Gregg Bennett

Student Learning in the Online Environment: No Significant Difference?

The recent trend of placing courses online is having a profound impact on higher education. This trend has caused considerable debate on the positive and negative effects of online instruction in higher eductition (Ellely, Estes, & Forbus. 1998: Rintala, 1998). Student learning is arguably the most important facet of the pedagogical process, regardless of the course dissemination or delivery method. The purpose of this article is to discuss student learning within the context of online instruction and to analyze the issues surrounding online implementation of physical education/kinesiology coursework. Constructivism is offered as a theoretical framework for enhancing student learning in the online environment and a process for implementing courses is proposed.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Spectator Decision-Making Inventory (SDMI)

The purpose of this study was to re-examine the factor structure of the Spectator Decision-Making Inventory through a confirmatory factor analysis. The inventory was developed by Zhang, Pease, Hui, and Michaud (1995), to measure factors affecting the attendance of mens professional basketball games, and consists of 15 items under 4 factors: Game Promotion, Home Team, Opposing Team, and Schedule Convenience. Spectators (N = 685), from 5 regular season home games of a National Basketball Association team, responded to the inventory. Procedures in the Windows LISREL 8.12 (Jöreskog & Sörbom, 1993a) computer program were utilized. The maximum likelihood estimation was adopted. With some minor respecifications by removing 2 items, the model provided a good fit to the data (e.g., RMSEA = .10, SRMR = .056, GFI = .90, CFI = .91), supporting a 4-factor structure. Researchers and practitioners may utilize the inventory to conduct in-arena or mail-out surveys.

Student Experiences with Service-Learning in Sport Management

The purpose of this study was to discuss the service-learning experiences of students in sport management classes. Participants included 157 students enrolled in four sport management courses at two universities located in the southeastern United States. Students enrolled in the classes in the spring semester of 2001 were assigned a minimum of 15 hours of service-learning as a requirement for the courses. A 39-item survey instrument was constructed for use in the present study and was administered after the completion of the service hours. These results suggest that the service-learning experiences actively engaged the students as opposed to a more passive observational experience. These respondents reported many advantages, and few disadvantages, of having a service requirement in their sport management classes. Respondents reported that service experiences improve social interaction skills, resume building, awareness of social responsibility, development of practical skills, and interaction with others from diverse cultures.

Virtual advertising and brand awareness

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of virtual advertising on consumer memory of brand sponsorship. More specifically, we sought to compare the capacity of consumers to identify brand sponsors virtually inserted within a televised sporting event to their ability to remember conventional television commercial sponsors. A 40-minute segment of a televised broadcast of a Southeastern Conference (SEC) football game, complete with television commercials and virtual advertisements, was the means of study used to assess the effectiveness of the different forms of advertising in terms of brand sponsorship identification. The findings suggest differences between spectator identification of virtual ads and television commercials on consumer memory. Management and marketing implications are discussed. This exploratory study serves as a foundation for further research on the effectiveness of virtual advertising and additional research streams are proposed.

Leadership Styles of Elite Dixie Youth Baseball Coaches

Chelladurai and Salehs Leadership Scale for Sports was administered to 52 elite Dixie Youth baseball coaches. Analyses indicated that subjects scored high in positive feedback, training and instruction, and social support, moderate in democratic behavior, and low in autocratic behavior. These results seem to support the validity of using the scale to compare coaching behavior.

Student perceptions of exercise role modelling by secondary health educators

Objective To examine secondary student perceptions, as well as health educator perceptions, as they relate to health educator role modelling of exercise. Additionally, self-reported exercise behaviours of health educators and their students were reported. For the purposes of this study, role modelling is defined as the influence health educators have regarding the exercise behaviours of their students. Design A teacher questionnaire and similar student questionnaire were developed and designed to self-report current exercise behaviours and role modelling perceptions of secondary health educators and their students. Questions included items regarding exercise participation, frequency, duration, type of exercise, self-perceived level of physical fitness, importance of being physically fit, and health educator role modelling information. Setting Questionnaires were administered to health educators and their ninth grade students during health education classes. Method Teacher questionnaires, administered to secondary health educators (n=20),and student questionnaires,administered to secondary health education students (n=656), were used as a means of gathering data. All questionnaires were administered by the investigators. Results Secondary health educators appeared, through reported behaviour, to exhibit positive exercise role modelling. Eighteen health educators (90 per cent) perceived themselves to be exercise role models for their students, while 77.8 per cent of the students perceived their teacher to be an exercise role model. Students indicated the curriculum regarding the health benefits of exercise presented in class by the health educator as the primary reason for the teacher serving as a positive role model. Conclusion It was concluded that health educators may, indeed, be a powerful influence for promoting exercise to their students, but students appear to be less perceptive of the health educators participation in exercise and more perceptive of the exercise curriculum presented in health class.

