scholarly journals Development and Initial Validation of the Humor Climate in Sport Scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaute S. Schei ◽  
Tommy Haugen ◽  
Andreas Stenling ◽  
Anniken Grøtting ◽  
Derek M. Peters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Psychometric Evaluation ◽  
Group Function ◽  
Initial Validation ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Sport Teams ◽  
Item Quality

In sport teams, humor is an essential element that influences communication processes, and plays an important role in group dynamics. Despite this, no current instrument is presented in the literature to measure humor climate in sport teams. Therefore, the current study presents the development and initial validation of the Humor Climate in Sport Scale (HCSS). The aim was to assess content, structural and concurrent validity of the developed instrument, and to examine differential item functioning (DIF) as a function of sex. Three different phases were completed in this study. The first phase involved focus groups (n = 5) that explored humor as communication in a team sport context. In phase 2, information from the focus groups was used to create a pool of potential items for the questionnaire. Two discussion groups with sport science students contributed to the development of 80 potential items, that two different expert groups then assessed for item quality. The final version of the instrument after this phase contained 14 items, representing three different humor dimensions. In phase 3, two independent samples with a total number of 776 participants were recruited for the psychometric evaluation of the instrument. EFA, ICM-CFA, and ESEM analysis were performed, supporting a three-factor structure with positive humor, negative humor in-group, and negative humor out-group. In addition, partial DIF as a function of sex on the negative humor dimensions was found, indicating differences in how male and female interpret the negative humor items. The findings in the current study expand our understanding of humor in sport teams and may be a starting point for further research on humor climate in sport teams and its role in group function.

Nachhaltigkeit im Wald – vor und hinter der Welle der Globalisierung | Sustainable Forest Management – In Front and Behind the Wave of Globalization

2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (12) ◽  
pp. 502-507
Author(s):  
Christian Küchli
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Impact

Are there any common patterns in the transition processes from traditional and more or less sustainable forest management to exploitative use, which can regularly be observed both in central Europe and in the countries of the South (e.g. India or Indonesia)? Attempts were made with a time-space-model to typify those force fields, in which traditional sustainable forest management is undermined and is then transformed into a modern type of sustainable forest management. Although it is unlikely that the history of the North will become the future of the South, the glimpse into the northern past offers a useful starting point for the understanding of the current situation in the South, which in turn could stimulate the debate on development. For instance, the patterns which stand behind the conflicts on forest use in the Himalayas are very similar to the conflicts in the Alps. In the same way, the impact of socio-economic changes on the environment – key word ‹globalisation› – is often much the same. To recognize comparable patterns can be very valuable because it can act as a stimulant for the search of political, legal and technical solutions adapted to a specific situation. For the global community the realization of the way political-economic alliances work at the head of the ‹globalisationwave›can only signify to carry on trying to find a common language and understanding at the negotiation tables. On the lee side of the destructive breaker it is necessary to conserve and care for what survived. As it was the case in Switzerland these forest islands could once become the germination points for the genesis of a cultural landscape, where close-to-nature managed forests will constitute an essential element.

scholarly journals Stakeholders’ Participation in Sustainable Tourism Planning for a Rural Region: Extremadura Case Study (Spain)

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 553
Author(s):  
Marcelo Sánchez-Oro Sánchez ◽  
José Castro-Serrano ◽  
Rafael Robina-Ramírez
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Tourism Planning ◽  
Rural Region ◽  
Rural Environments ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
The One

The objective of this research is to obtain and analyze discursive information on the problems and solutions of the tourism sector in an eminently rural region, such as Extremadura, based on the opinions of stakeholders, in order to incorporate them into the evaluation and tourism planning of the region. More specifically, on the situation of the sector, perceptions on profitability and return on investment, the problem of overnight stays, and coordination between tourism agents and training demands, in order to make a sustainable tourism sector in a rural region. The research starts from the following premise: for tourism to be sustainable, stakeholders must participate in the strategic decision-making process. This paper aims, on the one hand, to clarify sufficiently the state of the art regarding the validity of focus groups and their analysis as a research methodology, explaining how to address the main challenges implied by this technique by reviewing a selection of research works that we consider relevant in this field. On the other hand, an analysis of the tourism sector in Extremadura is carried out based on these group dynamics. The main result, after analyzing the discourse of six focus groups, is that the different opinions of their members reveal, despite everything, that the training of human capital in the tourism sector in rural environments is a pending issue.

