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World-Class Male Sprinters and High Hurdlers Have Similar Start and Initial Acceleration Techniques
Get PDFThe effect of the inclusion of a high hurdle 13.72 m after the start line on elite sprint start and initial acceleration technique has yet to be investigated or understood. This highly novel study addresses that lack of information in an exceptional manner, through detailed biomechanical analysis of the world's best sprint and hurdle athletes, with data collected in situ at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships, held in Birmingham, UK. High speed videos (150 Hz) were compared for eight sprinters and seven hurdlers for the start and initial acceleration phase of the finals of the men's 60 m and 60 m hurdles. Temporal and kinematic data were supplemented by vector coding analysis to investigate mechanisms by which these world-class athletes translate their centres of mass (CM) up to the fourth touchdown post-block exit. The sprinters and hurdlers coordinated their lower limb and trunk movement in a similar manner throughout the start and initial acceleration phases, which contributes new conceptual understanding of the mechanisms that underpin start and initial acceleration performance. Differences between groups were initiated from block set-up, with the hurdlers utilising a larger block spacing, but with the front block nearer to the start line than sprinters. Even after accounting for stature, the biggest differences in the raising of the CM occurred during the block phase, with hurdlers greater than sprinters (difference in vertical CM displacement scaled to stature = −0.037, very large effect size). Subsequent flight phases showed the biggest differences in the translation of the CM, in part due to longer flight times in the hurdlers, whilst the techniques of the two groups generally converged during the ground contact phases of initial acceleration. In highlighting that similar techniques are used by world-class sprinters and hurdlers, despite differing task constraints, this study has provided invaluable insights for scientists, coaches, and athletes, that will inform further developments in understanding and practice across both sprints and hurdles
Logos, Ethos, Pathos and the Marketing of Higher Education
Get PDFThis article utilises rhetorical analysis as a method to investigate course level marketing communications for undergraduate fashion marketing degrees in England. The purpose of this method is to explore the persuasive appeals of Aristotle’s triad of logos, ethos and pathos, how they are used and how these appeals could differ by university type. 16 course pages were analysed, with the analysis of course web pages shows a clear distinction between ‘types’ of university, with Post 92 institutions relying heavily on appeals to emotion (pathos) and giving more focus to ‘value for money’ that would be a concern to their students. Russell Group and Specialist universities rely more on appeals to ethos (credibility) and logos (fact/data) to market their courses. This research finds evidence of market segmentation, demonstrated through the different use of persuasive appeals to express the course focus, and giving insight to their target audience
‘The group was the only therapy which supported my needs, because it helped me feel normal and I was able to speak out with a voice’: A qualitative study of an integrated group treatment for dual diagnosis service users within a community mental health setting.
Get PDFWhilst the evidence for the efficacy of treatment interventions for individuals with dual diagnosis has been developing in recent decades, little is known about individual perceptions and the personal benefits of attending integrated treatment programmes within this population group.
A qualitative methodology, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, was used to investigate the experiences of individuals with a range of complex mental health and co-existing substance misuse problems who took part in a Psychoeducational Group (PEG) Programme. This comprised of social support and therapeutic peer group relationship facilitation. Semi structured interviews were undertaken with 15 service users who successfully participated in this treatment Programme.
Findings identify the complexity of the therapeutic process and understanding of the treatment from the service users perspective. This included the importance forming meaningful therapeutic relationships as an influential factor in countering a range of distressing and incompatible environmental and situational stressors, such as self-regulatory control, self-awareness of a need for change and the importance of integrated treatment in reducing the sense of stigma and exclusion linked with using mental health services.
The study findings support the use of integrated treatment programmes in mental health services with a dual diagnosis population group
Physical Culture
Get PDFJohnston and Klandermans (p. 3) reflect that “culture is a broad and often imprecise term but, as
others have noted, at the same time intuitively apparent”. This combination of conceptual imprecision
and lived intuitiveness is partly what gives rise to ambiguity around the very notion of culture—we
all know it is there and somehow important, but we also often struggle to articulate precisely what the
term means. Such ambiguity is also at least as prevalent when dealing with the idea of physical culture,
which is an often-used term to describe a phenomenon of sociological, anthropological, historical, and
philosophical interest. Across these diverse bodies of literature, ambiguity is sustained in part
because of dual usage of the term physical culture in both academic and popular literature. While
both are relevant, they carry important nuances in meaning and indicate a different aspect of focus,
depending on the reading of the word culture. In what follows, I expand a little on these nuances
Understanding the barriers to food safety scheme certification in the food and drink manufacturing industry in Wales, UK
Get PDFIt is increasingly essential for food manufacturers to have food safety certification. Little is known about certification in the Welsh food industry. This study aimed to explore perceptions of Welsh manufacturers regarding the drivers, benefits and barriers to obtaining certification. Focus groups with manufacturers and stakeholders (n=68) were conducted. ‘Customer requirement’ and ‘product safety’ were drivers for obtaining certification. Benefits related to ‘food safety culture’, ‘supply chain security’, ‘brand protection’, due diligence’,‘business growth’and ‘job security’. Barriers were complex,often interrelated and were broadly defines as, ‘knowledge and skills’, ‘time, cost and resources’, and ‘communication and access to information’. The research identifies the need to explore requirements for support to enable food manufacturers in Wales to overcome identified barriers. Such data may inform the design and development of support mechanisms to increase uptake of food safety certification and accelerate food sector growth in-line with Welsh Government aspiration
City-region or urban-rural framework: what matters more in understanding the residential location of the creative class?
