First-Year Physical Education Research Articles

What are the learning styles, Multiple Intelligence, and Emotional Intelligence of first-year physical education teaching students?

El objetivo del presente estudio fue relacionar los estilos de aprendizaje, habilidades emocionales y múltiples con el rendimiento académico en estudiantes de primer año de la carrera pedagogía en educación física de una universidad de Santiago de Chile. Metodología: de tipo cuantitativa, no experimental de corte transversal. La muestra estuvo constituida por 84 estudiantes (20 mujeres y 64 hombres). Para evaluar los estilos de aprendizaje se utilizó CHAEA-36 y el Inventario Herrmann de Dominancia Cerebral, también se aplicó el Inventario de Inteligencias Múltiples (IAMI-R), el Inventario de Inteligencia Emocional y para el rendimiento académico, el acta de notas de las asignaturas cursadas en el primer semestre por el estudiantado. Resultados: se encontraron correlaciones medias bajas entre el estilo de aprendizaje activo con el rendimiento académico (r=-0,235) y la dominancia B se relaciona positivamente con las calificaciones (r=0,270). Conclusiones: son necesarios futuros estudios con un diseño longitudinal y experimental, ya que existen algunas habilidades claves para un docente integral que se debería intervenir desde los primeros años de formación.

Case Study on the Change of Body Composition and Physical Fitness of Female College Students through Six-Week Home Training

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of home training(HT) and gym training(GT) on body composition and basic physical fitness in female college students.
 Method: In this study, 39 female first-year physical education students enrolled in K University in D city were selected as the subjects of the home training group(HT, n=15), gym training group(GT, n=12), and control group(Con, n=12). The subjects were fully informed of the purpose of the study and gave their voluntary consent to participate in the study. Body composition was measured by Weight, Body Mass Index, Percent Body Fat, Body Fat Mass, Lean Body Mass, and Skeletal Muscle Mass. Physical fitness was measured by grip strength, sit-ups, vertical jump, sitting trunk flexion, and standing on one leg with eyes closed. The exercise program consisted of a warm-up, main exercises(upper body, core, and lower body), and a cool-down, with the core exercises being the same for both programs. Data processing for this study was performed using the SPSS 27.0 statistical program to calculate the mean and standard deviation for each measure, and a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was performed to examine the effect of each item by group and time of measurement. If the interaction was significant, a paired samples t-test was performed, and a one-way analysis of variance was performed to analyze the difference in the mean of the dependent variable between groups at the same time point. Statistical significance was considered at p<.05 for all measures.
 Results: The main effects of body composition period were significant(p<.05) for body weight, LBM, and skeletal muscle mass, with no significant group interaction. Post hoc tests of the main effect of time revealed a significant main effect for body weight, but no significant post hoc differences from pre to post for any group. The main effects of physical fitness period were significant(p<.01) for the vertical jump, grip strength(left), grip strength(right), sit-ups, and standing on one leg with eyes closed, but the group interaction was not significant for all items. Post hoc tests of the main effect of time showed that the HT group significantly(p<.05) increased from pre to post in the standing vertical jump, grip strength(left) was significantly(p<.05) lower in the GT group from pre to post, and sit-ups were significantly(p<.01) higher in the HT group from pre to post.
 Conclusion: Gathering the results above, the home training group showed an increase in sit-ups and vertical jump in place from the pre- to post-training, it is possible to see some effectiveness of the training, but it is difficult to clear conclusions. Therefore, further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of home training.

DOES EXERGAME HELP IMPROVE PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND MOTIVATION TO ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?

This study aims to explore participants’ insights and feelings towards exergame concepts to promote physical activity (PA). Specifically, aspects such as participants’ perceptions, knowledge and motivation towards exergame were analysed to investigate how exergame influences their engagement with PA and learning during online distance learning (ODL). This study adopted a qualitative research design. Both video recording (2 minutes/video) and drawings (i.e., discussed in part two) were utilised to explore the participants’ perceptions, knowledge, and motivation with exergame. Convenience sampling was utilised to gather participants who comprised of 45 first-year undergraduate physical and health education (PHE), biology and chemistry major students ages between 20-25 years (i.e., 13 males and 32 females, respectively). The Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis approach was referred to develop the procedures and instruments while Consider.ly software (Usertime Solutions GmbH) was used to analyse data from the videos and drawings. Additionally, the keywords and significant answers were also noted, clustered into main themes to ease understanding and superordinate themes related to this study. Findings indicate that: (i) Exergame concepts were effective in increasing both participants’ learning enjoyment and PA level, (ii) The addition of exergame was successful in promoting higher engagement between participants and educators, (iii) A lot of participants reported higher motivation to learn course contents and (iv) Perceived exergame as an opportunity to sharpen their thinking skills through challenges presented in exergame. Overall, the findings contribute to our understanding of how pedagogical strategies such as exergame can be adopted in and out of the classroom to promote desirable learning experiences and academic outcomes.