On being a living contradiction: the struggle of an elite intercollegiate Christian coach

While some research has been conducted on the manner in which Christian athletes utilize their faith to cope with the dominant culture of winning, there appears to be a relative paucity of investigation on the manner in which elite coaches function in this environment. The purpose of this study was to describe an elite intercollegiate coach’s response to the dominant culture of sport as it related to his spiritual life. We attempted to examine the thought processes and behaviors of an individual held in high esteem by his peers, and report his solutions to some of the dilemmas reported in the previous work by S. J. Hoffman and C. L. Stevenson. This elite intercollegiate coach was extremely committed to his relationship with Christ, but he was likewise heavily involved with the dominant culture of sport.

Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on embryonic expression of sonic hedgehog.

Cocaine use by pregnant women may adversely affect development and behavior in the exposed infants. Sonic hedgehog (shh) is a secreted protein that induces development of many structures in the embryo, including dopaminergic cells in the ventral midbrain, the limb buds, and eyes. Because prenatal cocaine exposure has been shown to adversely affect the morphogenesis of these and other systems, the present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that maternal cocaine treatment would alter shh mRNA expression. Cocaine HCl (60 mg/kg i.p.) was administered to pregnant mice on gestational days 6-8, the time that immediately precedes the appearance of shh. Control dams received i.p. saline. Embryos from gestational days 9-11 were examined by in situ hybridization. The temporal and spatial patterns of shh expression were indistinguishable between embryos from cocaine- and saline-treated dams. Examination of forebrain, midbrain, and midbody spinal cord coronal sections failed to reveal any differences in the dorsoventral and mediolateral localization of shh. The distribution of mRNA for patched (ptc), the membrane receptor for shh, was also indistinguishable between both groups. Chick embryos were next used to examine the direct application of cocaine into the developing brain. Shh distribution was similarly unaffected in these chick embryos. These data show that maternal cocaine treatment during early neural tube development does not significantly alter the expression patterns of shh or ptc mRNA. Thus, congenital defects and behavioral abnormalities associated with maternal cocaine use do not appear to result from altered expression of the shh-ptc pathway.

Mary Ann to her Ginger: comparing the extended brand identity of two elite female athletes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the extended brand identities of two elite female athletes. Specifically, this exploratory case study assessed the extended brand identities of Jennie Finch and Cat Osterman, two iconic female softball athlete brands. Design/methodology/approach Through the qualitative analysis of individual in-depth, semi-structured interviews, various documents, and social media, data revealed themes associated with positioning, personality, and presentation of the female athlete brands. Findings Theoretically, the themes provide empirical support for existing brand identity frameworks. Practical implications Practically, findings provide evidence for defining an athlete’s extended brand identity that can serve as the foundation for branding efforts that generate long-term value during and after their sport careers. Originality/value This case study adds to the extant literature on athlete branding and offers practical content for marketers seeking to brand female athletes.

“Baseball Is Whack!” Exploring the Lack of African American Baseball Consumption

The purpose of this study is to assess the African American viewpoint on baseball consumption. Utilizing a criterion purposive sample of African Americans, the authors used a qualitative analysis to obtain viewpoints that provide a rich understanding of the motivations to consume (or not consume) baseball. Likewise, the authors investigated the facets of baseball that seemingly create social and psychological consumption barriers for African Americans. The findings suggest three broad categories best represent the deterrence from baseball consumption: attitudes toward baseball consumption, social constraints related to consuming baseball, and the role of racial identification toward sport consumption. Within these three categories, seven general dimensions evolved that, if present, would thus influence perceptions toward baseball and eventually affect consumption habits.