PURPOSE This study examined the relations among role modeling, sports confidence, and perfectionism to provide foundational insights into nurturing positive sports confidence in student swimmers. METHODS The survey included a total of 237 middle and high school swimmers registered with organizations under the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee. The analysis included data from 231 participants after excluding 6 insincere responses. The construct validity of the measurement tools was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, while the basic characteristics of the measured variables and their interrelations were examined using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Moderating effects were tested using PROCESS Macro Model 1. RESULTS First, role modeling (r =.274–.471, p <.05) and perfectionistic striving (r =.301–.428, p <.05) showed a positive relation with sports confidence. Second, perfectionistic concern (r =−.056 to −.218, p <.05) was negatively associated with sport-confidence. Third, in the relation between role modeling and sports confidence, the moderating effect of perfectionistic concern was not significant whereas that of perfectionistic striving was statistically significant(ΔR 2=.019, p <.05). CONCLUSIONS Perfectionistic striving may play a positive role in enhancing student swimmers’ sports confidence. Specifically, striving for perfection may facilitate sports confidence improvement among athletes who observe and emulate their role models’ performance and behaviors.
PURPOSE This study analyzes the elementary physical education (PE) instructor system and identifies patterns of change and their underlying causal mechanisms. METHODS The study examines the systems that define the qualifications and roles of elementary school instructors, focusing on the subject specialist teacher system, the secondary-to-elementary teacher system, and the sports instructor system. These systems are analyzed using an integrated approach that combines morphogenetic theory and historical institutionalism. RESULTS First, during the implementation of the subject specialist teacher system, structural and institutional conditions created a necessary/incompatible relationship between the government and the education sector. This led to a compromise interaction, resulting in the implementation of the subject specialist teacher system. This change represents a case of morphogenesis, following a pattern of gradual change through displacement. Second, during the implementation of the secondary-to-elementary teacher system, structural and institutional conditions produced a contingent/incompatible relationship between the government and the education sector. Consequently, a competitive interaction occurred, leading to the establishment of the secondary-to-elementary teacher system. This change is also classified as morphogenesis, with a pattern of gradual change through layering. Third, during the implementation of the sports instructor system, structural and institutional conditions fostered a contingent/compatible relationship between the government and the education sector. This resulted in an opportunistic interaction, culminating in the adoption of the sports instructor system. This change is considered morphogenesis and exhibits a pattern of radical change. Fourth, during the coexistence period of multiple elementary PE instructor systems, structural and institutional conditions created a necessary/compatible relationship between the government and the education sector. As a result, a defensive interaction occurred, leading to institutional path dependency and morphostasis. CONCLUSIONS This study presents three key findings. First, the education sector's role as an active agent in shaping changes to the elementary PE instructor system has gradually diminished. Second, institutional changes have been implemented in ways that promote openness and enhance PE expertise. Third, these changes have not addressed the fundamental challenges facing elementary PE.
PURPOSE This study investigated the relations among professional golfers’ evaluative concerns over perfectionism, psychache, psychological flexibility, and retirement intention. METHODS A total of 216 professional golfers answered questionnaires on perfectionism, psychache, psychological flexibility, and retirement intention. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and path analysis via SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 22.0. RESULTS First, “doubts about action” perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism positively affect psychache, but “concerns over mistakes” perfectionism has no significant effect on psychache. Second, “concerns over mistakes” perfectionism and “doubts about action” perfectionism negatively influence psychological flexibility, but socially prescribed perfectionism has no significant impact on psychological flexibility. Third, psychache positively influences retirement intention, and psychological flexibility negatively affects retirement intention. CONCLUSIONS Psychache and psychological flexibility depend on professional golfers’ evaluative concerns over perfectionism, and retirement intention is shaped by psychache and psychological flexibility. In addition, this study discussed its implications and provided suggestions for future research.