One Physical Educator’s Struggle to Implement Restorative Practices in an Urban Intensive Environment

Purpose: The purpose of this cyclical action research study was to examine the perspectives of Clyde, a first-year physical education teacher working in an urban intensive environment, as he attempted to implement restorative practices. Methods: Data included semistructured interviews, weekly e-mail communication, text messages, photographs, field notes from observations, and artifacts. Data were analyzed using a combination of inductive and deductive analysis. Results: The results are presented in three themes: (a) searching for appropriate discipline procedures, (b) critical incidents inhibited the integration of restorative practices, and (c) lack of preparation to teach in an urban intensive environment. Conclusion: Clyde’s experience suggests that challenges for early career teachers may be further complicated by teaching in urban intensive environments. Teacher educators may consider the different contexts in which teachers work and the influence they can have on both teacher effectiveness and job satisfaction.

The Impact and effect of caffeine on the improvement of muscle strength of students in the college of physical education and sports at Al-Aqsa University

The study aimed to acknowledge the impact of caffeine on the improvement of muscle strength of students in the college of physical education and sports at Al-Aqsa University, the researchers used the descriptive method, and the sample (21 students) were a first-year physical education and sports students. The most important result was that one hour after the caffeine were taken, there was a significant change in the results of the muscle force tests, as follows: For strength endurance, the stomach test had time (30 seconds), the improvement rate was 11.45%. For pressure testing, the rate of improvement was 11.45%. And the pressure of the inclined recline test, the improvement rate was 13.51%, As for the speed, the broad jump test, the improvement rate reached 7.27%, To test the thrust of the medical ball, the improvement rate was 7.91%, As for the maximum strength component of the dead lift test, the improvement rate was 9.53%, and for the knee bending test, the improvement rate was 7.5%. For chest push ups testing, the improvement rate was 10.64%. Caffeine was used as a nutritional supplement containing caffeine anhydrous in an amount of 200 mg, from 2.5 to 3.5 mg/kg each dose of student's weight. Additionally, many previous references that include caffeine were scanned, which our study matched with some of these ones, using the average dose

Effects of self-disclosure experience on life skill acquisition in university physical education courses

For promotion of life skill acquisition in university physical education courses taken as distribution requirements for liberal arts programs, the experience of “self-disclosure” has been receiving some attention (Shimamoto and Ishii, 2007). However, there has been limited information on the design of physical education classes focusing on self-disclosure, and the results thus obtained. The present study examined whether university physical education courses focusing on self-disclosure experiences (Nara and Kiuchi, 2020) lead to life skill acquisition among first-year university students. The study subjects included students taking softball classes as a first-year compulsory physical education course (n=137: 87 men and 50 women) at a national university in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The course was revised to focus on self-disclosure, and the effects were measured by comparing 3 groups before and after the course: a revised group (n=77: 57 men and 20 women), an unchanged group (n=23: 12 men and 11 women), and a control group (n=37: 18 men and 19 women). The revised and unchanged groups comprised students taking revised and unchanged versions of the course taught by the same instructor, while the control group comprised students taking standard softball courses without a focus on selfdisclosure, taught by different instructors. In-class self-disclosure scores were significantly higher (F(2, 134) = 5.46, p <0.01) for the revised group (13.13±2.20) than for the unchanged group (11.83±2.29) or the control group (11.92±2.11). Analysis of variance showed no group–time interaction for the life skills score. However, when the revised group was divided into 3 subgroups ranked by self-disclosure score and the subgroups compared, only in the subgroup ranking highest in self-disclosure showed significant improvement in life skills (F(2, 74) = 3.92, p <0.05). Analysis of variance performed after dividing the revised group into 3 subgroups based on initial life skill levels before taking the course revealed no group–time interaction. It was therefore concluded that (1) the revised course program significantly increased experiences of self-disclosure for the students enrolled, (2) students who experienced self-disclosure in the physical education course significantly increased their life skills regardless of their life skill level before taking the course, and (3) the revised course showed educational results in terms of not only psychosocial effect but also motor skill, physical strength, and health.

