This study examines the extent of agreement or disagreement among and between Texas superintendents, principals and athletic directors toward fifty specifically defined role expectations for the full-time athletic administrator. By defining the athletic director's role expectations, the superintendents, principals and athletic directors may function more effectively in discharging their duties and implementing quality interscholastic athletic programs. Parents and educational leaders are very interested in athletic programs which contribute to the emotional, social, physical, and mental growth of youth. Given the increasing number of athletic programs and participants, it is important to analyze and report data related to athletic administration. The perceptions of the superintendents, principals, and athletic directors to the specifically defined role expectations for the athletic director provided data for analysis to determine the extent of role conflict and the role of the athletic director. The main findings are the following. (1) There is a minimal role conflict for the athletic director based upon the perceptions of the superintendents, principals, and athletic directors. (2) The majority of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with forty-four of the specifically defined role expectations for the athletic director. (3) The majority of the respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the athletic director being responsible for establishing an athletic program that has a primary objective of producing a financial profit, being responsible for securing advertising to support the game program, directing and supervising the kindergarten through grade twelve physical education and health education programs, reporting directly to the local principal(s), and being responsible for the concession operations at athletic contests. The recommendations, based upon the data from this study, are: (1) Texas school district personnel should review and update their job description for the athletic director in accordance with the specific role functions identified through this study, and (2) the model job description developed for the director of athletics could reduce possible role conflict.

Text in Afrikaans / The main objective of this investigative study was to determine the motivational strategies of sport coaches within the South African context. The theoretical investigation indicated that the setting of goals and feedback seem to be the two most popular methods used by sport coaches to motivate their athletes. Different motivational theories, as well as the possible role of these theories within the sporting realm, were addressed. For the empirical investigation the motivational theories elucidated in the theoretical investigation, were used as point of departure . A factor analysis of the gathered data gave rise to the emergence of four motivational strategies, namely reward, winning, a cognitive approach and self-confidence. An ANOVA procedure led to the following findings: Sport coaches show meaningful differences in their accentuation of these motivational strategies based on types of sport, gender and whether they have received formal training in Sport Psychology or not. No meaningful differences were found when institutions, qualifications and experience as sport coach were considered as variables. / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)

This thesis examines the origins of athleticism in England and its transfer to Canada. During the course of the nineteenth century, the focus of the English public schools changed dramatically. At the start of the century an English upper-class student's leisure time was largely employed in roaming the country-side, trespassing on neighboring estates and poaching. Teachers' responsibilities ended at the classroom door. Seventy-five years later an English public school student's life was focussed on games and team sports including cricket and the various types of football. Teachers now ran all aspects of school life which was designed to instill the manly, Christian, virtues which would enable graduates to take their proper place as leaders in the British Empire. And team sports were a vehicle to achieve that end. Team sports such as cricket and rugby, and the various institutions that promoted them, occupied a central place in upper-class English life and became infused with what Professor Mangan refers to as the 'games ethic': the ideology of athleticism. When the British administrators, soldiers, and immigrants came to Canada they brought with them their love of games and this 'games ethic' that was modified by Canadian experience. In England the 'ethic' was firmly entrenched and supported by a unique class and social structure. Because that structure did not exist in Canada, the attempts of early British Canadians to instill the 'ethic' in the new country were problematic and played out in the conflict between amateurs and professionals. Although an emerging working-class culture and an increasingly commercialized society challenged and eventually made the distinction between amateur and professional athletes irrelevant, belief in the 'games ethic' and in the instrumental value of team sports survived and continues to influence Canadian sport policy today.

Text in Afrikaans / The main objective of this investigative study was to determine the motivational strategies of sport coaches within the South African context. The theoretical investigation indicated that the setting of goals and feedback seem to be the two most popular methods used by sport coaches to motivate their athletes. Different motivational theories, as well as the possible role of these theories within the sporting realm, were addressed. For the empirical investigation the motivational theories elucidated in the theoretical investigation, were used as point of departure . A factor analysis of the gathered data gave rise to the emergence of four motivational strategies, namely reward, winning, a cognitive approach and self-confidence. An ANOVA procedure led to the following findings: Sport coaches show meaningful differences in their accentuation of these motivational strategies based on types of sport, gender and whether they have received formal training in Sport Psychology or not. No meaningful differences were found when institutions, qualifications and experience as sport coach were considered as variables. / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)

Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet är att undersöka kvinnliga lärares erfarenheter och upplevelser av att arbeta inom det mansdominerade yrket specialidrottslärare. Studien kommer svara på dessa frågeställningar: <ul type="disc">Varför har dessa lärare valt att arbeta som specialidrottslärare? Hur påverkas lärarna av att det är få kvinnliga kollegor inom ämnet specialidrott? Hur påverkas lärarna av att arbeta i en miljö där det är en överrepresentation av män? Metod Åtta kvinnliga specialidrottslärare handplockades utifrån vissa kriterier. Studien använder en kvalitativ metod och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Historikern Yvonne Hirdmans genussystem och stereotypmodell användes för att analysera empirin. Resultat Resultatet visar att de kvinnliga respondenternas intresse för idrott har gjort att de arbetar som lärare i specialidrott. Kvinnorna påverkas inte av att det är få kvinnor inom ämnet specialidrott. De upplever att de är en minoritet i samband med föreningsidrotten. De tror att tjejer väljer att kliva av tränaryrket på grund av den jargong som finns samt att de endast kan utföra sitt arbete som en hobby. De trivs med sin nuvarande arbetssituation men påverkas av att arbeta i en mansdominerad miljö då de måste hävda sig för att bli accepterade. Om de hade varit män med sin nuvarande kompetens och erfarenhet, hade de på ett eller annat sätt arbetat inom sin idrott. Däremot var de inte lika övertygade om att de skulle arbeta inom skolan med specialidrott utan hade troligen kunnat erhålla en högre position inom föreningsidrotten, t ex förbundskapten eller sportchef.  Slutsats De åtta kvinnorna har valt att arbeta inom specialidrott då de har ett stort intresse för idrott. De påverkas inte av att de är få kvinnor inom yrket utan upplever att det är när de är verksamma inom föreningsidrotten som de det befintliga genussystemet inom idrotten blir märkbart. Rådande normsystem framträder inom både föreningsidrott och tränar- och ledarutbildningar. / Abstract The study aims to clarify female teachers knowledge and experience of working in a male dominated profession as a school sports teacher. The study will answer the following questions. Why have the teachers chosen to work as a school sports teacher? How do the teachers get affected by the fact that there are few female colleagues in the subject of school sports? How do the teachers get affected by working in an environment with an overrepresentation of men? Method Eight female school sports teachers were hand-picked with certain criterias. With a qualitative focus, this study used semi-structured interviews in order to reach a deeper understanding of the knowledge and experience of working in the subject of school sports. Historian Yvonne Hirdmans gender system and stereotypes model was used to investigate what happens when women enter the male dominated profession as school sports teacher. Results The results of the study showed that the teachers work with school sports because of their interest in sports. The women are not affected by the fact that there are fewer female than male teachers in the subject of school sports. They feel like a minority in club sports. The women highlight, the lack of interest in the profession among girls and correlates it to the existing jargon in club sports. The females are satisfied with their current working situation, but they get affected by working in a male dominated environment because they have to assert themselves. Also, some of the women believe that if they would have opposite sex, according to their knowledge and experience, they would work with sports, but they were not convinced that it would be in school sports and few of them believe that they probably would get offered other jobs in club sports, for example national head coach or club director. Conclusion The eight women chose to work in school sports because of their interest in sports. The women are not affected by the fact that there are few female teachers in the subject of school sports, but they feel like a minority during club sports.

This thesis examines the origins of athleticism in England and its transfer to Canada. During the course of the nineteenth century, the focus of the English public schools changed dramatically. At the start of the century an English upper-class student's leisure time was largely employed in roaming the country-side, trespassing on neighboring estates and poaching. Teachers' responsibilities ended at the classroom door. Seventy-five years later an English public school student's life was focussed on games and team sports including cricket and the various types of football. Teachers now ran all aspects of school life which was designed to instill the manly, Christian, virtues which would enable graduates to take their proper place as leaders in the British Empire. And team sports were a vehicle to achieve that end. Team sports such as cricket and rugby, and the various institutions that promoted them, occupied a central place in upper-class English life and became infused with what Professor Mangan refers to as the 'games ethic': the ideology of athleticism. When the British administrators, soldiers, and immigrants came to Canada they brought with them their love of games and this 'games ethic' that was modified by Canadian experience. In England the 'ethic' was firmly entrenched and supported by a unique class and social structure. Because that structure did not exist in Canada, the attempts of early British Canadians to instill the 'ethic' in the new country were problematic and played out in the conflict between amateurs and professionals. Although an emerging working-class culture and an increasingly commercialized society challenged and eventually made the distinction between amateur and professional athletes irrelevant, belief in the 'games ethic' and in the instrumental value of team sports survived and continues to influence Canadian sport policy today. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to compare the Title IX compliance trends of high school sports in Florida over the past two decades (1985-2005) against national trends. The literature review discusses: the historical events leading to Title IX, the administrative implementation of Title IX, the legal perspective of Title IX, and the impact of Title IX on gender equity in sports. The study was conducted between January and June, 2007. The data focused on: male and female participants in high school sports in Florida, the numbers of male and female participants in high school sports across the nation, and enrollment figures of high schools in both Florida and the nation. The results indicate there was no significant difference between national Title IX compliance trends and Florida Title IX compliance trends in high school sports during 1985 through 2005. In fact, there was widespread non-compliance with the substantial proportionality of Title IX, with some improvements in compliance over time. Future research should focus on other strategies to comply with Title IX.

Educational Studies / (M. Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counseling))

This thesis aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the Swedish school sports system, a system which has evolved since the beginning of the 1970s, the prevalence of which has increased significantly at all school levels since the mid-1990s and today attracts a large number of pupils and teachers. Starting with the neoliberal discourse which has had a major impact on the development of the Swedish school system, and inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework, the reasons for the emergence of the school sports system and the reasons why schools chose to specialise in sport is described. Also examined are the pupils and teachers involved and the mechanics behind their participation. Empirically, this thesis is based on registry data, telephone interviews with principals at schools offering school sports and questionnaires responses from pupils and teachers involved in school sports. The results of the thesis suggest that the main reason school sports has become so common is closely connected to increased competition on the local school market; by offering school sports, schools have found a possible way to attract more pupils. Furthermore, the results show that the social characteristics of pupils who have been selected or have chosen to participate in school sports differs from the national population of pupils and participants in sports clubs. This suggests that the available supply of school sports is better adapted to some pupils’ social backgrounds and habitus. In relation to the teachers involved, the results show that other resources than what is normally required to become a teacher is valued in school sports. Instead of a teacher certificate, a coaching education and experiences in competitive sport is valued highly which suggests that this is recognised as symbolic capital for teachers in school sports. In conclusion this thesis demonstrates that school sports is influenced by both the fields of education and sport, and that the increased supply of school sports has implications for both fields. / Forskningslinjen Utbildning

M.Phil. / South Africa was excluded from international sport for many years. Competing at Olympic Games and World Championships were dreams lost to a whole generation. Today, some of these former high achievers or sports lovers are now parents helping their children or others competing with the rest in the world and some are even winning medals ...