The Assurance of Standards at Masters level: An empirical investigation

This article presents the findings of a study of 94 Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes (PGTMs) offered in twelve Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the UK. It is based on interviews with administrators and with degree programme directors. Documentation was also analysed. The study was commissioned by the HEQC/QAA as a result of the recommendations of the Harris and Dearing Reports. The study reveals wide variation in regulatory frameworks relating to Masters programmes and in the design of programmes, but consensus on the defining characteristics of work at this level and the nature of benefits that students obtain. While institutional procedures for initial approval and validation appear to be rigorous and effective, the ongoing assurance and monitoring of standards is heavily dependent on the external examiner system and informal academic networks with virtually no systematic staff development or benchmarking in place. Several issues are identified in relation to the proposed national typology of courses/levels.     

Personality and development in childhood: a person-centered approach

A person-centered approach to personality focusing on types of persons defined by profiles of traits is applied to childhood personality development. In 28 diverse samples of 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds, three personality types, labeled resilient, overcontrolled, and undercontrolled, are identified. In two longitudinal samples, the undercontrolled type was related to intellectual decline over a period of six years. Both stability and change in childhood personality type were observed in longitudinal analyses. The number of risks characterizing a child's family predicted change in personality type over a two-year interval. Finally, personality type was found to be a moderator of the association of Head Start participation with cognitive development and behavior problems in childhood. The implications of personality type for understanding childhood development, particularly in children facing adversity, are considered.     

Learning activities and interactive videodisc: an exploratory study

This article reports the findings of a small-scale study on pupil use of interactive videodisc. The types of learning activity in which the groups of pupils engaged are identified and the proportion of time spent on each is shown. Patterns in the data are analysed by ability of the pupil group and by the number of sessions in which the videodisc had been used. The discussion focuses on two interesting results: the high proportion of time spent on reading, watching and listening; and the greater statistical differences within groups than between groups of pupils.     

School-based assessment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder

Schools are uniquely situated to provide information relevant to the assessment and treatment of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) across a variety of tasks, settings, and observers. The importance of the school setting to the assessment and treatment of ADHD has resulted in the development of numerous measures appropriate for such assessment, but few guidelines for their use. The purpose of this article is to describe school-based assessment procedures and their relationship to ADHD. These procedures include teacher rating measures, direct observations in classrooms and on playgrounds, peer rating and sociometric measures, and permanent product measures such as academic performance. It is recommended that school-based assessment of ADHD involve the concurrent use of multiple measures to assess adequately the wide variety of symptoms associated with this disorder. It is further recommended that assessment serve the purpose of determining treatment efficacy to avoid unwarranted preoccupation with diagnostic issues that are as yet unresolved. The components of a comprehensive school-based assessment of ADHD are described, and their relationship to school-based treatment is discussed.     

“If you stop playing you get old”: investigating reflections of play in older adults

Research shows various benefits of play in terms of children’s development. However, very little investigation has explored play from a lifespan perspective, linking early play experiences to older adulthood. Although some prior research has explored play memories, very little information is available on play memories of older adults, specifically, and perceptions of the importance of play in older adults. Using a lifespan perspective, this study explored the phenomenon of play through stories and memories from interviews with 15 older adults. Major study themes highlight changes between past and present play activity. Implications for practitioners and researchers are presented.     

Agreement between polar and SRM mobile ergometer systems during laboratory-based high-intensity, intermittent cycling activity

The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement between two mobile cycle ergometer systems for recording high-intensity, intermittent power output. Twelve trained male cyclists (age 31.4 +/- 9.8 years) performed a single 3 min intermittent cycle test consisting of 12 all-out efforts, separated by periods of passive recovery ranging from 5 to 15 s. Power output was recorded using a Polar S710 heart rate monitor and power sensor kit and an SRM Powercrank system for each test. The SRM used torque and angular velocity to calculate power, while the S710 used chain speed and vibration to calculate power. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in power were found at 8 of the 12 efforts. A significant difference (P = 0.001) was also found when power was averaged over all 12 intervals. Mean power was 556 +/- 102 W and 446 +/- 61 W for the SRM and S710 respectively. The S710 underestimated power by an average of 23% with random errors of */[division sign] 24% when compared with the SRM. Random errors ranged from 36% to 141% with a median of 51%. The results indicate there was little agreement between the two systems and that the Polar S710 did not provide a valid measure of power during intermittent cycling activity when compared with the SRM. Power recorded by the S710 system was influenced greatly by chain vibration and sampling rates.