B. Ann Boyce

Perceived Motivational Climate's Influence on Goal Orientations, Perceived Competence, and Practice Strategies across the Athletic Season

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of middle school student-athletes’ goal orientations, practice strategies, and perceived competence over time as a function of their perceptions of the motivational climate. One hundred twenty-four student-athletes completed a series of surveys three times over the course of their athletic seasons related to goal orientations, practice strategies, perceived athletic competence, and perceived motivational climate. Results indicated that when the perceived motivational climate was incompatible with their goal orientation, there was a significant shift in student-athletes’ goal orientation over time. Findings also indicated that perceptions of a task-involving climate positively predicted perceived competence and practice strategies at the end of the season after controlling for preseason values. These findings provide further evidence for the importance of developing a task-involving climate in the sport setting.

Implications for Variability of Practice from Pedagogy and Motor Learning Perspectives: Finding a Common Ground

The discourse contained in this article is the result of an on-going discussion about “providing variability of practice” between professionals from different areas of study within kinesiology. The impetus for this discussion arose from a lack of common terminology, differing views, and the sometimes contrasting research and professional practices promoted in the areas of pedagogy and motor learning. Since many undergraduate and graduate level students enroll in courses in both motor learning and pedagogy, it is imperative that professionals seek a common ground that leads to an understanding of the areas where the two perspectives converge or differ. A question and answer format, from the viewpoints of pedagogy and motor learning, was used to guide the discussion related to variability of practice and its research and practical applications in the teaching and learning process of motor skills.

PETE Doctoral Institutions: Programs, Faculty, and Doctoral Students

Purpose: The present study of doctoral physical education teacher education (D-PETE) programs was part of a longitudinal study that provided an extensive description of demographics including: (a) doctoral program characteristics, (b) faculty, and (c) doctoral students/graduates. Method: This trend study incorporated 3 data sets (2005–2006, 2008–2009, and 2011–2012) that described the characteristics of D-PETE programs. Academic heads of D-PETE programs provided demographic information on their doctoral students, faculty, and institutional characteristics for the 2005–2006, 2008–2009, and 2011–2012 academic years and selected summary data from 1996–1997 through 2011–2012. Results/Conclusion: As a result of this longitudinal data collection, the following trends were revealed. First, there was a decrease in the number of D-PETE programs and an increase of nontenured and part-time pedagogy faculty. Second, initial teacher licensure programs remained in existence at the vast majority of D-PETE programs. Third, funding for doctoral students at D-PETE programs was decreasing. Fourth, racial composition of doctoral graduates and current doctoral students remained largely skewed toward Caucasians. Fifth, there was a slight decline in the percentage of doctoral graduates entering higher education, but employment rates were exceptionally high. Sixth, non-U.S. doctoral students and ABDs were marketable in the United States.

The Next Generation: Our Legacy, Their Future.

It is a great honor to be selected as the 17th annual Delphine Hanna lecturer. To follow in the footsteps of so many distinguished scholars is a truly humbling experience. I must admit that I was both surprised and overwhelmed when Jan Rintala approached me last January, and since that time, I have endeavored to read, study, and think about the issues that challenge us—not only as kinesiologists but also as academicians. In doing so, I have attempted to carve out a topic that is mutually beneficial and timely for our consideration. By first turning my attention to Delphine Hannas legacy, I was able to listen to her voice through historical writings, and this listening process led me to todays topic: The Next Generation: Our Legacy, Their Future.

Effects of Goal Specificity and Goal Difficulty upon Skill Acquisition of a Selected Shooting Task

This study investigated the effect of goal specificity and goal difficulty upon skill acquisition of a selected shooting task Utilizing a two-stage sampling technique, nine classes (90 subjects) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: specific difficult goals, specific moderate goals, and generalized “do your best” goals. Following a pretest trial under a “do your best” condition, subjects performed five skill acquisition trials on a kneeling task under their assigned conditions. A 3×2×5 (Goal Groups × Sex × Trials) multivariate analysis of covariance with repeated measures on the last factor and pretest performance as the covariate indicated that the group with a specific difficult goal was significantly superior to the “do your best” group. There was also a significant main effect for trials, however, none of interactions were significant. The results are discussed as they relate to existing investigations in industrial, laboratory, and physical education situations.

Grading practices - how do they influence student skill performance?

Abstract The results of this study indicate that accountability enhances student skill performance: significant differences among three grading methods were revealed

Philanthropic Funding in Higher Education: Carrot and/or Stick

This paper explored the impact of philanthropic funding on institutions of higher education. In the past, most philanthropic gifts to colleges and universities were undertaken to benefit society. However, today this type of giving has evolved into funding organizations with political agendas which take advantage of harsh economic realities in order to drastically influence the changing landscape of our institutions of higher education. Specifically, several major topics were covered: (a) historical background, (b) philanthropy and business initiatives, (c) todays venture philanthropy, (d) Massive Open Online Courses and (e) the impact of these factors on students in higher education. The paper concludes with a discussion of what happened at the University of Virginia last June and why it happened – when politics, power, and philanthropic givers combined in an attempted to remove Teresa Sullivan as the universitys president. These are dangerous times where profitability is highly valued; we must remain vigilant.

Faculty Dispositions: Seeking Clarity while Looking at Muddy Waters.

If one reads the paper or listens to the news, professional disposition are almost becoming critical job skills in the world of work. Similarly, faculty dispositions, defined in this article as “attitudes, values, and beliefs demonstrated through both verbal and non-verbal behaviors as educators interact with students, families, colleagues, and communities” (NCATE, 2007), are becoming increasingly important as the demands on faculty members increase. Many individuals in higher education can cite examples of individuals acting or treating others in ways that were less than fair or ethical with few, if any, consequences. In an attempt to define those behaviors important to higher education faculty, the authors of this article initiated a series of studies done in five phases that were designed to achieve that end. In addition, they developed a method for articulating standards of excellence that could be used in a variety of ways, including yearly faculty evaluations or pre tenure or tenure reviews. Suggestions from various sectors in academe provided an initial list of behaviors which were then reduced via focus group discussions and survey data collection resulting in a list of 56 items. A second survey examined the differences in perceptions about the significance of the dispositions between several paired groups: (a) administrators and nonadministrators, (b) Research 1 institutions and comprehensive or small colleges (referred to as “Other” institutions), (c) males and females, and (d) tenured and nontenured faculty members. The greatest variance was with the gender and tenure pairings. The article concludes with a rubric based on these 56 items that departments can use for a variety of purposes as they seek clarity in the muddy waters of dealing with faculty dispositions.

Title IX: What Now?

Abstract

Exploring relationships between the coach-initiated motivational climate and psychological coping skills over the high school American football season

This study investigated the relationship between the perceived coach-initiated motivational climate and psychological coping skills over a competitive high school football season as well as changes in perceptions of the climate over the season. Near the beginning (Time 1) and end of the season (Time 2), 101 players from five competitive high school American football programs completed the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 and the Athletic Coping Skill Inventory-28. A hierarchical linear regression revealed that Time 2 task-involving climate predicted Time 2 psychological coping skills when controlling for Time 1 psychological coping skills. Repeated measure multivariate analysis of variance results demonstrated that players perceived a decrease in the task-involving climate and an increase in the ego-involving climate over the course of the competitive season. These results add to the research on the positive role of a task-involving climate in the sport domain. Additionally, this research provides insight into how perceptions of the coach-initiated motivational climate can shift over the course of the competitive season.