Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE PHE5107

 
TITLE Sports, Exercise and Physical Activity in the Developing Child

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Institute for Physical Education and Sport

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit will explain the physical and psychological changes occurring within the body of a developing child (before and during puberty) and how different training will affect these changes. Going through puberty can have a significant impact on athletic performance in both positive and negative ways. While increases in body size, hormones, and muscle strength can improve athletic performance, there may be a temporary decline in balance skills and body control. Rapid changes in height and weight effect the body's center of gravity.

Finally this study-unit will reiterate the need for physical educators and coaches to follow the long-term athlete development (LTAD) model in order to minimise the risk of injury and/or burnout.

Study-Unit Aims:

The study-unit will focus on four main aims:
1. The positive and negative physical and psychological impact of exercise on the development of a child - before and during puberty;
2. The positive and negative impact of growth on sport performance - mostly during puberty;
3. Identification of injuries that are associated with development, especially puberty. This includes an analysis of the causes of such injuries, and what could be done to prevent or minimize such injuries;
4. An analysis of positive and negative impacts of resistance training during puberty.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Explain basic principles of children’s physiological development;
- Describe how children and adolescents develop their physical domain;
- Identify goals for children’s and adolescents’ development within an exercise program;
- Develop lesson plans appropriate for developing various domains of development;
- Explain typical developmental characteristics;
- Describe nutritional needs of children and adolescents;
- Identify which type of training, sport performance, and/or physical activity will positively or negatively affect (or has no effect) the body of the developing child. Students will also be able to describe the reasons behind LTAD, why it is beneficial, and how to implement it;
- Describe common injuries related to sport and exercise in the developing child;
- Identify ways of decreasing the chance of sport injuries in children and adolescents.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Analyse physical activity and exercise programmes in relation to human physical development before and during puberty;
- Develop lesson and session planning skills targeted at individual needs;
- Engage in skill analysis;
- Promote healthy nutrition to children and adolescents.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Balyi, I., Way, R., and Higgs, C. (2013) Long-Term Athlete Development. Leeds: Human Kinetics.
- Christopher Madden, C., Putukian, M., McCarthy, E. & Young, C. (2018) Netter's Sports Medicine, 2nd edition. Philadelphia, Elsevier.

Supplementary Readings:

- Brukner, P.,Clarsen, B.,Cook, J., Cools, A., Crossley, K., Hutchinson, M., McCrory, P., Bahr, R. & Karim
- Khan, K. (2016) Clinical Sports Medicine: Injurues. 5th Edition. North Carolina: McGraw Hill Education.
- Prentice, W. (2017) Principles of Athletic Training: A Competency-Based Approach. th Edition. North Carolina: McGraw Hill Education.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Examination (1 Hour and 30 Minutes) Yes 40%
Assignment Yes 60%

 
LECTURER/S

 

 
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit