Desmond McEwan

The effectiveness of multi-component goal setting interventions for changing physical activity behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Drawing from goal setting theory (Latham & Locke, 1991; Locke & Latham, 2002; Locke et al., 1981), the purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of multi-component goal setting interventions for changing physical activity (PA) behaviour. A literature search returned 41,038 potential articles. Included studies consisted of controlled experimental trials wherein participants in the intervention conditions set PA goals and their PA behaviour was compared to participants in a control group who did not set goals. A meta-analysis was ultimately carried out across 45 articles (comprising 52 interventions, 126 effect sizes, n = 5912) that met eligibility criteria using a random-effects model. Overall, a medium, positive effect (Cohens d(SE) = .552(.06), 95% CI = .43–.67, Z = 9.03, p < .001) of goal setting interventions in relation to PA behaviour was found. Moderator analyses across 20 variables revealed several noteworthy results with regard to features of the study, sample characteristics, PA goal content, and additional goal-related behaviour change techniques. In conclusion, multi-component goal setting interventions represent an effective method of fostering PA across a diverse range of populations and settings. Implications for effective goal setting interventions are discussed.

The Effectiveness of Teamwork Training on Teamwork Behaviors and Team Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Interventions

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of teamwork interventions that were carried out with the purpose of improving teamwork and team performance, using controlled experimental designs. A literature search returned 16,849 unique articles. The meta-analysis was ultimately conducted on 51 articles, comprising 72 (k) unique interventions, 194 effect sizes, and 8439 participants, using a random effects model. Positive and significant medium-sized effects were found for teamwork interventions on both teamwork and team performance. Moderator analyses were also conducted, which generally revealed positive and significant effects with respect to several sample, intervention, and measurement characteristics. Implications for effective teamwork interventions as well as considerations for future research are discussed.

Teamwork in sport: a theoretical and integrative review.

A commonly held belief in sports is the need for team members to be able to work well together in order for that team to be successful. Despite this assumption, research in the field of sport psychology has yet to formally or sufficiently conceptualize what is meant by teamwork. In this theoretical and integrative review, we draw from the extant organizational psychology and team development literature to present a multidimensional conceptual framework of teamwork in sport. We provide a working definition of teamwork in sport and discuss how teamwork sits within a broader model of team effectiveness. We conclude by providing an overview of salient research avenues on teamwork and team effectiveness in sport, which have potential implications for guiding interventions with sports teams.

Response Processes and Measurement Validity in Health Psychology

In this chapter, we examine the importance of understanding and attending to people’s response processes within the context of health psychology assessment. From a validity perspective (cf. Messick, Am Psychol 50:741–749, 1995) it is critical that individuals’ responses to psychological assessments align with what is purported to be assessed within a given measurement procedure. If this does not happen, this can have non-trivial implications for not only failing to understand certain psychological processes, but can also result in interventions that are misdirected or poorly conceived. In this chapter, we consider some of these issues in the context of health psychology, and highlight a range of methodological approaches that can enhance the substantive aspects of validity (cf. Messick, Am Psychol 50:741–749, 1995) in relation to assessment within the health field. Specifically, we discuss the potential utility of think aloud procedures, implicit measures, as well as two forms of behavioural assessment (eye-tracking technology and performance-based measures).

Physical activity and body image among men and boys: A meta-analysis

Three meta-analytic reviews have concluded that physical activity is positively related to body image. Historically, research regarding physical activity and body image has been disproportionately focused on female samples. For example, the most recent meta-analysis (2009) extracted 56 effect sizes for women and only 12 for men. The current paper provides an update to the literature regarding the relationship between physical activity and body image among men and boys across 84 individual effect sizes. The analysis also provides insight regarding moderator variables including participant age, and physical activity type and intensity. Overall, physical activity was positively related to body image among men and boys with various moderator variables warranting further investigation. Pragmatic implications are discussed as well as the limitations within existing research and need for additional research to further understand moderator and mediator variables.

The Development and Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Assessment of Teamwork in Sport

The purpose of this research was to develop a questionnaire to assess the multidimensional construct of teamwork in sport and to examine various aspects of validity related to that instrument. A preliminary questionnaire was first created, and feedback on this instrument was then obtained from a sample of team-sport athletes (n = 30) and experts in sport psychology (n = 8). A modified version of the questionnaire was then completed by 607 athletes from 48 teams, and 5 multilevel confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine the structural properties of data derived from this instrument. Evidence of adequate model-data fit along with measurement reliability was obtained for each of the 5 models. Taken together, the results from this research provide support for the content, substantive, and structural aspects of construct validity for data derived from the 66-item Multidimensional Assessment of Teamwork in Sport.

Teamwork Training in Sport: A Pilot Intervention Study

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a novel team building intervention that targets teamwork in sport. Using a 10-week pilot nonrandomized controlled intervention design, 12 interdependent sports teams comprising 187 athletes were assigned to one of two conditions: an experimental condition in which teams participated in two teamwork training sessions at Weeks 2 and 6 of the study (6 teams, 94 athletes) or a no-training control condition (6 teams, 93 athletes). Teamwork was measured at Weeks 1, 5, and 10 of the study. Overall, significant improvements in teamwork were shown for the experimental teams from baseline to Week 5; these effects were maintained through Week 10 of the study. In contrast, no significant changes in teamwork were observed for teams in the control condition over these 10 weeks. The results provide evidence that teamwork training can enhance the extent to which members of a sports team work effectively together. Lay Summary: For sport teams to be successful, it is important that team members work well together. In this study, we found that teamwork can be enhanced through a novel team building intervention.

Team building: conceptual, methodological, and applied considerations

Team building has been identified as an important method of improving the psychological climate in which teams operate, as well as overall team functioning. Within the context of sports, team building interventions have consistently been found to result in improvements in team effectiveness. In this paper we review the extant literature on team building in sport, and address a range of conceptual, methodological, and applied considerations that have the potential to advance theory, research, and applied intervention initiatives within the field. This involves expanding the scope of team building strategies that have, to date, primarily focused on developing group cohesion.