International cooperation and the expatriate manager: A study of the Japanese executive in Canada

A model is presented in this paper for studying attitudes toward international cooperation among expatriate business executives. A lest of the model is provided with data from a survey of Japanese executives on foreign assignment in Canada. In general, it was found that an executive's support for Japanese-Canadian cooperation in a number of policy areas is related to the economic interests he develops as a result of the geographical work orientation of his corporate position. In turn, the geographical scope of his business role was found to be directly related to the type of market-export relative to domestic-his subsidiary services. General internationalist ideology was also considered as a possible determinant of specific international attitudes but was found to play a minor role compared to economic interest.     

Socioeconomic status and physical fitness in youth: Findings from the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey

ABSTRACT

This study examined the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and musculoskeletal (MSF) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth. The sample consisted of boys and girls between 3-15 years. SES was categorized utilizing family-income-to-poverty ratio (FIPR). All analyses were standardized for age and sex. For each test of physical fitness, SES was used to estimate mean fitness test percentile and 95% confidence intervals, controlling for race/ethnicity and physical activity. Odds ratios were calculated for the likelihood of having low fitness by SES category. In general, the high SES group had a better composite MSF, body composition, and CRF profiles than low and moderate SES groups. Statistically significant differences were identified for relative grip strength, plank, body mass index, and cardiovascular endurance time (all p < 0.05). Additionally, the odds of low/poor MSF fitness were 1.7 and 1.6 times higher in the low and moderate SES groups (respectively) compared to the children from high SES families. The moderate SES group had an odds of poor CRF 1.6 times higher than the high SES group as well. Children and adolescents from high SES families tend to have higher mean fitness and were less likely to have low/poor fitness.     

Active relaxation counteracts the effects of ego depletion on performance under evaluative pressure in a state of ego depletion

We tested the assumption that active relaxation following an ego-depletion task counteracts the negative effects of ego depletion on subsequent performance under evaluative pressure. N?=?39 experienced basketball players were randomly assigned to a relaxation condition or to a control condition, and then performed a series of free-throws at two points of measurement (T1: baseline vs. T2: after working on a depleting task and either receiving active relaxation or a simple break). The results demonstrated that performance remained constant in the relaxation condition, whereas it significantly decreased in the control condition. The findings are in line with the notion that active relaxation leads to a quicker recovery from ego depletion.     

Schooling the new generation of German citizens: a comparison of citizenship curricula in Berlin and Baden‐Württemberg

In Germany, unlike other European countries, citizenship education has a long history. Since the Second World War, its role has evolved from promoting de‐Nazification in the West and state socialism in the East to emphasising common citizenship in a multicultural society. Today, the federal states (Bundesländer) are largely autonomous in matters of education. Drawing on citizenship curricula from two states with historically opposite political constellations – Berlin and Baden‐Württemberg – we argue that they share an emphasis on the fragility of democracy and the challenges arising from migration. While Baden‐Württemberg favours the concept of tolerance, Berlin privileges the idea of interculturalism. There are important within‐state differences: the Baden‐Württemberg curriculum for the vocational‐track Hauptschule being more similar to the curricula in Berlin, perhaps as a result of the larger concentration of migrants. This raises questions for educators and policy‐makers around the need for a single coherent model of citizenship education and the importance of citizenship in multicultural Germany for all.     

Teacher facilitation support in ubiquitous learning environments

ABSTRACT

Teacher support for students in ubiquitous learning environments is challenging owing to physical distance and a lack of reliable real-time multimedia-rich communication. This is further complicated because the learning process is dynamic and problems need quick resolution. Given these challenges, this study proposes an architecture for a teacher facilitation support system. The system was implemented in the form of an interactive teacher dashboard. The interface also generates possible solutions to learning challenges while leaving the ultimate decision up to the teacher. The system feasibility was tested by work-through scenarios designed and validated by two experts. The system usability was evaluated using the System Usability Scale by 40 potential users. The ?ndings revealed that the dashboard has good feasibility and usability for providing teachers relevant information about their students’ learning progress in ubiquitous learning environments. It also enabled opportunity for pedagogical intervention when needed.