title: An investigation of factors that influence running footwear selection and subjective perceptions

authors: Fife, Andrew

subjects: run

abstract: Background: Many runners consider shoes important to sport participation. Selecting running shoes requires runners to navigate marketing claims and anecdotal evidence to find shoes that meet their needs. Salespeople in running stores often guide runners in their footwear selection, with runners often selecting shoes based on their subjective perceptions of comfort, performance, and injury risk reduction. The validity of this approach is questionable as the advice from salespeople can lack evidence base and runners’ footwear perceptions may be biased. Although previous research identifies the importance of salespeople in shoe selection, little is known regarding how runners choose their shoes in store. Furthermore, it may be possible to influence runner behaviour through education-based interventions and salespeople recommendations, although the effects of education and recommendation on shoe choice are largely unknown. 

Aim: To explore the in-store running shoe selection process and the influence of education and expert recommendation on runners’ shoe selection and subjective perceptions. 

Methods: This Thesis is comprised of seven Chapters, five of which are formatted as academic papers suitable for peer-reviewed publication. First, a systematic review was conducted on factors that influence road running shoe selection. Secondly, 101 runners visiting specialty running stores were surveyed on their running shoe choice, running history, conscious behaviour, and perceived influence of salespeople on their shoe selection. Thirdly, a thematic analysis was used to evaluate how 38 salespeople perceived the salesperson-to-runner interactions. Fourthly, in a double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT), 56 runners were randomly assigned to a control or educational video prior to purchasing new running shoes. Runners reported shoe selection behaviours, running history, consciousness during purchase, injuries, and subjective perceptions over three months using online surveys. Lastly, in a single-blind crossover RCT, 21 female runners underwent a clinical gait analysis process and ran on a treadmill at a self-selected pace using their own shoes and two experimental shoes with different product descriptions. One shoe was described as a basic running shoe, whereas the other as a shoe gait-matched to their running style. Subjective perceptions including comfort, performance, and injury risk were reported using visual analogue scales (VAS), and spatiotemporal parameters and resultant tibial acceleration were monitored during running trials. 

Results: Forty factors reported to influence running shoe selection were sourced from the seven studies included in the systematic review. These factors were thematically sub-grouped in five categories: subjective, shoe-specific characteristics, market features, peer evaluation, and runner characteristics. From the 101 runners surveyed in specialty running stores, over 43% of them primarily sought advice from running shoe stores (salespeople) and 25% sought advice from other runners (i.e., family, friends, and running clubs). Runners consistently prioritised fit, comfort, familiarity, and gait analysis during shoe selection. These priorities were aimed at reducing injury risk, with over 20% of surveyed runners in-store reporting sustaining a running-related injury in the previous six months. Based on the 38 interviews conducted, salespeople aimed to build relationships through demonstrating expertise to drive business by making a sale and creating future business. In the RCT providing evidence-based education to runners on shoes, runners that thought less about which shoes to buy were more satisfied at three months post-purchase (89.7 ± 11.2 mm versus 79.8 ± 25.7 mm, p = 0.023) and all runners reported increased subjective performance in new shoes compared to old ones (p = 0.006) based on VAS scores. There was a trend (p = 0.054) for runners to choose different makes and models of shoes after viewing an educational video. In the laboratory-based RCT, runners preferred their own shoes over gait-matched and basic shoes, but rated subjective comfort, performance, and injury risk (p < 0.001, all measures) more favourably in gait-matched than basic shoes, while maintaining similar running biomechanics. 

Conclusion: Road runners that buy shoes from specialty stores rely on the recommendations of salespeople and other runners, despite the unknown quality of this advice. Salespeople build trust with runners through demonstrating expertise and using gait analysis to sell shoes and create future business. Runners in specialty stores focus on subjective factors derived from trying on shoes in-person, such as comfort and fit, with the main goal of reducing injury risk. The subjective perceptions of footwear of runners are manipulable, which further complicates choosing shoes based on desirable factors such as comfort or risk reduction. Additionally, runners typically buy shoes that are familiar to them despite interacting with scientific evidence that they believe influence their behaviours. Runners that think less consciously about their shoe choice are more satisfied with their shoe selection. Current practice of in-store gait analysis and shoe recommendation may not be effective in meeting runners’ desired goals or be evidence-based, with the most appropriate shoe recommendation practices for individuals a challenge to establish.

text: An investigation of factors that influence running footwear selection and subjective perceptions Background: Many runners consider shoes important to sport participation. Selecting running shoes requires runners to navigate marketing claims and anecdotal evidence to find shoes that meet their needs. Salespeople in running stores often guide runners in their footwear selection, with runners often selecting shoes based on their subjective perceptions of comfort, performance, and injury risk reduction. The validity of this approach is questionable as the advice from salespeople can lack evidence base and runners’ footwear perceptions may be biased. Although previous research identifies the importance of salespeople in shoe selection, little is known regarding how runners choose their shoes in store. Furthermore, it may be possible to influence runner behaviour through education-based interventions and salespeople recommendations, although the effects of education and recommendation on shoe choice are largely unknown. 

