Exergaming for children with probable developmental coordination disorder (p-DCD)/DCD

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of exergaming for improving balance, eye–hand coordination (EHC), and exercise enjoyment among children with special educational needs (SEN) and probable developmental coordination disorder (p-DCD). This study adopted a single-group intervention with paired results. Nine primary school students (seven boys and two girls, aged 7–10 years) were recruited and underwent a 3-month exergaming intervention involving three 30-minute sessions per week. Xbox One Kinect was used under the supervision of the researchers and physical education (PE) teachers. Pre- and post-intervention scores were calculated for data analysis. Motor performance was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition Test. The participants’ gaming experiences were captured using Fun Toolkit. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed significant improvements in balance and EHC, but no significant differences in enjoyment scores. The findings indicated a positive impact of exergaming on primary school students with SEN and motor problems. The outcomes indicate that exergaming is an effective strategy for improving motor skills in children with SEN and p-DCD/DCD. Therefore, exergaming could be incorporated into PE curricula to motivate students to participate in physical activities in order to improve their physical health and well-being. 本研究探討虛擬遊戲對改善有特殊教育需要（SEN）和（潛在）發育協調障礙的兒童的平衡、眼手協調和享受運動的功效。九名小學生參加為期三個月，每週三次30分鐘的訓練。訓練前後的遊戲分數、運動表現和遊戲體驗都被分析。研究結果顯示平衡力和眼手協調顯著地改善，但享受度沒有明顯差異。這說明虛擬遊戲對有SEN和動作協調問題的小學生有積極影響，改善運動技能。因此，將這納入體育課程，可鼓勵學生參加體能活動，改善身心健康。

Ensuring a Quality Physical Education Teacher

Children are living more sedentary lifestyles today than ever before in America. Physical education teachers need to be our leaders for change by promoting the importance of maintaining a healthy body and mind in today’s youth and promoting life-long physically activity. This article helps to shape the mind of a physical educator and gives them a “don’t” list to make sure are not happening in their classes, if they want students to have a positive PE experience and potentially go on to be life-long physically active learners. From not letting the students pick their own teams to not playing games that eliminate them from competition, the role that the PE teacher plays in shaping students life-long beliefs about the joy of exercise is substantial.

The Effects of Music on Student Step Counts and Time in Activity in College Basketball Activity Classes

Music is a powerful influence in life. We hear music at work, in the car, at the mall, and in our homes. Music has also been found to have an affect during physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music on physical activity rates, via pedometers, of college-aged students in basketball class. For this study 106 college-aged students participated in this study. Two classes played basketball with no music playing during game play. Two other classes played basketball with music playing during game play. It was found that the two classes that played basketball with music took more steps and were in more time in activity.

High School Physical Education and its Effect on Fitness Facility Participation After Graduation: A Case Study

For those that send off their child into the world, it is hoped they will recall what was taught to them. This applies to high school (HS) physical education (PE) teachers and their students that graduate from HS. The purpose of this case study was to assess current HS PE effect in fitness facility participation by interviewing HS PE teachers, fitness facility personnel, current fitness facility participants and current HS students. Participants from these four groups were interviewed to help better understand the preparation of graduated HS students participating in a fitness facility. From this case study three of the four groups felt they had and were being prepared to be successful in health clubs and those activities that are found in health clubs. This study sheds light on the fact that HS PE is the last opportunity of a student to be involved in an organized class that has real world application.

Inappropriate Practices in Physical Education: The Top Eight Repeat Offenders

The National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) have created three documents (elementary, middle school and high school) to guide physical educators in appropriate instructional practices (AIP) in physical education. The purpose of these documents is to aid physical educators in exposing their students to lessons and activities that will enable them to be successful in physical education classes and physical activity. Unfortunately, many students have been exposed to such activities as dodge ball, having captains picking teams in front of the whole class, and many others. This paper is a review of research dealing with appropriate instructional practices in physical education with a multitude of different populations. From these different populations, eight instructional practices have been repeatedly misidentified. These eight repeat offenders will be discussed.

What Barriers Keep College-Aged Females from Using the Campus Recreation Center?

