The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 4 weeks plyometric training on grass surface group and concrete surface on jumping performance among volleyball athletes. The vertical jump was evaluated in two types of jump; squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ). The result of this study indicates that the 4 weeks intervention showed a significant improvement in post test on SJ and CMJ (p < 0.05) for both grass surface and concrete surface. However, in comparing the grass surface and concrete surface, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that plyometric training on different surfaces may be associated with similar training-induced effects on the neuromuscular factors which are related to the efficiency of the stretch-shortening cycle.

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Quality of life reflects the health of individuals, physically and mentally. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of life among university students. A total sample of N=377 full-time students from various faculties of a single university were recruited following a cross-sectional study design. The World Health Organization QOL-BREF questionnaire was administered to measure the quality of life in four domains: physical quality, psychological quality, social relationship quality and environment quality. The total quality of life score obtained was 64.33 ± 8.02, which is in the fair category. For demographic comparisons, all domains were similar in distribution, except for age groups in the psychological health domain and sports involvement in the physical health domain. Older students reported a significantly higher mean scores for psychological health compared to the younger age group, while student-athletes scored higher in physical health than the non-athletes. Environment was scored lowest at (13.25 ± 1.78), while social relation was rated highest at (15.10 ± 3.07) among the participants. The overall quality of life and general health, and physical domains exhibited significant positive relationships, but some nonsignificant relationships were observed among student-athletes. Understanding the quality of life among university students would provide a beneficial information on their well-being. This study should become a benchmark to conduct other studies on similar topic especially among young adults. University counsellors and student’s affair departments should acknowledge this study as a reference for organizing students development programs and planning for intervention in improving students’ productivity if needed.

Multiple studies have investigated the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in improving psychological flexibility among overweight and obese individuals. However, to date, no specific reviews have focused on ACT and weight-related difficulties in this population. This systematic review of the literature aims to identify and assemble all ACT interventions in randomized controlled trials (RCT) that address weight-related difficulties in the treatment of overweight and obese adults. The PRISMA 2020 framework was used for the systematic review, includes manual and computerized database searches. Five databases (Medline, PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo, and Google) were utilized to gather all articles that: (a) published in English; (b) adopted the RCT design; (c) used ACT as an intervention; (d) included adult participants aged over 18 years with BMI of over 25 kg/m2, and (e) included weight-related difficulties and weight as outcome measures. The review identified seven studies comprising 698 overweight or obese participants of both genders. Improvements were reported in weight-related difficulties and percentage of weight loss in the ACT group and the non-ACT group. The present review supports ACT as an effective intervention that can help adults with weight-related difficulties and excess body weight. Further studies should be conducted in various overweight or obese populations with a more systematic RCT research design to establish the effectiveness of ACT in this area.

The word ‘education’ comes from the Greek word ‘educare’ which means carrying out the potentials stored in the children's psyche to be guided in order for them to grow. It involves the dissemination of information or knowledge to, and acceptance by, a student which results in the receiver’s behavioral changes. The “Artist in Schools” (AiS) program was initiated by the researchers and became the platform for the collaboration between schools and artists aimed at increasing the students’ motivation in arts education. It encompasses the sharing of knowledge and experiences between the two groups. This paper is aimed at analyzing the students’ creativity and motivation in visual art by using the ARCS Motivational Model. Using the multi-case studies, nine secondary schools from Peninsular Malaysia were selected as the sample of the study. In-depth interviews, observation, and analysis of related documents were applied. The data were presented narratively. The result revealed that AiS was significantly functional and instrumental in enhancing and encouraging the level of creativity and motivation of the students in visual arts. This study may give a great impact on the students’ development specifically in the learning of visual arts.