Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-01, Section: B, page: 0113. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The influence of a regular exercise program of isometric contractions of the thigh adductor muscles upon the range of passive thigh abduction and the maximum isometric strength of the adductors was examined. A sample of 52 female college students divided in four groups were trained during 2 weeks under conditions which combined two dependent variables: (1) degree of thigh abduction, and (2) percentage of maximum isometric force developed for each contraction during the program. No change in the angle of passive thigh abduction was found after training. On the other hand, a significant increase in maximum isometric strength occurred. It was noted that under conditions of maximal work (100% of isometric strength), the anatomical position was the most effective in increasing strength of the adductor muscles. The findings indicated that a program increasing the maximum isometric strength of the adductor muscles did not improve the range of passive thigh abduction during a ten day period. On the other hand, within a two-week training period, the development of strength did not restrict the flexibility at the hip joint. / Simultaneously, an objective method for the measurement of passive thigh abduction was tested; it was designed to maximize the reproducibility of the testing positions, the torque responsible for the passive movement and the level of muscular tension. / It was found that under condition of muscular relaxation controlled by electromyography, the reliability coefficient for the measurement of passive thigh abduction reaches .94. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-02, Section: A, page: 0587. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The nature of the psychological phenomenon experienced by runners during participation known as the "runner's high" was investigated. The determination of a number of characteristics which differentiate runners who experience the runner's high from those who do not was initially attempted. Additionally, the effect of manipulation of association/dissociation cognitive strategies on perception of quality of the run and experience of the runner's high was studied. / Subjects were 60 male regular runners (average of at least four days per week, 30 minutes per day, for the past two months), average age 32 years. The runners had been running an average of 5.7 years, and had averaged 53.5 minutes and 6.8 miles per run for the past two months. Average number of days per wek running was 5.8 days. The majority (87%) of the runners described themselves as addicted to running, with an average of 1.5 years required for addiction to develop. / Most (46 = 77%) of the runners indicated they had experienced the runner's high, although 14 said they had never experienced it. Those runners noting a percentage of runs on which the runner's high was experienced reported that this phenomenon occurred on an average of 29.4% of their runs. / A descriptive categorization of the runner's high was offered, frequented by descriptions of floating, well being, effortlessness, euphoria, and power. Few of the runners, however, indicated any peak experiences. A high degree of physiological preparedness was cited as necessary for experience of the runner's high, and it was noted that it was not possible to predict if and when the runner's high would be experienced during a run. / Bivariate correlational analyses, stepwise multiple regression,and discriminant function analyses were conducted in assessing the relationship of dependence upon and commitment to running, laterality (right/left brain dominance), and training style to experience of the runner's high. Of particular interest was the relationship of laterality to the runner's high, due to reports of the runner's high as a right brain phenomenon. / Scores of the runners on a scale of addiction to running and length of time runners had been participating were both significantly related to experience of the runner's high. Multiple regression and discriminant function analyses, however, failed to yield results of value in attempting to predict experience of the runner's high. The absence of a significant relationship of two measures of laterality to experience of the runner's high was particularly noted. / The runners tended to employ the cognitive strategy of dissociation more frequently during their training runs, although they shifted frequently between association and dissociation. A simple characterization of the cognitive strategies of the runners could not be provided. / Results of the attempted manipulation of cognitive strategies (association/dissociation) during the next to last mile of the middle four of eight test runs of the subjects did not reveal any significant findings. It was suggested that a combination of the particular strategies used and the need for intensive training in use of specific strategies served as important factors in the lack of obtaining significant findings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-02, Section: A, page: 0588. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

This study was designed to determine how physical educators in Puerto Rico's public schools evaluate physical education programs in grades one through twelve. The survey population was the aggregate of public schools' physical education teachers contained in the Department of Education Computer Center 1979-80 roster. A questionnaire, prepared by the researcher, was distributed to 373 practitioners. Responses were received from 250 (69.5 percent) of the subjects. / On the basis of the six areas used in the study the following data were obtained: (1) There were 221 (85.3 percent) male and 38 (14.7 percent) female teachers; 130, approximately 50 percent of the total, were in the 20-29 years of age range. (2) Physical education programs were rated as fair, on a scale of excellent to no opinion, by the practitioners at the elementary and secondary school level. (3) The development of motor skills was selected as the main role of physical education in the elementary level; the refining of personal skills capabilities was chosen as the main role of physical education by secondary school teachers. (4) Elementary school teachers chose the intramural area and secondary teachers the instructional areas as the most valuable in attaining the main objectives of physical education. (5) Lack of facilities, lack of equipment, limited funds, inadequate facilities, and lack of materials were the five major deficiencies that teachers listed as hindering the most the physical education program. (6) Approximately 98 percent of the subjects had a coaching assignment in addition to regular teaching duties. (7) Only 20 (less than 8 percent) teachers out of 259 served both the elementary and secondary school level. (8) Younger teachers were more aware of and familiar with the new approaches to instructional physical education than older teachers, (9) Approximately 54 percent of the teachers chose the letter grade system as the most suitable for grading physical education students. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2561. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this study was to examine the job satisfaction of Black and White male head coaches of the predominantly Black and predominantly White colleges. A sample of 254 coaches were selected from 25 predominantly Black and 70 predominantly White colleges located in the southeast region of the United States. The respondents were requested to complete a personal data sheet and a 50-item job satisfaction questionnaire inquiring how they felt about their jobs. The instrument was designed following the summative model with a Likert scale running from 1-5. The results provided 13 sub-scores and a total job satisfaction score: Work demands, working conditions, administration/organization, pay, job security, personal initiative, recognition, racial balance, organization, personal satisfaction, decision making, satisfaction with work, work difficulty, and total score. The data were reported in three parts: (a) demographic data, (b) data related to racial matching of coaches and institutions, and (c) data related to racial matching of coaches and athletes. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics was used to report the demographic data. The results of this investigation indicated that the integrated work environment did not have a significant effect on the job satisfaction of head coaches. The data revealed that coaches working in the predominantly Black schools were less satisfied than coaches working in the predominantly White schools, but racial matching of coaches and environment did not affect job satisfaction. The coaches were more satisfied with the intrinsic variables related to their jobs (personal initiative, personal satisfaction, etc.) and dissatisfied with the extrinsic variables related to their jobs (pay, working conditions, etc.). The overall findings indicated that this population of coaches was extremely satisfied with their jobs. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4354. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Fractions of both linear polyethylene and ethylene-butene copolymers were found to form thermally reversible gels when crystallized from quiescent p-xylene solutions. For linear polyethylene, gels were observed over the molecular weight range from 1.26 x 10('3) to 1.62 x 10('6). The maximum polymer concentration required for gelation to occur was found to depend on the molecular weight and the crystallization temperature. For linear polyethylene solutions cooled rapidly to 22(DEGREES)C, this concentration was found to range from 2.0% (wt./vol.) for the low molecular weight fractions to 0.3% for the highest molecular weight. The concentration required for gelation to occur was found to increase greatly for crystallization at 86(DEGREES). Linear polyethylene fractions were observed to form gels at substantially lower concentrations than ethylenebutene copolymer fractions of comparable molecular weight. / Studies of the crystallite thickness and accompanying thermodynamic properties demonstrated that the gels were composed of lamellar crystallites very similar in nature to those shown to be characteristic of crystallization from dilute solutions (0.08%). / Polarized light microscopy studies revealed in all the gels studied large supermolecular structures up to 100 microns in length. The concentration where adjacent supermolecular structures begin to exhibit substantial overlap was found to correspond to the minimum concentration required for gel formation. These morphological studies of ethylene-butene copolymers and linear polyethylene fractions when crystallized from relatively dilute solutions were shown to provide interesting parallels with similar studies on bulk crystallized samples. / In conclusion, this work showed thermally reversible gelation to be a more general aspect of polymer crystallization than had been thought previously. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: B, page: 4077. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Elemental composition and time series analysis of concentrations of aerosols collected on Hawaii above and below the inversion layer in spring and summer 1979 have provided insight into the sources, transport processes, and chemistry of different aerosol components present in this marine atmosphere. Aerosols were sampled by 3.7-hour time resolution streakers (Nuclepore filter strip and sliding suction orifice) and analyzed by particle-induced X ray emission (PIXE) for elements heavier than Mg. At Mauna Loa Observatory (3.4 km altitude) April 23 to May 6, 1979, during a haze period caused by east Asian desert dust storms, a continental dust component of up to 20 (mu)g m('-3) or more and an aerosol sulfate component, sometimes in excess of 8 (mu)g m('-3), were measured. High coherency at long periodicities between the two components suggests pollution from China and Japan as the sulfur source. Since a 21-hour, not 24-hour, variation was prominent, an initially diurnal periodicity in upward transport foreshortened during transport across the Pacific, e.g. by wind speed convergence, is suggested. Continental dust was also found to be abundant, at 1-2 (mu)g m('-3) median concentration, in spring 1979 at 1.2 km (Hawaiian Volcano Observatory), but was essentially absent in the summer. Over both seasons, the local basaltic aerosol biweekly medians varied 100-fold, 0.2-18 (mu)g m('-3), a variation associated with rainfall. Compositional differences between the continental dust at HVO and MLO may indicate the presence of two distinct desert dust plumes over Hawaii. An additional component of volcanic emissions from Kilauea, containing aerosol P, Cl, and S, was also observed at HVO. The presence of all three elements was sporadic, especially for P, and all were found with concentrations of up to 1 (mu)g m('-3). However, P and Cl were almost never detected simultaneously, suggesting a volatility release of HCl from aerosol particles by reaction with strong acid associated with P. If such strong acid is due to H(,2)SO(,4), it is not well predicted by S, which may include other sulfates or sulfur. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, Section: B, page: 0663. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study was designed to assess the perceived inservice training needs of Florida's public school physical education teachers for the handicapped, to prioritize those assessed needs, and to identify the preferred format for delivery of inservice training. The study involved 301 randomly selected physical education public school teachers from 43 counties in the State of Florida. A stratified random sample of Elementary, Junior-Middle and Senior High School physical education teachers was selected representing 43 South, Central, and North Florida counties. A random selection was employed to identify seven teachers from each school district. The 301 physical education teachers revealed needed inservice training for teaching the handicapped in such areas as: (1) methods and techniques, (2) supervisory consultation and provisions, (3) curricular program organization and materials, (4) administrative policies, and (5) professional and personal growth. The preferred formats for delivery were ranked as: (1) workshops, (2) seminars, (3) summer institutes, (4) professional meetings/conferences, and (5) college and university courses. The open ended question indicated that teacher's perceived inservice training needs can guide local school district supervisors and administrators in the organization of effective inservice programs by making them more relevant to teacher's specific inservice training needs. Specifically, supervisors and local school districts need to: (1) assist teachers needing updated skills, information or materials, (2) identify the area in which inservice training is needed through teacher's perceptions, (3) work more closely with teachers without experience in teaching the handicapped, (4) make available local resource personnel, (5) provide more conducive inservice programs through continuous teacher evaluations, and (6) promote coordination / of local, state and national consultants in planning inservice training programs. The investigator achieved the results of this study through the use of the following analysis procedures: (1) summary analysis, (2) frequencies, (3) computed means, and ranking technique. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, Section: A, page: 1468. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of New Games workshop participation on adults' A-trait and achievement motivation levels. The subjects, 89 adult females and 53 adult males who volunteered to assist in this study, came from 11 three-day workshops from the midwest, central, southern, and eastern United States. Prior to each workshop, the subjects were pretested. Two months after the respective workshops, subjects were posttested. Martens' Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) was used to measure A-trait and Mehrabian's Motivation to Achieve Test (MAT) was used to measure achievement motivation. / A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures and the Kruskal-Wallis chi-square test were used to test for differences at the .05 level of significance. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation technique was used to test for significant relationships. Differences and relationships tested were (1) between sexes, (2) between pretests and posttests and, (3) between A-trait and achievement motivation. / The only significant differences from the results were that females scored significantly higher on the SCAT than did males on both the pretest and the posttest. / Further research is suggested comparing different groups. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-12, Section: A, page: 5057. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study analyzed the leadership behavior of the Presidents of amateur sports organizations, as perceived by themselves and by members of Executive Committees. / The subjects were 33 Presidents and 85 members of the Executive Committees who were asked to complete a Leadership Questionnaire and a demographic data sheet. Presidents completed the Ideal Leadership Behavior Questionnaire (ILBQ), and the Executive Committee members responded to the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ - Form XII). / Data gave the information to draw a profile of a typical volunteer administrator in the said Province. The Pearson Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation was used to examine the relationship of Structure and Consideration. The correlations were all significant at the .05 level. Three independent variables were utilized to test the hypotheses by the Analysis of Variance using .05 as a level of significance. / Based on the results, the following conclusions were reached: (1) Volunteer leaders of sports organizations hold similar views on leadership behavior regardless of their administrative position, their sexes or language. (2) Presidents' leadership behavior was higher in larger sized organizations. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-09, Section: A, page: 2931. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.