Governments, United Nations (UN) agencies and international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have mounted a concerted effort to remobilize sport as a vehicle for broad, sustainable social development. This resonates with the call by the UN Inter-agency Task Force for sport to be a key component in national and international development objectives. Missing in these efforts is an explicit focus on physical education within state schools, which still enroll most children in the global South. This study focuses on research into one of the few instances where physical education within the national curriculum is being revitalized as part of this growing interest in leveraging the appeal of sport and play as a means to address social development challenges such as HIV/AIDS. The study examines the response to the Zambian government’s 2006 Declaration of Mandatory Physical Education (with a preventive education focus on HIV/AIDS) by personnel charged with its implementation. The decree directed personnel to immediately begin implementing the teaching of physical education in all Basic and Secondary schools in Zambia to “ensure physical fitness and the enhancement of values, skills and holistic development of the learner” (Ministry of Education, 2006). The study examined the response of 17 teachers and education administrators from Lusaka province, Zambia. The interviews were conducted between September and December 2009. The purpose of the study was to: 1) evaluate the implementation of the Presidential Decree on physical education as a strategy for addressing HIV/AIDS through Physical Education and Traditional Zambian Games; 2) explore and understand the response of teachers and administrators to the implementation of the 2006 Presidential Decree on physical education; 3) explore how the school context influences the implementation of the Presidential Decree; and 4) map a critical path of key personnel and their resource requirements, and make recommendations for strengthening the effectiveness of HIV prevention education. Drawing on education policy implementation literature, this study provides an analysis of the rising influence of the sport for development movement and of the ways in which physical education and sport may address HIV/AIDS within national education in Zambia. The findings of the study reveal promising signs for the potential of physical education, and of particularly traditional games, for student engagement and for addressing HIV/AIDS. Yet these promising signs are undermined by poor planning and support from the education bureaucracy, deficiencies that stem from years of neglect of, until recently, non-examinable subjects such as physical education. The findings confirm that the literature on education policy implementation drawn mostly from the global North is just as applicable to education sectors in the global South.

The diasporic resources and transnational flows of the Black diaspora have increasingly been of concern to scholars. However, the making of the Black diaspora in Canada has often been overlooked, and the use of sport to connect migrants to the homeland has been virtually ignored. This study uses African, Black and Caribbean diaspora lenses to examine the ways that first generation Caribbean-Canadians use cricket to maintain their association with people, places, spaces, and memories of home. In this multi-sited ethnography I examine a group I call the Mavericks Cricket and Social Club (MCSC), an assembly of first generation migrants from the Anglo-Caribbean. My objective to “follow the people” took me to parties, fundraising dances, banquets, and cricket games throughout the Greater Toronto Area on weekends from early May to late September in 2008 and 2009. I also traveled with approximately 30 MCSC members to observe and participate in tours and tournaments in Barbados, England, and St. Lucia and conducted 29 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with male players and male and female supporters. I found that the Caribbean diaspora is maintained through liming (hanging out) at cricket matches and social events. Speaking in their native Patois language, eating traditional Caribbean foods, and consuming alcohol are significant means of creating spaces in which Caribbean-Canadians can network with other members of the diaspora. Furthermore, diasporas are preserved through return visits, not only to their nations of origin, but to a more broadly defined homeland, found in other Caribbean countries, England, the United States and elsewhere in Canada. This study shows that while diasporas may form a unified communitas they also reinforce class, gender, nation and ethnicity hierarchies and exclusions in diasporic spaces. For example, women and Indo-Caribbeans are mainly absent from or marginalized at the cricket grounds, which celebrates a masculine, Afro-Caribbean culture. Corporeal practices such as sports, and their related social activities, can be deployed as diasporic resources that create a sense of deterritorialized community for first generation Caribbean migrants.

