Physiological Correlates of Female Road Racing Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between female distance running performance on a 10 km road race and body composition, maximal aerobic power ([Vdot]O_{2 max} ), running economy (steady-state [Vdot]O₂ at standardized speeds), and the fractional utilization of [Vdot]O_2max at submaximal speeds (% [Vdot]O_2max ). The subjects were 14 trained and competition–experienced female runners. The subjects averaged 43.7 min on the 10 km run, 53.0 ml · kg^?1 · min^?1 on [Vdot]O_2max , and 33.9, 37.7, and 41.8 ml · kg^?1 · min^?1 for steady-state [Vdot]O₂ at three standardized running paces (177, 196, and 215 m · min^?1). The mean values for fractional utilization of aerobic capacity for these three submaximal speeds were 64.3, 71.4, and 79.3% [Vdot]O_2max , respectively. Significant (p < 0.01) relationships with performance were found for [Vdot]O_2max (r = ?0.66) and % [Vdot]O_2max at a standardized speed (r = 0.65). No significant (p > 0.05) relationships were found between running performance and either running economy or relative body fat. As with male heterogeneous groups, trained female road racing performance is significantly related to [Vdot]O_2max and % [Vdot]O_2max , but not related to body composition or running economy. It was further concluded that on a 10 km road race, trained females operate at a % [Vdot]O_2max similar to that of their trained male counterparts.     

Twenty First Century Science: Insights from the Design and Implementation of a Scientific Literacy Approach in School Science

Although the term “scientific literacy” has been increasingly used in recent years to characterise the aim of school science education, there is still considerable uncertainty about its meaning and implications for the curriculum. A major national project in England, Twenty First Century Science, is evaluating the feasibility of a more flexible science curriculum structure for 15‐year‐old and 16‐year‐old students, centring around a core course for all students with a scientific literacy emphasis. Over 12,000 students in 78 schools have followed this course since September 2003. The development of a detailed teaching programme is an important means of clarifying the meanings and implications of a “scientific literacy” approach. Questionnaire data from teachers at the end of the first and second years of the project (N = 40 and N = 51) show a strongly positive evaluation of the central features of the course design. Teachers perceive the scientific literacy emphasis as markedly increasing student interest and engagement. Key challenges identified are the language and reasoning demands in looking critically at public accounts of science, and the classroom management of more open discussion about science‐related issues.     

Joining the Learning Society and working in the NHS: some issues

In this paper we discuss the concept of the Learning Society in relation to staff working in the NHS (National Health Service) and taking part in formal courses. We outline the changing context within the NHS and draw on evidence from interviews with 38 participants on two courses. While motives for participation in courses were mixed, many staff felt under some pressure to engage in formal courses and in some cases undertook work‐related training in their own time and at their own expense. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for the development of a Learning Society.     

Theory, experiment and practical application in research on visual impairment

This paper examines the relation between theories of development in conditions of visual impairment, the experimental evidence on which models are based, and methods of education and remediation. It is argued that experimental findings always need fine-tuning to be adapted to individual circumstances and needs. Equally, practical procedures are based on tacit assumptions which need to be scrutinised explicitly, so that they can be updated when the empirical evidence suggests changes in our models of the role of the sense modalities in development. Spatial skill and braille learning are used as examples. The first section discusses how theory and practice are reciprocally affected by simplistic dichotomies like the “nature-nurture” distinction, and the notion that vision is either necessary, or else irrelevant to sparial understanding. Spatial development is explained next by the CAPIN hypothesis which assumes that total absence of sight requires convergent and redundant, not just substitute, information and underlines the importance of specific task conditions. A third section focuses on the dual verbal and spatial processing demands of braille. The two final sections deal with empirical methods in asking questions about blindness in psychology and education.     

Research and practice in science education: a response to Traianou and Hammersley

A reader of Traianou and Hammersley’s article (in this issue), which discusses at some length the work we undertook in the Evidence‐based Practice in Science Education (EPSE) Research Network, might attribute to us views that are rather different from those which we in fact hold, and which we have sought to present in our own accounts of this work. We highlight several points on which their interpretation of our work and views differs markedly from ours. The aim of the EPSE Network was to explore the practical implications of ‘evidence‐based practice’ in the context of a mainstream curriculum subject such as science, not to advocate any particular interpretation of that term. We would encourage readers interested in the relationship between research and practice in the teaching of specific subjects to base their view of our work, and the perspectives underpinning it, on our own account.