scholarly journals A Case Study of International Students’ Social Adjustment, Friendship Development, and Physical Activity

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Li ◽  
Sam Zizzi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
International Students ◽  
Social Adjustment ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Current Case ◽  
Friendship Development

Previous literature has focused on international student’s social transition and monocultural and bicultural ties. Little research has explored international students’ multicultural friendship development and the role that physical activity plays in their social interaction. The current case study explored a group of international students’ friendship development and the social aspect of physical activity. Data from individual interviews (pre and post), and 5 months of participant observations was used to describe two female international students’ experiences. Results suggested international students faced both language and cultural barriers in their social interactions with American students. Engagement in physical activities served as the context where observations of peer-to-peer social behaviors happened. Researchers argued that the multicultural friendship developed and strengthened by engaging in these physical activities. This paper also discussed implications and limitations of the study as well as future recommendations.    

scholarly journals Measuring Walkability with Street Connectivity and Physical Activity: A Case Study in Iran

World ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-61
Author(s):  
Pouya Molaei ◽  
Liyaning Tang ◽  
Mary Hardie
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
International Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Street Connectivity ◽  
Walking Time ◽  
Activity Questionnaire

The walkability of urban areas is an important criterion related to the level of physical activity and public health of citizens. This research aims to measure this parameter in Golsar town located in Rasht, Iran. Two methods were used in this research: Street connectivity and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The principal variables of street connectivity were measured in four districts of Golsar by Geographic Information System (GIS) to rank each one. Then, the acquired results were compared by the average walking time of the respondents of the questionnaire. The comparison explicitly indicated that there is a strong positive correlation between the measures of street connectivity and people’s tendency to walk. As well, District 1 had the highest value of connectivity and the highest average time for walking amongst the four districts. This supports the contention that walkability and the level of outdoor physical activities of people in each district are undoubtedly under the influence of the variables of street connectivity. Nevertheless, the evaluation of other indexes such as proximity, land use mix, safety, and density in Golsar, in future research. can expand our perception of the walkability of this region.

The Lifestyles of Affluent Young People Ages 9 to 15 Years: A Case Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Sleap ◽  
Barbara Elliott ◽  
Martha Paisi ◽  
Helen Reed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young People ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Lifestyle Activity ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

Background:There are concerns about the future health of young people due to inactive lifestyles. However, evidence about their physical activity levels is not extensive, especially with regard to affluent young people. This study aimed to investigate whether young people from affluent backgrounds met public health recommendations for physical activity.Methods:Diary accounts of lifestyle activity were collected from 219 students ages 9 to 15 y attending a fee-paying school in England.Results:Pupils spent an average of 121 min per day participating in physical activities of at least moderate intensity, considerably more than public health recommendations of 60 min per day. However, almost a quarter of these young people engaged in less than 60 min of physical activity per day of at least moderate intensity.Conclusions:The picture to emerge was one of a balance between sedentary pursuits like television and homework and physical activities such as sport and active play.

scholarly journals HeartMath, Fitbit and COVID-19 - Tracking Movement in Stillness and Stillness in Movement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen David Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
South African ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Achievement Data ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Qualitative Phase ◽  
Significant Health ◽  
Lifestyle Patterns

1. Background: The global COVID-19 lockdowns are unique psychological factors, requiring adjustment and coping. This illustrative, South African case study investigated the influence the COVID-19 lockdown context would have on meditation and physical activity. As these were lifestyle patterns the null hypothesis was of no change. 2. Method: The methodology consisted of quantitative and qualitative phases. The quantitative phase was an empirical, case study review of data from the author’s HeartMath and Fitbit electronic devices, as from 9 November 2019 to 31 July 2021. This consisted of coherence and achievement data from the HeartMath Inner Balance application (app), as well as distance and activity data from the Fitbit app. The qualitative phase consisted of the selection and illustration of meditation sessions documented over lockdown. 3. Results: The highly significant increases in physical activity and meditation coherence and achievement collectively indicated significant health promotion over the COVID-19 Lockdown period. Subtle energetic, experiential descriptions of meditation apprehensions resonated and supported these quantitative findings. 4. Conclusions: COVID-19 lockdown has meant transformation, humility, and reordering of priorities. The meditation descriptions amplified information from the HeartMath and Fitbit electronic devices, together co-creating conscious, embodied, relationship science for discussion, instruction, and further research.