Governments, United Nations (UN) agencies and international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have mounted a concerted effort to remobilize sport as a vehicle for broad, sustainable social development. This resonates with the call by the UN Inter-agency Task Force for sport to be a key component in national and international development objectives. Missing in these efforts is an explicit focus on physical education within state schools, which still enroll most children in the global South. This study focuses on research into one of the few instances where physical education within the national curriculum is being revitalized as part of this growing interest in leveraging the appeal of sport and play as a means to address social development challenges such as HIV/AIDS. The study examines the response to the Zambian government’s 2006 Declaration of Mandatory Physical Education (with a preventive education focus on HIV/AIDS) by personnel charged with its implementation. The decree directed personnel to immediately begin implementing the teaching of physical education in all Basic and Secondary schools in Zambia to “ensure physical fitness and the enhancement of values, skills and holistic development of the learner” (Ministry of Education, 2006). The study examined the response of 17 teachers and education administrators from Lusaka province, Zambia. The interviews were conducted between September and December 2009. The purpose of the study was to: 1) evaluate the implementation of the Presidential Decree on physical education as a strategy for addressing HIV/AIDS through Physical Education and Traditional Zambian Games; 2) explore and understand the response of teachers and administrators to the implementation of the 2006 Presidential Decree on physical education; 3) explore how the school context influences the implementation of the Presidential Decree; and 4) map a critical path of key personnel and their resource requirements, and make recommendations for strengthening the effectiveness of HIV prevention education. Drawing on education policy implementation literature, this study provides an analysis of the rising influence of the sport for development movement and of the ways in which physical education and sport may address HIV/AIDS within national education in Zambia. The findings of the study reveal promising signs for the potential of physical education, and of particularly traditional games, for student engagement and for addressing HIV/AIDS. Yet these promising signs are undermined by poor planning and support from the education bureaucracy, deficiencies that stem from years of neglect of, until recently, non-examinable subjects such as physical education. The findings confirm that the literature on education policy implementation drawn mostly from the global North is just as applicable to education sectors in the global South.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Michael F. Perl / BeEtta L. Stoney / America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic (Wechsler, McKenna, Lee, & Dietz, 2004). According to Wechsler et al., physical inactivity is a major contributor to this issue. Burnette (1999), reports certain behaviors and instructional strategies help teachers to build stronger teaching/learning relationships with students, and that some specific behaviors may be the most influential. Teacher feedback and teacher proximity are two specific behaviors that are important in a physical education setting. Hastie (1998) and Lund (1990), report that when physical education teachers provide feedback and maintain proximity to students, learning may be enhanced. This study examined the frequency of teacher feedback and teacher proximity in relation to student body mass index (BMI) and student gender. Fifteen Kansas middle school physical education teachers were observed delivering skill based lessons to two classes of students. Event recording, a form of systematic observation, was used in data collection. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted with independent samples T-tests conducted for specific demographic data. Results indicated no significant differences in the frequency of teacher feedback and teacher proximity in relation to student body mass index (BMI) or student gender. Results of the analysis of various pieces of demographic information showed teachers who use some of the Physical Focus Curriculum activities had a higher rate per minute of teacher feedback than teachers who use none of the curriculum. Analysis also showed that teachers using more individualized skill based activities provided significantly higher rates of feedback and proximity than those conducting large group activities. Further analysis of demographic data revealed those teachers currently coaching a sport provided less feedback and proximity to students in class than those not currently coaching. Membership in the state professional organization did not have any effect upon rates of teacher feedback or proximity. The effects of teacher gender on rates of feedback and proximity showed female teachers are more proximal to all students than male teachers. Recommendations to be considered when conducting further research include increasing the sample size, development of more specific instrumentation to measure rates of feedback and proximity in an activity setting, implementing more control of the type of activity and instruction provided, and including more diversity in the study.