The purpose of this study was to examine middle school females' perceptions of physical activity, eating, and physical health. This research considers several key issues, including high obesity rates, girls' lack of physical activity, the decrease in physical activity during adolescence, and teenagers' failure to meet nutritional guidelines. A qualitative approach was selected to gain a deeper understanding of the significance girls place on these health behaviors and some of the factors that go into their decisions about leisure time activity and eating. Four focus groups were conducted in central North Carolina with a total of 28 girls in sixth through eighth grades. Data were analyzed with ATLAS.ti 5.2. Four themes emerged from the analysis: perceptions of health, social norms, family, and enjoyment. Recommendations are given for ways to encourage healthy diets and PA participation in adolescent girls.

The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive listing of the character traits and personal gains students who participate in study abroad have claimed to acquire from international trips abroad (from secondary data sources) and to determine whether these are congruent with the desires of corporate recruiters and hiring managers. This study was also used to determine if and how corporate criteria is used to evaluate study abroad/international travel experiences during the resume portion of interviews. Conclusions were made from the results of personal interviews regarding the themes which emerge about travel/study abroad and employability. This study contributed to a general understanding of company interviewing procedures and the role study abroad and international travel experiences associated with studying abroad during interviews. Recommendations were made based on interaction between human resource directors, hiring managers and campus recruiters during the interview process of this study.

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between the positive youth development constructs of character and caring with achievement goal orientation and ability level, variables associated with achievement goal theory, in the context of organized American football. A multiple methods-mixed data approach to the research was utilized with self-administered web-based questionnaires and face-to-face interviews in an effort to provide increased understanding of the relationship between these theoretical perspectives. Participants were male adolescents attending an intercollegiate football skills camp. Significant findings included a relationship between increased self-reported ability level and measures of character and support for an interaction between ability level and orthogonal achievement goal orientation on measures of character. Recommendations for the field and future research are included in light of the limitations of the study. This initial examination of the relationship between an emerging theoretical framework in positive youth development and achievement goal theory provides an important first step towards development of an applied and conceptual model for youth development through organized sport.

The purpose of this research was to develop a model for cross-cultural sport spectatorship, and then to compare American and Chinese basketball spectators. Means-end theory guided the development of a conceptual framework, and structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between focal attributes and expected consequences. Focal attributes referred to the concrete features of basketball games, while expected consequences referred to abstract motives for watching sporting events. Participants were National Basketball Association spectators in the United States and Chinese Basketball Association spectators in China. Self-administered questionnaires were administered at games in the two countries. Significant findings included cross-cultural similarities and differences in the spectatorsâ reasons for attending games. Spectators in the two countries were compared on their preferences for: Kahleâs List of Values, individualism/collectivism dimensions, attributes, consequences, consequence-attribute paths, and behavioral intentions. Recommendations for the field and future research are included, as well as limitations of the study. This study provides a new methodology for testing means-end theory, and a new model for analyzing sport spectatorship. This study also contributes to the growing body of literature in cross-cultural sport marketing.

The purpose of this research is to investigate selected climatic and economic conditions affecting tourism in the Coastal Region of North Carolina by using multiple regression analysis and comparing multiple models to determine the best fitting model(s). The research expands on current quantitative data obtained in the area to provide applications for tourism. This study is exploratory to determine if the applications of regression modeling can provide a better understanding of the touristsâ consumer behavior and to provide a tool for tourism professionals to develop and implement policies and planning to maximize visitation. The research involves the application of standard linear multiple regression analysis for eight explanatory variables chosen based on literature and availability of data. The variables included in the research are rooms rented (represented by room demand), room supply, average daily rate, travel price index, gas prices for the lower eastern region of the United States, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation averaged on a monthly basis. The results indicate that the climatic and economic variables used in this study explain over three-fourths of visitation to the Coastal Region of North Carolina. Temperature has the greatest explanatory power of all the variables used in the models to explain tourism to the Coastal Region. Precipitation had the least explanatory power within the models. The study provides empirical evidence of the impact of climatic and economic conditions on tourism, which indicates the influence they have on tourist behavior.

