Social value and asymmetry of gender and sex categories in physical education

Achievement Goals: A Social Influence Cycle

Achievement goals have been defined as the purpose of competence-relevant behavior. In this respect they connect one of the basic human needs, i.e., competence, to one of society's core values, i.e., achievement. We propose to look at achievement goals through the lens of social influence. We review both the influence that cultural, structural, and contextual factors have on achievement goal endorsement and the influence that endorsing achievement goals allows people to have within their social space. The review allows us to propose a circular model of the influence on and of achievement goals: The culture, social structures, and contexts that are typical of a certain society shape the specific environments in which individuals develop their achievement goals, which in turn has an influence on the expression and circulation of these achievement goals into society, in a social influence cycle.

Student Perception of the Social Value of Responsible Management

In responsible management, managerial efficiency and sustainable development meet and influence each other. In order to give meaning to their organisation, to respect and look after their collaborators, a manager must promote a set of values on a personal, organisational and societal level. The purpose of this paper is to study the social value attributed to responsible management by students of a technical university. We have therefore undertaken to study a set of seven values attributed to responsible management and, more precisely, their utility and social desirability on a personal, organisational and societal level. The values have been operationalized with personality descriptors. The 60 participants in this study are students from a Romanian technical university. They had to assess, on four scales of seven points each (two for desirability and two for social utility), the value of a person characterised by one of the seven values attributed to responsible management. The results show us that efficiency is the value perceived by the students as being the most desirable for responsible management, and that in terms of social utility, agility is the most appreciated value. We found that there is indeed an effect of the context in which these values are perceived. Efficiency, audacity, dedication and integrity are perceived as more useful at an organisational level, while solidarity was perceived as more useful on a societal level. At the organisational level we also found a gender effect, in the sense that women appreciate people who are efficient, have integrity or are humble more than men do.

A Hybrid TGfU/SE Volleyball Teaching Unit for Enhancing Motivation in Physical Education: A Mixed-Method Approach

Grounded in self-determination theory, this pre-experimental study analyzed the effects of a hybrid teaching games for understanding/sport education (TGfU/SE) volleyball teaching unit on students’ motivational outcomes, using a mixed-method approach. It also examined whether the intervention was equally effective for boys and girls. Participants were 53 secondary school students (M_age = 15.50, SD_age = 0.57) who were taught through a hybrid TGfU/SE unit. The structure of this unit was designed according to the characteristics of SE model, while learning tasks were designed by using the pedagogical principles of TGfU model. Both self-reported validated questionnaires and focus groups were used before and after intervention to assess students’ motivational responses. After the hybrid TGfU/SE unit, both quantitative and qualitative findings showed improvements in students’ perceptions of need-support from the physical education (PE) teacher, basic psychological needs satisfaction, novelty, and variety satisfaction, as well as intrinsic motivation compared to baseline values. Although the hybrid TGfU/SE unit was effective in both genders, a large effect size was found for girls. Despite the existence of social and cultural stereotypes in team sports such as volleyball in favor of boys, results highlight the importance of developing hybrid TGfU/SE units to improve students’ motivational outcomes, especially in girls.

Physical activity of 15-17 years old adolescents in different educational settings: a Polish-Czech study

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to analyze adolescents' physical activity (PA) in two different educational settings, and to estimate the association between meeting PA recommendations and specific characteristics of adolescents' lifestyle.

METHODS

The study was carried out in the Moravia region of the Czech Republic and in the Silesia-Opole region of Poland. In total, 1,846 participants completed the long International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-long) using the online Indares system.

RESULTS

Results showed that the Polish sample was significantly more physically active than the Czech one concerning school PA (p < 0.001; η² = 0.07). Comparing by gender, significant differences were found in vigorous PA (p < 0.001; η² = 0.05) and moderate PA (p < 0.001; η² = 0.08) in both samples. The recommendations for vigorous PA are met by 45.9% of Czech boys and 33.4% of girls; and by 64.5% of Polish boys and 51.3% of girls. Participation in organized PA was the main correlate to achieve the recommendations of vigorous PA in both Czech (p < 0.001; CI = 4.47-9.25) and Polish adolescents (p < 0.001; CI = 1.99-5.37).

CONCLUSIONS

The Polish educational model seems to be more effective for enhancing higher levels of PA among youth, as it provides pupils with a wider offer of organized PA. Girls were found to be less active than boys at high PA intensities in both countries, therefore, more effort must be put on involving them in organized PA.