Get PDFThis paper addresses the key question as to what matters more in understanding the residential location of the creative class in Slovenia: the city-region or the urban-rural framework? Our analysis shows that differences in residential concentrations of the creative class vary more within city-regions (on an urban-rural framework) than between city-regions. Moreover, the creative class is moving out of densely populated urban areas to more sparsely populated suburban / rural areas within all city-regions. There also are significant differences between more developed western Slovenia (denser settlement structures) and less developed eastern Slovenia (sparser settlement structures). We conclude that new models of living promote dispersion
Who said “there is no ‘I’ in team”? The effects of observational learning content level on efficacy beliefs in groups
Get PDFObjectives
To investigate the effects of individual-level observational learning (OLINDV), team-level observational learning (OLTEAM), and multi-level observational learning (OLMULTI) on efficacy beliefs, task cohesion, and performance across three studies in sports teams.
Design
Cross-sectional, experimental and single-case designs were employed across the three studies, respectively.
Method
Study 1 used a cross-sectional design to explore the predictive relationship between OLINDV and OLTEAM use, and collective efficacy and task cohesion in 210 team sports athletes. Study 2 used a repeated-measures experimental design to compare effects of OLINDV versus OLTEAM interventions on collective and self-efficacy in two soccer teams. Study 3 used a single-case A-A-B-B design to assess the effectiveness of OLMULTI interventions on self-efficacy, collective efficacy, task cohesion and performance in an elite age-grade rugby union team across a competitive season.
Results
In study 1, both OLINDV and OLTEAM use predicted collective efficacy, but only OLTEAM use predicted task dimensions of cohesion. In study 2, collective efficacy increased for both the OLINDV and OLTEAM interventions while self-efficacy increased only for the OLINDV intervention. In study 3, visual and effect size analyses indicated increased self-efficacy, collective efficacy task cohesion, and performance for the team during the off- and in-season intervention phases where the OLMULTI interventions were administered alongside usual sporting involvement (training sessions and/or competitive fixtures).
Conclusions
The novel findings of this investigation show that OLINDV, OLTEAM and OLMULTI interventions can enhance efficacy beliefs in practical contexts and warrant application in groups across domains
Sports coaches’ mentorship: Experience and a suggested future framework
Get PDFIntroduction: Mentoring is widely advocated as an important component of coach learning, both informally and as a constituent feature of coach development programmes. However, despite its ubiquity, there remains a paucity of empirical evidence to support mentoring’s use in practice. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to present an empirical case study of a formalised mentoring programme as experienced by the mentors, and to contribute towards a critical conceptualisation of mentoring in sports coaching.
Materials and methods: Eight mentors participated in the study, all being employed on a formalised mentoring programme. Data collection occurred over the 18-month duration of the programme to respect the longitudinal nature of the mentoring process. The data were analysed thematically.
Results: The results emphasised the need for a clearer conceptualisation of mentoring to successfully operationalise practice. Although the relational aspect of the role was deemed crucial, developing reciprocity was challenging. This was because of the limited shared or critical understanding of the role among the participants.
Discussion: Building on the portrayal of mentoring depicted in the results, we subsequently position mentoring as a relational and contextualized activity. In doing so, we claim a more realistic, coherent and effective pedagogy of mentoring
Spatially Democratic Pedagogy: Children’s Design and Co-Creation of Classroom Space
Get PDFYoung children’s participation has been specifically foregrounded as a pedagogical element within education policy in Wales. However, there is currently little evidence that this policy concerned with participation has been enacted. This research describes an intervention, Spatially Democratic Pedagogy, as a pedagogical approach to foster young children’s participation, through design and co-creation of their classroom space. A group of six children, aged 4–5 years, alongside their teacher, were supported through a design-based intervention to enact, document and analyse this process. The research draws upon social understandings of space, as well as Froebel’s ideas about construction of communal gardens. Findings illustrate notable differences in the roles and relationships that formed between the teacher and the children when using Spatially Democratic Pedagogy. Children were teachers, planners, architects, negotiators and problem-solvers, as they participated in co-construction of their space. The argument is made that it is the process of design and co-creation that becomes the mediator for pedagogical change and acts as the driver for children’s participation. The co-construction of space is an important element to support young children’s participation in early years classrooms
Product user testing: The void between laboratory testing and field testing
Get PDFUser testing will frequently make the difference between an excellent product and a poor one. Moreover, in certain fields such as medical device development or training, the defence field or automotive industry, such testing can literally be the difference between life and death. Unfortunately, design teams rarely have the luxury of either time or budget to user test every aspect of a design at every stage, and so knowing where and when to devote time to testing, and the fidelity required for accurate results are all critical to delivering a good result.
This paper introduces research aimed at defining the optimum fidelity of mixed-reality user testing environments. It aims to develop knowledge enabling the optimisation of user testing environments by balancing effort vs. reward and thus developing critical and accurate data early in the design process.
Testing in a laboratory setting brings advantages such as the ability to limit experimental variability, control confidentiality and measure performance in great detail. Its disadvantages over ‘in the wild’ approaches tend to be related to ecological validity and the small but vitally important changes in user behaviour in real life settings. Virtual reality and hybrid physical-virtual testing environments should theoretically give designers the best of both worlds, finding critical design flaws cheaply and early. However, many attempts have focussed on high fidelity, technology-rich approaches that make them simultaneously more expensive, less flexible and less accessible. The final result is that they are less viable and hence somewhat counter-productive.
This paper presents the results of testing at a variety of fidelity levels within a mixed reality testing environment created by a team of artists and designers. It concludes with a series of recommendations regarding where and when fidelity is important