Advancing task involvement, intrinsic motivation and metacognitive regulation in physical education classes: the self-check style of teaching makes a difference

It was hypothesized that “self-check” style of teaching would be more preferable in terms of creating a mastery-oriented climate, and promoting adaptive achievement goals, intrinsic motivation and metacognitive activity in physical education classes. Two hundred seventy-nine (N = 269) 6-grade students were randomly divided into two groups that were taught four consecutive physical education lessons of the same content following either “practice” or “self-check” styles of teaching respectively. Students responded on questionnaires prior and after the intervention. Results revealed significant interactions between groups and measurements. Students in the “self-check” style group scored higher in scales measuring mastery-oriented climate, mastery goal, intrinsic motivation and metacognitive processes and lower in scales measuring performance-goals and performance-oriented motivational climate. These results underscore the importance of using styles of teaching that enhance opportunities for deep cognitive processing and promote mastery-goals and mastery-oriented climates

THE COMPETITION IN PRESCHOOL AGE: A SHORT REVIEW

Competition matters in our daily life. Humans compete in their jobs, in their relationships, in the classroom etc. for different reason and with different way. We know a lot about competition for the adults but we lack of knowledge on what is happening during the preschool age and this is the focus of the present paper. The literature review shows that young children from the age of 4 years old perceive the concept of competition and express competitive behaviour. The factors which affect young children’s competitive behaviour are the gender, the age and the composition of the team as to gender and size. Moreover, during the implementation of the curriculum children express competitive behaviour in kindergarten classroom. They express competitive behaviours, which are divided into two main categories, verbally and physically, which include and subcategories. Competitive behaviour is expressed by children more often during organized activities and less during free activities, like breakfast time and discussion.  Article visualizations

Intervention Effect of Supportive Group Therapy and Physical Exercise on the Quality of Life of Cancer Patients

Psychological distress is a multidimensional concern affecting patients’ ability to cope with cancer, its physical symptoms, and treatments. This study examined the effect of an exercise program and a group psychotherapy program on the quality of life of Greek cancer patients. The sample consisted of 39 cancer patients (10 males and 29 females), assigned randomly in three groups of 13 patients each group, that is, a control, an exercise and a psychotherapy group. The duration of the training program for the individuals of the exercise group was 10 weeks at a frequency of two sessions per week, 60 minutes each session. The patients of the psychotherapy group received a 10 weeks’ supportive–expressive group therapy, at a frequency of one time per week, of 90 minutes each meeting. The quality of life SF-36 questionnaire was administered to examine the short-term effect of both programs prior and after intervention on quality of life. Control group individuals did not participate in any program and they just filled in the SF-36 questionnaire prior and after intervention. Improvement in “vitality” (p = .006) and mental health subscale (p = .011) was statistically significant between pre and post measures in the supportive therapy group. All other domains exhibit no significant changes. In the exercise group, physical functioning, role functioning and emotional role values were also improved but not to the point to generate statistically significant results. The findings of the present study support the positive impact of psychotherapy intervention on vitality and mental health component of patients with cancer, followed in less extent by the beneficial effect of the exercise program

Students’ Attitudes Toward Assessment in Physical Education

Despite the recent increase in attention on studies focusing on different types of assessment of student participation in physical education (PE), there is little research concerning students’ attitudes toward the PE assessment process. This study aimed to investigate students’ attitudes toward assessment procedures in PE by developing and validating a quantitative instrument concerning crucial areas of pedagogy such as curriculum, teachers, grading, and fitness tests. It further investigates important attitude determinants such as grade level and gender differences. The scale was distributed to 1,403 students in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th grades. Principal components analysis showed an eigenvalue factor greater than 1, which accounted for 47% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded satisfactory indices that confirmed the unidimensional model with high internal consistency (α = .84). A two-way analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the 7th and 10th grades. At the same time, students expressed a high level of positive attitudes toward the different aspects of assessment procedures. The study examined various aspects of students’ attitudes toward assessment and resulted in a reliable, valid, and easy-to-use quantitative instrument that can be used by educators and researchers to assess students’ attitudes toward assessment in PE

