Editorial
Renate Zimmer, Editor Download (pdf, 40kb)
Volume 4 – 2011
Information and Communication Technology serving Physical Education: Design and contents of an intervention program aiming to promote high school students’ active lifestyle
In this study, the mixed Physical Education (PE) model which is presented is currently applied experimentally. This model incorporates Information and Communication Technologies (I.C.T.) in PE high school classes, aiming to enhance students’ interest for the PE lesson, to develop knowledge on health related issues and to promote participation in physical activity (PA) and sports. In addition to the participation at the obligatory two hour PE classes per week, students: a) get support of a dynamic website in order to be informed, to exchange points of view on health subjects, to find specific information, to co-operate and to get involved in interactive learning, b) keep an e-portfolio containing personal achievement records, assignments, personal logs, and evidence of their activity involvement. The assessment of the program will be based on: a) the students’ performance on fitness tests and physical activity, attitudes towards PE lesson, their self-efficacy towards participation in sports and knowledge on health related issues, b) semi-structured group interviews with students and the PE teachers, and c) the report of an external evaluator.
Construct validity of the battery test “High/Scope Beat Competence Analysis
The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity of the “High/Scope Beat Competence Analysis Test” (High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 2005), examining a) the effect of both age and sex on the children’s H/SBCAT scores and b) the internal consistency of the battery test. Four hundred and fifty eight preschool and primary school children from Greece (238 boys, 220 girls), 5-8 years old (M =6.45 years, SD =1.12) participated in this study. For the data analysis both an ANOVA and a MANOVA were applied with the total battery score and the eight item scores being the dependent variables, respectively. Sex (F1,450=27.371, p< .001, η2= .057) and age (F3,450=21.804, p< .001, η2= .127) were found to have a significant effect on children's total battery scores but moderate η2 coefficient. Studying the eight tests individually, girls had better performance than boys with η2< .14, and each age group performed better than the younger groups in all the tests (η2< .14) except "toe-tapping pad with alternating feet" in both tempos (120 and 132 beats/min). The internal consistency of the "H/SBCAT" was supported. The aforementioned results raise concerns about the validity of the "H/SBCAT". A modification of the battery items is suggested, in order "H/SBCAT" validity to be improved.
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Coordination Disorder in Children with Dyslexia
One of the most common characteristic of children with dyslexia is poor motor coordination. The aim of the current study was to investigate the above hypothesis through the assessment of motor coordination of children with dyslexia. Participants were 122 children, (68 boys and 54 girls) aged 108 to 143 months (M= 120.3, SD=10.8). Sixty one children with dyslexia (34 boys and 27 girls) formed the experimental group, whereas sixty one children without dyslexia of the same age and gender comprised the control group. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC, Henderson & Sugden, 1992) was used for motor assessment. It has been designed to identify movement difficulties through the assessment of three motor domains: manual dexterity, ball skills, static and dynamic balance. The statistical analysis revealed that the motor proficiency of the experimental group was higher in comparison to the one of the control group. In addition to that, participants of the experimental group exhibited definite or probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) whereas all participants of the control group were classified as typically-developed children. Further statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the two groups regarding all motor domains, all in favour of the control group. Within its limitations, the current study seems to be in agreement with the international bibliography, which states that children with cognitive learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, very often appear to face severe motor coordination difficulties, such as DCD. Conclusively, the results of the current study stress the importance of early and detailed motor assessment, which will lead to the application of proper intervention programs regarding all development domains of children with dyslexia.
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The effect of body awareness training of pre-school children based on the Sherborne Developmental Movement method versus regular physical education class
In the present research is investigated whether the body awareness training of pre-school children based on the Sherborne Developmental Movement method has more positive effects on when compared to a participation in regular physical education class. The research group consisted of 37 girls and 41 boys (average age 5 years and 9 months) from regular pre-school education who were randomly divided into the experimental and control group. The experimental group received a Sherborne Developmental Movement based session once per week for five weeks and one regular physical education class. The control group received a regular physical education class two times a week for five weeks. The results showed a significant improvement in receptive body awareness for the experimental group in comparison with the control group. Contrary to the expectation, the expressive body awareness of the control group showed greater progress as compared to the experimental group.
Motor proficiency and accident proneness of preschool children
Children are particularly vulnerable to incidents because of their physical, psychological and behavioral characteristics. As a consequence, injuries are frequent and happen in children’s daily life. The purpose of the current research was to identify the relationship among factors like motor proficiency, accident proneness and injury severity in preschool children. During 2007-2009 an accident surveillance questionnaire was sent to 60 nursery schools of East Macedonia and Thrace (Greece). The total sample of the study was 849 accident reports. Student Injury and Incident Report for use in Swedish Schools questionnaire (Laflamme et al., 1998) was used for the recording of the accidents. Children who had more than one accident in a single school year were detected and tested at the beginning of next school year with the battery ”Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency” (Bruininks, 1978). Two way analysis of variance (two way ANOVA) was applied for analyzing data. The main effect of the factor “number of accident” was the declined in the balance ability (F=7.61, p<.001) at the school year 2007-08. Furthermore, the factor "number of accidents" effect, for the same reason as previously, the response speed (F=12.3, p<.001). Children who had minor severity of injury were significantly better than children who had severe injuries in the balance (F=8.09, MD=4.57, p<.001), in strength (F=12.19, MD=4.59, p<.001), in visual- motor control (F=21.49, MD=6.7, p<.001) and in upper- limb and dexterity (F=12.32, MD=5.76, p<.001). Similar results also indicated during the school year 2008-09 in balance (F=8.45, MD=8.23, p<.001) and in response speed (F=14.11, MD=3.95, p<.001). In conclusion children with poor motor performance represent accident proneness.
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