This paper examines the utilisation of light sailing within school sport programmes in Western France and California. Sailing has been identified as a key activity for upper class participation in both France and the USA because it heavily involves intellectual skills, including preparation, tactical decision making, leadership and problem…

Introduction: The constraints-led approach (CLA) and more generally a complex systems perspective on motor learning emphasizes the role of perceptual-motor exploration during learning in order to ensure the acquisition of a highly individualized, adapted and adaptable movement pattern. Recent studies have shown that human beings have a strong…

The bulk of interest in the role that interaction plays in learning in sport and physical education (PE) has focused on peer interaction at the expense of teacher-student interaction. This article redresses this imbalance in the literature by reporting on a study that inquired into the nature of teacher-student interaction and its effect on…

While constructivist theories of learning have been widely drawn on to understand and explain learning in games when using game-based approaches their use to inform pedagogy beyond games is limited. In particular, there has been little interest in applying constructivist perspectives on learning to sports in which technique is of prime importance.…

A map exploration and representation exercise was conducted with participants who were totally blind. Representations of maritime environments were presented either with a tactile map or with a digital haptic virtual map. We assessed the knowledge of spatial configurations using a triangulation technique. The results revealed that both types of…

This article builds upon research on youth sport clubs conducted from a socio-cultural perspective by reporting on a study that inquired into the reasons why children aged 9-12 joined swimming clubs in France, Germany and Australia. Comprising three case studies it employed a mixed method approach with results considered within the framework of…

It is a commonplace that water is essential for life, but to what extent is the general public, and children in particular, aware of how water affects health? The aim of this review was to consider the relationship between water and health under three main headings: the importance of hydration for children, dietary intake of water, and water as an…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Index of Coordination (IdC) and the propulsive phase durations can differentiate performance level during a maximal 400-m front crawl swim trial. Sixteen male swimmers constituted two groups based on performance level (G1: experts; G2: recreational). All participants swam the 400-m front crawl…

This article reports on a study conducted in Australia and France that inquired into the meaning and the nature of children's experiences of being in swimming clubs with a focus on the positive aspects of membership that keep them in their clubs. Three-month long case studies were conducted in a club in Australia and in a club in France, employing…

The association "Participe Futur", based in France, has set up a fantastic sailing and educational adventure with the help of the International Polar Foundation. A group of scientists left the South of France on 20 March 2005 on a sailing boat named "Alcyon". They will be on board for nine months, travelling all the way from…