In this paper I explore my burgeoning interest in the work of Bruno Latour in an effort to conceptualize movement skill learning as a complex process involving multiple circulating entities. Drawing from Latour's (2007) actor-network theory (ANT), my aim is to illustrate how an ANT take on movement skill learning could impact kinesiology as a…

One of the most long-standing controversies in kinesiology has been that of physical activity requirements (PARs) in corresponding degree programs. Despite a recommendation from the American Kinesiology Association to include "the practice of physical activity" in undergraduate kinesiology degree programs, some programs have PARs, while…

The debate on whether kinesiology students should undergo fitness testing is controversial. Some are strong proponents of fitness testing, while others are in strong opposition. As advocates for fitness testing among kinesiology majors, we aimed to assess the fitness levels of Exercise Science and Physical Education Teacher Education majors and…

How we learn motor skills has always been of interest to physical educators. Contemporary conceptual frameworks about motor skill learning draw from earlier behavioral and cognitive psychology learning theories. As a point of departure this paper foregrounds complexity theorizing, arguing that skill is contingent upon the performer's physical and…

To meet the ever-increasing demand for expertise in human movement as applied to civil and criminal litigation, both private and public organizations have begun to seek the help of highly trained kinesiology specialists with advanced graduate-level university education and training. This paper will begin by identifying the key elements of the…

This article addresses the perceived gap between the humanities and social sciences, and the sciences in kinesiology faculties and departments as interdisciplinary pressures mount in an increasingly complex world. I use an historical lens to highlight past difficulties in working across the two solitudes and describe Stephen Jay Gould's efforts to…

This brief review presents the subjective view of the author on the history of motor control and its current state among the subdisciplines of kinesiology. It summarizes the current controversies and challenges in motor control and emphasizes the necessity for an adequate set of notions that would make motor control (and kinesiology) a science.…

Interdisciplinary research requires that experts from multiple disciplines work together to combine methods and ideas in an integrative fashion to generate new knowledge. In many respects, the field of kinesiology is ideally positioned to take advantage of its inherent multidisciplinary design. Because of the multidisciplinary structure of…

The latter half of the 20th century witnessed the dramatic rise of specialization in the subdisciplines of kinesiology, which resulted in scholarly development, but fragmentation. A need is articulated herein for an "issues-based" approach to research that will attract scholars from multiple subdisciplines, address compelling challenges of social…

The field of biomechanics has grown rapidly in the past 30 years in both size and complexity. As a result, the term might mean different things to different people. This article addresses the issues facing the field in the form of challenges biomechanists face in the future. Because the field is so diverse, strength within the different areas of…

Given the known relationship between physical inactivity and chronic disease (US Dept. of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2000, 2001), learning more about antecedents for physical activity engagement is an important research priority. In this vein, a number of studies have found a relationship between perceived and actual motor skill…

Graduate education in the United States has been identified as being the backbone of American competitiveness and innovation in a recent report by the Council of Graduate Schools. The report provides a framework for examining the role of graduate education in partnership with business and government to advance an action agenda for achieving…

In this "Seventeenth Delphine Hanna Commemorative Lecture," Boyce draws on the legacy of Delphine Hanna's work in science-based curriculum to address the need for today's educators to balance both professional mission and disciplinary knowledge. In the mid 1960s, Franklin Henry proposed the notion that the foundation of physical…

Kinesiology has a long and storied tradition and history. The growth of our discipline and what might be called our subdisciplines has been the shining achievement of the 1970-2006 era, spurred on by Henry's (1964) call for an academic discipline. In this short thought paper, we argue that we have lost sight of the discipline in a quest to become…

In this paper I discuss why pedagogy knowledge and skills may be appropriate for kinesiology students who are not in teacher education programs. After briefly reviewing the changes that have occurred in undergraduate kinesiology and physical education programs, a case is made that students with a degree in kinesiology should have some knowledge of…