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This qualitative study explored 15 early career physical education (PE) teachers' professional identity construction from rural China. Identity was shown as a multifaceted, context-specific, and dynamic social-cultural phenomenon. From a socio-ecological standpoint, this research demonstrated that early career rural Chinese PE teachers' professional identity construction was shaped by the interplay between family backgrounds, Chinese Confucian cultural tradition, physicality, schooling experiences, workplace contexts, and the PE core competency curriculum policy. From the perspective of practice architecture, the professional identity construction encompassed their cultural-discursive arrangements (sayings), material-economic arrangements (doings), and social-political arrangements (relating). PE teachers' professional identity may be facilitated by school administrators and education policymakers' support.

A study identified the perceptions of six college students with visual impairments on what influenced their social activity on campus. It found influences were different for visually-impaired students than for traditional students. The need to intervene in the social development of students with visual impairments before college is stressed. (Author/CR)

This article presents the concept of using leisure time as a potential coping resource for family caregivers of impaired older persons, that could be facilitated through a leisure education program within a caregiver support group. Included is a review of literature relevant to stresses of caregiving, barriers to caregivers' leisure involvement, and rationale for a leisure education program within a family caregiver support group. It is suggested that leisure education programs be based on the Peterson and Gunn leisure education model which consist of four components: leisure awareness, leisure activity skills, leisure resources, and social skills. Each component is considered in relation to caregivers' situations. Reasons for caregivers' resistance to intervention and outreach techniques are also discussed.

The present study was designed to document the demographic characteristics of a sample of persons with visual disabilities and provide an index of their self-reported needs. An additional purpose was to determine whether the needs of the geriatric blind or severely visually impaired (over 70 years) differed in comparison to younger persons with visual disabilities. A needs assessment survey was administered to a sample of persons living in a metropolitan are who were visually impaired. The total sample was partitioned into four age groups, those less than 30 years, 30-49 years, 50-69 years, over 70 years. The results are discussed in terms of the special areas of need for persons with visual disabilities, in general and for older persons who are blind or visually impaired in particular. Implications for working with older persons with visual impairments are also suggested.

The purposes of the study were: (1) to investigate the associations between fundamental motor skills (FMS), health-related fitness (HRF) and physical activity (PA) during middle childhood; and (2) to examine whether HRF serves as a mediator in these pathways. The participants were 342 children (156 girls; Mage = 8.40, SD = 0.50) recruited in Texas. Children's FMS (locomotor and ball skills) were assessed. School-based PA that included light, moderate, and vigorous PA was captured by accelerometers. The FITNESSGRAM battery was used to measure children's HRF, including body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular fitness. Structural equation models were used to evaluate two proposed models (model-1 = FMS»HRF»PA; model-2 = PA»HRF»FMS). Both locomotor and ball skills were associated with all components of HRF (p < 0.01), but not PA. The SEM analyses supported associations between FMS, HRF and PA, with sound goodness-of-fit indices: (1) model-1: CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.072; and (2) model-2: CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.071, respectively. The relationship between FMS and PA was fully mediated by the HRF in both directions. The behavioral mechanism (e.g., maintaining appropriate levels of HRF) provides meaningful insights to understand the obesity trajectory during middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Best practices for physical activity interventions within recreational therapy programs will optimize balance and prevent falls among older adults and include strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance training. This protocol describes a community-based intervention to reduce falls for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the information available about the benefits of physical activity, many older adults are not participating in sufficient physical activity to influence their quality of life positively. Activity professionals frequently intervene to change this behavior with less than optimal results. This paper provides a framework to approach changing activity levels by intervening with older adults according to their stage of readiness for change, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. The Stages of Motivational Readiness for Change Model is discussed followed by suggestions for interventions at each stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]