Introduction. Intrinsic motivation is essential for establishing life-long positive behaviors. In Physical Education (PE), this variable may have a significant impact on students’ choice of adhering to an active lifestyle both in the... more
Introduction. Intrinsic motivation is essential for establishing life-long positive behaviors. In Physical Education (PE), this variable may have a significant impact on students’ choice of adhering to an active lifestyle both in the short and long term. Many tools have been developed for the assessment of intrinsic motivation, among which the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was built based on the Self-Determination Theory. The aim of this study is to examine a version of the IMI adapted to PE (IMI-PE). Methods. A total of 660 customers of a Sports Service Center responded to the IMI-PE and 39 individuals carried out a test–retest of the tool within two weeks. Results. The initial model including the original pool of items showed low indexes of goodness of fit. However, the removal of item 6, 8, 13, and 14 led to excellent parameters for the four-factor model (CFI = 0.96, and SRMR = 0.0420). Internal consistency and reliability analyses confirmed the robustness of such model. T...
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Language represents one of the main factors that determine the distinctiveness and cultural identity of each branch of sport. Its rich lexicon is an indication of its diffusion and status in the society. A large number of professional and... more
Language represents one of the main factors that determine the distinctiveness and cultural identity of each branch of sport. Its rich lexicon is an indication of its diffusion and status in the society. A large number of professional and trade jargons such as coaching jargon, sports training terminologies, the language of sport sciences, sport medicine and athletes’ and sport fans’ slang have emerged from the area of sport. Each of these reflects phonetic, stylistic and morphological features of its national language. Given that English has undoubtedly become the source language of sports terminology with a vast influence on other languages, the aim of this paper is to compare the formation processes in both Czech and English sports terminologies, emphasizing the influence of English on the formation of Czech sports terms.
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Purpose. Obesity and overweight are recognized as main indicators of increased risk of non-transmissible diseases. As international reports confirm, Mexico is one of the most at-risk countries, obesity rates being extremely high amongst... more
Purpose. Obesity and overweight are recognized as main indicators of increased risk of non-transmissible diseases. As international reports confirm, Mexico is one of the most at-risk countries, obesity rates being extremely high amongst youth. Physical activity is regarded as an important means for reducing obesity. Though, research confirms a drop of participation in physical activities worldwide. The aim of this study is to assess physical activity levels in Mexican adolescents and to estimate the weight of social and environmental variables as predictors. Method. We selected 240 students (136 boys, 104 girls) from secondary schools in the area of General Escobedo (Mexico), who filled in two questionnaires on physical activity behaviors and social-environmental factors by means of an online system. Results. The majority of participants showed low physical activity levels. Our outcomes highlighted that girls are more affected by their social environment, whereas physical environment barriers represent a fitting predictor of their physical activity. Regardless of gender, physical activity engagement seems to be significantly determined by the level of enjoyment of sedentary behaviors. Conclusions. These results can help professionals in the area of physical activity and health creating gender-specific interventions in order to raise its levels amongst adolescence by focusing on social predictors that affect active behaviors. Due to the lack of studies on social factors related to sedentary behaviors, our results could arouse attention on this issue and promote further research in order to better understanding the processes beneath it.
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With the aim of increasing institutional visibility at an international level, universities have focused their attention on implementing English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). EOP is a learner-centred approach whose main features are:... more
With the aim of increasing institutional visibility at an international level, universities have focused their attention on implementing English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). EOP is a learner-centred approach whose main features are: special attention to learners’ needs; inclusion of content-related material and activities; and the use of innovative teaching methodology. The analysis of students’ needs is a cornerstone of any EOP course, as it provides specialists with essential information for developing tailor-made curricula. The aim of this study was to analyse students’ needs regarding English courses at the Faculty of Sports Organization (FOD) of Nuevo León, Mexico. Method. The sample was composed by 242 students from FOD. Questionnaires and interviews were used. Results. Sports students perceive speaking and listening as the most difficult skills but also the most needed for their professional future. In addition, they prefer to study sports-related contents by means of interactive strategies and a learner-centred approach. Conclusions. Implementing sports-science- related EOP courses is a necessary step for the academic and professional development of sports students. Special focus must be put on speaking and listening, as well as more practical teaching strategies that allow students to be active during the EOP classes.