scholarly journals Socio-demographic correlates of leisure time physical activity among Portuguese adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1061-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adilson Marques ◽  
João Martins ◽  
Hugo Sarmento ◽  
Madalena Ramos ◽  
José Diniz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Demographic Correlates ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Middle Socioeconomic Status

This study aimed to identify socio-demographic correlates of leisure time physical activity among Portuguese adults. Subjects aged 31-60 years (1,076 males, 1,383 females) were categorized into two groups according to recommended physical activities ranging from ≥ 10 or < 10 MET.hours.week-1. Leisure time physical activity data was self-reported, including activities, duration of each session and frequency. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were applied to the results. Among men, having a high socioeconomic status (OR = 1.89; 95%CI: 1.30-2.76; p = 0.001) was associated with attaining the recommended level of physical activity. For women, middle education levels were associated with physical activity (OR = 1.36; 95%CI: 1.01-1.85). Moreover, middle socioeconomic status (OR = 1.45; 95%CI: 0.80-1.91; p = 0.009) was also positively associated with meeting physical activities recommendations in the unadjusted analysis. Men and women had different patterns of socio-demographic correlates. An intervention designed to improve the levels of physical activity among Portuguese adults may take these correlates into account.

A Case Study on the Perception of Aging and Participation in Physical Activities of Older Chinese Immigrants in Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fung Kuen Koo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Chinese Immigrants ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Hong Kong Chinese ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Depth Interviews

This qualitative study explores how older Hong Kong Chinese Australians perceive aging and to what extent this perception affects their participation in physical activities. The main methods used were in-depth interviews with 22 participants ranging in age from 60 to 91 years. Interviews were translated from Chinese (Cantonese) and transcribed into English. Content analysis was used to find recurring themes from the interview data. The main findings indicate that the perception of aging is to some extent influenced by culture. Some participants defined aging as being measured in years, and others defined it by the state of one’s physical health, appearance, and capacity to continue fulfilling one’s social roles. These perceptions strongly influenced their preferences for and participation in physical activities. Acknowledging the fact that Chinese-speaking people are not culturally homogeneous, this article makes some recommendations to health service providers with regard to the development of appropriate physical activity programs.

scholarly journals Narrowing the Gap between EFL and ESL:

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-98
Author(s):  
Xin Chen
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Discourse Communities ◽  
Academic English ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
The U.S

The sharp increasing number of international students in the U.S. has warranted more research into the academic literacy development of those students whose first language is not English. A great number of studies have found that how to socialize themselves into the new discourse communities at university remains a challenge for most international students because of language and cultural barriers. The gap between learning the English language in EFL contexts and using the language in ESL contexts also becomes an issue in international students’ academic performance that needs to be addressed. This case study examines how a graduate student from Korea (an EFL country) developed her academic English when pursuing her degree in the U.S. (an ESL context for her). The research demonstrated her strategies of surviving the academic life despite the language limitations and investigated the factors that influenced her language development. Implications for how to support international graduate students in improving linguistic and cross-cultural competences are discussed.

scholarly journals Sports Motivation Survey And Physical Activity Students Of Sport Education Teacher Training And Education Faculty FKIP Muhammadiyah University Surakarta

KINESTETIK ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-95
Author(s):  
Gatot Jariono ◽  
Nur Subekti
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
New Order ◽  
Sport Education ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

This study reveals the motivation to exercise and physical activity of UMS POR students in the COVID 19 new order. This study aims to explore the perceptions, strategies, and challenges of UMS POR students in the COVID 19 new order in having the motivation to exercise and perform physical activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. This case study uses quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data using questionnaires and qualitative data obtained through interactive interviews using google forms. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies through Excel Microsoft 2013 and qualitative data were analyzed through interactive thematic data analysis. The results showed that (i) the sports motivation of UMS POR students in the COVID 19 new order was in a good category or 61.21%, (ii) The physical activity of UMS POR students in the COVID 19 new order was in a good category or was 71.03%. This study recommends that the more frequent physical activity students maintain their physical quality, this must be balanced with sports motivation that is qualified in the COVID 19 new order.

