Andrew J. Manley

An exploratory investigation examining the cues that students use to form initial impressions and expectancies of lecturers

The aim of this study was to examine the informational cues that students perceive to be influential when developing initial impressions and expectancies of a lecturer. Undergraduate university students (n = 452) were required to rate the extent to which 30 informational cues (e.g. gender, qualifications) influence their initial perceptions of a lecturer. Following exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a five-factor model (i.e. appearance (APP), accessories (ACC), third party reports (TPR), communication skills (CS), nationality/ethnicity (NE) was extracted. Inspection of mean scores identified that students rated TPR (e.g. teaching experience) and CS (e.g. speed of speech) to be influential factors in forming initial impressions and expectancies of a lecturer. The findings identify the potential for expectancy effects within student–lecturer interactions.

Can reputation biases influence the outcome and process of making competence judgments of a coach

The present studies explored the effect of reputational biases on judgments made of coach competence and the visual search patterns adopted by individuals when generating initial impressions and expectations of a target. In study 1, participants (n = 326) observed footage of two coaches prior to making competence judgments of them. All participants viewed similar footage for the first coach (control) but reputational information was manipulated for the second coach (target). In study 2, participants (n = 22) followed the same procedure as study 1 but also wore a head‐mounted eye‐tracking system to enable visual search data to be collected. Study 1 broadly reported coaches with a “professional” reputation to be judged as being significantly more competent across varying competence measures compared to coaches with either an “in‐training” reputation or “no reputation.” Study 2 indicated limited differences across the reputational conditions in relation to visual fixations. The data indicate that expectations of coach competence can be influenced, and largely controlled, by the reputational information provided to athletes. While there were limited differences in visual search strategies across reputation conditions, suggestions for research are made to enable a fuller insight to the interpersonal interactions that may facilitate the working association between athletes and coaches.

The influence of coach reputation on the behavioral responses of male soccer players.

The present study examined the impact of reputation information on athletes’ behavioral responses to coaches within a naturalistic, field‐based setting. Using a between‐group design, male soccer players (n = 35) were assigned to one of three experimental conditions (i.e., experienced reputation, inexperienced reputation, no reputation) prior to taking part in a coaching session delivered by an unknown coach. Participants’ behaviors indicative of attention to coach instruction, effort and persistence, and willingness to participate in demonstrations were video recorded throughout the coaching session. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that participants in the experienced reputation condition exhibited significantly greater attention to coach instruction, and greater effort and persistence during free practice than participants in the inexperienced reputation condition. Results related to participants’ willingness to participate in demonstrations failed to yield any significant differences. The results provide further evidence to support the contention that athletes use reputation information as a basis for their initial expectancies of coaches, and such expectancies have the potential to influence athletes’ behavior during coach–athlete interactions. The findings also indicate that expectancies based on positive information may be more powerful than negatively framed expectancies, and can be harnessed by coaches as a means of developing effective relationships with their athletes.

Systematic review of acute physically active learning and classroom movement breaks on children’s physical activity, cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour: understanding critical design features

Objective To examine the impact of acute classroom movement break (CMB) and physically active learning (PAL) interventions on physical activity (PA), cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour. Design Systematic review. Data sources PubMed, EBSCO, Academic Search Complete, Education Resources Information Center, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, SCOPUS and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies investigating school-based acute bouts of CMB or PAL on (PA), cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour. The Downs and Black checklist assessed risk of bias. Results Ten PAL and eight CMB studies were identified from 2929 potentially relevant articles. Risk of bias scores ranged from 33% to 64.3%. Variation in study designs drove specific, but differing, outcomes. Three studies assessed PA using objective measures. Interventions replaced sedentary time with either light PA or moderate-to-vigorous PA dependent on design characteristics (mode, duration and intensity). Only one study factored individual PA outcomes into analyses. Classroom behaviour improved after longer moderate-to-vigorous (>10 min), or shorter more intense (5 min), CMB/PAL bouts (9 out of 11 interventions). There was no support for enhanced cognition or academic performance due to limited repeated studies. Conclusion Low-to-medium quality designs predominate in investigations of the acute impacts of CMB and PAL on PA, cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour. Variable quality in experimental designs, outcome measures and intervention characteristics impact outcomes making conclusions problematic. CMB and PAL increased PA and enhanced time on task. To improve confidence in study outcomes, future investigations should combine examples of good practice observed in current studies. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017070981.

An exploratory investigation examining male and female students' initial impressions and expectancies of lecturers

The aim of this study was to examine the informational cues that male and female students perceive to be influential when developing initial impressions and expectancies of a lecturer. University students (n=752) rated the extent to which 30 informational cues influence their initial perceptions of a lecturer. Following exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a five-factor model (i.e. appearance (APP), accessories (ACC), third-party reports (TPR), communication skills (CS) and nationality/ethnicity (NE)) was extracted for male students and a five-factor model (i.e. ACC, TPR, APP, interpersonal skills (IPS) and engagement (ENG)) extracted for female students. Inspection of mean scores identified that male students rated CS (e.g. clarity of voice) and TPR (e.g. qualifications) and female students IPS (e.g. control of class), ENG (e.g. eye contact) and TPR to be influential factors in forming initial impressions and expectancies of a lecturer. The findings further identify the potential for expectancy effects within student–lecturer interactions.

Bridging the gap between education and employment: A case study of problem-based learning implementation in Postgraduate Sport and Exercise Psychology

Abstract The purpose of this case study was to explore Postgraduate Sport and Exercise Psychology students’ and their lecturer’s experiences of PBL, and, its role in developing their employability skills. A focus group was conducted with four students (Mage = 22.75 years, SD = 0.96 years; n female = 2) and a conversational interview was conducted with the lecturer (age = 37 years, teaching experience = 11 years). Inductive thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts was used as a basis for developing portrait and composite vignettes to illustrate their experiences. Their underpinning themes suggested that PBL was instrumental for developing key employability skills: team working, communication and interpersonal sensitivity; thinking critically, creatively and flexibly; for helping students translate academic knowledge into application in future employment contexts, and for increasing awareness that learning is a lifelong developmental process.

Effects of emotional intelligence and supportive text messages on academic outcomes in first year undergraduates

Abstract An increase in the number of students entering higher education has intensified the need for targeted strategies to support a wider range of student requirements. Current research suggests that emotional intelligence (EI) may be associated with academic success, progression and retention in university students but the use of EI screening as a prospective measure of success requires further investigation. This study evaluates the utility of prospective EI screening to predict progression rates, mean grades, attendance and online engagement in a sample of first-year undergraduate students enrolled on the same degree programme (N = 358). A supportive text messaging intervention was employed during potentially stressful periods of the academic year with a subsection of participants (n = 60) who demonstrated low total EI scores relative to the cohort. Results showed no effects of EI classification on progression rates, mean grades, attendance or online engagement (all p > 0.418). Alternatively, the text messaging intervention was associated with significant improvements compared with a matched control group for progression rates (p = 0.027), mean grades (p = 0.026) and attendance (p = 0.007). The frequency of access to the virtual learning environment also tended to be higher in the intervention group compared with the control group (p = 0.059). In conclusion, this study did not identify any benefits of EI screening as a prospective indicator of student success but provides encouraging indications that a text messaging support intervention could help to improve progression rates, mean grades, attendance and online engagement in first-year undergraduate students. Further research is warranted to develop these proof-of-concept findings.