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Trends about lay material quality suggest most college/university students enrolled in kinesiology programs are not taught about readability issues. Such trends are in diametric opposition to future graduates' moral and legal mandate to communicate clearly (e.g., the 2010 U.S. "Plain Writing Act"). Numerous leaders in kinesiology have helped shine light upon the issue of readability and related barriers to translating knowledge from kinesiology into actions that "serve" the public. Following Thomas and Cardinal's (2020) call to treat knowledge translation as the next frontier for kinesiology scholarship, we present one scaled-up approach that those in higher education could use to prepare students to be effective in lay communication, namely a practicum course on plain language communication. This article reports on our process to create an outline for a practicum course on plain language communication, which was designed for wide-scale adoption. Beyond the practicum course outline, we developed seven supplemental materials to aid delivery of the course -- regardless of teaching experience or familiarity with the topic. We conclude with guiding discussion of the material we created for a kinesiology practicum course in lay communication, then we present recommendations for administrative action and future research.

To sensitize individuals, organizations, and communities to the sociostructural barriers individuals with disabilities face, Mace et al. (1997) advanced seven principles of universal design (as cited by the Center for Excellence in Universal Design, n.d.). Each principle provides guidance on how spaces, products, and services can be developed or adapted to encourage usability by all individuals. Researchers and practitioners in adapted physical activity (APA) have worked to further extend the application of the principles of universal design into the physical domain, which helps expand opportunities for all to fully participate within exercise, sport, and physically active recreation. A less scrutinized sociostructural barrier in APA promotion is the suitability of materials used to "teach" adults experiencing disability ways to adapt leisure and exercise routines (Thomas & Cardinal, 2020a). However, on the basis of a recent meta-analysis (Thomas et al., 2018), knowledge of the degree suitability issues pervading materials used in routine APA promotion strategies or programs is limited. Further, it appears research has yet to gauge the prevalence of suitability issues in physical activity promotion from a broader universal design framework. These gaps in kinesiology knowledge represent fruitful lines of future research. In this essay, we present recommendations for future research toward addressing suitability knowledge gaps within APA promotion. Consistent with the call for leadership beyond college and university campuses to drive change as experts (NAKHE Newsletter, 2019, p. 4), such lines of inquiry would promote the dissemination of resources that support efforts to bring about full participation in the physical domain.

Thirty-nine years ago, Bain and Poindexter (1981) implored higher educators of kinesiology to develop curricula that prepare students to use what they learn in practical ways. Lay resource material, however, often fails to meet metrics for adequate-to-optimal readability, regardless of who produces them. Research suggests that many people trained in kinesiology are not trained to communicate its content to lay adult audiences. Thus, the purpose of this study was to advance knowledge about this academic-practice-divide in kinesiology concerning plain language communication. Methodology for a critical interpretive synthesis was used to qualitatively synthesize readability research in kinesiology. Twenty-four peer-reviewed research articles met the study inclusion criteria, all published between 1992 and 2020 (M = 2010.1, SD = 8.8). There were 1550 materials studied across the articles. It was typical for these materials to run counter to plain language guidelines (i.e., low readability in one-or-more critical areas). Most materials were unsuitable for adults with basic health literacy or less -- about half of the U.S. adult population. Following their presentation of results, the article authors often suggested one of six ways for improving lay material readability. Two major themes emerged from the qualitative synthesis of the articles: (a) how article authors discussed readability issues and what they proposed to be done to fix them, and (b) critiques of the research articles included in this study. The findings of this literature review shine light on the "need" to use readability research in kinesiology in programs that train people in an area of the discipline. [Paper presented at the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education Hally Beth Poindexter Young Scholar Address (2021).]

Education is central to promoting healthy, active lifestyles, but most educational materials may be less than suitable for public dissemination. Related kinesiology studies have mainly focused on the reading grade level of print materials. Suitability encompasses more qualities than that and also concerns digital media. This study had two purposes: (a) critically appraise the suitability of free web articles focused on physical activity promotion that lay adults would locate via the Internet, and (b) determine if the suitability level of web articles was associated with their source of production. An adapted Suitability Assessment of Materials protocol was used. A sample of 139 web articles was obtained (mean publication year = 2015.97, ±2.42). The sample aggregate suitability level was satisfactory, but most were unsatisfactory on eight subdomains. Production source was associated with suitability level for two subdomains. The implications of our findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.

Readability studies routinely report that resources with physical activity-related content exceed the eighth-grade reading level (RL), the maximum recommended for health education resources. The objectives of this meta-analysis were to determine the extent that findings in the literature represented true differences and whether production sources differed in their average RL. Fourteen studies met the study inclusion criteria. The main analysis involved 819 print and web article resources produced by government and nongovernment sources. The average RL was greater than eighth-grade (M = 10.25, 95% CI = [9.62, 10.91], p < 0.001), a nearly substantial magnitude of difference (g = .75), with a substantial percentage of the observed effects representing true differences (I[superscript]] = 79.79%). No differences were observed between productions sources, Q(5) = 2.56, p = 0.767. Publication bias and publication date did not meaningfully affect the main findings, nor did variations in study methodology or quality. The implications of these results for kinesiology are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.

The purpose of this study was to perform a construct validity assessment of Kendzierski's exercise self-schema theory questionnaire using objective measures of health-related physical fitness. This study tested the hypothesis that individuals with an exercise self-schema would possess significantly greater physical fitness than those who did not across three domains of health-related physical fitness: Body composition, cardiovascular fitness, and upper-body muscular endurance. Undergraduate student participants from one private university on the west coast of the United States completed informed consent forms and the exercise self-schema questionnaire within a classroom setting or at an on-campus outside tabling session. Participants not meeting inclusion criteria for Kendzierski's three original schema groups were categorized as "unschematic," and were included within MANCOVA/ANCOVA analyses, where gender served as the covariate. Participants underwent lab-based fitness assessments administered in accordance with the 2013 American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. The hypothesis of this study was partially supported. Specifically, exerciser schematics were significantly leaner than aschematics (p = .002) and they had greater levels of upper-body muscular endurance compared to both aschematic and nonexerciser schematics (p = .002). However, no differences were observed for cardiovascular fitness (i.e., predicted V02Max p = .410). The findings of this study help to establish the construct validity of Kendizerski's selfreport exercise self-schema categorization scheme. Visual inspection of the data, as well as computed effect size measures suggest exercise self-schema is associated with dimensions of one's physical fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]