Engagement

In recognition of this new virtual world in which we are living, self-organized groups in our membership gathered together to pitch new avenues for information dissemination within our Society. The groups submitted proposals to the Board of Directors outlining their plans, which were approved. Thus, the Teaching Network and the Motor Development, Learning, and Control (MDLC) Online Research Seminar Series were born. Please click on their links to learn more about their objectives and planned activities. To provide transparency about their origin and to serve as a template/model for future proposals, both of the approved proposals are posted in the sections linked above.

In response to the longstanding social justice issues in North America, NASPSPA has developed an Anti-Racism Statement and a Task Force on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility. Please see the associated sections for more information.

NASPSPA stands in solidarity with all Black, Indigenous, and racialized members of our communities who are fighting for a more just and equitable society. NASPSPA condemns racism. We aspire to a culture that is diverse and inclusive, and we know that it is not enough to only be vigilant. We resolve to challenge racial discrimination, oppression, and White privilege and power. As an organization focused on sport, exercise, performance, rehabilitation, and activities of daily living, we also recognize the important specific need to question the White-body privilege reflected in the readings that guide our research and practice, the study protocols that we develop and implement, the measures we use in our research, the leadership and mentorship practices we follow, the audio-visual and textual material we use as examples in our teaching, and the culmination of the work we do as students and current or retired professional members of NASPSPA. As a community of scholars, we believe everyone has a right to a quality, fair, and unbiased education and training.

With this statement, we demonstrate NASPSPA’s support for people and communities of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, abilities, identities, orientations, and perspectives. No matter who you are, how you identify, where you come from, why you do what you do – we value and support you, and we are committed to an anti-racism legacy. To address White privilege, institutionalized racism, structural inequities, and organizational complacency, we are establishing a Task Force on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. The Task Force will include student and professional members, and will present recommendations for action following a period of research, consultation, and dialogue to build sustained advocacy and long-term accountability.

With a particular appreciation for the most vulnerable amongst us, the NASPSPA Executive Committee is committed to improving our organization and the broader academic community to which NASPSPA is connected. We will do better, we will be better.

The details outlining the Task Force are below. A call was put out to NASPSPA members in Summer 2020 to apply to be a part of the Task Force. We sincerely appreciate everyone who applied to serve.  The members serving on the Task Force were:

The Task Force will  meet at least four times a year and report to the Executive Committee. The President-Elect is the conduit between the Task Force and the Executive Committee. If you have comments or things you would like to see the Task Force address, please reach out to the Task Force Co-Chairs or NASPSPA leadership.

The Task Force committee will be responsible for an integrated and proactive evaluation of NASPSPA’s achievements and challenges, and the subsequent development and implementation of a sustainable and accountable equity, diversity and inclusion action plan. The Task Force will be initially focused on a priority of anti-racism.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. To support NASPSPA to increase equity, diversity and inclusion in motor learning, motor development and sport and exercise psychology research and practice;
2. To evaluate current and historical practices within the NASPSPA organzation for informed development of an action plan and to help inform members;
3. To develop and implement an equity, diversity and inclusion action plan;
4. To identify current resources and training that may guide research, teaching, and practice activities;
5. To inform a communication strategy about equity, diversity, and inclusion progress; and
6. To identify an evaluation strategy for accountability and sustainability.

Task Force members will

1. be a current member of NASPSPA;
2. demonstrate experience of and/or significant interest in equity, diversity, and inclusion;
3. have experience in effective leadership, organization, and communication;
4. demonstrate strong empathetic, motivational and interpersonal skills;
5. have high standards of professionalism and ethics;
6. ideally have experience in evaluation and/or development and implementation of policies.

Composition and Timelines

The Task Force will be established through self-nomination and appointment by the Executive Committee. The Task Force committee will be composed of up to eight members who will reflect the NASPSPA membership broadly in experience and research in the main program areas, stage of career, and qualifications. The President will sit on the Task Force committee as an ex-officio member. Once established, the Task Force members will appoint a Chair. The original terms of the reference will be reviewed every three years. The members of the Task Force will normally hold their position for three years. Members can seek renewal on the Task Force upon written request and approval from the Executive Committee.

The Task Force will establish a regular meeting schedule that will involve no less than four meetings a year, along with reporting to the Executive Committee twice a year (Fall and Spring).

The MDLC Online Research Seminar Series will support the Society’s function to advance scientific study, improve research quality, and facilitate research information dissemination in the area of motor development, learning and control. This Series aims to be an accessible platform for our international motor development, learning and control research community to present and discuss historical and emerging research topics in the months between the annual NASPSPA Conference.

The organizing committee will deliver an annual Motor Development, Learning & Control Online Research Seminar Series as a NASPSPA-affiliated activity to facilitate the development, advancement and dissemination of high-quality research in the area of motor development, learning and control. This will meet the following four needs for our membership:

The MDLC Online Research Seminar Series will run between September and May and include topics proposed by NASPSPA members with interests in motor development, learning and control research. While some topics might be specific to motor development, learning and control research, we expect that some topics will be broad in scope to be of interest to researchers and students in the sport and exercise psychology area as well. All NASPSPA members and non-members are invited to participate in seminars offered in the MDLC Online Research Seminar Series. There is no cost to participate.

To view recordings of the events below, please see our Virtual Workshop and Seminar Videos page. Please note that you must be an active NASPSPA member to view the video and you will be asked to login with your credentials.

The Organizing Committee of the Seminar Series has prepared the following reports:

The global coronavirus pandemic that we are facing today is impacting, among many other factors, the way we need to approach research and education. One of these more immediate impacts is that many University institutions are turning to online delivery of courses. The Teaching Network was born out of conversations at the 2020 NASPSPA Virtual Conference and grew into the broader objective of creating a space for members to develop and refine their teaching expertise within the subdisciplines. Acknowledging an aim of NASPSPA is “to improve the quality of research and teaching in the psychology of sport, motor development, and motor learning and control”, a group of self-organized members developed a proposal and framework for the Teaching Network. This proposal was submitted to the Executive Committee and approved. The objective of the Teaching Network, current committee members, list of activities, and approved proposal are listed below.

The objectives of the teaching network will likely evolve over time. Presently, the objectives are:

To view our past events, please see our Virtual Workshop and Seminar Videos page. Please note that you must be an active NASPSPA member to view the video and you will be asked to login with your credentials.

The Organizing Committee of the Teaching Network has prepared the following reports:

The NASPSPA Executive Committee acknowledges that other self-organized groups may want to put together proposals to address the needs of NASPSPA members. To provide transparency about the origin of the Teaching Network and to serve as a template/model for future proposals, the approved proposal can be found below: