Girls' participation in physical education, sport and other physical activity was examined relative to their levels of Perceived Sport Competence, Body Attractiveness, Physical Self Worth and Social Physique Anxiety. Two hundred and thirteen grade 11 girls from two co-educational and two single sex Toronto high schools completed questionnaires designed to assess physical activity participation and these psychological attributes. T-tests verified that there were no differences on the psychological measures between the two types of schools. On the basis of the girls' responses, they were divided into non, low, medium and high participant groups. The relationships between physical activity participation and the selected psychological measures were analyzed by Pearson correlations. Analysis of Variance's (participant groups x psychological construct) determined where differences existed among participant groups. The results revealed that high level participants had greater Perceived Sport Competence, Body Attractiveness, Physical Self Worth levels than the participants at the lower levels. Social Physique Anxiety was unrelated to physical activity participation. Perceived Sport Competence was the best predictor of participation.

Nuo 2010 metų Lietuvos paplūdimio rinktinės tinklininkės pasiekė nemažai tarptautinių pergalių: 2011 metais laimėtas Europos jaunių iki 18 metų ir 2012 metais - pasaulio jaunių iki 19 metų auksas bei Europos iki 20 metų bronza. Lietuvoje paplūdimio tinklininkių fizinio parengtumo ir funkcinio pajėgumo rodikliai sistemiškai ir išsamiai nėra tirti. Nežinant sportininkių pajėgumo, rengimo specifikos, sunku tinkamai organizuoti treniruočių procesą, todėl kyla mokslinė problema, koks yra specifinis paplūdimio tinklininkių rengimas, kokie fiziniai ir funkciniai paplūdimio tinklininkių rodikliai yra labiausiai išvystyti, kokia yra fizinio parengtumo ir funkcinio pajėgumo rodiklių kaita metiniame treniruočių cikle ir kokie veiksniai tam turi įtakos bei kuo yra specifiškas paplūdimio tinklininkių sportinis rengimas lyginant su tinklininkėmis. Hipotezė - manome, kad kryptingas 17 - 18 metų paplūdimio tinklininkių sportinis rengimas ypač fiziniai krūviai, turės teigiamos įtakos fizinio parengtumo ir funkcinio pajėgumo rodiklių kaitai metiniu treniruočių ciklu. Išryškės esminiai paplūdimio tinklininkių ir tinklininkių fizinių rodiklių, funkcinių galių ir sportinio rengimo skirtumai varžybų periodu. Tyrimo objektas: Lietuvos didelio meistriškumo 17 – 18 metų paplūdimio tinklininkių fizinio parengtumo ir funkcinio pajėgumo rodiklių kaitos analizė metiniu treniruočių ciklu. Tyrimo subjektas: Lietuvos didelio meistriškumo 17 – 18 metų paplūdimio tinklinio rinktinė (n= 2) ir 16 – 17 metų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Since 2010, Lithuania female beach volleyball players have reached a number of international victories: in 2011, they won gold in the European Youth Championship (U-18) and the World Youth Championship (U-19), and bronze in the European Championship (U-20) in 2012. The rates of physical fitness and functional capacity of Lithuanian female beach volleyball players have not been investigated systematically and comprehensively. Without knowing the athletes' capacity, training specifics, it is difficult to organize the practical training process, so there is a scientific problem, what training is specific for the beach volleyball, what physical and functional indicators of beach volleyball players are most developed, what changes are in physical fitness and functional capacity indicators in the annual training cycle, and what factors have influence and what is specific for the beach volleyball sports training versus indoor volleyball. Hypothesis - we believe that purposeful sports training of the 17-18-year-old beach volleyball players will have a positive impact on physical fitness and functional capacity progress in the annual training cycle. The essential differences in physical indicators, functional abilities and sports training of beach and indoor volleyball players will be highlighted in the competition period. The object of this study: the analysis of physical fitness and functional capacity indicators progress in the annual training cycle of Lithuanian elite 17-1... [to full text]

