Melissa A. Murray

Computerized Pedagogical Agents as an Educational Means for Developing Physical Self-Efficacy and Encouraging Activity in Youth

Physical activity participation rates in the United States have been in steady decline for the last 25 years, so much so that 60% of youth ages 9–13 years get no physical activity outside of school. This state of inactivity indicates that promoting participation in physical activity at a young age is of importance. For the present study, a computerized intervention based on the Transtheoretical Model and Social Cognitive Theory was designed and implemented in a school setting to study its potential effectiveness on self-efficacy and stage of change for physical activity. Participants (n = 98) were divided into three conditions. Students in the two experimental conditions interacted with a computerized agent program for 40 minutes, once per week for 5 weeks. Students in the control group received the same educational information in written form. Results support the use of computerized human agents for increasing exercise efficacy and health and fitness knowledge.

Parental Responses to Professional Behaviors in Coaching and Teaching

Abstract While many believe there is a societal role in the development of personal morals and ethics, the outcome is still an individualized approach for navigating the complex world in which we live. Forsyth (1980) offers one such theoretical perspective in which he posits that one’s ethical behaviors are a reflection of one’s moral philosophy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of one’s moral philosophy on perceptions of professional behaviors in the teaching and coaching setting. Specifically, researchers were interested in (a) differences in parents’ perceptions of professional behavior given the principal actor in the situation (i.e., teacher or coach) and (b) differences in parents’ perceptions of professional behavior given their individual moral philosophy (i.e., Situationist, Absolutist, Exceptionist, and Subjectivist). Participants in the study (N = 210) were asked to complete the Ethics Position Questionnaire and respond to a series of ethically toned situations reflecting either the coaching or teaching environment. Results indicate few differences exist in parental perceptions of professional behaviors in the teaching and coaching setting. However, one’s moral philosophy did influence responses on two of the scenarios (racial stereotyping and the use of harsh language). Results support the need for further research on professional behaviors and contextualized morals in the sport setting, specifically to better understand the moral lens through which parents perceive the behaviors of coaches and teachers. Results also support the need for a model of coaching education similar to that of teacher education