The role of parental involvement in academic and sports achievement.

According to previous research results and our systematic review on this topic (Kovács et al., 2022), the positive impact of parental involvement on academic achievement was revealed. However, it is unclear how parental involvement in sports contributes to sports performance and academic achievement. In this study, our main questions are about the differences in academic achievement, in participation in sports activity, and in sports results among pupils of parents involved or not involved in sports and education. To answer these questions, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 7th and 8th-grade students learning in three primary schools in a Hungarian city (N = 121). Based on the scale of parental involvement, three groups were differentiated: 1) children of parents not involved in either education or sports (N = 33), 2) children of parents involved in education only (N = 38), and 3) children of parents involved in both education and sports (N = 47). In order to examine this data, cluster and factor analysis, a Chi-square test and ANOVA, and linear regression were used. Our results showed, children of parents involved in both sports and education are overrepresented among students who received awards because of their sports performance (59.6%), among members of sports talent management programs (29.8%), and among those who achieved first place in national sports competitions (47.8%). They also seem to be the ones most intent on staying engaged, in the future, in regular and competitive sport activities (57.4% and 55.3%). On the contrary, the highest percentage of children of parents involved in education belongs to those who were given awards because of excellent academic achievement (71.1%). As far as personality traits are concerned, obsessive passion (OP) is the most characteristic of pupils with non-involved parents (M = 0.37, SD = 0.95) and least characteristic of children with parents involved in education (M = -0.17, SD = 0.94). Belonging to both groups with involved parents can be considered a negative predictor of OP (ßt = -0.259* [-1.019, -0.078], ßt + s = -0.237* [-0.930, -0.030]). In conclusion, it can be detected that there exists a positive interrelation between parental involvement in sports and education, and the academic and sports performance of their children.

Correction: Kovács et al. The Effects and Types of Parental Involvement in School-Based Sport and Health Programs Still Represent a Knowledge Gap: A Systematic Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 12859.

In the original article [...].

The Effects and Types of Parental Involvement in School-Based Sport and Health Programs Still Represent a Knowledge Gap: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Health-related behaviours and attitudes acquired in childhood significantly shape health behaviours in adulthood and play an important role in preventing children from becoming overweight. Interventions incorporating parental involvement can provide outstanding support in shaping a child's health-related behaviour. However, parental involvement has not been investigated from the perspective of efficacy except for obesity. Therefore, this systematic review investigates school-based physical activity intervention programmes incorporating parental involvement. We aim to explore the impact of these programmes and the parental involvement they provide on behaviours that influence child health, which are essential for preventing children and adults from becoming overweight and promoting health-conscious lifestyles. METHODS: This systematic literature review follows PRISMA guidelines. The EBSCO Discovery Service Search Engine was used for searching for literature. Papers included met the following inclusion criteria: (1) reported original, empirical research or systematic review published in a peer-reviewed journal; (2) primary or secondary school age (6-18 years) as the target population; (3) examined school-based sport or health prevention and intervention programs; (4) only healthy children and youth in the indicated age group; (5) school-based prevention or intervention program; (6) examines parental involvement; (7) in the English language, and (8) in disciplines of education, psychology, social work, sociology, social sciences and humanities. RESULTS: An extremely limited number of interventions of sufficient quality address the role of parental involvement (N = 17). The forms of parental involvement show a huge variety, ranging from leaflets, home packs, sports organisations "forced" by the pandemic, parent meetings, programmes, courses, and school programmes with diverse children over several months (cooking together, gardening, playing sports together, etc.). Therefore, it is difficult to measure their effectiveness and impact. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of parental involvement on children's health behaviour, especially physical activity and nutrition, as two of the most important factors in preventing them from becoming overweight, are unclear, and other correlations, e.g., academic achievement, are scarce.

Sport Motivation from the Perspective of Health, Institutional Embeddedness and Academic Persistence among Higher Educational Students.

Regular physical activity from an early age is an important part of a healthy life because if we incorporate exercise early into our lifestyle, we are more likely to maintain our commitment to sport into adulthood and even throughout our lives. In our research, we used the PERSIST 2019 database, which contains data from students at higher education institutions in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, and Serbia. We used factor analysis to isolate four sports motivation factors (intrinsic, introjected, extrinsic, and amotivation). Factors influencing the different types were measured using linear regression analysis, involving the variables in four models. The results show that the effects of the sociodemographic variables are significant for gender, country, and mother's job, especially in terms of intrinsic, introjected, and extrinsic motivation. The role of coping is salient for health awareness factors, with a positive effect on intrinsic motivation and a negative effect on the other types. The impacts of quality of education and support are typically negative, while the positive effect of satisfaction with infrastructure is noteworthy. The effect of persistence in sport on intrinsic and introjected motivation is positive. Frequency of training increases intrinsic motivation, while practical sport embeddedness generates extrinsic motivation. In terms of relationships, a mainly teacher-oriented network within the institution typically has a negative effect on intrinsic motivation, while peer relationships outside the institution typically increase intrinsic and extrinsic sport motivation. Academic persistence has a positive effect on intrinsic motivation and a negative effect on introjected motivation. Our research highlights the complexity of factors influencing sport motivation and the role of coping, which typically remains strong when relationship-related variables are included. In addition, we must emphasise the dominant role of relationship network patterns, which may even reduce commitment to sport.

