Physical Activity and Health

Year 4 Core Modules

You must study and pass all three core modules

Brief description

Undertake an independent research project in an area of sport, health or physical activity.

Indicative content:

• Research project topics: Select your research project topic with staff guidance. You are allocated a supervisory tutor within the Division.
• Supervisory sessions: These cover the identification of a research question; necessary elements of research design; the approach needed to prepare for and complete the research project; a range of appropriate research methods; appropriate statistical analyses; the structure of the research report; the interpretation of the research results; possible or probable conclusions; and the writing of the report.

Brief description

The role of physical activity for special populations. How participation in physical activity has the potential to enhance physical, social and mental health and well−being. The challenges of getting different population groups to engage in physical activity.

Indicative content:

• Guidelines: Population physical activity guidelines.
• Benefits: Physical, social and mental health benefits associated with physical activity.
• Needs and challenges: Identification of physical activity needs and challenges associated with engaging different groups in physical activity.
• Participation: Examine participation trends associated with different populations.
• Exploration of attitudes, beliefs and values: Exploration of attitudes, beliefs and values of different populations regarding physical activity.

Brief description

Theoretical knowledge, practical skills and the development of expertise necessary to enable you to evaluate lifestyles, identify and apply appropriate modification techniques in physical activity and health.

Indicative content:

• Theory: Effective communication, Self-awareness, Listening skills.
• Management skills: Practicalities of management, administration and organisation of client.
• Behaviour Change: Identify Influences on behaviour. Understanding and assessing behaviour, Individual behaviour and motivation, Determinants and factors that impact on behaviour and motivation.
• Time management: Aspects of time management. Changing time management. Effective planning.
• Goal setting: Identifying Goals. Developing Practical Realistic goals. Short long term goals. Achieving goals.
• Behaviour Change models: Models of behaviour change. Social cognitive theory, relapse prevention model, ecological theories of behaviour, stages of readiness. Moderator’s mediators of change. Behaviour change process.
• Promoting Adherence: Self efficacy. Social Support. Behaviour change skills, Impact of habitual behaviour, Factors that affect adherence. Overcoming barriers.

Year 4 Option Modules

You must study and pass two option modules, one from Group [A] and one from Group [B]. If you didn’t take the Work Placement module in year 3, you must make the Career Placement module in Group [A] one of your choices.

Brief description

A work placement within a prospective work environment to expand your knowledge and understanding of your subject and its applications within a real-life setting. 

Module content:

• Career pathways: Reflect on your prospective career path and evaluate your subject-based and transferable skills, identifying strengths and limitations to address to enhance your career progression.
• Understanding the prospective work environment and organisation: Identify appropriate organisations and opportunities for enhancing you own continued professional development. Engage in organising an appropriate work placement. Be guided by staff but lead the process to find and apply for appropriate employment.
• Work placement: Undergo an appropriate programme within a prospective work environment to enhance your ability to progress within your selected career pathway.

Brief description

Pursue a topic of interest, different from any other work either submitted or proposed relevant to your selected pathway. Manage your own learning and set agreed objectives.

Indicative content:

• General: Content will depend on individual learning outcomes agreed.

Brief description

One of the most important aspects of sport is the people involved, whether they are taking part, coaching, administering, volunteering or involved in some other capacity. The Sport Duty of Care Review raised questions about whether the wellbeing and welfare of people are being put at the centre of what sport does and delivers. 

Indicative content:

• Safeguarding: What more could be done to strengthen sport’s position in relation to the protection of young people and adults at all levels of sport.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Specific aspects of duty of care with relevance to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Injuries: How the likelihood of injury can be lessened and whether improvements can be made to how sporting injuries are treated in the short and long term.
• Career transitions: The support people receive as they transition through the sport system, including entering and leaving top-level sport.
• Mental health: Issues relating to the prevention, identification and management of mental health issues in sportspeople.
• Education: How sportspeople can be supported to help them balance education with their sporting activities.
• Representation of the participant’s voice: How the views of sportspeople are considered in decisions affecting them in sport.

Brief description

The professionalism and development of coaching and learning using an evidence-based approach contextualised to real world examples. The issues of professionalism in education and teaching and the different approaches to the development of those responsible for expertise in athletes and other learners.

Indicative content:

• The coach as a professional: The expanded roles of a professional coach. The definition of professionalism and the concepts involved in the recognition of coaching as a profession.
• Coach education: Research−led knowledge and scientific literature and the links it has to the advice and guidance given to those leading coaching and learning. The dissemination of knowledge and the appropriateness of how it is presented.
• National Governing Bodies: The role NGBs play in supporting coaching and learning. The increasing professionalism of the coaching process, coach education, and scientific support.
• Volunteer culture: The volunteer culture in sports coaching within the UK and the tensions this can create with the need for legislation, licensing, and education.

Brief description

This module builds on the module, Fundamentals of Strength and Conditioning, (SPS305). Explore more advanced training methods and theory, with an emphasis on developing long-term training programmes across a diverse range of sports. Units of assessments will be closely aligned with the UKSCA assessment framework.

Indicative content:

• Olympic Lifting: A progression from the content covered in SPS305, practical competency and technical knowledge of the Clean and Jerk/ Snatch exercises and their variations.
• Recovery exercise: The mechanisms involved in fatigue and recovery during and after exercise.
• Assessment of Strength and Power: Issues in strength and power assessment, specific laboratory based and field based protocols, designing testing batteries.
• Speed, Agility and Plyometric exercise: Follow on from material covered in SPS305, with emphasis on advanced programme design and interpretation of the scientific literature.
• Performance analysis: Identifying main physiological and biomechanical requirements of various sports and designing appropriate conditioning interventions.
• Practical applications: Methods of dealing with a range of practical scenarios in strength and conditioning.
• Interpretation and dissemination of information: How to interpret scientific data and articles and be able to disseminate findings to a range of populations (e.g. coaches, athletes).

Brief description

Build on the foundational theoretical knowledge of sport and exercise psychology and address advanced and contemporary topics for a more in−depth and current perspective of theory and research in the field.

Indicative content:

• Motivation and emotion: e.g. self−determination, stress appraisals and coping, burnout, mind-sets.
• Cognitive sport psychology: e.g. attentional processes, reinvestment theory.
• Sport, exercise psychology and health: e.g. exercise dependence and addiction; psychology and injury; PA, sedentary behaviours and psychosocial health.
• Social sport and exercise psychology: e.g. the physical self, communication, coach−athlete relationship.