Particularities of the Level of Physical Activity Performed by Adolescents

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 717-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Tuta Sas ◽  
Ancuta Banu ◽  
Nicoleta Nicolae ◽  
Radu Bagiu ◽  
Iulia Bagiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Sample ◽  
Study Type

The research aims to investigate the particularities of the regime of physical activity in adolescents from Timisoara, Romania. The work sample included 243 students: 37.9% in middle school and 62.1% in high school; 56.4% girls and 43.6% boys; aged 11 to 18. The work method was cross-sectional population study of the case study type. The results indicate practicing physical activities in order to lose weight or not gain weight in over half of respondents: 57.3% of middle school students and 57.9% of high school students, more often girls. The boys in the age group 15 to 18 practice more often both moderate and intense physical activities than girls, and the number of days per week in which students participate in sports classes is more reduced in high school compared to middle school.

scholarly journals Cooperative Activity as Mediation in the Social Adjustment of Chinese International Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 856-875
Author(s):  
Junqian Ma
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Social Adjustment ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cooperative Activity

Social adjustment is one of the most difficult and long-lasting challenges for international students who study in a new country. This paper uses a case study of cooperative painting activity conducted in Australian setting, in which two Chinese and three other students from different countries participated, in order to assess the efficiency of cooperative activity in mediating the social adjustment of international students. It argues that three factors determine its mediating function: namely, 1) the relaxing, pushy, and thematic setting, 2) the mediator’s role, and 3) communications and interactions. The study provides a new approach to future practices aiming to support the social adjustment of international students.

scholarly journals Developing a Physical Activity Ontology to Support the Interoperability of Physical Activity Data (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeoneui Kim ◽  
Jessica Mentzer ◽  
Ricky Taira
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Exercise Habit ◽  
Physical Activity Data ◽  
Object Properties ◽  
Activity Questionnaires ◽  
Assessment Scales

BACKGROUND Physical activity data provides important information on disease onset, progression, and treatment outcomes. Although analyzing physical activity data in conjunction with other clinical and microbiological data will lead to new insights crucial for improving human health, it has been hampered partly because of the large variations in the way the data are collected and presented. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to develop a Physical Activity Ontology (PACO) to support structuring and standardizing heterogeneous descriptions of physical activities. METHODS We prepared a corpus of 1140 unique sentences collected from various physical activity questionnaires and scales as well as existing standardized terminologies and ontologies. We extracted concepts relevant to physical activity from the corpus using a natural language processing toolkit called Multipurpose Text Processing Tool. The target concepts were formalized into an ontology using Protégé (version 4). Evaluation of PACO was performed to ensure logical and structural consistency as well as adherence to the best practice principles of building an ontology. A use case application of PACO was demonstrated by structuring and standardizing 36 exercise habit statements and then automatically classifying them to a defined class of either sufficiently active or insufficiently active using FaCT++, an ontology reasoner available in Protégé. RESULTS PACO was constructed using 268 unique concepts extracted from the questionnaires and assessment scales. PACO contains 225 classes including 9 defined classes, 20 object properties, 1 data property, and 23 instances (excluding 36 exercise statements). The maximum depth of classes is 4, and the maximum number of siblings is 38. The evaluations with ontology auditing tools confirmed that PACO is structurally and logically consistent and satisfies the majority of the best practice rules of ontology authoring. We showed in a small sample of 36 exercise habit statements that we could formally represent them using PACO concepts and object properties. The formal representation was used to infer a patient activity status category of sufficiently active or insufficiently active using the FaCT++ reasoner. CONCLUSIONS As a first step toward standardizing and structuring heterogeneous descriptions of physical activities for integrative data analyses, PACO was constructed based on the concepts collected from physical activity questionnaires and assessment scales. PACO was evaluated to be structurally consistent and compliant to ontology authoring principles. PACO was also demonstrated to be potentially useful in standardizing heterogeneous physical activity descriptions and classifying them into clinically meaningful categories that reflect adequacy of exercise.

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