PURPOSE This study examined the marathon boom in contemporary Korean society through Baudrillard’s concepts of simulacra, signs, and difference. Specifically, it identified consumerist meanings and sign consumption patterns associated with marathon participation from the perspective of female runners. METHODS Fifteen female marathoners in their 20s and 30s who have participated in at least three marathons and have been actively involved in running-related social media activities were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were obtained from two rounds of in-depth interviews (including photo elicitation) and participant observation during marathon events. Thematic analysis was performed based on Baudrillard’s theoretical framework. RESULTS First, the traditional competitive image of marathons has shifted toward a consumer-oriented leisure activity that features different race distances and festival-like elements, illustrating the replacement of its original reality with the simulacrum of running. Second, participants treated medals and souvenirs not as mere tokens of participation but as symbols of achievement, health, and self-management and identified design, size, and brand value as key criteria for selecting events. Third, sharing photos, certification posts, and other social media practices functioned as a means of expressing social differences and concurrently as a tool for constructing a collective identity, positioning marathon participation as a setting where sign consumption facilitates social differentiation. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated the evolution of marathon participation in contemporary Korean society from mere physical activity to a symbolic practice of sign consumption in which individuals construct and express their identities and social positions. The findings highlight how cultural meanings of marathons change as they are increasingly integrated into consumer society.
PURPOSE This study explains how the combination of autonomy support (A) and holistic attentional focus (HF) affects golf putting performance among beginners. METHODS A total of 72 novice golfers were randomly assigned to (1) external focus (EF), (2) HF, (3) A–EF, (4) A–HF, (5) A, and (6) control groups, and their putting accuracy and consistency were measured. RESULTS The experimental findings showed that the group that received only A showed better accuracy than the control group in the acquisition stage and that the best accuracy and consistency were observed when A and HF were combined. The A–HF group maintained their accuracy even after the test. CONCLUSIONS Functional performance can be enhanced simply by providing A, and more positive effects can be expected when A interventions are implemented with HF than with EF.
PURPOSE This study first investigated how different types of sport team logos (emblem vs. mascot) influence consumer behavior through warmth and competence and then examined the moderating effects of consumer characteristics (gender) and contextual cues (perceived competence) on these relationships. METHODS A nationwide sample of adults age 20 was selected using quota random sampling based on gender. A 2 (logo type: emblem vs. mascot) × 2 (gender) × 2 (contextual cue: high competence vs. low competence) experimental design was employed, with participants randomly assigned to each group. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with Mplus 8 was employed to assess the measurement model’s reliability and validity, and hypothesis testing was conducted through structural equation modeling (SEM), measurement invariance tests, and multigroup SEM analysis. RESULTS Findings indicate that anthropomorphized mascot logos, compared to emblem logos, generate more positive attitudes and psychological responses (warmth and competence) to the team. Gender’s moderating effect on the relationship between logo type and consumer perceptions (warmth and competence) was not significant, but contextual cues’ moderating effect was partially significant. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights of perceived warmth and competence’s crucial role in shaping consumer attitudes toward sports teams through logo design. These findings offer meaningful insights for sports teams and marketers to optimize branding strategies and enhance fan engagement.
PURPOSE This study explored foot angle control’s influence on lower extremity joints’ kinematic variables during bodyweight squats in adult women. The study compared correlation variances among kinematic variables to evaluate foot angle control’s impact on knee stability and movement performance. METHODS Participants included 29 healthy adult women over 20 years old. Each participant completed three sets of five repetitions under two conditions: foot angles of 0° and foot external rotation angle of 30°. Data analysis used Cortex 8.0 software. A paired sample t-test compared lower limb joint angles and center of mass (COM) height of the pelvic region based on foot angle. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to assess correlations between each dependent variable; to analyze differences, Fisher’s Z transformation was applied to significantly correlated pairs. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS Findings indicated that, compared to 0° (p < 0.05), at a foot external rotation angle of 30°, hip joint abduction, knee joint flexion, and ankle external rotation angles significantly increased, whereas the knee valgus angle significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Moreover, at the foot external rotation angle of 30° (p < 0.01), pelvic COM’s vertical movement range increased, resulting in deeper squats. Correlation analysis among lower extremity joint kinematic variables under different foot angle conditions showed no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS At a foot external rotation angle of 30°, adult women performed bodyweight squats with reduced knee valgus angle and potentially decreased knee joint loading, indicating lower risk of injury and increased squat depth due to enhanced lower extremity joint freedom. Thus, adjusting the foot angle to 30° during adult women’s bodyweight squats can be recommended to enhance knee stability and movement performance.