Elementary Students’ Perceptions of Cognitively Challenging Physical Activity Games in Physical Education

This study examined 10–11-year-old students’ perceptions regarding three different types of physical activity games based on different principles of mental engagement (contextual interference, mental control, or discovery). A total of 156 students (84 girls) from five fourth-grade (75 students) and five fifth-grade (81 students) classes of five elementary schools located in a middle-sized city in central Greece participated in the study. These students participated in a larger project consisting of a series of acute experiments aiming to examine the effectiveness of cognitively challenging physical activity games in elementary physical education. Students responded to open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of the physical activity games. Their responses were analyzed through a thematic analysis. A total number of 706 quotes were identified and categorized into the lower-order themes which were organized into four higher-order themes: (a) characteristics of the games, (b) effects of the games, (c) areas for improvement, and (d) preferences for specific games. Students’ views provided supporting evidence regarding the employment of cognitively challenging physical activity games in physical education. Useful insights regarding the characteristics of the games, their effects, and their areas for improvement were also gained

Greek preservice physical education teachers’ mental models of production and reproduction teaching styles

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Adolescents’ Out-of-School Physical Activity Levels and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Restrictions in Greece: A Longitudinal Study

The present study aimed to identify the impact of social distancing measures on adolescents’ physical activity (PA) levels and well-being during the implementation of COVID-19 restrictive measures. There were 438 participants (207 boys and 231 girls), aged 12 to 15 years old (M = 13.5, SD = 0.55). They completed online questionnaires on well-being and PA in three waves (December 2020, February 2021, and June 2021). Correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between well-being and PA variables in the three measurements. Additionally, separate three-way repeated-measures ANOVAs were conducted to capture possible differences in students’ moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels, life satisfaction, and subjective vitality among the three measurements due to gender, age, and interaction between gender and age. A significant relation emerged between the MVPA variables and well-being. In all measurements, adolescents’ PA levels did not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of at least 60 min per day in MVPA. Students’ MVPA levels, life satisfaction, and subjective vitality were significantly higher in the third measurement compared to the first and second ones. Moreover, significant differences emerged in life satisfaction and subjective vitality between boys and girls in the first and third measurements, respectively. The COVID-19 restrictions appeared to negatively influence adolescents’ PA and well-being. Policymakers aimed at facilitating adolescents’ well-being in a similar situation in the future should not adopt measures restricting the participation of adolescents in PA

Physical activity levels, exercise attitudes, self-perceptions and BMI type of 11 to 12-year-old children

This study examined elementary school pupils with different body mass index (BMI) as to attitudes towards exercise, self-perception, lesson satisfaction in physical education and participation in physical activity. Seven hundred and seventy-five pupils participated in this study, aged 11-12 years. The study was conducted through questionnaires. Students were divided according to their BMI: normal, overweight and obese. Two-way analysis of variance was used, with gender and BMI type as independent variables. The results revealed that when compared to students with a normal BMI, the obese and overweight students had lower scores in lesson satisfaction, negative views of their body and reduced levels of physical activity. Also, the results showed that the obese and overweight students adopted more sedentary daily habits, such as many hours of TV watching and PC usage. The results of this study imply the need for necessary school interventions in order to encourage healthier behaviours and habits

Assessing preschool children's competitive behaviour: an observational system

The aim of this study was to develop a direct observational system in order to assess competitive behaviours in preschool children. Participants were 176 children (90 boys, 86 girls; Mage = 5.2 years) from 10 kindergarten classes of one town of Central Greece. A new observational system (Observational System Assessing Competition in Kindergarten) was developed for the objective measurement of children's competitive behaviours. This system will allow researchers to monitor and evaluate children's competitive behaviour in kindergarten classes. Preliminary direct observation data are presented in order to illustrate the potential uses of the observational system. Results showed that boys express more often competitive behaviours than do girls. Furthermore, the majority of competitive behaviours were observed during organised activities and much less during free activities, breakfast time and discussion. © 2014, © 2014 Taylor & Francis