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal. / Le premier objectif de ce travail était de faire une revue des études disponibles dans la littérature sur la relation entre la puissance relative (% du VO₂max) et la durée du travail jusqu'à épuisement (Tlim, min). Cette revue permet d'établir la relation entre le % VO₂max et Tlim pour une étendue de temps de travail allant de 1,3 à 240 min : % RAM = 93,76 - 55,60 x log (log Tlim) ou % PAM = 94,37 - 54,47 x log (log Tlim) selon que l'on utilise les données des études ayant rapporté un ou plusieurs couples % PAM-Tlim, ou ayant modélisé la relation % PAM-Tlim. Le fait que ces deux équations soient très voisines bien qu'elles dérivent de deux ensembles de données expérimentales totalement indépendantes, est un gage de leur validité. La valeur de Tlim pour une PAM donnée pourrait être un peu plus basse sur ergocycle que sur tapis roulant ou à la course sur le terrain, au moins pour les valeurs élevées de Tlim. Elles sont aussi plus basses en laboratoire ou lors d'une évaluation sur le terrain qu'en compétition. Par contre, elles ne semblent pas être différentes selon les sexes. Enfin, elles pourraient être un peu plus hautes pour les sujets qui ont un VO₂max élevé. L'étude expérimentale, qui a porté sur dix coureurs à pied de niveau récréatif (33,1 ± 5,6 ans, 174,1 ± 3,6 cm, 69,1 ± 6,9 kg, VO₂max sur tapis roulant et ergocycle : 60,4 ± 4,7 et 59,6 ± 5,9 mL.kg⁻¹.min⁻¹), montre que les Tlim à 100 % VO₂max ne sont pas significativement différents sur tapis roulant et sur ergocycle (388 ± 71 et 386 ± 51 s). Comme l'ont montré Billat et al. (1994 a), la valeur moyenne de Tlim à 100 % VO₂max est donc très reproductible. Toutefois, l'étendue des valeurs de Tlim sur chacun des deux ergomètres est importante, comme cela a été aussi observé dans toutes les études sur cette question. En outre, nous ne trouvons pas de relation entre les valeurs de Tlim sur les deux ergomètres, contrairement aux résultats de Billat et al. (1994 a), qui ont observé une relation significative entre les valeurs de Tlim mesurées à deux reprises. Billat et al. (1994 a et b, 1995 a et b, 1996) ont aussi observé dans certains cas des relations entre Tlim à 100 % de la PAM et diverses autres caractéristiques bioénergétiques, comme le VO₂max, la vitesse aérobie maximale, et des indices de la capacité anaérobie et de l'endurance. Ces relations ne sont pas toujours consistantes et nous ne les avons pas retrouvées dans notre étude. Par contre, l'analyse de toutes les données de la littérature suggère que Tlim à 100 % du VO₂max pourrait être effectivement relié de façon inverse au VO₂max et à la VAM. Prises dans leur ensemble, les données de Billat et al. (1994 a) et nos propres données sur la fidélité de Tlim à 100 % de la PAM montrent que la mesure de cette variable est reproductible dans un groupe de sujets, mais ne l'est pas de façon convenable pour un sujet pris individuellement : les risques d'erreurs étant beaucoup trop grands. Ceci empêche de pouvoir actuellement considérer la valeur de Tlim à 100 % du VO₂max comme une variable d'intérêt dans l'évaluation de l'athlète et dans le suivi de son entraînement.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Master of Science / Department of Human Ecology / Bronwyn Fees / With obesity on the rise in young children, the need to examine interventions to increase activity levels, a factor in obesity, in childhood is apparent. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between toddlers wearing a costume prop and their type and intensity of movement as well as their level of social participation. It was hypothesized that intensity of movement and types of movement would increase when the child wore a cape compared to no cape. A total of fifty-four subjects between the ages of 24 and 36 months participated in the study, structured into an intervention group (n = 27) and a control group (n = 27). Toddlers in the control group were observed for 20 minutes during free play inside the classroom wearing a specifically designed data collection garment (which looked like a “vest”) to record movement and sound. Participants in the intervention group were observed with the same data collection garment and the costume prop “cape” for 20 minutes during morning free-play period inside. The toddlers‟ behaviors were coded as outlined by Brown, Pfeiffer, McIver, Dowda, Joao, Almeida, and Pate‟s (2006) Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool (OSRAC-P), modified to capture the unique movements of toddlers for the present study. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were utilized to examine the effect of a costume prop on intensity of activity, types of gross motor movement, and forms of social play. Results revealed the intervention group exhibited significantly greater engagement in onlooker, solitary, and parallel play (p < .001) than the control group. No significant differences in the levels of intensity or types of activity exhibited between the two groups. Implications for further research on physical activity and stimulating physical activity in the classroom are discussed

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology / Stephen L. Benton / This study explored the relationship between a variety of health behaviors and life satisfaction in college students. University students (N=794) enrolled in a midwestern university during the Fall, 2006 and Spring, 2007 semester, completed an online Health Behavior Assessment designed to measure body mass index (BMI), frequency of physical activity behavior, fruit and vegetable consumption, sleep behavior, alcohol use, frequency of use of stress-management skills, stage of change for physical activity, stage of change for fruit and vegetable consumption, stage of change for frequency of stress-management skills, and life satisfaction. As predicted, significant correlations were found between life satisfaction and BMI, frequency of physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and frequency of use of stress- management skills. Students who regularly received 6-8 hours of sleep showed higher levels of life satisfaction. Students in the maintenance stage of change for physical activity behavior and stress-management skill use were found to have higher levels of life satisfaction compared to individuals in earlier stages of change. Results indicated that increased life satisfaction is related to a variety of health behaviors in college students.