Research Interests: Engineering and EOP
Abstract. This study aims to analyse physical activity (PA) levels of high school and university students; to
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In the last decades, research in the field of language learning has focused on understanding the motivational processes beneath people’s interest in studying a second language (L2). For this reason, the attitude/motivation test battery... more
In the last decades, research in the field of language learning has focused on understanding the motivational processes beneath people’s interest in studying a second language (L2). For this reason, the attitude/motivation test battery (AMTB) was created in order to assess motivation towards L2. This questionnaire was adapted to the Mexican environment, nevertheless no validation process was carried out. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the Mexican version of AMTB. A sample of 252 University students filled in the questionnaire. After removing 11 items, the instrument showed high internal validity and suitable factorial structure. The final version of the Mexican AMTB, composed by 43 items distributed into 9 dimensions, can be considered a proper instrument for assessing motivation towards L2 in Mexican students.
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Enhancing teachers’ professional vision (TPV), characterized by selective attention (SA) and knowledgebased reasoning (KBR), may contribute to increasing the quality of teaching-learning processes through higher perceived sense of... more
Enhancing teachers’ professional vision (TPV), characterized by selective attention (SA) and knowledgebased reasoning (KBR), may contribute to increasing the quality of teaching-learning processes through higher perceived sense of efficacy, leading to autonomy-supportive environment. For this reason, in the past decades researchers and practitioners have been developing different strategies to positively influence TPV. Among them, one that have grown popular in science and clinical research is videobased selfand peer-reflection, along with expert-supported reflective practices. The aim of this research was to test the effect of a video-based reflection program on TPV, teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE), and students’ perceived motivational climate (MC) in the area of Physical Education (PE). Two primary school PE teachers and their 155 pupils participated in a 6-month, 3-step video-analysis program comprised of the analysis and self-reflection on one video-recorded class per month follow...
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Objectives. This study aims to analyse physical activity (PA) levels of high school and university students; to estimate their perception of built environment with regard to physical PA; and to assess the relation between PA and built... more
Objectives. This study aims to analyse physical activity (PA) levels of high school and university students; to estimate their perception of built environment with regard to physical PA; and to assess the relation between PA and built environment. Methods. A sociological cross-sectional study with non-experimental design was applied. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Built Environment Characteristics Questionnaire were filled in by a sample of 1.862 students from high schools and the university in Granada, Spain. Results. High school students were significantly more active than university students, the latter reaching insufficient levels of PA. Nevertheless, they consider Granada as a good context for carrying out outdoor exercise. No relations were found between PA levels and built environment. Conclusion. The discrepant outcomes for PA levels and perceived built environment suggest the need of interventions focused on making youth aware of the possibilities...
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In the last decades, research in the field of language learning has focused on understanding the motivational processes beneath people’s interest in studying a second language (L2). For this reason, the attitude/motivation test battery... more
In the last decades, research in the field of language learning has focused on understanding the motivational processes beneath people’s interest in studying a second language (L2). For this reason, the attitude/motivation test battery (AMTB) was created in order to assess motivation towards L2. This questionnaire was adapted to the Mexican environment, nevertheless no validation process was carried out. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the Mexican version of AMTB. A sample of 252 University students filled in the questionnaire. After removing 11 items, the instrument showed high internal validity and suitable factorial structure. The final version of the Mexican AMTB, composed by 43 items distributed into 9 dimensions, can be considered a proper instrument for assessing motivation towards L2 in Mexican students.
