Australian Catholic University

About: Australian Catholic University is a education organization based out in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 2721 authors who have published 10013 publications receiving 215248 citations. The organization is also known as: ACU & ACU National.

The value of emotional intelligence for high performance coaching.

Abstract: Similar to an effective leader in business, a high-performance sports coach requires qualities beyond technical and tactical acumen, such as leadership and the ability to facilitate a functional leader-follower relationship. Underpinning this dynamic relationship that exists between the coach and athlete is a leader's acumen associated with emotional intelligence (EI). This article aims to highlight the utility of EI for high-performance sport coaches, and provide concrete examples as to how EI might enhance a coaches' ability to lead and direct the production of high-performance with their staff and athletes. First, a brief overview of the link between EI and leadership quality is presented. Second, Mayer and Salovey's (1997) four-branch model of EI (i.e., perceiving, using, understanding, and managing emotions) will be used as a framework for demonstrating how a coach may use such abilities to lead and produce high-performance.

Towards an Understanding of the Barriers to Good Nutrition for Elite Athletes

Abstract: The objective of this study was to describe barriers influencing dietary practices of elite-level athletes using a focus-group design involving discussions with elite-level athletes, coaches and sports dietitians. The participants were sixteen male and thirty female elite athletes from an Australian State Institute of Sport, representing diving, netball, basketball and lawn bowls; twelve elite coaches representing swimming, diving, soccer, sailing, cycling and golf; and sixteen sports dietitians who consulted to state institutes/academies of sport with various sports. Focus groups were audio-taped and transcribed with in-depth notes also recorded during the groups. Thematic coding of transcripts and notes were undertaken by the primary coder and these themes were subsequently evaluated by the research team. A number of barriers to healthy eating were described. Lack of time for food preparation was a significant barrier raised by all groups. Financial limitations, inadequate cooking skills and difficulty ...

Effectiveness of Literacy Programs Balancing Reading and Writing Instruction: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Reading and writing are critical to students’ success in and outside of school. Because they draw on common sources of knowledge and cognitive processes, involve meaning making, and can be used conjointly to accomplish important learning goals, it is often recommended that reading and writing should be taught together. This meta-analysis tested this proposition by examining experimental intervention studies with preschool through high school students to determine whether literacy programs balancing reading and writing instruction strengthen students’ reading and writing performance. To be included in this review, no more than 60% of instruction could be devoted to either reading or writing. As predicted, these programs improved students’ reading, resulting in statistically significant effects when reading measures were averaged in each study (effect size [ES] = .39) or assessed through measures of reading comprehension (ES = .39), decoding (ES = .53), or reading vocabulary (ES = .35). The programs also statistically enhanced writing when measures were averaged in each study (ES = .37) or assessed via writing quality (ES = .47), writing mechanics (ES = .18), or writing output (ES = .69). These findings demonstrated that literacy programs balancing reading and writing instruction can strengthen reading and writing and that the two skills can be learned together profitably.