The Model of Goal-Directed Behavior in Sports Participation: A Meta-Analysis Comparing Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Eras in the Republic of Korea.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on sports participation worldwide, including in Republic of Korea. Due to the restrictions and safety measures implemented to prevent the spread of the virus, many individuals have had to alter their sports participation. Therefore, this study conducted a meta-analysis based on studies applying the Model of Goal-directed Behavior (MGB) in sports participation to compare the pre- and post-COVID-19 eras in Republic of Korea. By analyzing 18 selected studies involving 5772 Korean respondents, the study investigates the relationships between MGB variables and sports consumption behaviors pre- and post-COVID-19. This study found that all correlations with the MGB were significant, indicating the applicability of the MGB in understanding sports participation in Republic of Korea. Moreover, the moderating effect of COVID-19 was identified in the relationships between subjective norms and desire and between perceived behavioral control and desire. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing sports participation in Republic of Korea. Additionally, the study provides valuable insights for sports managers and policymakers in Republic of Korea to develop strategies and interventions that can promote and support sports participation during challenging times.

Mobile-based mindfulness meditation intervention's impact on mental health among young male judo athletes in South Korea: a quasi-experimental study.

Young athletes commonly encounter various mental health challenges due to the distinct pressures inherent in sports environments. This study investigates the effectiveness of mobile-delivered mindfulness meditation interventions in alleviating mental health indicators of depression, perceived stress, and anxiety, and enhancing self-esteem and resilience among young male judo athletes in South Korea. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were completed by 53 judo athletes. Participants were then allocated to the intervention group (N = 27; Mage = 13.77 [SD = 1.11]), which used a mobile meditation software program, or the control group (N = 27; Mage = 13.56 [SD = 1.05]). Data analysis compared intervention and control group scores using multiple statistical methods, including independent sample t-tests, paired sample t-tests, and 2 (time) × 2 (group) repeated measures analysis of variance. Following the intervention, the mindfulness group exhibited significant enhancements in the mental health indicators of depression (GMD = 2.74 [95% CI 0.90-4.56], Cohen's D = 0.84), perceived stress (GMD = 0.35 [95% CI 0.002-0.70], Cohen's D = 0.56), and anxiety (GMD = 0.2 [95% CI 0.001-0.40, Cohen's D = 0.56]. Self-esteem also had a significant increase (GMD = 0.55 [95% CI - 0.22 to - 0.88], Cohen's D = 0.95). The findings of this study underscore the potential benefits of mobile-delivered mindfulness meditation interventions in addressing mental health challenges among young male judo athletes. The significant enhancements observed in scores on measures of depression, perceived stress, anxiety, and self-esteem among participants in the mindfulness group highlight the effectiveness of such interventions in promoting mental health in sports settings.

New Times, New Ways: Exploring the Self-Regulation of Sport during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Relationship with Nostalgia and Well-Being.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has negatively affected individuals' participation in sport activities, while sport participation is an important regulator of well-being. The current study investigated the effects of the nostalgia for sport activities and self-regulation of sport activities on subjective well-being. A total of 302 responses were collected from participants who had engaged in sport activities before the lockdown period. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings showed that nostalgia positively affected the self-regulation of sport and subjective well-being. In addition, self-regulation of sport was positively associated with subjective well-being. Based on the findings of this study, policymakers can implement interventions that promote an individual's feelings of nostalgia, as it might lead them to engage in sport or promote self-regulation.

Increasing exercise participation during the COVID-19 pandemic: the buffering role of nostalgia.

Introduction: Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, people faced difficulties engaging in exercise activities as usual. As a result, there has been an increase in the demand for home exercises and online sales. However, there is little research on individuals' buying and exercise behaviors during the pandemic. Thus, this study investigated how the perceived threat of COVID-19 influences exercise participants' compensatory consumption and exercise intention through emotional responses, such as feelings of solastalgia and nostalgia. Methods: A total of 488 responses were collected from Generation Y, as individuals belonging to Generation Y are more prone to impulsive buying compared to other generations and, importantly, consider exercise a crucial component of their general well-being. Data were examined using a three-step method that involved the use of SPSS 26.0 and EQS 6.4 software. Results: Results showed that perception of COVID-19 positively influenced solastalgia and negatively affected nostalgia. Also, solastalgia had positive effects on nostalgia and online browsing, and nostalgia positively affected online browsing. Finally, this study found that online browsing positively influenced impulse buying and exercise intention, while impulse buying did not significantly affect exercise intention. Conclusion: This study contributes to identifying the crucial influence of emotions in decision-making and increasing the understanding of the connection between nostalgia and cognitive and emotional responses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oriented lateral growth of two-dimensional materials on c-plane sapphire.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) represent the ultimate thickness for scaling down channel materials. They provide a tantalizing solution to push the limit of semiconductor technology nodes in the sub-1 nm range. One key challenge with 2D semiconducting TMD channel materials is to achieve large-scale batch growth on insulating substrates of single crystals with spatial homogeneity and compelling electrical properties. Recent studies have claimed the epitaxy growth of wafer-scale, single-crystal 2D TMDs on a c-plane sapphire substrate with deliberately engineered off-cut angles. It has been postulated that exposed step edges break the energy degeneracy of nucleation and thus drive the seamless stitching of mono-oriented flakes. Here we show that a more dominant factor should be considered: in particular, the interaction of 2D TMD grains with the exposed oxygen-aluminium atomic plane establishes an energy-minimized 2D TMD-sapphire configuration. Reconstructing the surfaces of c-plane sapphire substrates to only a single type of atomic plane (plane symmetry) already guarantees the single-crystal epitaxy of monolayer TMDs without the aid of step edges. Electrical results evidence the structural uniformity of the monolayers. Our findings elucidate a long-standing question that curbs the wafer-scale batch epitaxy of 2D TMD single crystals-an important step towards using 2D materials for future electronics. Experiments extended to perovskite materials also support the argument that the interaction with sapphire atomic surfaces is more dominant than step-edge docking.

