1,720,966 research outputs found
A descriptive study on physical activity and health state of university students
No full textPrevalence of poor mental health is a global issue that requires proper designing and implementation of policies to tackle, and physical activity has been shown to affect mental health among general populations. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between physical activity and mental health among university students in Singapore. 100 participants from Nanyang Technological University were recruited for this study and their levels of physical activity and mental health were measured using the IPAQ - Short Form and GHQ-12 respectively while the data were analysed using SPSS. A two-tailed Spearman’s rank order correlation was run with the level of significance set at 0.05. The results showed a very weak positive correlation that is statistically insignificant (rs(98)=0.055, p=0.590). Therefore, future policies to improve mental health of university students in Singapore should consider placing emphasis on other aspects instead of physical activity as the psychological benefits of physical activity might be limited or insignificant for this population.Bachelor of Science (Sport Science and Management
Motivations to run among university students
No full textRunning is one of the most popular physical activity (PA) amongst people in Singapore. However, despite the increase in PA participation rates in recent years in Singapore, there is a drop in PA at the stage of adolescence which coincides with the ages of university students. Therefore, the aim of this research study is to understand the motivations to run among university students in Singapore. Ten runners (6 male and 4 female) who are current university students and have ran a half-marathon or marathon in their university candidature were interviewed. A semi-structured interview was conducted on a one-to-one basis to identify motivations to run. There were three significant motivations to run: to de-stress, for friends and to hit personal goals; and there were no major difference in motivations to run between genders. The findings of this study can aid university administrators or Sport Singapore to gain a better understanding of this specific segment in relation to the area of PA, which may aid their initiatives, by focusing on the segment’s motivations that keeps them running.Bachelor of Science (Sport Science and Management
Sustained sports participation in university
No full textSports participation is mostly encouraged among youth in Singapore especially through programmes such as Co-Curricular Activities. Sports participation is known to provide health and social benefits for individuals. It was revealed that sports participation decreases in the latter stage as students enter university. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the factors that affect university students’ decision in their sports persistence and withdrawal in university. 10 participants (5 females and 5 males) were interviewed. Half of the participants were among those who continued their specialized sports in university whereas the other half withdrew. A semi-structured face to face interview was conducted to investigate the factors that affect their decision with sports withdrawal and persistence. It was found that participants who continued mainly due to their unfulfilled goals, teammates’ influence, and enjoyment while participants withdrew due to injuries, shift of priorities in life, and also teammates’ influence. Such findings revealed that teammates’ influence is significant in influencing behaviors. This could aid university sports administrators to develop sports initiatives, such as organising group sports activities, to encourage socialisation.
Keywords: Sports participations, withdrawal, persistence, university students.Bachelor of Science (Sport Science and Management
Problematic smartphone usage : correlation with physical activity and sleep quality among university students in Singapore
No full textBackground: The proliferation of technology have brought about an era of smartphones. The booming use and pervasiveness of smartphones have raised the issue of problematic smartphone usage. Problematic smartphone usage may lead to increased sedentary behaviours and cause sleep displacement in university students. Such behaviours are linked with adverse effects such as a higher rate of obesity and worsening of sleep quality. While existing evidence demonstrates this relationship, there were no studies conducted on this relationship in Singapore yet. Evidence from this study may be utilised to aid in instituting measures to improve physical activity and sleep quality among university students.
Purpose: This study aims to examine if there is a relationship between problematic smartphone usage and physical activity levels; as well as sleep quality in Singapore university students.
Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 Singapore university students (age 22.8 ± 2.06 years). The survey package includes Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Version, International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to determine the relationship between problematic smartphone usage risk and both physical activity levels and sleep quality.
Results and Conclusion: No correlation between problematic smartphone usage and physical activity levels among university students. On the whole, significant negative correlations were found between problematic smartphone usage and sleep quality. When using gender as a moderating factor, only female university students demonstrated this relationship. Further studies should be done using objective and qualitative measures to establish the relationship among the variables.Bachelor of Science (Sport Science and Management
Relationship between pre-shot routine and free-throw accuracy among university basketball players in Singapore
No full textFree-throws scored in basketball are sometimes the deciding factor of close games. Pre-shot routines have been found to have positive effects on the outcomes of successful free-throw shooting. The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of pre-shot routines on improving successful free-throw shooting in university basketball players in Singapore. 20 subjects were recruited for the study, consisting of 10 males and 10 females, all of whom played at the varsity level. The subjects took part in groups of 4 at The Wave Sports Complex in Nanyang Technological University, and shot a total of 50 free throws alternating between 2 conditions: one where they could shoot the shots with their pre-shot routine, and one where no pre-shot routine was allowed. Their scores at the end of each set of 10 shots was read out loud to encourage accurate free-throw shooting. The first 10 shots were treated as their warm up, and the remaining 40 were used for data analysis. Statistical significance was set at alpha = 0.05. A significantly larger number of shots were made in the pre-shot routine condition compared to when shooting without pre-shot routines. These results support the notion that shooting free-throws with pre-shot routines improved free-throw percentage. These findings were similar to those reported in 1986 by Lobmeyer and Wasserman.Bachelor of Science (Sport Science and Management
A descriptive study on physical activity and dietary practices of university students
No full textBackground: Physical activity and dietary practice are modifiable lifestyle risk factors of common health diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and some types of cancer. Studies investigating the association between physical activity and dietary practice presented mixed results across different subgroups. Therefore, assessing patterns of physical activity and dietary practices among university students could provide information for more tailored and effective interventions.
