Engaged scholarship provides students with opportunities to learn and practice skills within both the general community and underserved populations. These types of opportunities are needed in kinesiology programs which train many allied health and wellness professionals. This paper outlines different strategies that were used to create service-learning opportunities in kinesiology undergraduate classes. Using frameworks established by national organizations (e.g., League of American Bicyclists, American Fitness Index), students have an opportunity to apply concepts of how community, policy, and the environment impact physical activity and public health. These activities help students gain experience by interacting in a professional setting; building skills for data collection, community engagement, and public speaking; and apply content from coursework to real-world situations.
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Using National Initiatives to Guide Engaged Scholarship in the Kinesiology Classroom
Melissa Bopp
Developing Leadership Skills and a Commitment to Civic Engagement During an Undergraduate Community-Based Service Learning Class
Kim C. Graber, Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Jamie A. O’Connor, and Jenny M. Linker
Civic engagement and service learning opportunities provide students with unique real-world experiences they are unable to acquire in a traditional in-class setting. Students develop a commitment to the community in which they live, exposure to other populations, leadership abilities, skills to work successfully within a team, and a chance to learn from failure. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized the importance of such opportunities and has added the Community Engagement Classification to the restructured Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education. The purpose of this paper is to provide a synthesis of the literature that addresses civic engagement and service learning opportunities and to describe a university class that was designed to provide undergraduate students with a capstone service learning experience promoting wellness for older adults in the community. Data that were collected to evaluate the success of the class are also described.
Charting a Course: Navigating Rigor and Meaning in Global Health Research
Tiago Canelas, Motlatso Godongwana, Feyisayo A. Wayas, Estelle Victoria Lambert, Yves Wasnyo, and Louise Foley
In the rapidly evolving landscape of global health research, the tension between scientific rigor and contextual meaning presents a critical challenge. Drawing on our work with the Global Diet and Physical Activity Network, this commentary explores the complexities of conducting environmental audits for physical activity and diet in 4 rapidly urbanizing African cities: Yaoundé, Lagos, Cape Town, and Soweto. We illustrate the competing demands and tensions that researchers face in balancing rigor and meaning. We discuss the adaptation of internationally validated audit tools to local contexts and the importance of area-level deprivation in interpreting data. We also examine the feasibility of virtual assessment tools, emphasizing the value of local expertise. We argue for a balanced approach that marries research rigor with contextual meaning, advocating for transparency, humility, and meaningful community engagement.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Multi-Component Interventions Through Schools to Increase Physical Activity
Laura B. Russ, Collin A. Webster, Michael W. Beets, and David S. Phillips
Background:
A “whole-of-school” approach is nationally endorsed to increase youth physical activity (PA). Aligned with this approach, comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAP) are recommended. Distinct components of a CSPAP include physical education (PE), PA during the school day (PADS), PA before/after school (PABAS), staff wellness (SW), and family/community engagement (FCE). The effectiveness of interventions incorporating multiple CSPAP components is unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted examining the effectiveness of multicomponent interventions on youth total daily PA.
Methods:
Electronic databases were searched for published studies that (1) occurred in the US; (2) targeted K–12 (5–18 years old); (3) were interventions; (4) reflected ≥ 2 CSPAP components, with at least 1 targeting school-based PA during school hours; and (5) reported outcomes as daily PA improvements. Standardized mean effects (Hedge’s g) from pooled random effects inverse-variance models were estimated.
Results:
Across 14 studies, 12 included PE, 5 PADS, 1 PABAS, 2 SW, and 14 FCE. No studies included all 5 CSPAP components. Overall, intervention impact was small (0.11, 95% CI 0.03–0.19).
Conclusions:
As designed, there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of multicomponent interventions to increase youth total daily PA. Increased alignment with CSPAP recommendations may improve intervention effectiveness.
Addressing Social Justice and Equity Imperatives: Exemplars of Inclusive Excellence
Jared A. Russell and Timothy A. Brusseau
, global citizens, and social justice advocates in higher education and beyond. Dr. Jeff Cherubini’s ( 2024 ) article “Social Justice in Practice—Integrating Ethical Leadership, Inclusive Excellence, and Community Engagement in the Undergraduate Kinesiology Curriculum” extends Dr. Ladda’s ( 2024
A Sustainable Service-Learning Program Embedded in PETE: Examining the Short-Term Influence on Preservice Teacher Outcomes
Louisa R. Peralta, Claire L. Marvell, and Wayne G. Cotton
-learning activities, and development of interpersonal skills), and intrapersonal outcomes (e.g., improving their self-efficacy and self-concept). Table 1 Service-Learning and Community Engagement Units in PETE Course First year 1 Unit A (6 cps) Unit B (6 cps) Unit C (6 cps) Unit D (6 cps) 2 Unit E (6 cps) Unit F (6
Inclusive Excellence in Kinesiology Units in Higher Education
Matthew T. Mahar, Harsimran Baweja, Matthew Atencio, Harald Barkhoff, Helen Yolisa Duley, Gail Makuakāne-Lundin, ZáNean D. McClain, Misty Pacheco, E. Missy Wright, and Jared A. Russell
highlighting equity and inclusion in everything we do as a priority. Through this, SDSU endeavors to be a global leader in advancing inclusive excellence in research, teaching, and community engagement. The execution of the plan comes with an iterative rollout to support programmatic change in policy. This
Through the Hoop: Understanding the Person-Job-Organization-Environment Fit Theory to Attract Sport Managers to a New NBA Franchise
Lynley Ingerson and Michael L. Naraine
, Franchise Management, and Human Resource Management. The final part of the arrangement is to then attract and recruit managers at the second tier in the areas of Membership and Sales, Community Engagement, Stadium Management, and Data Analytics. Donelly feels the company is a good match with the Braves and
The People and the Bay: A Social and Environmental History of Hamilton Harbour
Robert Kossuth
unapologetically an industrial harbour. Community engagement along with changing environmental attitudes ultimately led to a re-opening of the bay, at least in part, to people and nature. And one of these changes included the restoration of the historical practices of boating, fishing, and even swimming.
Physical Education in the COVID Era: Considerations for Online Program Delivery Using the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program Framework
Collin A. Webster, Emily D’Agostino, Mark Urtel, Jaimie McMullen, Brian Culp, Cate A. Egan Loiacono, and Chad Killian
family and community engagement component of the model remains one of the least studied in terms of addressing any of the previously mentioned goals of a CSPAP ( Chen & Gu, 2018 ). This is surprising, given that the noted importance of families and communities in affecting the education of the youth