Exercise Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Anxiety, Stress, and Precautionary Behavior.

Understanding emotion is critical, as it influences behavioral responses. In particular, anxiety is one of the most significant factors affecting individuals' behavior during a pandemic situation. However, the effect of coronavirus anxiety on exercise behaviors has not been extensively explored in the extant literature. Therefore, this study examined the relationships among coronavirus anxiety, stress, precautionary behavior, and exercise participation. A total of 307 responses were collected from individuals who experienced the full length of the circuit breaker in Singapore. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that coronavirus anxiety had positive effects on stress and precautionary behavior. In addition, precautionary behavior played a mediating role in the relationships among coronavirus anxiety, stress, and exercise participation. The findings of this study identify how COVID-19 affected exercise participation during that period and suggest strategies to promote exercise participation, which would benefit individuals and governments.

Impact of COVID-19 on consumers' impulse buying behavior of fitness products: A moderated mediation model.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are found to be more impulsive to purchase fitness products online. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate a moderated mediation model of consumers' perception of COVID-19 and impulse buying behavior through fear moderated by income. A total of 608 responses were collected from consumers in the United States, and this study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the hypothesized relationships in the research model. The results showed that the perception of COVID-19 had a positive influence on fear, which in turn led to impulse buying behavior of fitness products. Moreover, consumers' income levels negatively moderated the positive relationship between fear and impulse buying behavior. The findings contribute to a better understanding of consumers' behavior and offer practical implications that enable marketers and retailers to predict consumers' behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Correction: Effects of physical education, extracurricular sports activities, and leisure satisfaction on adolescent aggressive behavior: A latent growth modeling approach.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174674.].

Effects of physical education, extracurricular sports activities, and leisure satisfaction on adolescent aggressive behavior: A latent growth modeling approach.

The present study aimed to investigate the longitudinal influence of physical education classes, extracurricular sports activities, and leisure satisfaction on aggressive behavior among South Korean adolescents. Data were drawn from the Korea Youth Panel Survey. We used latent growth curve modeling to explain the growth trajectory of adolescent aggressive behaviors and a multi-group analysis to investigate gender differences in aggressive behavior. The results indicated that adolescents' aggressive behavior significantly changed with age. There were significant gender-based differences in the level of and changes in aggressive behavior over time. Both extracurricular sports activities and leisure satisfaction had significant influences on the changes in adolescents' aggressive behavior with age, whereas physical education classes did not.

Relationship Between Sport Website Quality and Consumption Intentions: Application of a Bifactor Model.

This study investigated the cognitive structure of sport website quality constructs by comparing a bifactor model (a.k.a., a general-specific model) to a second-order model. The models are two alternative approaches for representing general constructs consisting of several highly related but distinct domains. In addition, the link between sport website quality and the revisitation and media consumption intentions was empirically tested. Data ( N = 272) were collected through an online survey, and the majority of respondents were men (66.3%) between 21 and 30 years old (63.0%). The bifactor and second-order models of sport website quality were also assessed and compared, and a simultaneous equation modeling analysis was used. The bifactor model fit the data significantly better than the second-order model, indicating that the five sub-constructs revealed both the specific dimensions of sport website quality and the holistic nature of sport website quality. Results from the simultaneous equation model indicated that sport website quality explained 70.2% of the variance in revisitation and 58.7% of intention to consume sports media.

Revisiting the Leadership Scale for Sport: Examining Factor Structure Through Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling.

This study examines the factor structure of the shortened version of the Leadership Scale for Sport, through a survey of 201 collegiate swimmers at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II and III institutions, using both exploratory structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis. Both exploratory structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis showed that a five-factor solution fit the data adequately. The sizes of factor loadings on target factors substantially differed between the confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling solutions. In addition, the inter-correlations between factors of the Leadership Scale for Sport and the correlations with athletes' satisfaction were found to be inflated in the confirmatory factor analysis solution. Overall, the findings provide evidence of the factorial validity of the shortened Leadership Scale for Sport.