The goal of a positive youth development perspective is the promotion of healthy physical and psychosocial development in young people. This approach consists of social-contextual features (e.g., teacher behaviors, classroom structure, student activities) that help equip youth with attributes, skills, competencies, and values that will contribute…

Of all the issues raised by Karla A. Henderson in her presentation, it is the intervention strategies and suggestions to improve the research dealing with African American women and physical activity and leisure pursuits that the author finds most intriguing and valuable. He could not agree more that investigators need to be aware that African…

Research has grown in the 21st century regarding the physical activity patterns of racial and ethnic minorities. Although more is now known about some groups, disparities in health have not diminished. The purpose of this paper is to further explore the research about physical activity for African American women and suggest ways that future…

The purpose of this advocacy paper is to make a case for the development of a pedagogical model for Health-Based Physical Education (HBPE) drawing on Jewett, Bain and Ennis's (1995) and Metzler's (2005) ground-breaking work on models-based practice in physical education. A selective review of what has been learnt about HBPE was made to be able to…

How we learn motor skills has always been of interest to physical educators. Contemporary conceptual frameworks about motor skill learning draw from earlier behavioral and cognitive psychology learning theories. As a point of departure this paper foregrounds complexity theorizing, arguing that skill is contingent upon the performer's physical and…

School-community partnerships have shown their potential as incubators for innovations and for contributing to comprehensive physical activity (PA) programs. However, implementation frameworks for school-community partnerships that allow local tailoring of PA programs remain scarce. The present paper aims at documenting the composition of a…

At the beginning of the 20th Century, collegiate campus recreation programs were moved from student controlled entities and placed under the supervision of academic or athletic departments (Milton, 2008a). As such programs grew and became more popular among the general student populations on America's college campuses, administrative oversight was…

In this article, the author explores the question: What if the Hokey-Pokey is "really" what it's all about? He suggests that people would make the Hokey-Pokey the supreme object of their professional enterprise. Everything they would do would be centered on an analysis of, and engagement with, the Hokey-Pokey. It would be the ultimate focus of…

How individuals define themselves has considerable implications within the realms of sport. Considering the large proportion of African Americans participating in high profile college sports, matters of identity likely become quite relevant. This article addresses issues related to athletic and racial identity contextualized in the sport domain.…

If one reads the paper or listens to the news, professional disposition are almost becoming critical job skills in the world of work. Similarly, faculty dispositions, defined in this article as "attitudes, values, and beliefs demonstrated through both verbal and non-verbal behaviors as educators interact with students, families, colleagues, and…

Both modern and postmodern approaches to knowledge view tradition and authority with suspicion, even contempt, though each approach does so in different ways. Our profession vacillates between those epistemological orientations, struggling to find direction and meaning. Leadership, in particular, is in a quandary; what does leadership look like in…

The arguments for using narratives to organize one's leadership practice are helpful in that they justify and organize many of the activities that go into the leader's professional and personal life. This paper explores the complex nature of narratives in a professional setting and the manner in which leaders can use the therapeutic methodology of…

In the new millennium we are witnessing the shifts in the global economy, competition, and human resource needs thus, requiring a leader who must have more than a vision that inspires others but be able to execute it successfully to ensure the vision becomes a reality (Dunning, 2000). This emphasis on execution requires a reliance on teamwork and…

The purpose of this article is to examine how individuals' personal beliefs about the antecedents of leadership ability influence their leadership behavior and ultimate effectiveness. The relevant literature is reviewed to highlight current thinking in relation to the debate over whether leadership is innate or learned. A leadership mindset that…

The complex and diverse mission of leading and administering the Physical Program and Kinesiology major at the United States Military Academy at West Point requires a broad and flexible application of leadership theory coupled with strict adherence to established and codified Army Values and Core Leader Competencies. This paper provides a closer…