Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the convergent validity of the PLAYfun tool, a physical literacy-based measure of movement competence, by examining its association with objectively measured physical activity in a sample of children and youth. Method: Participants included 110 children between the ages of seven to 14 years…

Purpose: A systematic review was conducted to identify facilitators and barriers to movement integration (MI) in elementary school classrooms. Method: Online databases (Educational Resources Information Center, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and PubMed) served as data sources for the study. Following the PRISMA guidelines, relevant published research…

Knudson, Morrow, and Thomas (2014) recently summarized a number of important issues related to the quality of peer review and current peer-review practice in kinesiology. This writer endorses their six recommendations for improving peer review in kinesiology journals. The purpose of this commentary is to further highlight the importance of…

The process of effective teaching--teaching that directly leads to student learning of standards-based content--is tenuous at best and easily disrupted by contextual and behavioral factors. In this commentary, I discuss the role of student support and mediation in teacher effectiveness and curricular reform. The most vocal students in physical…

The end-state comfort effect has been observed in recent studies of grip selection in adults. The present study investigated whether young children also exhibit sensitivity to end-state comfort. The task was to pick up an overturned cup from a table, turn the cup right side up, and pour water into it. Two age groups (N = 20 per group) were…

This study was performed to examine the effects of movement velocity and maximal concentric and eccentric actions on the bilateral deficit. Eighteen female participants performed maximal unilateral and bilateral knee extensions concentrically and eccentrically across six movement velocities (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180[degrees]/s). Repeated…

The purpose of the present study was to extend the scope of "macro" action constraints by examining a gross motor task that required participants to lift a large object with two hands and place it on one of two designated targets. Participants were thirteen undergraduate students from Simon Fraser University. Results of the study suggest that…

Existing physical education curricula in five schools were investigated for the presence of movement purpose concepts. Formal, perceived, experiential, and operational curricula were studied. Twenty-one of 22 purpose concepts were documented. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

The purpose of this study was to compare fitness levels of children participating in a movement education program to Illinois fitness norms. Subjects were 246 children aged 7 to 12 who were administered the AAHPERD Health-Related Fitness Test. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

We investigated the differences in mechanical power flow in early and late practice stages during a cyclic movement consisting of upper arm circumduction to clarify the change in mechanical energy use with skill acquisition. Seven participants practiced the task every other day until their joint angular movements conformed to those of an expert.…

An investigation of the effects of passive and active rehearsal on developmental processing differences for movement reproduction indicated that active and mature rehearsal had positive results for the younger child. A discussion of the three methods of rehearsal that were used is included. (Author/DF)

This study investigated the role of imagery in the short-term retention of complex, visually presented movement sequences. Findings suggest that visual imagery may play a functional role in the free recall of modeled movements; however, there was no indication that imagery was involved in the retention of serial information. (JMK)

Described the characteristics of expert and novice teachers' constructivist-oriented teaching practices while using a movement approach to teaching elementary physical education. Data from interviews, videotaped lessons, and the Educational Games Observation Rubric indicated that there were significant differences between the two groups, though…

Anatomical data obtained from cadavers and from water displacement studies with living subjects were used to determine the weight, center of gravity, and radius of gyration for 16 body segments. A lead model was used to study movement patterns of the trunk section of the body. (Authors/PP)

Describes the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education, noting parallels with a dynamic systems theory (DST) approach to motor behavior. Feldenkrais uses movement and perception to foster individualized improvement in function. DST explains that a human-environment system continually adapts to changing conditions and assembles behaviors…