Attending college offers many opportunities for students to be involved in many different activities. One activity that may be neglected is physical activity. This applies to all groups of students, in particular College-Aged Females (CAF). The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that affect CAF students from using a college exercise and wellness facility. A sample of 269 CAF (243=Caucasian & 24 African American Female) students (AAF) were surveyed and then interviewed as a group to better learn what barriers may be keeping them from using the campus exercise and wellness facility. Generally, it was found the CAF did not use the college and wellness facility for cultural, educational and personal reasons. The results from this study can be used to better encourage and market strategies to the CAF population on college campuses.

Effects of CCA Participation during Examination Stand-down Period on Examination Results – A School Cross-country Team Experience

It is a common practice in schools in Singapore to implement CCA stand-down period of about four weeks prior to the examination to allow students to focus on their revision. This study attempted to investigate the effects of a school sports team’s participation in CCA training during the stand-down period on their exams results. A school cross country team where the author taught was selected for the study. It was found that students who continued to train three times a week for four weeks prior to the examinations did not perform any worse in their examination results. Instead students in the team who opted to stand-down, like the rest of the school population, actually performed worse. The athletes who were training were very focused as they felt that time was a premium. They also started work in advance and adopted a more consistent approach to their work. Having training also made these students rest better and gave them a break to recharge and freshen up. Overall, having a goal helps them stay energised and focused. With the necessary guidance and facilitation, juggling CCA and examination can be a valuable learning opportunity for students, making them the holistic students that the CCA programme aims to achieve.

Analysis of Sports Participation and Crime in Hong Kong

The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship of aggregate sports participation and the overall crime in Hong Kong. Data of sports participation and the number of crimes from the year 2001 to 2015 were used in this study. Poisson regression models in level and in one-lagged period by maximum likelihood were used to explore the relationship between sports participation and crime in Hong Kong. The findings proved that higher sports participation of citizens would lower the overall crime in the city. This linkage also existed for young persons. The results of this study brought practical implications on the future planning of sports policy. The Hong Kong government played an important role in providing sports and recreation opportunities for the citizens. Recently, there was rising discontent towards the political power in the city, especially from the younger generation. It was hopeful that sports activities could be a medium to relief the grievance of young people and build up a stronger social cohesion. School sports might be a ready-made panacea for the current situation. Therefore, it suggested that more school sports opportunities should be provided to the younger generation.

Testing the Mental Toughness Model in the Setting of Chinese Martial Arts

BACKGROUND: Aim of this paper is to test the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) in the setting of Chinese martial arts. The target population is adult European practitioners of modern and traditional wushu. Mental toughness is an established concept of being able to perform under pressure while remaining positive and perseverant. However, it has not yet been tested on this population. It is argued that Chinese martial arts can generate unique types of pressure situations, such as dealing with pain, body to body contact, fear of sparring, and a lack of designated levels of achievement, such as a belt ranking system. METHODS: 277 respondents (85 female) were sampled from 28 countries. The exploratory factor analysis was conducted in SPSS, and internal consistency was calculated. Confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS was used to evaluate the model fit. RESULTS: The EFA resulted in losing four items, with two items switching places on the components. The model reached a good fit of x 2/df = 1.307, IFI = .965, CFI = .963 and RMSEA = .047. CONCLUSIONS: This paper provided the validation of the SMTQ scale for a Chinese martial arts setting. Researching mental skills in the specific environment of Chinese martial arts may be a fruitful direction for further research, especially when developing a mental skills training program for this population. The modified model resulting from this study is the first step in this respect. Moreover, it confirms the recently discussed multidimensionality of the mental toughness model.

Value of a Coaching Internship: From the Students’ Perspective

For many college students completing their education, an internship is a requirement for graduation, the same is true for students that want to become coaches. Interview data from 21 college seniors (10 males & 11 females) at the conclusion of their coaching internship revealed that interns generally found their internship successful and valuable in their preparation to becoming a coach. During the interviews, the interns expressed the importance of communications with the athletes, parents, administrators and the public, the heavy time commitment of coaching, and the importance of relationships. The interns also, expressed a desire to mentor an intern someday when they are coaching.