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The following paper deals with the concept and typology of terminological synonyms in English and Czech, focusing on the official sport terms codified in English and/or Czech dictionaries. The analysis focuses on Anglicisms as... more
The following paper deals with the concept and typology of terminological synonyms in English and Czech, focusing on the official sport terms codified in English and/or Czech dictionaries. The analysis focuses on Anglicisms as terminological doublets, hyposynonyms, stylistic synonyms, and false friends. Results show that a high number of synonyms were generated by the process of transshaping or translating English terms into Czech. Our analysis suggests that there may be found three types of sports synonyms in English (real, quasi-, and pseudosynonyms) and four main types in Czech (terminological doublets, Anglicisms as hyposynonyms, false friends, and stylistic synonyms). The use of synonyms is even more evident in modern or newly created sports; mass media and the accessibility of data through the Internet playing an essential role as they mediate an immense input of information to the target population.
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Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) is one of the pedagogical models used for increasing health through physical education (PE), being associated with several psychological benefits. However, only few studies have studied the effect... more
Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) is one of the pedagogical models used for increasing health through physical education (PE), being associated with several psychological benefits. However, only few studies have studied the effect of TGfU on physical fitness. This study aims at assessing the changes in students’ physical fitness after a six-month TGfU-based program with primary school children. A total of eight schools from the state of Sonora (Mexico) were randomly distributed into experimental (EG) and control group (CG). The final sample consisted of 188 pupils (100 boys, 88 girls; age = 10.22 ± 0.76 years) from the 5th and 6th grade. Employing a quasi-experimental design, physical fitness was assessed by means of the Eurofit test battery. At post-test, EG obtained significantly higher scores than CG in flexibility, abdominals, speed (p < 0.001), handgrip (p = 0.002), low-limb power (p = 0.032), and cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.048). Our findings suggest that TGfU ca...
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Promotion of healthy active behaviors should start from early ages, as behaviors learned in youth are more likely to endure. A fundamental body of research in this field focuses on the implementation of programs within physical education... more
Promotion of healthy active behaviors should start from early ages, as behaviors learned in youth are more likely to endure. A fundamental body of research in this field focuses on the implementation of programs within physical education (PE), thanks to its favorable characteristics. However, traditional PE based on exercise training and controlling styles seems to have weaker association with students’ health benefits. For this reason, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of a game-based PE program on physical fitness and psychological health in schoolchildren aged 10 to 12 years old. A total of 252 students were distributed in experimental (EG, games-centered activities) and control (CG, traditional exercise training activities) groups. The program lasted 6 months. Health-related physical fitness components, psychological wellbeing, self-esteem, stress, and anxiety were assessed before and after the treatment. Both groups increased physical fitness at post-test; however...
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Self-efficacy (SE) is a key factor of the teaching-learning process success. While literature on SE and its dimensions is rich in the field of education, still there is a lack of studies aiming to explore teachers’ SE in contrast with... more
Self-efficacy (SE) is a key factor of the teaching-learning process success. While literature on SE and its dimensions is rich in the field of education, still there is a lack of studies aiming to explore teachers’ SE in contrast with their actual teaching skills and their characteristics. For this reason, this study aims to respond to the following research questions: are there differences between perceived SE and actual teaching performance in preschool and primary school teachers? Which sources of SE can be considered as significant predictors of teachers’ SE? This work employs a quantitative approach based on the observational method. Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale and classroom observation frameworks were used to collect data from a sample of 24 teachers. Results show that there are high inconsistencies between self-judgments and actual teaching performance (p…
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Physical exercise can be an effective intervention, with a positive effect on health and improving quality of life. However, studies show that 50% of persons starting an exercise program will drop out within the first 6 months. Thus, most... more
Physical exercise can be an effective intervention, with a positive effect on health and improving quality of life. However, studies show that 50% of persons starting an exercise program will drop out within the first 6 months. Thus, most people does not the chronicles benefits provide by regular physical exercise. PURPOSE: To determine exercise behavior (personality and level of motivation) of participants during a 1 year exercise program. METHODS: 29 volunteers (17 women’s) Age (years) 34,97±9,51 ,BMI (kg/m2) 26,47 ±4,36 and attendance (months) 8,1± 3,45 ,were grouped by adherent (Adh) and nonadherent (NAdh). Personality and level of motivation were assessed via translated version of the BREQ-2 (Markland D, Tobin VA, 2004) and IMPRAF-54 (Barbosa MLL, Balbinotti AAM., 2006) and attendance during 1-year exercise program were assessed too. A Mann Whitney U. Test, Speraman correlation and Logistic regression are used. RESULTS: Considering attendance in months, Spearman correlations were made with sociodemographic measures and scales scores IMPRAF, BREQ and NEOPIR. Correlations were found in attendance with the IMPRAF sociability (rho = 0.4) and NEOPIR extraversion (rho = -0.43). These variables were adjusted in a linear regression model (R square = 0.53) and they had coefficients significantly different from zero (IMPRAF sociability B = 0.29, t = 2.158 p = 0.04 and B = -0 NEOPIR extraversion, 38 t = 2.24 p = 0.03). Finally , considering Adh (N = 6 ) or NAdh (N = 23 ) group , there are significant only for NEOPIR extroversion (U = 31.5 , p = 0.04) , where the Adh ( 119.0 ) has a median less than the NAdh ( 106.5 ). CONCLUSION: In this study, the longer training produced greater sociability (need basic psychological issues related to acceptance and gaining new friends, self -esteem and motivation for physical activity practitioners) and lower extraversion (possibly due to a structured that exercise was offered). CEPE, CEMSA, CNPq, CAPES, AFIP.