Sportinis rengimas – įvairiapusis sudėtingas edukacinis vyksmas, apimantis sportininko mokymą ir auklėjimą, jo gebėjimų, fizinių ir psichinių ypatybių tobulinimą, harmoningą asmenybės ugdymą, sveikatos stiprinimą, gerų sportinių rezultatų siekimą. Šiuolaikiniam buriavimui būdinga didelė treniruotės krūvio apimtis ir intensyvumas. Tai reikalauja ypač gero buriuotojų fizinio parengtumo. Tyrimo tikslas ir uždaviniai Mūsų tyrimo tikslas – ištirti Nidos buriuotojų merginų fizinio parengtumo kaitą. Savo darbe mes iškėlėme tokius uždavinius: 1. Ištirti 10-14 m. Nidos buriuotojų fizinio išsivystymo kaitą; 2. Ištirti 10-14 m. Nidos buriuotojų fizinio parengtumo kaitą; 3. Palyginti tirtų sportininkių fizinį parengtumą bei fizinį išsivystymą su literatūros duomenimis; Tiriamieji ir organizavimas: Jaunųjų buriuotojų tyrimai buvo atlikti 2011, 2012 metais Nidos sporto mokykloje. Tyrimuose dalyvavo Nidos mergaitės buriuotojos (n=40), tiriamųjų amžius 10-14 m. Buriuotojų fizinį parengtumą ir išsivystymą sąlyginai charakterizavo 6 rodikliai. Fizinį išsivystymą vertinome pagal ūgio ir kūno masės rodiklius. Bendrą fizinį parengtumą charakterizavo šuolis į tolį iš vietos; dešinės ir kairės rankos plaštakos jėga; atsilenkimų skaičius per 30 s, kimšto kamuolio (2 kg) metimas Tyrimo rezultatai: Nustatyta, kad Nidos buriuotojos beveik visais amžiaus tarpsniais buvo aukštesnės lyginant su literatūroje pateiktais duomenimis. Nustatyta, kad pas mergaites buriuotojas kūno masė ir ūgis intensyviausiai... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Sports development - diverse educational complex process involving athletic training and education, his skills, physical and mental characteristics of the development, harmonious personality development, health promotion, good sports achievement of results. Modern boating characterized by a high volume of training load and intensity. This in particular implies sailors physical fitness. The aim and objectives Our aim of the study - to investigate Nida sailors girls physical fitness. In our work, we have set the following objectives: 1. Investigate 10-14. Nida sailors physical development change; 2. Investigate 10-14. Nida sailors physical fitness; 3. Compared tested athletes in physical fitness and physical development of the literature; Research and organization: Young sailors studies were carried out in 2011, 2012, Nida sports school. The studies involved Nida sailor girls (n = 40) of subjects aged 10-14. Sailors' physical fitness and the development of a relatively characterized the six indicators. Physical development was evaluated based on height and weight indicators. The overall physical fitness characterized the long jump out of place, the right and left hand grip strength; Lifting per 30 seconds, stuffed ball (2 kg) throw Results: It was found that Nida sailor in almost all age groups were higher compared with the literature data. It was found that girls with sailor body weight and height intensively increases from 12 years of age. It was found that in many cases the... [to full text]