PURPOSE This study examines factors surrounding the work environment of Korean professional baseball coaches and provides implications from practical and policy perspectives. METHODS Data were obtained from 14 experts consisting of baseball coaches, front office staff, professors, and a sports journalist using Delphi technique and analytic hierarchy process analysis from September to October 2024 and were analyzed using SPSS WIN 24.0 and MS Excel 2019. RESULTS First, this study ranked the main factors “performance evaluation and contracts,” “workload,” “organizational culture,” and “support” in order of importance. Second, “enhancing job stability” was observed as the key subfactor under the “performance evaluation and contracts” domain, while “improving the work atmosphere” was prioritized in the “workload” category. Under “organizational culture,” the “elimination of nepotism and school-tiebased inequality” was the most significant, while “increasing staff and strengthening cooperation” was prioritized in the “support” domain. Third, analysis of the weighted priorities highlighted “enhancing job stability,” “raising salaries,” “increasing transparency in performance evaluation criteria,” “improving the work atmosphere,” and “elimination of nepotism and school-tie-based inequality.” CONCLUSIONS This study provides meaningful empirical data for developing the KBO League and is expected to help improve the working environment for professional baseball coaches.
[Purpose] This study evaluated the predictive power of Body Mass Index (BMI) for metabolic syndrome in older adults across pre-, during-, and post-COVID-19 periods, and examined the effects of metabolic syndrome factors on BMI by income level, aiming to inform elderly health management and crisis-related policies. [Methods] Data from 6,242 older adults (aged 65–80) were drawn from the 2019–2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Income was divided into quartiles, and time was segmented into pre-, during-, and post-pandemic periods. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the effects of metabolic syndrome factors (diabetes, abdominal obesity, low HDL, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia) on BMI by income and period. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis evaluated BMI’s predictive power for metabolic syndrome. Significance was set at .05. [Results] Abdominal obesity and low HDL consistently influenced BMI across all groups. In the lowest income group, hypertension increasingly affected BMI during and after the pandemic. BMI Area Under the Curve (AUC) values peaked during the pandemic in this group, while the highest income group showed stable predictive power. [Conclusion] The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential impact on the association between BMI and metabolic syndrome among older adults according to income level. In low-income older adults, the predictive power of BMI for metabolic syndrome increased during the mid-pandemic period, while it remained stable across all periods in high-income groups. Systematic health management programs and policy interventions targeting low-income older adults are required to reduce health disparities during public health crises.
PURPOSE This study examined the biomechanical differences in running shoes with two midsole materials, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyether block amide (PEBA), and carbon fiber plate insertion. METHODS Ten recreational runners participated in the study and performed running trials on a 12m runway at a controlled speed of 3.89 m/s ± 5%. Biomechanical data were obtained for time-continuous variables of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint (angle, moment, and power), as well as for discrete variables (push-off time, peak vertical impact force, peak anterior propulsion force, and timing of joint power transition). Data were analyzed using statistical parametric mapping for continuous data and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for discrete variables (α = .05). RESULTS Compared with no-plate conditions, the EVA sole with plate significantly reduced push-off time, MTP joint range of motion, positive joint power, and peak anterior propulsion force, with an earlier timing of joint power transition (p < .05). In contrast, the PEBA sole with plate decreased MTP joint range of motion but increased plantar flexion moment, negative joint power, and push-off time (p < .05). Furthermore, under plate-inserted conditions, PEBA significantly increased plantar flexion moment, negative joint power, and push-off time, as well as exhibited a delayed timing of joint power transition compared with EVA (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS The interaction between midsole material and plate insertion causes complex variations in MTP joint energy management. Specifically, EVA shoes with a plate may facilitate rapid roll-off and promote swift turnover, thereby enhancing acceleration. In contrast, PEBA shoes with a plate may promote prolonged energy absorption, which could potentially reduce joint fatigue during long-distance running.