A Sustainable Service-Learning Program Embedded in PETE: Examining the Short-Term Influence on Preservice Teacher Outcomes

Background: Studies have acknowledged the limitations of short-term service-learning programs. This highlights the importance of examining the influence of evidence-informed sustainable service-learning programs on preservice teachers’ learning outcomes. Purpose: To explore the short-term influence of a sustainable service-learning program on first-year physical education teacher education (PETE) preservice teachers. Methods: Written reflections from 15 students (73% women and 27% men) in the first year of a PETE course were analyzed using Butin’s conceptual model. Results: The service-learning experiences allowed first-year PETE preservice teachers to extend and refine their general pedagogical content, curriculum, and policy knowledge. However, PETE preservice teachers’ learning was limited in terms of cultural, political, and postmodern perspectives. Discussion: This study provides recommendations for improving preservice teachers’ learning in a sustainable service-learning program embedded in a PETE course.

The effect of narcissism and neuroticism on physical education and sports teacher candidates of real and self-estimated exam grades

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the joint effect of narcissism and neuroticism on physical education teacher candidates’ real and self-estimated exam grades. Methods: The sample included 60 (20 female) first-year physical education teacher candidates. Before the educational psychology visa exam, participants completed measures of narcissism and neuroticism. Immediately after the exam, participants reported their expected exam grades. Results: Results of the correlation analysis indicated that narcissism was positively and significantly associated with the deviation of the self-estimated exam grade from the real exam grade, which means that narcissistic individuals may tend to overestimate their exam grades. Regression analyses also confirmed that narcissism is a significant predictor of the deviation of the self-estimated exam grade from the real exam grade. A two-way analysis of variance further demonstrated that narcissistic individuals self-estimated exam grades showed a higher deviation from the real exam grades than their non-narcissistic counterparts. Conclusion: Narcissistic individuals may have a predisposition to overestimate their exam grades.

Impaired Core Stability as a Risk Factor for the Development of Lower Extremity Overuse Injuries: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Core stability has been suggested to influence lower extremity functioning and might contribute to the development of lower extremity overuse injuries. However, prospective studies to investigate this relationship are limited. Purpose: To research the role of different components of core stability as risk factors for the development of lower extremity overuse injuries. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 142 first-year physical education students participated in this study. They were tested in 2015 and were prospectively followed for 1.5 years by means of a multilevel injury registration method. Three participants were excluded owing to physical complaints during testing. As such, 139 participants were included in the statistical analysis. At baseline, dynamic postural control, isometric core and hip muscle strength, core muscle endurance, core neuromuscular control and proprioception, and functional movement were measured for all participants. Competing risk regression analyses were performed to identify significant contributors to the development of lower extremity overuse injuries. Results: During the follow-up period, 34 (24%) of the 139 participants developed a lower extremity overuse injury. Significant predictive effects for an overuse injury were found for an increased side-by-side difference in dynamic postural control (P = .038), decreased isometric hip extension:flexion strength ratio (P = .046), and decreased abdominal core muscle endurance (P = .032). Conclusion: This study identified measures for dynamic postural control, core muscle strength, and core muscle endurance as significant risk factors for the development of overuse injuries after statistical model building. However, core neuromuscular control and proprioception and functional movement might not allow clinicians to identify patients at risk. These accessible, reliable screening tools could be used in clinical practice with regard to screening and injury prevention for overuse injuries. Injury prediction based on this model needs to be done with caution given the low relative predictive accuracy (53%).

First-Year Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers’ Academic Motivation and Their Satisfaction with Academic Studies