Syftet med denna studie var att ta reda på hur pedagoger kan motverka traditionella könsmönster i leken inom förskolans verksamhet. För att fördjupa syftet ytterligare valde jag följande frågeställningar; Vad finns det för definition på traditionella könsmönster, enligt pedagogerna? Vad och hur gör pedagogerna för att motverka traditionella könsmönster? Hur upplever pedagogerna att det fungerar med att motverka de traditionella könsmönstren? För att nå upp till mitt syfte genomförde jag kvalitativa intervjuer med fem verksamma pedagoger för att bland annat få deras syn på hur man kan motverka traditionella könsmönster i leken.   Resultaten visade bland annat att det finns många sätt att arbeta med att motverka traditionella könsmönster och att pedagogers förhållningssätt spelar stor roll in på barngruppen. Jag fick även fram att det också handlar om att tillföra och inte ta ifrån barnen leksaker. Pojkar och flickor ska få ha samma möjlighet att leka med alla leksaker. Vidare resultat visade även på att det är viktigt att diskutera i arbetslaget om hur man vill gå till väga för att motverka de traditionella könsmönstren. Det för att inga barn ska kunna osynliggöras i barngruppen. / The aim of this study was to find out how educators counteract traditional gender patterns while children are engaged in playing activities in preschool. To make clear the aim of the study, I used the following questions: What is the definition of traditional gender patterns, according to the educators? What and how do the educators do to counteract traditional gender patterns when the children are playing? How do the educators experiencing that the work whit to counteract traditional gender patterns works? In order to answer my research questions I did qualitative interviews with five educators to get their views on how to counteract traditional gender patterns while children are engaged in playing activities.   The results show that there are many ways of working to counteract traditional gender patterns and that educators own approach plays a big role in the children's group. It also involves adding and not taking away toys from the children when they are playing. Boys and girls should have the same opportunity to play with toys for all groups. The results also show that it is important to discuss in the work teams on how to proceed in order to counteract traditional gender patterns, to make sure that no child should be invisible.

This research project investigated girls' perceptions of specialist computer courses in secondary schools. Literature both international and in New Zealand indicate a dwindling number of females pursuing study and careers in ICT. This project identified some of the factors influencing girls' choices to take computer courses; their perceptions on computer careers and the implications for teachers and schools. The research was based on a collective case study with embedded cases. Data was collected from a survey using a mind map and questionnaire, as well as semi-structured face-to-face interviews. A descriptive narrative derived from the interviews with five of the participants is presented as well as cross case analysis for more than five participants. Overall the students' accounts revealed complex, inter-related and disparate data regarding their perceptions of computing. The data revealed confusion with language and terminology; a perception of variance in levels of knowledge and abilities in specific courses; stereotypical perceptions of computing; and differences in experience, relevance and choices within the computing context. The study highlights issues related to the association of computing with science and mathematics; girls' perceptions of the relevance and content of computer courses; genderrelated issues with computing; apparent lack of knowledge of computer careers and how schools label and describe their computer courses. It also puts forward some implications for schools and suggests some actions that schools could take as a starting point to try and break down some of the stereotypes and myths that seem to be discouraging girls into specialist computer courses.

This study investigates preadolescent girls’ interpretations of images of and messages about women’s bodies presented in both traditional and online media in the American cultural context. Using qualitative methods including in-depth interviews, email diaries, and digital photo collages, this study gives voice to girls aged nine to eleven from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds so that they might tell their stories about interacting with media that is relevant to their relationships with their bodies. Employing objectification theory as well as concepts from the cultural studies tradition, the findings suggest that the process of becoming a female body in the 21st-century American media environment is far more complex than a simple linear, cause-effect equation can express. Differences among girls in terms of media use, degree of media criticism, age, and interpersonal discursive environments moderate their relationships to mediated imagery and to their bodies. The findings also describe the mediated bodily ideal that is most relevant to preadolescent girls, the celebrity girls who embody this ideal, the ways in which girls experience self-objectification and body surveillance, and the nature of girls’ conversations with friends and family members about body-related topics. The study concludes by providing recommendations to concerned researchers, educators, and parents.

