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Due to the importance of role models in youth and media coverage of athletes,
the aim of this research was to analyze the significance and characteristics
of sports role models and the existence of gender patterns in elementary
school students. Research sample consisted of 468 students aged 11-15. Sports
role models were analyzed using a modified questionnaire of Adriansee &
Crosswhite [2008]. Research results indicated that most respondents (80.8%)
had role models. Role models belong to different domains with the highest
proportion of famous athletes (31.5%) and family members (30.4%). Gender of
the respondents was significantly correlated with selection of the role
model, with sports role models being selected more often by males (49.2%)
than by females (22.5%). Within the category of sports role models, famous
athletes were highly predominant (88.1%), and most of them were males and
foreign sports stars. Since adolescence is a period when future preferences
for physical activities are developed, it is important to exploit all
possible ways of supporting the youth to develop a healthy life style, where
sports role models can have a significant influence.

A state that protects—and a bulwark for democracy and modernity. Is this, Robert Misik asks, the new paradigm of the democratic left?

This study examines the relationship between athletes and their responsibility as role models to youth. The study was conducted due to the expressed debate over the expected roles of professional athletes. On one side of the debate are those who feel that athletes choose to be in the limelight, thus being an athlete requires a need to acknowledge that they are role models and it requires that they act accordingly. On the other side are those who feel that athletes may have chosen their profession, but they are entitled to have a "private life" regardless of the youth who may or may not aspire to be like them. The issue in context with youth and the potential influence of athletes as role models lies with three main factors. The three main factors are the moral development of youth, the potential influence by athletes on the behavior of youth, and athletes seen through media as exceptions to the rules.

This article examines the use of socialization theory in social workers' considerations of child development. The author analyses assessments of lesbians and gay men who applied to foster or adopt children, in order to demonstrate social workers' reliance upon `gender role models'. Drawing upon feminist work, the article goes on to critique socialization theory, before outlining versions of `gender' found in discourse theory and ethnomethodology. Using these methodologies, the author proposes that gender role theory does not describe a child development `need', but rather constructs a particular account that is limited and conservative. The article considers the implications of this reliance upon socialization theory for lesbian and gay foster care and adoption, and instead proposes that social work should develop less restrictive accounts of gender and sexuality.

The complexity of models for the simulation of physical systems is steadily increasing. This makes the effective validation of models for different design aspects crucial. One of the many important aspects is the structural correctness and the behavior due to design parameters which are of particular concern for the modeling of wind turbines. This article presents a design and implementation of a role-based validation framework. The framework allows for the creation of validation rules for different design aspects. This is done by role models that are used to define restrictions for an aspect by roles and rules. Multiple role models can be combined to cover all design features during model development. Restrictions on how models can interact with each other can be defined, which broadens language-specific restriction capabilities. The resulting rules can then be tested on arbitrary models based on the Eclipse Modeling Framework, for which mapping between elements of the role model and elements of the validated modeling language must be provided. In the domain of wind turbines, this approach is evaluated by application to two kinds of modeling languages (Modelica and UML2). Role models and rules have shown to be easily described with the frameworks role model language and role model definitions are successfully re-used by the definition of mappings for both kinds of modeling languages. ; Funding Agencies|Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany; ELLIIT project; Swedish Strategic Research Foundation in the EDOp projects; Vinnova in the RTSIM project; Vinnova in the ITEA2 MODRIO project

Purpose
This study aims to investigate how social entrepreneurial role models influence social entrepreneurial self-efficacy, social entrepreneurial intent and social entrepreneurial action, with moral obligation as a moderator.


Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey of 261 pupils in the South African province of the Eastern Cape was used in the research study. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses.


Findings
The research revealed that having social entrepreneurial role models has a positive impact on both social entrepreneurial self-efficacy and social entrepreneurial intent. In addition, a connection was found between social entrepreneurial intent and entrepreneurial action. The influence of moral obligation was found to be a positive and a significant moderator. Moreover, the association between social entrepreneurial role models and social entrepreneurial intent was mediated by social entrepreneurial self-efficacy.


Research limitations/implications
The findings are not generalizable to nonstudent samples because students constituted the sample for gathering data. Future study therefore requires considering nonstudents to generalize the outcomes. This research should be replicated in other South African provinces and other developing countries for comparative outcomes.


Practical implications
Since social entrepreneurial role models have been practically linked to social entrepreneurship intent and entrepreneurial efficacy, understanding the factors that influence student's decision to start a social enterprise is critical in South Africa to develop targeted interventions aimed at encouraging young people to start new businesses. Policymakers, society and entrepreneurial education will all benefit from the findings.


Originality/value
This study contributes to bridging the knowledge gap as it investigates how social entrepreneurial role models influence social entrepreneurial self-efficacy, social entrepreneurial intent and social entrepreneurial action, with moral obligation as a moderator. Encouraging social entrepreneurship among South African youth would also help address societal issues. This is a pioneering study in the context of an emerging economy such as South Africa, where social entrepreneurship is so integral.

Exclusion from a public social space defined by qualities and values -- Wielding employment discrimination against gay lawyers as a sword and shield -- Defending the masculine identity of the military and its service members -- Teaching that homosexuality is immoral -- Representing the electorate's values -- Promoting the all-American image of major league sports -- Maintaining a distance between gay people and God in defense of greater orthodoxies