Search

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between greater engagement (i.e., number of times participated) in mindfulness exercises administered in large university lectures and students' writing self-efficacy. For eight weeks, a breathing exercise was administered to students in one lecture section, and a progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercise was administered to students in another lecture section of the same course. Participants (n = 147) completed measures of writing self-efficacy before (T1) and after (T2) the eight-week exercise period. Engagement was greater in the breathing exercise than in the PMR exercise (p < 0.05). Writing self-efficacy was marginally greater (p = 0.08) at T2 for those administered the breathing exercise than for those administered the PMR exercise. Correlational analyses further showed that engagement in the breathing exercise was associated with writing self-efficacy at T2 (p < 0.01), but engagement in the PMR exercise was not (p = 0.21). We conclude with implications for course instructors using mindfulness exercises to enhance desirable writing outcomes.

Written communication is essential to student success. Mindfulness exercises may improve thoughts and feelings that support written communication. These exercises are typically delivered to students in small groups such as tutorials. However, first year courses that develop written communication skills are often delivered in large classroom settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of delivering mindfulness exercises to improve written communication in large introductory university classrooms. Using observations throughout an eight-week period, the authors identify key issues associated with mindfulness in this setting. These issues include a lack of engagement which stem from distractions and disinterest with mindfulness scripts. Strategies for instructors who aim to introduce mindfulness exercises into their large classrooms are offered.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-week CG imagery intervention on strategic decision-making in curling. A secondary purpose was to determine whether curlers' imagery ability and CG imagery use would be improved. Eleven varsity curlers from a Canadian postsecondary institution engaged in weekly guided imagery sessions that were held at the curling club before their regularly scheduled team practices. Curlers' response times on a computerized curling strategy assessment significantly improved from baseline to post-intervention (p < .05). In addition, their kinesthetic imagery ability, CG imagery use, and MG-M imagery use significantly increased (p < .05). These results suggest that when curlers are exposed to new scenarios, they learn to store, process, and retrieve relevant information quicker (Simon & Chase, 1973). From a practical standpoint, CG imagery training can improve curlers' strategy performance, including their ability to use various strategies in game situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single-subject multiple baseline design was used to assess the effects of cognitive general imagery training on the strategy performance of three curlers (Mage= 19.33,SD= 3.06) over 18 weeks. Visual and statistical analyses (i.e., response accuracy and response time) revealed that one curler improved her response accuracy and two curlers decreased their response time. These findings provide support for individual responses to the intervention, which may have been missed by a group-level analysis (Hrycaiko & Martin, 1996). These findings extend the literature by showing that a cognitive general imagery intervention can improve strategy performance in curling. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Knowledge translation is an essential component of the research process. The purpose of this study was to examine the content of the information coaches attain from online sport psychology resources and their use of this information. This study also investigated differences in coaches' use of online resources across experience, certification, and competitive level of the coaches. Participants included 253 (nmales = 183; nfemales = 69) coaches averaging 13.6 years of coaching experience who varied considerably in the sport, income level, competitive level, and age of the athletes they coached. Results demonstrated that coaches currently get information from online sport psychology resources "a few times per year", but would get it "once per month" if more accessible and credible resources were available. The study findings also indicated that coaches primarily get general information related to sport psychology from online resources, but would be interested in applied information such as sport psychology tips, skills/strategies, and how to implement sport psychology with their athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]