The twilight years? Educational ethnography and the five moments model

The growth and variety of qualitative research in education is used as a test case to challenge the narrative of ethnography proposed by Denzin and Lincoln. Their characterization of qualitative methods in terms of five (subsequently six) ''moments'' is not reflected in research on education. Ironically, their model is shown to be a modernist narrative that does not do justice do the diversity of qualitative research in the past. It is suggested that qualitative research has always been marked by greater diversity than is captured in unilinear developmental histories.     

Internet resources for hospice and bereavement

In the last ten years, there has been an upsurge of interest in matters related to improving care at the end of life. This article presents a brief overview of hospice, a type of interdisciplinary end-of-life care that aims to relieve the pain and symptoms of the dying, support the family during the process, and offer bereavement assistance afterward. Useful Web sites related to hospice and grief intended for the use of health care professionals and consumers are identified and described.     

A Critical Reading of the National Curriculum for Art in the Light of Contemporary Theories of Subjectivity

In this paper I show how pupils become visible as pedagogic subjects in the art curriculum. With reference to the work of Foucault and Lacan I theorise how pupils’ subjectivities, or identities, are formed within discursive practices which constitute the art curriculum. A critical reading of practice is presented as it is conceived in the English National Curriculum for Art orders and the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s document, Exemplification of Standards, in order to show how pupils’ abilities are constructed and regulated. I argue that these documents are underpinned by an inadequate understanding of practice and assessment, which fails to acknowledge the difference and legitimacy of pupils’ semiotic/representational strategies. I proceed to offer some thoughts for reconceptualising the art curriculum by employing the term ‘difference’. My purpose is to highlight the need to develop a curriculum which offers a more inclusive space for practice, a space which is not driven by normative assessment frameworks, but which celebrates difference in practice and vigorous enquiry.     

Studying Artifacts of Visitor Learning

Evaluation of instructional materials, environments, and programs is an undertaking that is difficult to design and initiate due to its complexities. This paper seeks to offer guidance by presenting techniques that are gaining recognition within qualitative research. This is an area of study that characterizes learning by examining the products that learners create in response to instruction. These products are often referred to as “student work.” By using protocols that facilitate a study of student work, museums can learn much about their own attempts to meet their educational missions, in addition to getting to know their audiences better. This paper offers a brief overview of published resources for examining student work along with ideas for implementing them in museum settings, and outlines the procedures for using two specific protocols.     

Effects of time of day and distance upon accuracy and consistency of throwing darts

We examined variations in dart-throwing performance during the daytime in 12 participants. Two distances from the dartboard were investigated - the normal distance (short throws) and another 50% further away than this (long throws). Intra-aural temperature and subjective fatigue were measured, and errors in performance were assessed as the radial distances of throws from the bulls-eye and the standard deviation of these distances. Long-distance throws improved significantly throughout the daytime and correlated positively with intra-aural temperature (r= -0.49, P=0.002 and r= -0.49, P=0.002 for errors and standard deviation of errors, respectively), but not with subjective fatigue (r= -0.10, P=0.56 and r= -0.05, P=0.74 for errors and standard deviation of errors, respectively). Short-distance throws were associated less with intra-aural temperature (r= -0.46, P= 0.005 and r= -0.17, P=0.31 for errors and standard deviation of errors, respectively), and worsened with fatigue (r=+0.34, P= 0.040 for errors). Compared with the short-distance throws, the long-distance throws were performed significantly less well than could be accounted for by the increased distance (mean errors were increased 1.67-2.78 times and standard deviation of errors of errors 1.58-3.68 times), supporting the concept of a trade-off between force of contraction and accuracy of performance. Throwing darts can be used as a model for investigating factors that influence motor performance, and our results indicate that the effects of time of day upon performance depend upon the relative importance of force and accuracy.     

The effects of changing pace on metabolism and stroke characteristics during high-speed breaststroke swimming

Performances often vary between the heats and finals of breaststroke swimming competitions possibly because the swimmers try to conserve their energy, or for other tactical reasons. Additionally, coaches might advise either a 'positive' or 'even' pace race strategy during the final. The effect of such pacing changes on metabolism (blood lactate, heart rate, ventilation), ratings of perceived exertion, stroke kinematics and turning times have not been investigated. Nine male competitive breaststroke swimmers swam three paced (Aquapacer) 200-m trials, 48 h apart and in random order, at 98%, 100% and at an attempted 102% of their maximal 200-m time-trial speed. Responses in metabolic variables were similar between the 98% and 100% trials, but higher post-exercise blood lactate concentrations and respiratory exchange ratios were observed following the 102% trial. As the pace of trials increased, stroke rate was found to increase proportionately with stroke count. However, during the latter stages of the 100% trial, a disproportionate increase in the stroke count was observed, which led to a significant pacing error. This feature was more obvious in the 102% trial, where participants demonstrated 'positive pacing' and reported higher ratings of perceived exertion than for the 98% trial. During the early stages of the trials, turning times were initially shorter the faster the pace of the trial; however, as the trials progressed, this pattern was found to reverse. We conclude that a slight reduction in pace during near maximal breaststroke swimming altered kinematic but not post-exercise metabolic responses, while an increase in pace led to positive pacing and an increase in both kinematic responses and anaerobic metabolism.     

Exercise does not necessarily influence the phase of the circadian rhythm in temperature in healthy humans

Seventeen healthy adults exercised for 30 min (70% VO2max), at different times of the day and night throughout a 24 h period. The effect on the phase of core temperature rhythm was assessed by comparing the rhythms on the day immediately before and immediately after the day of exercise with the participants living normally on these 2 days. Assessments were made upon data that had been corrected for the thermogenic effects of sleep and activity. When exercise was performed in the period between 4 h before and 1 h after the temperature minimum, there was a phase delay of 1.03 +/- 0.78 h (mean +/- s; n = 6); when performed between 3 and 8 h after the temperature minimum, there was a phase advance of 1.07 +/- 1.23 h (n = 9). Both means were significantly different from zero (Student's one-sample t-tests: P < 0.05). Performed at other times, exercise had no significant effect on the phase of the temperature rhythm. The phase changes were not significantly different from those previously observed by us in sedentary individuals exposed to domestic lighting. We conclude that the amount of physical activity has very little effect on the body clock.