Depuis les dernières années, l’usage au quotidien de la tablette tactile (TT) s’est rapidement propagé, et ce, même dans les différentes institutions scolaires. Ainsi, des enseignants de plusieurs matières ont recours à cet outil numérique et le domaine de l’éducation physique et à la santé (ÉPS) ne fait pas exception à cette nouvelle pratique. La présente étude vise donc à mieux comprendre la façon dont l’usage didactique de la TT dans les cours en ÉPS est susceptible de favoriser le développement de la compétence « interagir dans divers contextes de pratique d’activités physiques » (C2) au primaire. Pour ce faire, une étude de cas multiples a été réalisée avec cinq groupes d’élèves et leur enseignant provenant de trois commissions scolaires de la région métropolitaine de Montréal. L’étude a été menée à travers des séquences de cours portant sur diverses activités collectives et a eu recours à quatre moyens de collecte de données : observation directe et non participative de plusieurs leçons (n = 30) ; questionnaire écrit destiné aux élèves participants (n = 109) ; entrevues de groupe semi-dirigées avec les élèves (n = 5) ; entretiens semi-dirigés auprès de chacun des enseignants (n = 5). D’abord, les résultats démontrent que les enseignants et les élèves utilisaient majoritairement la TT afin de documenter la prestation des élèves. De plus, les apprenants ne recouraient jamais à la TT en situation de jeu, mais plutôt lors de la planification et de l’évaluation du plan d’action par les élèves. Par ailleurs, la plupart du temps, l’usage de la TT semblait chercher à se substituer à une pratique dite traditionnelle, procurant certains avantages à ses utilisateurs. L’analyse des données a permis de classer les avantages en deux catégories, soit ceux en lien avec l’efficacité de la réalisation des tâches didactiques et ceux relatifs aux effets de ces usages didactiques sur les élèves. La première catégorie regroupe quatre avantages, c’est-à-dire que l’utilisation de la TT facilite l’accès à la rétroaction ainsi que l’accès aux ressources et facilite la réalisation de tâches didactiques en plus de l’accélérer. La seconde catégorie comprend six effets positifs sur les élèves : augmenter leur motivation, favoriser leur compréhension, améliorer leur compétence en jeu, favoriser leur autonomie, favoriser leur engagement cognitif et favoriser le travail collaboratif entre eux. Deux types de motivation chez les élèves ont été identifiés, c’est-à-dire la motivation à s’impliquer dans l’activité sportive proposée et celle à utiliser la TT pour réaliser les tâches didactiques. Par ailleurs, les principaux inconvénients étant que l’usage didactique de la TT peut générer de la dispute entre les élèves et mener à des problèmes techniques. Pareillement, les résultats indiquent qu’en général, la majorité des élèves (89 %) ont apprécié leur expérience avec la TT et que la notion de plaisir (n = 29) est celle la plus mentionnée par les élèves afin d’expliquer leur niveau d’appréciation. Finalement, les résultats démontrent que l’usage didactique de la TT semble soutenir de façon diverse le développement de la C2 en ÉPS au primaire. / Over the last few years, daily tablet use has spread quickly, even in the different educational institutions. As such, teachers of various subjects use this digital tool, and the field of health and physical education (HPE) is no exception to this new practice. The purpose of this study is to better understand the way in which using the tablet for teaching purposes in HPE classes is likely to foster the development of the competency “interacting with others in different physical activity settings” (C2) in elementary school. To do this, a multiple-case study was conducted among five groups of students and their teacher stemming from three school boards in the Greater Montreal area. The study was conducted throughout class sequences dealing with various group activities and used four data collection methods: direct and non-participant observation of several lessons (n = 30) ; written questionnaire for the participating students (n = 109) ; semi-structured group interviews with the students (n = 5) ; semi-structured interviews with each of the teachers (n = 5). First, the results show that the teachers and students mainly used the tablet to document the students’ performance. Furthermore, the students never used the tablet in a game setting, but rather when planning and evaluating the action plan. Moreover, most often, tablet use seemingly sought to replace a more traditional practice, providing its users with certain advantages. Data analysis helped to split the advantages into two categories: those linked to the efficiency of the completion of the teaching tasks and those linked to the impacts of these teaching purposes on the students. The first category includes four advantages: tablet use facilitates access to feedback and resources and also makes it easier and faster to complete the teaching tasks. The second category includes six positive impacts on the students: increase motivation, promote widespread understanding, improve game skills, promote independence, promote cognitive involvement and promote collaborative work. Two types of motivation were identified among the students: motivation to participate in the sports activity proposed and using the tablet to complete the teaching tasks. Moreover, the main drawbacks were that using the tablet for teaching purposes can generate conflict among the students and lead to technical issues. Similarly, the results indicate that generally speaking, most students (89%) enjoyed their tablet experience and that the notion of fun (n = 29) is the one most mentioned by the students to explain their appreciation level. Lastly, the results demonstrate that using the tablet for teaching purposes seems to support the development of C2 in HPE in elementary school in a different way.

La pratique physique a longtemps été perçue comme le déterminant premier de l’apprentissage du mouvement. Souvent exprimée par l’expression « Vingt fois sur le métier remettez votre ouvrage», cette idée se base sur l’observation qu’une grande quantité de pratique est nécessaire pour maîtriser un geste technique complexe. Bien que l’importance de la pratique physique pour l’apprentissage du mouvement demeure indéniable, il a récemment été démontré que les changements neurobiologiques qui constituent les bases de la mémoire prennent place après la pratique. Ces changements, regroupés sous le terme « consolidation », sont essentiels à la mise en mémoire des habiletés motrices. L’objectif de cette thèse est de définir les processus de consolidation en identifiant certains facteurs qui influencent la consolidation d’une habileté motrice. À l’aide d’une tâche d’adaptation visuomotrice comportant deux niveaux de difficulté, nous avons démontré qu’une bonne performance doit être atteinte au cours de la séance de pratique pour enclencher certains processus de consolidation. De plus, nos résultats indiquent que l’évaluation subjective que l’apprenant fait de sa propre performance peut moduler la consolidation. Finalement, nous avons démontré que l’apprentissage par observation peut enclencher certains processus de consolidation, indiquant que la consolidation n’est pas exclusive à la pratique physique. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats des études expérimentales présentées dans cette thèse montrent que la consolidation regroupe plusieurs processus distincts jouant chacun un rôle important pour l’apprentissage du mouvement. Les éducateurs physiques, les entraineurs sportifs et les spécialistes de la réadaptation physique devraient donc planifier des entrainements favorisant non seulement l’acquisition de gestes moteurs mais également leur consolidation. / Physical practice has long been regarded as the single most determinant factor of motor skill acquisition. Often expressed by the old adage “practice makes perfect,” this idea easily relates to the common observation that extensive practice is necessary to master complex motor skills. Although the importance of physical practice for motor skill learning is undeniable, recent evidence demonstrates that the neurobiological changes that constitute the foundation of memory occur after physical practice. Regrouped under the term “consolidation”, these changes are essential for the memory storage of motor skills. The objective of this thesis was to identify factors that influence motor skill consolidation. Using a visuomotor adaptation task with two levels of difficulty, we showed that a good performance must be attained during practice to trigger certain consolidation processes. In addition, our results indicate that the learner’s subjective evaluation of his/her own performance can also modulate consolidation. Finally, we showed that observation triggers consolidation processes, indicating that consolidation is not exclusive to physical practice. Together, the results presented in this thesis demonstrate that consolidation regroups several distinct processes that each plays an important role for motor skill learning. Physical education teachers, athletic coaches and rehabilitation specialists should therefore plan training schedules favoring not only motor skill acquisition but also motor skill consolidation.