It is important to analyse the motives that encourage students to choose academic studies as this points out to how engaged with their field of studies and how well prepared for their future profession they will be. The learning experience of university students, their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with academic studies can encourage students either to become more strongly committed to their profession or to revise their career goals. The aim of the present research was to determine the academic motivation of the first year pre-service physical education teachers and how this relates to their satisfaction with academic studies.&#x0D; In order to assess the students’ intrinsic, extrinsic motivation and a motivation the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) (Vallerand et al., 1992) was used. The Course Experience Questionnaire (Ramsden, 1991), which consists of 5 sub-scales: Good teaching, Clarity of goals and standards, Appropriate workload, Appropriate assessment, Development of generic skills, was used in order to determine the students’ satisfaction with their studies.&#x0D; There were surveyed 84 first year full-time students of physical education study programmes in the field of education and development from the four Lithuanian universities.&#x0D; It was established that, while choosing a career and getting ready for the professional activity, for pre-service physical education teachers both intrinsic and extrinsic motives are common and the level of a motivation is low. The highest score was given by the first year students for the teaching strategies that motivate students to learn (Good teaching). The lowest scores in the student satisfaction with academic studies were recorded in their evaluation of Appropriate Workload and Appropriate Assessment. The research revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic academic motivation of students have a statistically reliable connection of mean strength with Quality of teaching, Clarity of goals and standards, as well as Development of generic skills, whereas a motivation – with Appropriate workload and Appropriate Assessment sub-scales.&#x0D; The results of the present quantitative research are significant in assessing the impact of academic environment on the students’ motivation to pursue the chosen profession.

Predictors of Academic Achievement among Physical Education and Sports Undergraduate Students.

Although a number of studies have attempted to determine the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of students’ academic performance, there are few studies in the literature that examine the correlates of academic achievement for physical education and sports undergraduate students. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the academic achievement of first-year physical education and sports students and their sociodemographics, attitudes towards the teaching profession, personality traits, and achievement goal orientations. The participants of the study consisted of 127 (67% male) physical education and sports students, ranging in age from 16 to 30 years old when they began their studies. Participants responded to a questionnaire to determine their sociodemographic characteristics, their attitudes towards the teaching profession in their high school years, their core self-evaluations, and their achievement goal orientations. Pearson correlation analysis results showed that students’ first year grade-point average (GPA) was associated with gender, high school GPA, core-self evaluations, and mastery-approach achievement goal orientation. Results of the regression analysis suggested that the three variables that predicted the students’ first year GPA were their mastery-approach scores, attitudes towards the teaching profession in high school years, and high school GPA. In order to prevent academic failure in physical education and sports students, those who do not have a mastery-approach goal orientation and who had a low high school GPA should be identified at the beginning of the academic year, so that educational interventions can be directed at these students.

Sports injuries and illnesses in first-year physical education teacher education students

Background/aimWe aimed to investigate the magnitude and characteristics of injuries and illnesses in Dutch physical education teacher education (PETE) students.MethodsDuring the first 21 weeks of the academic year, 245 first-year...

Conception of the Competent Teacher According To the First-Year Physical Education Students of Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences

Article presents conception of competent (university) teacher according to the first year physical education students of Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences (LUES). By analyzing the concept of quality studies of first year PE students of of LUES, eight qualitative categories have been singled out: study outcomes, the structure of study programme, study process, a favourable educational environment, material and methodical resources, lecturers, the accessibility of studies and a possibility to be employed, prestige of institutions and studies. However, we still don’t know who is “qualified teacher” in the eyes of our students. Also we shouldn’t forget that PE students are future PE teachers. So it’s really important to analyze who are qualified teacher and what students are thinking about it, because it’s could be their, as future teacher’s, vision. Article identifies some problems as who is qualified teacher in students eyes, what level of excellence qualified teacher must demonstrate and what skills he must have etc. The purpose of the article was to reveal the qualified teacher conception of the students of the first year of studies of PE at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. Research methods applied were as follows: analysis of scientific literature and documents, students’ answers to open questions: ”what is qualified teacher of university for you personally?”, quality content analysis. Students’ conception of qualified teacher of university was analyzed relying on traditional qualitative content analysis; the text was studied by singling out keywords and phrases and forming them into subcategories and categories. The categories were grouped by attributing them to separate areas. First year PE students of LUES were surveyed in spring of 2014. 46 first year PE students of LUES participated in the research. The scope of the research was a comfortable one, because the chosen students attend lectures, do not have previous experience of studying in other higher education schools, study programmes and therefore it was easy to find them at their study places. Ethics of the research: the research was performed by following principle of voluntarism, in the environment of students’ studies and at the time that was comfortable for them. An agreement of the researched was also acquired as well as the permission of study programme leaders. There was a possibility given not to participate in the research. Conception of the qualified teacher according to the first year PE students is revealed via three elements: 1) professional recognition and expertise, 2) personal qualities and 3) competencies. Students are often associating teacher‘s professional recognition with non-formal recognition, image of an expert of certain area, but not with formal teacher’s qualities acknowledgment. Basing on students’ opinion, qualified university teacher must demonstrate competencies of didactics, of students’ motivation and support, of student awareness and recognition, of communication and cooperation. Good, friendly, objective, nice, creative, rigorous, without prejudices and honest, turned positive, or even a “super hero” – a competent teacher should have these properties. Some students have too high expectations towards competent teacher, imagining him as an expert of all areas, a person able to resolve personal motivation problems, a person able to directly feel, to see the mind, thus students may experience frustration and difficulties when shaping their future vision of himself as a physical education teacher. Keywords: first-year students of bachelor studies in physical education, competence, qualified teacher of university. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/sm.2017.3

