BackgroundPhysical activity participation (PAP) has been proven to improve health and promote optimal growth among adolescents. However, most adolescents do not meet the current physical activity (PA) recommendations in Turkey. The role of the social environment and social factors on PAP is being increasingly recognized. Although social capital (SC) indicators have been examined in high-income countries, there are few studies on developing countries. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between SC indicators and PAP among Turkish adolescents.MethodsA survey was conducted among 19 high schools in 4 different cities in Turkey in 2016. A total of 506 female and 729 male high school students participated in this study. The dependent variable was overall PAP, which was measured using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The independent variables included self-perceived family, neighborhood, and school SC. Self-rated health and obesity status, measured by body mass index, were other study covariates in multiple binary logistic regression models. Chi-square tests were used to assess the differences between genders.ResultsPAP levels were significantly different between males and females. A higher percentage of males reported PAP (77.4%) compared to females (51.0%). Among males, teacher–student interpersonal trust and informal social control were inversely associated with PAP, while high students interpersonal trust was positively associated with increased odds of PAP. For females, students interpersonal trust was inversely associated with PAP.ConclusionVarious SC indicators are associated with PAP for males and females. These associations are different from findings of studies conducted in developed countries. Therefore, health-promotion interventions and policies should consider gender and different social agents on the social and cultural background to improve PAP among Turkish adolescents.

The aim of this study was to determine middle school students' perceptions of physical education teachers (PETs) through metaphors and drawings. This was a qualitative study in which phenomenology and purposeful sampling were used. The study sample consisted of 200 middle school students in Ordu/Turkey in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years. For data collection, participants were asked to fill in the blanks in the statement "The PET is like______ because ______" and to draw a picture reflecting their perceptions of physical education teachers. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The steps of data analysis were naming, elimination, categorization, establishing validity and reliability, calculating the frequencies of metaphors and interpreting the drawings. Expert opinion was also used in the elimination and categorization steps. Participants' metaphors and drawings were grouped under 20 and 13 categories, respectively. Participants mostly generated metaphors under the categories of "PET as an athletic and physical force" (16%), "PET as a good person" (12.5%) and "PET as a guide" (9.5%). Participants mostly drew pictures under the categories of "PET as an athletic and physical force" (18.5%), "PET as a helpful person" (12.5%) and "PET as a good person" (11.5%). Participants' perceptions of PETs did not differ by variables considered.

Çocukların fiziksel aktivite düzeyini yükseltmek ve fiziksel aktiviteye ilişkin olumlu tutum geliştirmelerini sağlamak için fiziksel aktiviteye yönelik bakış açıları hakkında bilgiye ihtiyaç vardır. Çocuğun fiziksel aktivite davranışını artırmak için öncelikle fiziksel aktiviteye ilişkin tutumu belirlemek ve sonuçlara göre uygulama stratejileri belirlemek gereklidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, ortaokul öğrencilerinin fiziksel aktiviteye yönelik tutumlarını ölçmek için Fiziksel Aktiviteye Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği (FAYTÖ) olarak isimlendirilen güncel ve güvenilir bir ölçme aracı geliştirmektir. 2016-2017 eğitim öğretim yılında yürütülen bu araştırma için Hacettepe Üniversitesinden Etik Komisyon onayı ve Milli Eğitim Bakanlığından yasal izin alınmıştır. Çalışmada betimsel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın örneklemini ilköğretim 6.7. ve 8. sınıfta öğrenim gören 636 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Açımlayıcı (n=206) ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizlerinin (n=430) yürütülmesinde iki farklı örneklem üzerinde çalışma yürütülmüştür. Açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonuçları ölçekteki 25 maddenin 5 faktörde toplandığını göstermektedir: Sevgi (5 madde), İsteklilik (7 madde), Fayda (4 madde), Sosyalleşme (5 madde) ve Öz Güven (4 madde). Bu faktörlerin yükleri 0.409 ve 0.768, iç tutarlılık katsayıları ise 0.70 ve 0.85 arasında değişmektedir. Faktörlerin toplam varyansa yaptıkları katkı %61.16’dır. Ortaya çıkan modelin uyum indeksleri incelendiğinde χ2/df = 1.96, RMSEA = 0.048, NNFI = 0.927, CFI =0,937, IFI = 0.937, GFI = 0.909’dur. Elde edilen bu bulgular FAYTÖ’nün 7. ve 8. sınıf ortaokul öğrencilerinin fiziksel aktiviteye yönelik tutumlarının değerlendirilmesinde geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçme aracı olduğunu göstermektedir.

Teachers today can influence their environment and events through their behavior, therefore, each teacher's teaching style has an impact on students' academic achievement. The effective design of learning environments and systematic guidance of students depend on teachers' efficacy and personality traits. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between preservice physical education teachers' self-efficacy and proactive personality traits. Study group consists of 386 physical education students (122 women and 264 men) of four universities in the spring semester of 2015/2016. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form developed by the researcher, an Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) and a short version of the Proactive Personality Scale (SPPS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, t-test, One-Way ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparison test. Participants reported moderate levels of self-efficacy and low levels of proactive personality. Male participants had significantly lower social status scale scores than female participants. An interesting result was that self-efficacy decreased with age. Fourth-grade students' academic self-efficacy and sub-scale scores were statistically lower than those of first-, second-and thirdgrade students. Sports engagement were found to have no effect on participants' academic self-efficacy and proactive personality. Another interesting result was that participants' academic self-efficacy decreased along with an increase in grade point average (GPA) scores. Participants' proactive personality scores decreased with an increase in their academic self-efficacy scores. Future studies are warranted to assess the correlation of academic self-efficacy and proactive personality with different variables.

The aim of this study is to provide information about sports lodges (tekkes) which provided food, shelter, training and protection to athletes within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. Sports lodges were facilities that fulfilled similar functions as do today's sports clubs. They played an important role in training not only famous athletes of the time (especially wrestlers and archers) but also soldiers for the army. To this end, numerous sports lodges were opened within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. Some of the most important ones were in Bursa, İstanbul, Edirne and Manisa. Especially the wrestling and archery lodges opened in Istanbul were recorded in Ottoman registers.