Purpose of study: This study examined the prevalence and patterns of physical activity and dietary practices of university students in Singapore.
Methods: 101 participants (61 males; 40 females) from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), completed 2 sets of self-reported questionnaire which included International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Dietary Practice Questionnaire (DPQ) to determine physical activity level and dietary practices.
Results: Majority of university students (73%) have high physical activity level and poor dietary practices. Their diet consisted of high amount of additional salt and sugar, and insufficient fruits and vegetables. Students with high physical activity (HPA) have an overall poorer dietary practice as compared to students with low physical activity (LPA). Students with HPA were more likely to consume western-fast food and additional fat, sugar, and salt; but they were also more likely to meet the dietary guideline of fruits and vegetable intake.
Conclusion: Understanding that high physical activity level does not correlate with better dietary practices among university students, health education and promotion should not neglect this group to prevent poor dietary habits to be carried on to their next phase of life.Bachelor of Science (Sport Science and Management
Coaching behavior preferences among university athletes in Singapore
No full textThis study aimed to investigte the coaching behavior preferences among university athletes in Singapore. The significance of the findings were discussed with reference to the Multidimensional Model of Leadership (Chelladurai, 1980). The study engaged the opinions of 76 athletes (Female n = 36, Male n = 40) via the Leadership Scale for Sport (Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980). The findings were then analysed using descriptive statistics to obtain the mean, median, standard deviation and effect size for both genders. Although there were slight differences observed between both genders, the results displayed a high level of similarity in coaching preferences regardless of gender. Both genders ranked Training & Instruction as their most preferred behavior, followed by Positive Feedback. Autocratic Behavior was not preferred.Bachelor of Science (Sport Science and Management
Pre-service physical education teachers' ability to observe and analyze movement skills
No full textThe ability to analyze movement skills is critical for physical education teachers (Metzler, 2011; Rink, 2014; Rovegno & Bandhauer, 2013; Siedentop & Tannehill, 2000), and the ability is supported by the physical education teacher’s content knowledge, such as knowledge of game/sport techniques and tactics, and knowledge of the errors that students might make (Ward et al., 2021). Limited research suggested that the physical education teacher’s content knowledge is not acquired through participating in the game/sport (Ward, Tsuda, et al., 2018b), and the ability to analyze movement skills is often neglected by physical education teacher education programs (Lounsbery & Coker, 2008). It has been suggested that physical education teacher education programs should depart from current practices and adopt an integrated approach (e.g., Knudson, 2013) in the training of physical education teachers’ ability to analyze movement skills (Overdorf & Coker, 2013). Three studies are conducted to address the gaps in current literature and practices.In the first study, the relationship between playing experiences and skill analysis ability among pre-service physical education teachers was examined. A correlational research design was adopted for the first study (Thomas et al., 2011), and 36 preservice physical education teachers’ playing experience and skill analysis ability were measured. The results showed that the pre-service physical education teachers lacked playing experience and were not able to analyze any of the skills taught in schools. Also, there was no correlations between playing experience and skill analysis ability, for example, a pre-service physical education teacher with playing experience in a game/sport is unable to analyze the skills used in that game/sport. Administrators should be cognizant of the limitations of applicant’s playing experiences, and the need to include skill analysis training in the physical education teacher education programs.In the second study, the efficacy of a training program adopting an integrated approach (Knudson, 2013) on pre-service physical education teachers’ skill analysis abilities was examined. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted for the second study (Thomas et al., 2011), where 36 pre-service physical education teachers were recruited into the experimental group and 37 sport science & management undergraduates recruited into the control group. For both groups, skill analysis ability was measured before, immediately after, and six weeks after the training program. The results showed that there were statistically significant increases in skill analysis ability among the experimental group immediately after, and six weeks after the training program.The third study explored pre-service physical education teachers’ perceptions of the skill analysis training program, and 10 pre-service physical education teachers who participated in the skill analysis training program were interviewed. Findings revealed four key themes related to skill analysis training: (1) checklists alone do not enable one to analyze skills, (2) videos of correct skill performance improve understanding of the skill’s performance criteria, (3) videos of incorrect skill performance, instruction, and practice are critical in skill analysis training, and (4) incorporate field experiences to ascertain skill analysis ability in real time. The third study’s findings might improve future implementations of skill analysis training for pre-service physical education teachers
Physical education teacher education in Singapore
No full textRecent initiatives by the Ministry of Education have afforded new opportunities and challenges to physical education teacher education in Singapore. Physical education teacher education programs are offered by the National Institute of Education’s Physical Education & Sports Science Academic Group, and the Academic Group has to continuously improve the programs to meet the new opportunities and challenges. To describe the improvements made to the physical education teacher education programs, program documents for the academic year of 2018-2019 were analyzed using document analysis [1]. Results from this study indicates that the improvements made to the physical education teacher education programs will enable pre-service teachers to deliver the greater emphasis in fundamental movement skills and sports skills, apply the pedagogical practices in their teaching and learning process, and teach in both primary and secondary levels.Published versio
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