scholarly journals The Teaching Model through Problem-Based Learning in a Course on Bibliographic Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ruth Cristina Hernández-Ching
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Teaching Model ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Epistemological Foundation ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The One ◽  
Formative Learning

The experience of applying problem-based learning (PBL) technique in the Bibliographic Research course from a Bachelor of English study plan of a public university during the first half of 2014 is shared. The investigation aimed to answer the following question: Does the problem-based learning technique in the Bibliographic Research course allows to implement the main tenets of the teaching model: epistemological foundation, learning theory, methodology and didactics, and communication processes? The research approach proposed was qualitative, and triangulation for measuring variables was implemented. The following instruments were applied: observation, experience record books, and focus groups. Furthermore, formative learning was measured by means of an online survey. Results of the instruments were categorized using technology-based tools such as Wordle (observation), NVivo (record books) and MindNode (focus groups). A convenience sampling was used to collect data from eight students enrolled in the Bibliographic Research course, ten students of Integrated English II for non-English majors, and the researcher, as professor of the courses. It was determined that the PBL technique permitted to reach the main tenets of the teaching model. It was identified that the teacher was the main learner, and the one who benefited from the process, since a culture of knowledge, throughout the course, was created. It was also concluded that this technique allowed to develop twenty-first century skills. It would be valuable to quantify whether the development of the four basic skills of English, especially the conversation one, improves using the technique along with technologies.

Relationship Educator Experiences of Couple Improvement and Group Dynamics in Relationship Education With Low-Income Couples

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi J. Wheeler ◽  
Shaywanna Harris ◽  
Mark E. Young
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Training Intervention ◽  
Relationship Education ◽  
Current Investigation ◽  
Facilitator Training ◽  
Group Format

Relationship education (RE) interventions improve relationship quality and distress; yet, little is known about the origins of positive gains derived from RE. Couples identified benefits from the group format of RE; however, the perspective of facilitators is neglected. Therefore, the current investigation included two focus groups ( N = 9) with RE facilitators from one federal RE program for low-income couples. Five themes emerged from the phenomenological analysis including (a) therapeutic factors of groups, (b) participant attributes, (c) stress, (d) insight/awareness, and (e) program attributes. Applications of RE facilitator experiences, specifically group factors observed, may inform RE facilitator training, intervention, and implementation.

scholarly journals Should Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) be Used With Focus Groups? Navigating the Bumpy Road of “Iterative Loops,” Idiographic Journeys, and “Phenomenological Bridges”

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 160940692092160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly Love ◽  
Arlene Vetere ◽  
Paul Davis
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Thematic Approach ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Voice

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative thematic approach developed within psychology underpinned by an idiographic philosophy, thereby focusing on the subjective lived experiences of individuals. However, it has been used in focus groups of which some have been critical because of the difficulties of extrapolating the individual voice which is more embedded within the group dynamics and the added complexity of multiple hermeneutics occurring. Some have adapted IPA for use with focus groups, while others provide scant regard to these philosophical tensions. This raises the question whether IPA should be used with focus group data. To address these concerns, this article will set out a step-by-step guide of how IPA was adapted for use with focus groups involving drug using offenders (including illustrative examples with participants’ quotes). A rationale of why it was important to use both focus groups and an IPA approach will be covered including the value, merits, and challenges this presented. An overview of how participants’ idiographic accounts of their drug use, relapse, and recovery were developed will be provided. This article will conclude with a suggested way forward to satisfy the theoretical tensions and address the question raised in the title.

scholarly journals On the “Garden of Delights” as a model of analysis of the intercultural communication processes

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 239-251
Author(s):  
Lurdes Macedo
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Critical Interpretation ◽  
Short Essay

The observation of Hieronymus Bosch’s “Garden of Delights” triptych is the starting point for a short essay on the possible interpretation of this work by its last purchaser, Filipe II of Spain. Additionally, this essay leads to the proposal of a model, based on three categories of analysis, for the critical interpretation of the global course that humanity has been taking since the beginning of the great intercontinental navigations, initially carried out by the Portuguese and the Spanish. The proposed model intends to contribute to the defragmentation of the memory of a long process marked by the tension between hegemonic forces and dynamics of interculturality.

scholarly journals Group Dynamics and Student Participation in a Chinese Setting: Teacher and Observer Perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Harper ◽  
Hui-ju Chen
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Management ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Management Techniques