In the context of public debates about the ‘sexualization’ of ‘tween’ (preteen) girls and their use of social network sites (SNSs), this study explores girls’ online practices, experiences and reflections of their engagement with Facebook. This project is part of a growing body of research that prioritizes talk ‘with’ girls, rather than ‘about’ girls, as a way of contextualizing issues related to their girlhood. I argue that preteen girls’ identities on SNSs can be reimagined as cyborg-subjectivities as girls disrupt binaries through ongoing discursive negotiations of gender and sexuality depending on moment to moment online/offline interactions. Utilizing examples from an online ethnographic observation of eighteen 12-13 year old girls in Christchurch, New Zealand, I discuss how these girls constituted online subject positions through co-constructive relationships with friends. I explore how girls utilized SNS technology to explore and engage with discourses of gender and sexuality. I discuss how girls’ ‘played’ with both conventional and alternative femininities and sexualities in their online photographs and discuss how these images resist classification as ‘sexy/innocent’, ‘children/teens’ and online/offline. This research also reconsiders how identity is understood on SNSs and utilizes a poststructuralist theoretical framework to explore how online identities are embodied and ‘citational’ of shared online/offline subject positions. In addition to ethnographic observation, this research explores girls’ talk and reflections about their Facebook practices through a focus group discussion and a qualitative questionnaire.

The purpose of the current study is determine if the presence of a natural mentor, and/or the quality of relationship within protégé-mentor relationships, predicts the development of Future Orientation (FO) among African American girls living in conditions of risk. A sample of 160 girls of African descent was recruited from 6 elementary and middle schools. An exploratory factor analysis of 19 FO items suggested a 2-factor model consisting of (1) motivation and (2) planning. The model did not support the third expected factor, evaluation. The presence of natural mentors failed to predict concurrent levels of FO. Relationship quality did significantly predict concurrent levels of FO. Post-hoc analyses indicated that the consistent presence of a natural mentor predicted the development of FO. Post-hoc analyses also indicated the relationship quality with one’s, significantly predicted the development of FO among consistently mentored girls. Methodological limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

American adolescents are no more sexually active than adolescents in other Western nations. Each year more than one million American teenagers become pregnant, which gives the United States the dubious distinction of leading the industrialized world in the highest rates of teenage pregnancy. With the number of adolescent pregnancies increasing yearly, the cost of healthcare has become a major concern for healthcare providers. Because the teen's viewpoint is different from that of an adult, this research study focused upon the issue of teen pregnancy through the eyes of the pregnant adolescent.Heideggerian phenomenology was used as the research methodology to acquire information regarding the lived experience of pregnancy for the single adolescent, with Heideggerdian hermeneutics used in the interpretation of interviews. A purposive sample of five single primipara adolescents living in a teen home, in a large metropolitan area of a Midwestern state was utilized. Each interview was given a number in order to protect the confidentially of the participant. Interviews were audio taped and were transcribed by the researcher. The audio tapes were destroyed at the end of the study. The data obtained were studied by the researcher and others familiar with Heideggerian hermeneutics. The data were analyzed according to the seven step method described by Diekelmann, Allen and Tanner (1989). The findings identified an overall constitutive pattern along with four common themes.The overall constitutive pattern which emerged was "Pregnancy as a diverse human experience." Along with the constitutive pattern identified were four other common themes: (a) Body image changes as being within oneself; (b) Being marked as a pregnant teenager; (c) Pregnancy as loss; and (d) Pregnancy as connectedness. Both the constitutive pattern and the common themes were validated by the adolescent interviewed. The conclusions of this study showed that teens were aware of the methods of contraception and pregnancy but were unaware of the impact pregnancy would have on the teen's being in the world. / School of Nursing

This thesis examines two of the female-driven sitcoms from the 2011-2012 season, New Girl and Girls. I analyze both series from a third-wave feminist perspective, looking at how each series portrays its respective lead character, Jess and Hannah, and how each series portrays funny women in general. Through these analyses, I ultimately argue that Jess on New Girl represents a much more promising feminist icon than Hannah on Girls. This is mainly because Jess is driven by self-love and self-confidence while Hannah is so defined by her self-hatred that she becomes difficult for viewers to relate. Most disappointingly, I find that female-driven sitcoms use humor as a weapon to discipline its characters. / Literature review -- Critical orientation -- New girl : feminist role model or just another manic pixie dream girl? -- Girls : the future of television or whiny, selfish, entitled brats? / Department of Communication Studies