Aim: To explore the in-store running shoe selection process and the influence of education and expert recommendation on runners’ shoe selection and subjective perceptions. 

Methods: This Thesis is comprised of seven Chapters, five of which are formatted as academic papers suitable for peer-reviewed publication. First, a systematic review was conducted on factors that influence road running shoe selection. Secondly, 101 runners visiting specialty running stores were surveyed on their running shoe choice, running history, conscious behaviour, and perceived influence of salespeople on their shoe selection. Thirdly, a thematic analysis was used to evaluate how 38 salespeople perceived the salesperson-to-runner interactions. Fourthly, in a double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT), 56 runners were randomly assigned to a control or educational video prior to purchasing new running shoes. Runners reported shoe selection behaviours, running history, consciousness during purchase, injuries, and subjective perceptions over three months using online surveys. Lastly, in a single-blind crossover RCT, 21 female runners underwent a clinical gait analysis process and ran on a treadmill at a self-selected pace using their own shoes and two experimental shoes with different product descriptions. One shoe was described as a basic running shoe, whereas the other as a shoe gait-matched to their running style. Subjective perceptions including comfort, performance, and injury risk were reported using visual analogue scales (VAS), and spatiotemporal parameters and resultant tibial acceleration were monitored during running trials. 

Results: Forty factors reported to influence running shoe selection were sourced from the seven studies included in the systematic review. These factors were thematically sub-grouped in five categories: subjective, shoe-specific characteristics, market features, peer evaluation, and runner characteristics. From the 101 runners surveyed in specialty running stores, over 43% of them primarily sought advice from running shoe stores (salespeople) and 25% sought advice from other runners (i.e., family, friends, and running clubs). Runners consistently prioritised fit, comfort, familiarity, and gait analysis during shoe selection. These priorities were aimed at reducing injury risk, with over 20% of surveyed runners in-store reporting sustaining a running-related injury in the previous six months. Based on the 38 interviews conducted, salespeople aimed to build relationships through demonstrating expertise to drive business by making a sale and creating future business. In the RCT providing evidence-based education to runners on shoes, runners that thought less about which shoes to buy were more satisfied at three months post-purchase (89.7 ± 11.2 mm versus 79.8 ± 25.7 mm, p = 0.023) and all runners reported increased subjective performance in new shoes compared to old ones (p = 0.006) based on VAS scores. There was a trend (p = 0.054) for runners to choose different makes and models of shoes after viewing an educational video. In the laboratory-based RCT, runners preferred their own shoes over gait-matched and basic shoes, but rated subjective comfort, performance, and injury risk (p < 0.001, all measures) more favourably in gait-matched than basic shoes, while maintaining similar running biomechanics. 

Conclusion: Road runners that buy shoes from specialty stores rely on the recommendations of salespeople and other runners, despite the unknown quality of this advice. Salespeople build trust with runners through demonstrating expertise and using gait analysis to sell shoes and create future business. Runners in specialty stores focus on subjective factors derived from trying on shoes in-person, such as comfort and fit, with the main goal of reducing injury risk. The subjective perceptions of footwear of runners are manipulable, which further complicates choosing shoes based on desirable factors such as comfort or risk reduction. Additionally, runners typically buy shoes that are familiar to them despite interacting with scientific evidence that they believe influence their behaviours. Runners that think less consciously about their shoe choice are more satisfied with their shoe selection. Current practice of in-store gait analysis and shoe recommendation may not be effective in meeting runners’ desired goals or be evidence-based, with the most appropriate shoe recommendation practices for individuals a challenge to establish.

year: 2024-12-17

title: Editorial: The professional content knowledge of the English/literacy teacher:  Addressing the implications of diversity

authors: Locke, Terry

abstract: When this topic was mooted by the journal editors, it was seen as having two parts: 1.  The professional content knowledge of the English/literacy teacher, and 2. The implications of this “knowledge construction” for classrooms that in many places are becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse. We saw ourselves as wanting to provide an opportunity to revisit themes raised in two early issues of English Teaching: Practice and Critique. In the inaugural issue of the journal (1:1; November 2002), members of the newly established Editorial Board and others shared a personalised account of the “state of English (Language Arts)” in their respective constituencies. The overriding question was: “What is it like to be an English teacher right now in this time and place?”

text: Editorial: The professional content knowledge of the English/literacy teacher:  Addressing the implications of diversity When this topic was mooted by the journal editors, it was seen as having two parts: 1.  The professional content knowledge of the English/literacy teacher, and 2. The implications of this “knowledge construction” for classrooms that in many places are becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse. We saw ourselves as wanting to provide an opportunity to revisit themes raised in two early issues of English Teaching: Practice and Critique. In the inaugural issue of the journal (1:1; November 2002), members of the newly established Editorial Board and others shared a personalised account of the “state of English (Language Arts)” in their respective constituencies. The overriding question was: “What is it like to be an English teacher right now in this time and place?”

