To allow you to explore a topic of interest in greater depth, you will complete an executive literature review. Specifically, you are to find, read and summarize at least five peer reviewed research articles you feel are relevant to your chosen research topic. In doing so, you will write a concise, executive review of the literature that includes a rationale for your work, a sense of the existing literature, and a concluding paragraph in which you attempt to integrate the information from these articles to form a conclusion based on the literature you have found.
I would encourage you to choose a topic that interests you and is not already covered, in depth, in the course. Possible topic choices are provided in the list below. If you wish to pursue an alternative topic you must have it approved by me prior to beginning your paper.
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Possible Topic Choices |
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Physical activity considerations for youth living with a specific chronic condition (e.g., obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, colitis, spinal cord injury) |
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The use of gender segregated physical education classes as a means to promote physical activity among youth and adolescents. |
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Self-objectification among youth and adolescents |
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Burnout in youth sport |
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Are physical activity levels of youth a function of genetics? |
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Should women coach girls and men coach boys? |
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Body image issues and physical activity in the youth population |
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Exploring the link between sports engagement and delinquent behaviour in youth |
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Sport and exercise as a way of building character in youth |
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Overscheduled kids and physical activity behaviour in adolescents |
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Is teaching physical education and physical literacy the teacher’s job or the parents’ job? |
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Inclusion of children with mobility or cognitive disabilities in youth sport and/or physical education |
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Physical activity promotion among underserved populations (e.g., new Canadians, youth living in poverty, aboriginal youth) |
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The long term costs and benefits of sport participation for kids |
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Group/peer dynamics in youth and adolescent sport and/or physical activity |
General formatting of the written reports is as follows:
- A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 double spaced pages for the body of the text (i.e. cover page, references, and any appendices are in addition to these criteria)
- 1” margins all around
- Must be completed using a word processor using Times New Roman 11 or 12 pt font
Each paper needs to include the following elements:
- Cover page including the topic,
- Introduction to the topic – Including a brief rationale as to why it may be important to study this topic, and a clear statement of purpose (i.e., to review the literature examining…)
- Review of the literature – Including a brief description of the key points of each relevant study reviewed. The results should be presented in a logical, well thought out order that effectively highlights the strengths and limitations existing in the literature on the topic. It is in this section that you are likely to include a sense of the consensus of research in the area
- Conclusions and Practical Applications – In this section you should provide a conclusion about your topic based on your review of the evidence as well as any potential practical implications stemming from this conclusion.
- Reference list – Use American Psychological Association formatting. The reference list should begin on a separate page from the rest of the report and should also be double-spaced. All articles referred to in the paper must be both appropriately cited in the body of the text and included in the reference list. Refer to the document posted on ACORN for direction on APA formatting.