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This article aims to study the relation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and body image in adolescents from two different social environments in Spain and Mexico, and to compare the construction of an appropriate body scheme in youth from... more
This article aims to study the relation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and body image in adolescents from two different social environments in Spain and Mexico, and to compare the construction of an appropriate body scheme in youth from these two countries. The majority of participants were found to be in the normal weight category of BMI. No significant differences were found in BMI or body image comparing Mexican and Spanish adolescents. Regardless of the country of origin, youth belonging to the weight deficit category of BMI overestimated their body shape, whereas those pertaining to overweight and obesity categories underestimated it. Both over- and underestimating own body shape imply higher risk to suffer from behavioral and psychological distresses, such as eating disorders. Further research is recommended in order to analyze the social, educational, and emotional patterns related to this occurrence and to improve their quality of life.
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Teachers’ evaluation policy has become one of the key components of the Mexican education reform. As a consequence of these changes, school teachers face a new and di cult challenge, since they are required to ful ll stricter criteria and... more
Teachers’ evaluation policy has become one of the key components of the Mexican education reform. As a consequence of these changes, school teachers face a new and di cult challenge, since they are required to ful ll stricter criteria and maintain their teaching standards at a higher level than in previous years. For this reason, new strategies need to be adopted in order to answer to this demand. Self-re ection has been considered by many authors as one of the main factors that can positively a ect teachers’ skills in both pre-interactive and interactive phases. Video annotation tools and analysis programs can provide educators with essential data that can be used to sca old and support teacher re ection. Thus, the aim of this work is to introduce di erent programs and tools that can be used to reach this objective.
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Background. Sedentarism and Physical Activity (PA) are considered main components of people's lifestyle and key indicators of health. Although they can be seen as opposite life conducts that reduce each other's effects on health, no study... more
Background. Sedentarism and Physical Activity (PA) are considered main components of people's lifestyle and key indicators of health. Although they can be seen as opposite life conducts that reduce each other's effects on health, no study has yet clarified the nature of their relation. However, both behaviors can be influenced by similar psychological, social, and environmental constructs. Material and methods. We selected 480 students (272 boys, 208 girls) from middle schools in the metropolitan area of Monterrey (Mexico), who filled in questionnaires on PA behaviors and social-environmental correlates through an online system. Results. Our outcomes highlighted overall low PA levels. Further, girls are more affected by their social environment, whereas physical environment barriers represent a fitting predictor of boys' PA. Regardless of gender, PA engagement seems to be significantly determined by the level of enjoyment of sedentary behaviors. Conclusions. These results can help professionals in PA and health create gender-specific interventions targeting to raise youth's PA levels by means of enhancing psychosocial and contextual features. Due to the lack of studies on psychological factors related to sedentary behaviors, our results could arouse attention on this issue and promote further research to better understand the processes beneath it. Streszczenie Wprowadzenie. Siedzący tryb życia i aktywność fizyczna (AF) są postrzegane jako główne ele-menty życia ludzi i kluczowe wskaźniki zdrowia. Chociaż można je uznać za przeciwstawne i wza-jemnie wykluczające się w kontekście zdrowia, literatura nie wyjaśniła jeszcze charakteru ich re-lacji. Oba te style życia mogą jednakże być ukształtowane przez podobne czynniki psychologiczne, społeczne i środowiskowe. Materiał i metody. W badaniu wzięło udział 480 uczniów (272 chłopców, 208 dziewcząt) z gimna-zjów w Monterrey (Meksyk), którzy wypełniali kwestionariusze w systemie online dotyczące ich aktywności fizycznej i relacji społeczno-środowiskowych. Wyniki. Uzyskane wyniki wykazują ogólnie niski poziom aktywności fizycznej. Ponadto, okazuje się, iż otoczenie społeczne ma większy wpływ na zachowanie dziewcząt w zakresie kultury fizycz-nej, podczas gdy głównym czynnikiem oddziałującym na chłopców są ich ograniczenie fizyczne. Niezależnie od płci, zaangażowanie w uprawianie aktywności fizycznej jest znacząco ograniczane poziomem zadowolenia z siedzącego trybu życia. Wnioski. Niniejsze wyniki mogą pomóc profesjonalistom z dziedziny zdrowia publicznego i ak-tywności fizycznej w stworzeniu programów interwencyjnych skierowanych do poszczególnych płci, które mogłyby okazać się pomocne w podniesieniu poziomu aktywności fizycznej wśród mło-dzieży poprzez poprawę funkcji psychospołecznych i środowiskowych. Ze względu na brak badań nad czynnikami psychologicznymi związanymi z siedzącym trybem życia, nasze wyniki mogłyby zachęcić badaczy do podjęcia dalszych prac, mających na celu lepsze zrozumienie procesów wpły-wających na aktywność młodzieży. Tomás Ródenas Cuenca. This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
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This article aims to study the relation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and body image in adolescents from two different social environments in Spain and Mexico, and to compare the construction of an appropriate body scheme in youth from... more
This article aims to study the relation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and body image in adolescents from two different social environments in Spain and Mexico, and to compare the construction of an appropriate body scheme in youth from these two countries. The majority of participants were found to be in the normal weight category of BMI. No significant differences were found in BMI or body image comparing Mexican and Spanish adolescents. Regardless of the country of origin, youth belonging to the weight deficit category of BMI overestimated their body shape, whereas those pertaining to overweight and obesity categories underestimated it. Both over and underestimating own body shape imply higher risk to suffer from behavioral and psychological distresses, such as eating disorders. Further research is recommended in order to analyze the social, educational and emotional patterns related to this occurrence and to improve their quality of life.
Research Interests: Body Image and BMI
The following paper deals with the concept and typology of terminological synonyms in English and Czech, focusing on the official sport terms codified in English and/or Czech dictionaries. The analysis focuses on Anglicisms as... more
The following paper deals with the concept and typology of terminological synonyms in English and Czech, focusing on the official sport terms codified in English and/or Czech dictionaries. The analysis focuses on Anglicisms as terminological doublets, hyposynonyms, stylistic synonyms, and false friends. Results show that a high number of synonyms were generated by the process of transshap-ing or translating English terms into Czech. Our analysis suggests that there may be found three types of sports synonyms in English (real, quasi-, and pseudo-synonyms) and four main types in Czech (terminological doublets, Anglicisms as hyposynonyms, false friends, and stylistic synonyms). The use of synonyms is even more evident in modern or newly created sports; mass media and the accessibility of data through the Internet playing an essential role as they mediate an immense input of information to the target population.