“Still Finding the Ground:” A Self-Study of a First-Year Physical Education Teacher Educator

While decades of research have documented the socialization of inservice physical education teachers, the socialization of physical education faculty members has only recently become a research focus. Self-study of teacher education practices is becoming increasingly popular when exploring the lived experiences of physical education faculty. We used self-study of teacher education practices to understand the experiences of Kevin, a beginning physical education teacher educator in a visiting assistant professor position at Northern Illinois University. Kevin’s experiences differ from those of many other teacher educators as he had not taught in school settings before moving into higher education. He did, however, have a strong background in higher education pedagogy through work in a center for teaching and learning. Data were collected through journaling, documents and artifacts, and exit slips, feedback forms, and focus group interviews completed by Kevin’s students. Qualitative data analyses resulted in the construction of three first-order themes: (1) developing appropriate pedagogy, (2) developing and maintaining relationships with students, and (3) managing an identity as a teacher educator. Kevin’s journey was non-linear and marked by both successes and challenges, but at the end of the year he felt that he had grown as a teacher educator. Further, while Kevin’s youth and lack of teaching experience influenced his teacher education practice, it was not always negative and he found ways to compensate for what he lacked in direct teaching experience. Results are discussed with reference to Kevin’s socialization and future directions for research are provided.

Quality of life, stages of behavioral changes and physical activity level of Physical Education students

The aim of this study was to identify the stages of behavioral change (SBC) and compare quality of life (QOL) and physical activity level between first-year and last-year undergraduate Physical Education students at a public university in Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil. This is a descriptive study with a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 199 undergraduate Physical Education students, enrolled in the first, second, seventh and eighth semesters of their course, with a mean age of 21.32 ± 4.00 years, of which 61.80% were first-year students (enrolled in the first and second semesters). Behavioral change was verified with the SBC questionnaire, QOL with the WHOQOL-Bref and physical activity level with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Student’s t-test and Chi-square test were used for data analysis, with a 5% significance level. The most prevalent SBC was in the Action stage (first-year students: 53.3% and last-year students: 43.9%). There were significant differences in the social (p &lt;0.01) and environmental (p&lt;0.01) domains. Regarding the physical activity level, 82.93% of first-year students and 86.84% of last-year students were physically active. Both groups of students showed relatively positive QOL, SBC and physical activity level, although QOL differed in terms of sociability and environmental adaptation.

Fat Studies 101: Learning to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Fat Studies 101: Learning to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

First-Year Physical Education Teachers’ Experiences With Teaching African Refugee Students

The purpose of this study was to analyze and explore the experiences of eight first-year physical education teachers who have taught African refugee students. Interviews were conducted at the end of each participant’s first year of teaching. The findings of this study highlight the vast different learning styles of students from Africa and the strategies that these teachers trialed and incorporated into their lessons in an attempt to minimize the disruptions they experienced when first introduced to the students. The results of this study, together with information from the literature, suggest that the training and education of teachers in Australia must incorporate strategies for teaching students from different backgrounds, cultures, and living situations to better facilitate the inclusion of them in school-based activities and learning.