This article addresses the frequently discussed notion of Chinese students’ supposed reticence and passivity in the English as a Foreign Language classroom. Using the concept of group dynamics as a starting point, it examines teachers’ classroom-management techniques in terms of promoting (or not promoting) active student participation. The study, using a grounded theory of research, analyzed classroom data obtained from class observations and from class filmings and supplemented these data with post-lesson interviews with the four involved teachers. Findings suggested that Chinese students were not necessarily reticent or passive but rather engaged actively when given a learning environment conducive to active engagement. The study pointed to three practical implications for classroom teachers: (1) promoting participation by working toward group cohesion, (2) promoting participation by providing effective teacher-student scaffolding and by providing opportunities for student-student scaffolding, (3) promoting participation by actively replacing textbook materials in order more effectively to offer students adequate support in terms of both language and affect. Acknowledging the fact that different institutional contexts may require different classroom-management techniques, the study calls for further testing of the present findings in other Chinese settings.

Meaningful Ways of Understanding and Measuring Change for People with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Thematic Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 528-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise McCusker ◽  
Marie-Louise Turner ◽  
Georgina Pike ◽  
Helen Startup
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Measuring Change

Background:The effective treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) presents healthcare providers with a significant challenge. The evidence base remains limited partially due to a lack of professional consensus and service user involvement regarding ways of measuring change. As a result, the limited evidence that is available draws on such a wide range of outcome measures, that comparison across treatment types is hindered, maintaining a lack of clarity regarding the clinical needs of this group.Aims:This investigation aimed to follow the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2009) research recommendations by asking service users about meaningful change within their recovery. This forms a starting point for the future development of a tailored outcome measure.Method:Fifteen service users with a diagnosis of BPD participated in three focus groups across two specialist Personality Disorder services. The focus groups were analysed using Thematic Analysis.Results:Two superordinate themes were synthesized from the data: (1) recovery to what?: ‘How do you rewrite who you are?’; and (2) conditions for change. Each superordinate theme further consisted of three subordinate themes which elucidated the over-arching themes.Conclusion:This investigation highlights the complex nature of measuring change in people who have received a BPD diagnosis. Further research is needed to develop meaningful ways of measuring change according to the needs and priorities of people with BPD.

New narration in practicing western integrative medicine: Linguistic, ecolinguistic, and biosemiotic aspects

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 45-61
Author(s):  
Marta BOGUSŁAWSKA-TAFELSKA
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Doctor Patient Communication ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Optimal Health ◽  
Integrative Medical Approach ◽  
Social Environmental

Western science and academia have entered the new millennium with the growing realisation that their theoretical and utilitarian limits have been reached. A particular threshold is experienced across traditional academic disciplines, which is visible in the fact that, on the one hand, the intensity of social, environmental, psychological, health-related and communicational problems people deal with in their everyday lives is increasing; on the other hand, theoretical models and intervention programs that scholarly work provides do not meet the growing necessity. Our paper presents a research project whose starting-point aims are to explore the doctor-patient communication dyad, its functions in the healing process, and to propose a theoretical as well as applicative way forward. In the plans for our research, we aim to study the integrative medical approach and the ways in which language and communication processes allow healing to happen and optimal health to be preserved.

I bambini e l'aerosol. Studio per valutare la compliance della terapia aerosolica associata all'uso di un computer didattico in bambini in etŕ scolastica

2009 ◽  
pp. 91-106
Author(s):  
Roberto Cerabolini ◽  
Gabrielle Boissard ◽  
Tiziana Buonfiglio ◽  
Maria Pia Savorelli
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Aerosol Therapy ◽  
Clinical Interviews ◽  
Children Behavior ◽  
Experimental Environment ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Set Up

- A study has been carried out in order to evaluate the possibility of overcoming children aversion to aerosol therapy as well as facilitating their parents' task. Starting point of this study was the investigation, which was performed through focus groups, clinical interviews and a playful approach, on how children and parents perceive the aerosol therapy. After having identified critical issues and spontaneous proposals to ameliorate aerosol administration, the Authors evaluated the results obtained by the association of the traditional aerosol therapy with a device equipped with educational games. An experimental environment was set up in a school together with a procedure aiming at evaluating the children behavior towards aerosol therapy administered with and without the device equipped with educational games. The results of this monocentric, randomized, cross-over study demonstrated a statistically significant increase of the compliance index when aerosol therapy was administered with the device equipped with educational games, increasing interest, satisfaction and pleasure during the aerosol administration, which was accepted for a longer time.

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