Inquiries in Physical Education and Sport

The Impact of the "The Power of Camp Inclusion" Programme on Campers' Attitudes towards Inclusion in a Recreational Environment

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The modern disability strategy emphasises the creation of an inclusive society in which all people are respected and enjoy equal opportunities with everyone. An inclusive disability culture is seen as a deep system of shared values, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions that guide the behaviour, decisions and actions of the members of an organisation. Summer camps are a democratic environment where children and young people, with and without disabilities, can experience, through their participation in physical, cultural and other activities, equal social interaction with respect for human rights, offering opportunities to effectively address all forms of discrimination. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of the educational program "The Power of Camp Inclusion" on the attitudes of participating campers without disabilities towards the inclusion of campers with disabilities. 122 elementary, middle and high school campers 7 to 16 years old (mean age 12.26 years) participated in the survey. In order to assess attitudes, the Children's Attitudes toward Effectiveness Questionnaire in Physical Education was used. The intervention program lasted 10 days and took place at a private summer camp. The results showed that a significant increase in the participants' positive attitudes after the implementation of the program. The mean response increased from 35.98 (standard deviation 3.83) to 39.41 (standard deviation 3.17), with a statistically significant difference (t(121) = -10.05, p < 0.001). This indicates that the Power of Camp Inclusion program had a positive effect on improving the perceptions of participants without disabilities towards their peers with disabilities. This reinforces the effectiveness of educational intervention programs in recreational settings. These findings underline the importance of implementing similar programmes to promote social inclusion and foster positive attitudes towards disability, holistically strengthening the field of educational and social policy for people with disabilities in Greece.

Differences in gender and age groups in the perceived non-verbal communication of swimming coaches.

Anastasios Loupos, Konstantinos Papadimitriou, George Tsalis — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A coach's non-verbal communication plays a central role in creating the coach-athlete relationship. The purpose of our research was to investigate: the extent of swimming coaches' use of nonverbal communication in coaching their athletes, to explore any differences between male and female coaches, and finally to explore any differences in nonverbal communication related to the age group to which the coaches and athletes belong. Our total research sample consisted of 334 individuals, both male and female, all active club swimming coaches. As a self-report measurement instrument, the Nonverbal Immediacy Scale (NIS-S)] was chosen, which covers many aspects of nonverbal behavior and assesses both positive and negative nonverbal communication of coaches. For the statistical analysis of the survey variables, the following were used: a) Independent Samples t-test with gender as the independent variable and the NIS-S questionnaire score as the dependent variable and b) One Way Anova analysis of variance with the NIS-S questionnaire score as the dependent variable and the age groups of coaches or athletes as the independent variable. The results showed statistically significant differences a) between the NIS-S scale scores of men and women (t = -2.626, p < .05) with women having higher scores (103.32 vs. 100.28), b) between the negative NIS-S subscale scores of men and women (t = 2.75, p < .05.) with females showing lower values (26.71 vs. 28.50) It was also found that when athletes are preschool age coaches use nonverbal communication more than in the middle school, high school and adult age groups. In conclusion, females possess superior nonverbal sensitivity compared to males, expressing themselves with greater emotionality and proximity. At younger ages, increased use of nonverbal communication appears to be sought by coaches to convey their emotions and their instructional, teaching and training choices in a simplified manner.

Dance patters and transformations in space and time: The case report «Zonaradikos-Koulouriastos» dance in the community of Asvestades, Evros.

Dimos Ziogas, Georgios Ziogas, Konstantinos Dimopoulos — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Within the communities, dance is an integral part of their history and is approached in different ways according to the characteristics of each generation. This paper is about the transformation of «Zonaradikos-Koulouriastos» dance, as is performed in the Village of Asvestades, located in the Evros district. We will focus on the dance patterns, which are influenced by many factors. To be more specific, we will examine the way the dance pattern was transformed through time, classified in four phases, according to the unique characteristics of each era/period. For that reason, ethnographic research was applied, by collecting and processing data through primary and secondary references. The analysis and interpretation of the data was based on the principles of historical research, focused on the case of dance. According to the ethnographic data, the dance pattern of «Zonaradikos-Koulouriastos» dance, doesn’t have a stability, but it appears to have been changed over the years, that occur from different and multifaceted needs, which are developed in the community of Asvestades.

The Relationship of Secondary Education Students’ Perception of Physical Education Teachers’ Expectations with their Social-Psychological Characteristics

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of the present research was to study the role that Secondary Education students’ perceptions of the expectations of Physical Education (PE) Teachers have in predicting and developing their social-psychological characteristics with ultimate goal of their participation in PE. In research voluntarily participated 216 secondary school students from two prefectures of Northern Greece. The participants were asked to respond a questionnaire, which included: a) the scale for students’ beliefs about the expectations of their EFAs, b) the scale with questions regarding the expectations for their individual achievements from the PE lesson, c) the scale for students’ vitality, commitment and absorption in the PE course, d) the scale of achievement goals that characterize them, e) the scale for their perceived competence and f) the scale for their physical competence and self-confidence. The results of the statistical analysis showed that students’ perceptions of their teachers’ expectations positively predicted their self-expectations of achievement, perception about their competence, and three of the four achievement goals (specifically: mastery approach, mastery avoidance and performance approach goals). Also, students’ perception of their teachers’ expectations were a negative predictor of the perceived physical competence of the former, while it did not predict self-confidence or the performance avoidance goal. In conclusion, secondary school students’ perception of their PE teachers’ expectations plays a significant predictive factor for several of their social-psychological characteristics which in turn are associated with their participation in the PE lesson.

The Relationship Between Motivational Personality and Performance of Basketball Players

Georgios Pavlogiannis, Helen Hanstock, Anders Flykt — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between motivational personality, in terms of the Behavioural Activation System (BAS) and Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS), and basketball performance. The study involved 86 male players from nine teams in the Swedish Basketball League. It was hypothesized that players with higher scores in the BAS factors (BAS Drive, BAS Reward Responsiveness, BAS Fun Seeking) would perform better, both in scored points and the Plus-Minus (PM) factor. BAS/BIS scores were obtained using the Carver and White (1994) questionnaire. A multilevel regression analysis revealed that BAS factors were significant predictors of the PM factor, indicative of individual contributions to the team performance, but not scored points, indicative of individual performance. These findings suggest that players with higher BAS scores may contribute more to team performance.