Geriatric Screening as an Educational Tool: A Case Report

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEThe aging population is growing in the United States. Currently, 1 in 8 Americans is over the age of 65,1 with a projected increase to 1 in 5 by 2030.2 In response to the increasing aging population in the United States, the American Geriatrics Society3 and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Section on Geriatrics4 (now known as the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy) released essential competencies for practitioners working with older adults. The American Geriatrics Society established general competencies designed to be used by practitioners in a variety of health care disciplines that work with older adults.3 The APTA Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy's Essential Competencies in the Care of Older Adults at the Completion of the EntryLevel Physical Therapist Professional Program of Study4 (see page 91 of this issue) serves as a guide for accredited physical therapy education programs in teaching students how to provide care for older adults. The establishment of the essential competencies4 provides a framework for physical therapist education programs to ensure that their students meet competencies upon entry into the profession. Currently, the literature lacks evidence of innovative methods that graduate physical therapist education programs are using to meet these essential competencies.4Didactic and laboratory classroom experiences are essential initial components for teaching physical therapist students to work with an aging population. With a classroom foundation, clinical experiences allow students to hone skill sets with a variety of patient populations, including older adults. Experiential learning provides a bridge between the classroom and the clinic and serves the important purpose of reinforcing classroom learning5 and increasing cultural competence.6 Experiential learning, when conducted in communities and settings that are underserved, aligns with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) criteria and the APTA core values related to social responsibility and advocacy7,8 and provides the opportunity to develop social responsibility.9 Using experiential learning as an adjunct to classroom education about the older adult population could be an important component in developing the essential competencies4 for working with older adults. This case report is a description of an experiential learning activ- ity for first-year physical therapist students to supplement didactic coursework that could be easily replicated by other physical therapist education programs.The Widener University Institute for Physical Therapy Education (IPTE) has older adult content embedded throughout the 3-year didactic curriculum in various courses that emphasize musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, integumentary, and cardiovascular systems in various practice settings, including acute care, outpatient, and skilled nursing facilities, covering such topics as therapeutic exercise intervention for the older adult, motor control and motor learning, health literacy, multisystem aging, and in-depth selected topics in aging.10 The courses with geriatric content focus on a number of different essential competencies for the older adult. In the first-year physical therapist education, students take a 2-credit Lifespan Adulthood course. This course focuses on the broader psychosocial, motor, and cognitive aspects of aging, as well as broader subjects such as ageism and successful aging, and serves as an introduction to topics that will be explored in greater depth in other coursework. The course also places an emphasis on health screening for older adults. Students are taught that early detection of physical performance deficits, depression and cognitive changes, and appropriate intervention by the health care team can help to interrupt loss of physical function that older adults can experience.11,12 Students learn to advocate for appropriate levels of physical activity to promote the health and wellness of older adults. …

Relationship Between Eating-Behavior Disorders and Psychological Parameters in Male First-Year Physical Education Students

This study explores the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes in a sample of male first-year university students engaged in a physical education program and examines the relationships between emotional intelligence, coping, and emotional eating in relation to disordered-eating (DE) attitudes. A total of 140 students completed the following questionnaires: the eating attitudes test, the bar-on emotional intelligence questionnaire, the coping inventory stress scale, and the Dutch eating behavior questionnaire. The number of participants represented 80% of the male students registered in this discipline at the authors' university. Twenty percent of students presented DE attitudes even though they were of normal weight. The bar-on EQ-I results indicated that students with DE attitudes had lower levels of emotional intelligence (EI) scores than students without DE attitudes (control group). Moreover, they scored higher than the control group on coping styles such as avoidance-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, and emotional eating. The DE group presented a positive correlation between DE attitudes symptoms and both avoidance- and emotion-oriented coping but a negative correlation between DE attitudes and task-oriented coping. There was also a significant negative correlation between DE attitudes and EI score. Another result from this group indicated an association between EI score and emotional-eating score (p < .05, r = -.44) and also a positive correlation between emotion-oriented coping and emotional eating (p < .01, r = .47). The findings highlight future research potential on the role of emotions and EI in DE symptoms, which may be beneficial in the context of collaborative care management intervention.

First off the blocks: professional experience and learning for first-year preservice Physical and Health Education teachers

Recent research focusing on professional experience has shifted towards understanding preservice teachers' learning. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the learning of preservice Physical and Health Education teachers throughout three progressively designed professional experiences. Ten volunteering first-year preservice teachers, who were enrolled in a four year degree, were recruited. A qualitative practitioner inquiry approach was employed, with participants interviewed twice to provide insights into their learning and theorising of practice. Key themes emerged around the relationship between the unit content (theory) and professional experience (practice); notions of professionalism; engagement with the syllabus and lesson planning; communication; and understanding of students. Findings indicate the potential of microteaching placements as stepping-stones to larger, more intense professional experience placements. However, future research is needed to provide stronger evidence for these placements.