Jepkorir Rose Chepyator-Thomson

Association between Social and Environmental Factors and Physical Activity Opportunities in Middle Schools.

School-based physical activity (PA) interventions impact children’s PA involvement and thus opportunities and associated factors for the promotion of physical activity in children need to be examined. The purpose of this study was to examine physical education teachers’ perceptions of PA opportunities available to students at the middle school level and indicate associated factors that might influence these opportunities. A questionnaire survey was administered to 292 public middle school teachers in 181 schools located in the southeastern region of the United States. The results of the study indicate the need for more PA opportunities for middle school children in order for them meeting the recommended daily PA involvement of 60 minutes. In addition, there were statistically significant associations between PA opportunities and facilities availability, school location, and family support, indicating that some social and environmental factors tend to impact students’ PA opportunities.

Sports policy in Kenya: deconstruction of colonial and post-colonial conditions

Sport policy is a primary organ that nations utilise in their attempt to meet national development goals; it provides guidelines and operational principles that governments and sport organisations can use in sports governance. The purpose of this paper was to examine the extent to which the general and political trends were reflected in sports policy in Kenya, with specific focus on (1) sport and public policy; (2) sport professionalisation; and (3) the quest for new sport policy. The sport and public policy section focuses on the evolution of sports from pre-colonial period to early 1990s, while sport professionalisation discusses the emergence of commercialisation of athletics. The internalisation of sports evokes a new paradigm in sports governance that required Kenya government to formulate new sport policy, which culminated in the enactment of the Sport Act of 2013. Implications for this study rest on the articulation of colonial and post-colonial conditions, which have informed contemporary sport landscape, the development of sport policy that govern sports federations from local to national levels, and on the systematic ways sport entities will function in Kenya.

Factors influencing career paths and progress of Kenyan women in sport leadership

Abstract Very few women hold positions of leadership in sports organisations. This study examines factors influencing career paths of women in sport leadership positions in various organisations in Kenya. Leaders included coaches and sport administrators in educational institutions and officials in national sport organisations. The feminist theory framework was used to examine women’s journeys into leadership positions. Thirteen participants were purposively selected from various schools and sports organisations. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews that were conducted over a period of two months. Data were analysed thematically. The findings of this study revealed profiles of the women to be as follows: over 40 years old, had children, had participated in competitive sports, were highly educated, and were from diverse areas of careers. Since women constitute a significant portion of the social and human capital in Africa, there is need for leadership development programs to equip women with skills to enable them assume new responsibilities in the society. Also, education can be used to influence patriarchal expectations of women in positive way- allowing organisations to attract and retain women in leadership positions.

Reflective Voices: Understanding University Students' Experiences of Urban High School Physical Education.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand first-year college students’ reflections on past physical education (PE) experiences in urban high school settings. Method: Data collection included semi-structured, open-ended, qualitative interviews. Constant comparison method was used for data analysis. Results: Several findings emerged: (a) unfavorable teaching conditions; (b) lack of enthusiasm, teach-ing, caring, and structure; (c) teacher–coach role conflict; (d) favoritism toward athletic students; and (e) sexism in teaching. Discussion/Conclusion: Students desired improvement of urban PE programs, including development of a diversified curriculum in which nontraditional sports and activities are offered, more in-depth coverage of sports that students care about, and provision of adequate equipment and resources to promote student engagement in PE. Subscribe to TPE

Out of Eastern Africa: An Examination of Sport Labour Migration in the Post-Independence Era

Abstract Globalization spearheaded professionalization and commercialization of sports, which has contributed and elevated sport labour migration out of Africa. People move far from their home base to improve their standards of living, form new identities, and to enhance national pride, which enabled many African men and women involved in elite sports to become an integral part of global sport competitions. This paper investigates factors that influenced the migration of athletes/players out of Eastern Africa and to understand their transnational experiences in a global context. The World System Theory, transnationalism and neoclassical theoretical perspectives guided this research in broad and specific contexts. Data sources included research journal articles, public government documents, theoretical and philosophical papers, newspapers, and internet documentaries that provide stories about sport migrants individually and as a collective group. Themes emerging from this study focus on the following: (a) patterns of migration, (b) factors that spearhead movement of sport migrants out of Eastern Africa and (c) transnational experiences with exemplifications.