Correction: Kovács, K.; Kovács, K.E. Using the Behavioural Regulation in an Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2) in Central and Eastern Europe: Evidence of Reliability, Sociocultural Background, and the Effect on Sports Activity. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 11834.

In the original publication [...].

Using the Behavioural Regulation in an Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2) in Central and Eastern Europe: Evidence of Reliability, Sociocultural Background, and the Effect on Sports Activity.

The factors influencing sports motivation create a complex system, integrating internal drivers, such as the love of sport and the need for competence, and external segments, such as the environment, institutions, or the media. In our research, we examined the sports motivation of students studying in higher educational institutions in five countries (Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine) using the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-2). This research aims to explore the socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing students' sports motivation and the effect of sociocultural, demographical, motivational, and societal factors on the frequency of participating in sports. Based on factor analysis, instead of the original five factors, three factors could be detected in the sample: intrinsic and identified motivation, introjected motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation. Based on the results, higher social status facilitates intrinsic motivation, while lower socioeconomic status facilitates extrinsic motivation and amotivation. The strongest effect is exerted by individual variables, of which intrinsic and identified motivation support regular physical activity as a significant factor among students in all countries. This can also be seen in the frequency of sporting activities, as the highest frequency of sports activity was detected among people with high intrinsic motivation.

Small-amplitude and mixed-mode pH oscillations in the bromate-sulfite-ferrocyanide-aluminum(III) system.

The BrO(3)(-)-SO(3)(2-)-Fe(CN)(6)(4-) (BSF) pH-oscillatory system is coupled to the Al(OH)(3) precipitation equilibrium (BSFA system) and studied in a stirred flow reactor. The dynamic behavior of the BSFA system differs significantly from that of the BSF system. In addition to the large-amplitude pH oscillations found in the BSF system, new small-amplitude and mixed-mode oscillations occur. A detailed mechanism of the BSFA system is developed and investigated.

Temperature-induced route to chaos in the H2O2-HSO3(-)-S2O3(2-) flow reaction system.

Low-frequency, high-amplitude pH-oscillations observed experimentally in the H2O2-HSO3(-)-S2O3(-) flow reaction system at 21.0 degrees C undergo period-doubling cascades to chemical chaos upon decreasing the temperature to 19.0 degrees C in small steps. Period-4 oscillations are observed at 20.0 degrees C and can be calculated on the basis of a simple model. A reverse transition from chaos to high-frequency limit cycle oscillations is also observable in the reaction system upon decreasing further the temperature step by step to 15.0 degrees C. Period-2 oscillations are measured at 18.0 degrees C. Such a temperature-change-induced transition between periodic and chaotic oscillatory states can be understood by taking into account the different effects of temperature on the rates of composite reactions in the oscillatory system. Small differences in the activation energies of the composite reactions are responsible for the observed transitions. Temperature-change-induced period doubling is suggested as a simple tool for determining whether an experimentally observed random behavior in chemical systems is of deterministic origin or due to experimental noise.

pH oscillations and bistability in the methylene glycol-sulfite-gluconolactone reaction.

The Methylene Glycol-Sulfite-Gluconolactone (MGSG) reaction is the first example of an organic-based pH oscillator. This reaction is of particular interest as it displays large amplitude oscillations in hydroxide ion accompanied by small amplitude (10(-3) V) oscillations in potential, indicating that it is not driven by redox processes. We investigate the reaction in a batch (closed) and flow (open) reactor and examine the role of the aging of the gluconolactone stock solution. The system is found to display oscillations and bistability for a wide range of flow rates and initial compositions. The experimental results are reproduced in numerical simulations in an extended model of the reaction in which the decay of the stock solution is incorporated. Finally, we analyse the features of the reaction that make it a suitable basis for the development of novel pH oscillators.

An organic-based pH oscillator.

In a recent paper, we suggested that the acid- or base-catalyzed dehydration of a hydrated carbonyl compound provides a suitable foundation for an organic-based pH oscillator. Here we present the first experimental example of such an oscillator in a flow reactor, utilizing the base-catalyzed dehydration of methylene glycol as a source of positive feedback (OH- autocatalysis) coupled with the base-catalyzed hydrolysis of gluconolactone for negative feedback (H+ production). The large amplitude oscillations (between pH 7 and 10) are reproduced in a kinetic model of the reaction. Such experiments present new possibilities in the design of pH oscillators.

Temperature compensation in the oscillatory bray reaction.

The influence of temperature on the oscillatory frequency of the hydrogen peroxide-iodate ion reaction is found to be two-sided: (i) the period length decreases with increasing temperature in most of the instances studied, (ii) or in some cases an opposite change is observed. A temperature-independent period length (temperature compensation) is also discovered experimentally in a rather wide temperature interval at a narrow concentration range of reactants both in a batch configuration and under flow conditions. A simple model was considered to simulate this behavior. Opposing effects of the composite reactions of the model on the calculated period length with changing temperature are shown to be responsible for temperature compensation or overcompensation.

Mechanism of the oscillatory decomposition of the dithionite ion in a flow reactor.

A simple mechanism consisting of three protonation equilibria and seven redox reactions between sulfur species can describe the large amplitude-sustained temporal pH-oscillations observed during acid-induced decomposition of the dithionite ion in a continuous-flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) in the temperature range 25-60 degrees C.