year: 2012

title: A criterion referenced analysis and evaluation of the processes involved in formulating a Māori language regeneration strategy for Whakamārama marae

authors: Lewis, Roger Brian

subjects: critical success factors

abstract: The quality of the processes involved in language regeneration strategy formation is critical to the creation of an effective language regeneration strategy and this, in turn, is critical to the achievement of successful language regeneration outcomes. The overall aim of this research project was to evaluate, using a range of effectiveness criteria, the processes involved in the creation of a marae-based te reo Māori regeneration strategy in the hope that others involved in similar projects in the future would benefit and in the hope that the Whakamārama whānau will themselves derive benefit from it in reviewing what has already been achieved. In Chapter 1, the background to the research project and its rationale are outlined
and the research questions and research methods are introduced. Chapter 2 provides a critical review of selected literature in the area of strategic planning aspects of language regeneration and relevant aspects of mātauranga Māori. Using an ethnographic approach, the processes and immediate outcomes (in terms of a
survey report and a regeneration plan for Whakamārama marae) of the language regeneration project are outlined in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, effectiveness criteria are derived on the basis of the literature review in Chapter 2. These include criteria relating to leadership, participation, Kaupapa Māori values, environmental
analysis and outcomes. The criteria are then applied to the analysis and evaluation of the processes and outcomes outlined in Chapter 3 in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses. The overall conclusion is that Whakamārama's
language regeneration activities to date can be regarded as successful in many ways, including the fact that they have resulted in the production of high quality documentation that is widely appreciated by the whānau in the form of a maraebased language survey and a marae-based te reo Māori regeneration plan. Working voluntarily and often under difficult circumstances, core group members demonstrated that they possessed the essential characteristics of commitment,
motivation and determination, in addition to the willingness and ability to use existing skills and knowledge effectively and to develop further skills and knowledge as the project proceeded. Perhaps most important, they developed a caring and effective working culture. However, the weaknesses of the project included a lack of preparation and planning prior to the commencement of the project which resulted in a build up of work at a number of stages. This, in turn, lead to delays in producing outcomes and some loss of momentum. It also led, indirectly, to the views of two or three members of the core group being overrepresented in the reo plan goals. The information and analysis provided here
have relevance to any language community involved in micro-level language regeneration activities of a similar type. It is hoped therefore that this thesis may help others to not only avoid the problems experienced by the Whakamārama whānau but also to benefit from their successes.

text: A criterion referenced analysis and evaluation of the processes involved in formulating a Māori language regeneration strategy for Whakamārama marae The quality of the processes involved in language regeneration strategy formation is critical to the creation of an effective language regeneration strategy and this, in turn, is critical to the achievement of successful language regeneration outcomes. The overall aim of this research project was to evaluate, using a range of effectiveness criteria, the processes involved in the creation of a marae-based te reo Māori regeneration strategy in the hope that others involved in similar projects in the future would benefit and in the hope that the Whakamārama whānau will themselves derive benefit from it in reviewing what has already been achieved. In Chapter 1, the background to the research project and its rationale are outlined
and the research questions and research methods are introduced. Chapter 2 provides a critical review of selected literature in the area of strategic planning aspects of language regeneration and relevant aspects of mātauranga Māori. Using an ethnographic approach, the processes and immediate outcomes (in terms of a
survey report and a regeneration plan for Whakamārama marae) of the language regeneration project are outlined in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, effectiveness criteria are derived on the basis of the literature review in Chapter 2. These include criteria relating to leadership, participation, Kaupapa Māori values, environmental
analysis and outcomes. The criteria are then applied to the analysis and evaluation of the processes and outcomes outlined in Chapter 3 in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses. The overall conclusion is that Whakamārama's
language regeneration activities to date can be regarded as successful in many ways, including the fact that they have resulted in the production of high quality documentation that is widely appreciated by the whānau in the form of a maraebased language survey and a marae-based te reo Māori regeneration plan. Working voluntarily and often under difficult circumstances, core group members demonstrated that they possessed the essential characteristics of commitment,
motivation and determination, in addition to the willingness and ability to use existing skills and knowledge effectively and to develop further skills and knowledge as the project proceeded. Perhaps most important, they developed a caring and effective working culture. However, the weaknesses of the project included a lack of preparation and planning prior to the commencement of the project which resulted in a build up of work at a number of stages. This, in turn, lead to delays in producing outcomes and some loss of momentum. It also led, indirectly, to the views of two or three members of the core group being overrepresented in the reo plan goals. The information and analysis provided here
have relevance to any language community involved in micro-level language regeneration activities of a similar type. It is hoped therefore that this thesis may help others to not only avoid the problems experienced by the Whakamārama whānau but also to benefit from their successes.

year: 2007