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between athletic identity and two variables from the expectancy-value theory, expectations for success and subjective task value, in the context of high school soccer competitive team selection. The quantitative research design integrated historical and emerging theoretical perspectives on identity development in an effort to add insight to the relationships between the theoretical perspectives. The quasi-experimental research design included the self-administration of paper and pencil questionnaires on three occasions over the course of approximately four weeks. Males and females competing for selection to their high school soccer teams in Central Florida comprised the study sample. Significant positive correlations were found between participantsâ athletic identity, expectations for success and subjective task value throughout competitive team selection. Participantsâ athletic identity remained relatively stable over time; yet, significant increases in expectations for success and significant decreases for subjective task value were detected. Additional findings were: the varsityâs athletic identity and expectations for success were significantly higher than junior varsity and not selected groups; the female junior-varsityâs subjective task value was significantly lower than female-varsity and male-junior varsity groups; seniors reported higher expectations for success than freshmen; the upper division reported higher expectations for success than the lower division, whereas, the lower division reported higher subjective task value than the upper division. In consideration of the studyâs limitations, recommendations for the field and for future research are provided. The findings provide a basis to forge an empirical connection between the construct of athletic identity and the expectancy-value theory model of achievement-related behavior in a sports domain. Moreover, the lack of significant gender differences may indicate that socially supportive environments may foster female athleticism, including confirmation of athletic identity and sport-related expectations for success.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ?retro? stadiums on professional baseball franchises. Retro stadiums, baseball-exclusive facilities modeled on classic architectural designs of the past, were built at an increasing rate beginning in 1992 with Baltimore?s Camden Yards. This study analyzed changes in franchises? attendance, winning percentage, revenue and team value in the seasons following a team?s relocation to a retro stadium. Retro stadiums were found to positively increase attendance, revenue and team value for franchises at a higher rate than teams that did not build retro stadiums. An analysis of these variables and a discussion of the results for all individual franchises that constructed retro stadiums during the 1992-2004 period are presented in this study.

<p><P>I developed a new methodology to produce an orthorectified mosaic and a vegetation database of Petersburg National Battlefield using mostly digital methods. Both the mosaic and the database meet National Map Accuracy Standards and proved considerably faster than traditional aerial photograph interpretation methods. I classified vegetation polygons to the formation level using the Nature Conservancy?s National Vegetation Classification System. Urban areas were classified using Mitchell?s Classification Scheme for Urban Forest Mapping with Small-Scale Aerial Photographs. This method reduced the production time by 2/3, compared to traditional methods. It also reduced the chance of user error because re-tracing of the linework is not required. <P>My method started with scanning 75 aerial color IR photos, provided by Petersburg National Battlefield, at 600 dpi. Erdas Imagine was used to rectify the images using United States Geological Service (USGS) Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and black and white USGS Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ) as reference. The images were then mosaiced to create a seamless color infrared orthorectified basemap of the park. The vegetation polygons were drawn onscreen using ArcMap from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) with the color, orthorectified mosaic as a background image. Stereo pairs of the aerial photos were referenced as needed for clarification of the vegetation. I used a minimum mapping unit (mmu) of 0.2 hectares, which exceeds guidelines defined by the United States Geological Survey ? National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program. This methodology is easily learned quickly and has already been applied to several other studies. <P>The production of an orthorectified mosaic, created during the process, from the aerial photographs greatly increases the value of the photographs at little additional cost to the user. The orthorectified basemap can then be used as a backdrop for existing data layers or it can be used to create new GIS data layers. I used a minimum mapping unit (mmu) of 0.2 hectare, which exceeds guidelines defined by the United States Geological Survey-National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program<P>Traditionally, vegetation polygons are delineated on acetate for each photograph. The linework on the acetates is then transferred to a basemap using a zoom transfer scope or other transfer instrument. The linework is traced again to digitize it for use in a GIS program. This process is time consuming, and the linework is drawn three times. The redundant tracing increases the chance of user error. My new methodology requires that polygons be delineated only once. I wanted to avoid using the zoom transfer scope and to avoid the redundant linework.<P>A total of 228 polygons were delineated over 20 separate vegetation and land cover classes with an overall thematic accuracy of 87.42% and a Kappa of .8545. Positional accuracy was very good with a RMSE of 1.62 meters in the x direction and 2.81 meters in the y direction. The Kappa and RMSE values compare favorably with accuracies obtained using traditional vegetation mapping methods.<P>

<p>MURPHY, JILL MARIE. The Effect of a One-Time Team Building Exercise on Team Cohesion when working with a NCAA Division I Women?s Basketball Team. Dr. Aram Attarian, Committee Chair. The purpose of this preliminary study was to measure the effects on a one-time team building exercise on team cohesion. A NCAA Division I women?s basketball team participated in this study. The team building exercise used was a rescue simulation. The instrument used to measure team cohesion was the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). The GEQ was administered one week prior and one week after the rescue simulation. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel with StatPlus. After analyzing the data, no significant changes were found between the pretest and posttest. <P>

<p>GREENWOOD, PAUL BRIAN. Sport Fan Team Identification in a Professional Expansion Setting. (Under the direction of Michael A. Kanters.) This study assessed the relationship between team identification of sport fans and a number of different variables including but not limited to: the reasons for initially becoming a fan, specific sport knowledge, and purchasing behavior. A non-random sample of spectators (N = 356) at an Arena Football League (AFL) game completed a survey designed to identify or measure the aforementioned variables. A t-test revealed that males reported significantly higher levels of team identification than females. Analysis using a Pearson correlation matrix showed a positive correlation between team identification and sport knowledge, attendance rate, and purchasing behavior. Likewise, a positive correlation was found between team identification and the following reasons for initially becoming a fan: closest team, born and/or live in the city and/or state, team success, the players and/or coaches, parents and/or family influence, and the tailgating and party atmosphere. The findings have important implications for professional sport franchises in terms of tailoring marketing efforts for potential fans.<P>