, using interviews and survey questionnaires. Knowledge flows, barriers and opportunities for designing locally suited two-way KE activities were identified. First, we highlight the need for a more locally, socially embedded and reflexive approach to build trust and better address pressing local environmental challenges. Second, we show how social science can usefully inform KE for collaborative, international development science, to draw on local knowledge, promote research impacts and capacity building while avoiding knowledge mismatches. Lastly, a blueprint for the design and funding of future CZOs, social-ecological and planetary health research agendas that combine science, social science, local knowledge and KE is presented, including the need for substantive social science research to take place in addition to science research in human-modified landscapes—enabling the CZ science to be better grounded in, informed by and useful to local communities