Research Interests:
Language represents one of the main factors that determine the distinctiveness and cultural identity of each branch of sport. Its rich lexicon is an indication of its diffusion and status in the society. A large number of professional and... more
Language represents one of the main factors that determine the distinctiveness and cultural identity of each branch of sport. Its rich lexicon is an indication of its diffusion and status in the society. A large number of professional and trade jargons such as coaching jargon, sports training terminologies, the language of sport sciences, sport medicine and athletes' and sport fans' slang have emerged from the area of sport. Each of these reflects phonetic, stylistic and morphological features of its national language. Given that English has undoubtedly become the source language of sports terminology with a vast influence on other languages, the aim of this paper is to compare the formation processes in both Czech and English sports terminologies, emphasizing the influence of English on the formation of Czech sports terms.
Research Interests:
Purpose. Obesity and overweight are recognized as main indicators of increased risk of non-transmissible diseases. As international reports confirm, Mexico is one of the most at-risk countries, obesity rates being extremely high amongst... more
Purpose. Obesity and overweight are recognized as main indicators of increased risk of non-transmissible diseases. As international reports confirm, Mexico is one of the most at-risk countries, obesity rates being extremely high amongst youth. Physical activity is regarded as an important means for reducing obesity. Though, research confirms a drop of participation in physical activities worldwide. The aim of this study is to assess physical activity levels in Mexican adolescents and to estimate the weight of social and environmental variables as predictors. Method. We selected 240 students (136 boys, 104 girls) from secondary schools in the area of General Escobedo (Mexico), who filled in two questionnaires on physical activity behaviors and social-environmental factors by means of an online system. Results. The majority of participants showed low physical activity levels. Our outcomes highlighted that girls are more affected by their social environment, whereas physical environment barriers represent a fitting predictor of their physical activity. Regardless of gender, physical activity engagement seems to be significantly determined by the level of enjoyment of sedentary behaviors. Conclusions. These results can help professionals in the area of physical activity and health creating gender-specific interventions in order to raise its levels amongst adolescence by focusing on social predictors that affect active behaviors. Due to the lack of studies on social factors related to sedentary behaviors, our results could arouse attention on this issue and promote further research in order to better understanding the processes beneath it.
Research Interests:
Self-efficacy (SE) is a key factor of the teaching-learning process success. While literature on SE and its dimensions is rich in the field of education, still there is a lack of studies aiming to explore teachers' SE in contrast with... more
Self-efficacy (SE) is a key factor of the teaching-learning process success. While literature on SE and its dimensions is rich in the field of education, still there is a lack of studies aiming to explore teachers' SE in contrast with their actual teaching skills and their characteristics. For this reason, this study aims to respond to the following research questions: are there differences between perceived SE and actual teaching performance in preschool and primary school teachers? Which sources of SE can be considered as significant predictors of teachers' SE? This work employs a quantitative approach based on the observational method. Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale and classroom observation frameworks were used to collect data from a sample of 24 teachers. Results show that there are high inconsistencies between self-judgments and actual teaching performance (p > .05). Experienced and medium experienced teachers show higher scores than novice teachers in several dimensions of SE (p < .05). However, teachers' educational background is not significantly correlated with their SE (p > .05). Resource support is found as the only significant predictor of SE in our sample of teachers (p < .001; p 2 = .733). Our research suggests that teachers may have a distorted perception of their in-class performance, which could drive to lower quality of the teaching-learning process. Therefore, in the future, professional training programs should focus on promoting a more realistic understanding and awareness of teachers' actions in the classroom as the first step of any intervention aiming to increase teaching quality.
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Objectives. This study aims to analyse physical activity (PA) levels of high school and university students; to estimate their perception of built environment with regard to physical PA; and to assess the relation between PA and built... more
Objectives. This study aims to analyse physical activity (PA) levels of high school and university students; to estimate their perception of built environment with regard to physical PA; and to assess the relation between PA and built environment. Methods. A sociological cross-sectional study with non-experimental design was applied. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Built Environment Characteristics Questionnaire were filled in by a sample of 1.862 students from high schools and the university in Granada, Spain. Results. High school students were significantly more active than university students, the latter reaching insufficient levels of PA. Nevertheless, they consider Granada as a good context for carrying out outdoor exercise. No relations were found between PA levels and built environment. Conclusion. The discrepant outcomes for PA levels and perceived built environment suggest the need of interventions focused on making youth aware of the possibilities...