Towards an understanding of dynamics among teachers,teacher leaders,and administrators in a teacher-led school reform

A substantial amount of professional development and implementation has moved towards teachers and teacher leaders in recent years. Previous works have examined how teachers, teacher leaders, or administrators perceive teacher leadership in school reforms, but few have advanced all three perspectives simultaneously. Drawing upon over 200 interviews, we examine how leadership is distributed and the tensions and dynamics arising among these three groups in a teacher-led school reform. Two main themes emerged from our analysis: minimizing conflicts with teachers was important to teacher leaders, and the distribution of leadership between administrators and teacher leaders changed the status and normative roles of teacher leaders.     

Running economy,mechanics, and marathon racing shoes

ABSTRACT

The choice of marathon racing shoes can greatly affect performance. The purpose of this study is to metabolically and mechanically compare the consumer version of the Nike Vaporfly 4% shoe to two other popular marathon shoes, and determine differences in running economy. Nineteen subjects performed two 5-minute trials at 4.44m/s wearing the Adidas Adios Boost (AB), Nike Zoom Streak (ZS), and Nike Vaporfly 4% (VP) in random order. Oxygen uptake was recorded during minutes 3–5 and averaged across both shoe trials. On a second day, subjects wore reflective markers, and performed a 3-minute trial in each shoe. Motion and force data were collected over the final 30 seconds of each trial. VP oxygen uptake was 2.8% and 1.9% lower than the AB and ZS. Stride length, plantar flexion velocity, and center of mass vertical oscillation were significantly different in the VP. The percent benefit of the VP over AB shoe was predicted by subject ground time. These results indicate that use of the VP shoe results in improved running economy, partially due to differences in running mechanics. Subject variation in running economy improvement is only partially explained by variation in ground time.     

Reflections on the Use of the RTE Model in Physical Education

Abstract

Research on teacher effectiveness (RTE) using process-product design is a relative newcomer in the area of educational research and an infant in the realm of physical education. The “ideal” model for RTE postulated by cognitive domain researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center specified six requirements for such research including measures of outcome, teacher behavior, and other influencing factors; a model of classroom processes; data collection procedures; and analysis techniques. This paper discusses procedures and problems related to application of the model where the outcome was psychomotor. Specific topics of discussion include utilizing practice time, providing feedback, defining teaching, measuring teacher mastery, selecting the learning task, utilizing the experimental teaching unit (ETU) approach, and using observation systems. The knowledge base in the acquisition of motor skill must be translated into language for the practitioner. To accomplish this translation, it is necessary to identify teacher behaviors that facilitate learning within given contexts for a specified task or tasks. Such identification will be possible when additional research provides refinement in the model and a sound foundation of knowledge. This research endeavor was an early step in the refinement process.     

Effects of Method of Subject Selection (Volunteer vs Random) and Treatment Variable on Motor Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test for possible interaction effects between method of subject selection (volunteer vs random) and a selected treatment variable—verbal encouragement. The presence of such an interaction would suggest that generalizations regarding verbal encouragement could be made only to specific subject populations. Volunteer (n = 40) and randomly selected (n = 40) subjects were randomly assigned to either a verbal encouragement condition or to a control group with no verbal encouragement. Dependent variables were a tapping task and a leg lift task. It was predicted that volunteer subjects, due to their higher need for approval and greater desire to accommodate, would perform significantly better under the verbal encouragement condition than would the randomly selected subjects. Multivariate and univariate data analyses indicated that the prediction was supported on the tapping task (female subjects only) but not on the leg lift task. It was concluded, at least on certain tasks, that use of volunteer subjects may result in a selection bias × treatment interaction effect that could limit the generalizability of research results.     

Parenting during the Second Year: Effects of Children's Age, Sex, and Attachment Classification

70 2-parent families with 12-month-old infants and 67 2-parent families with 18-month-old toddlers participated in the study. Mothers and fathers participated in separate interviews and filled out questionnaires on family and child behaviors. Mothers and their children participated in the Ainsworth Strange Situation, and the families were observed for a total of 4 hours in their homes. Families were compared on composite measures of family environment variables, parents' perception of their children, and on process variables from home observations. Family differences in environmental stress and marital adjustment showed no effects for attachment classifications, although parents of 12-month-olds reported greater marital adjustment and more pleasure in parenting than parents of 18-months-olds. Both mothers and fathers reported that children classified as resistant were more difficult on several temperament measures. During home observations, 12-month-old children received more positive responses from mothers, and 18-month-old children received more instructions and directions from both parents. Insecure boys (both avoidant and resistant) received the least instructions and directions from both parents, but insecure-avoidant girls received the most instruction from fathers.     

Signaling functions of the second-order CS: Partial reinforcement during second-order conditioning of the pigeon’s keypeck

The signaling function of the second-order CS (S2) was manipulated in second-order autoshaping by arranging a partial reinforcement schedule. S2 was paired with a well-conditioned first-order CS (SI) on a continuous reinforcement or a 25% reinforcement schedule in different groups. Schedule of reinforcement did not influence the number of S2-S1 pairings required to establish keypecking to S2. However, in the postacquisition sessions, responding to S2 was initially weaker but persisted for many more sessions on the 25% schedule than on the 100% schedule. The data indicate that S2-S1 pairings are responsible both for the acquisition of second-order keypecking to S2 and for the subsequent conversion of S2 into an inhibitory stimulus.     

Uncertain pathways: foundation skills tutors and marginalised students in neoliberal times

This article deals with the work of polytechnic tutors on adult foundation programmes and describes how their work has been affected by the current neoliberal climate in the education sector. Inclusive neoliberalism is characterised by heightened regulation, reduced support for the public sector and a greater requirement for individual responsibility. The push to improve skills to meet labour demand is promoted as addressing social needs. Policies devised to promote these neoliberal values have led to numerous and far-reaching changes in adult education. In this study 73 foundation skills educators drawn from 8 institutions were interviewed to gain their insights into the effects of these policies. The article discusses three types of detrimental effects: the growing distrust between teaching staff and management; unsettling changes to institutional policy and its effects on staffing issues; and threats to the professionalism of teaching staff, the delivery of foundation studies, and the students themselves. Finally, the article suggests alternative possibilities for addressing these issues.     

Txt msg n school literacy: does texting and knowledge of text abbreviations adversely affect children's literacy attainment?

This paper reports on two studies which investigated the relationship between children's texting behaviour, their knowledge of text abbreviations and their school attainment in written language skills. In Study One, 11–12‐year‐old children provided information on their texting behaviour. They were also asked to translate a standard English sentence into a text message and vice versa. The children's standardised verbal and non‐verbal reasoning scores were also obtained. Children who used their mobiles to send three or more text messages a day had significantly lower scores than children who sent none. However, the children who, when asked to write a text message, showed greater use of text abbreviations (‘textisms’) tended to have better performance on a measure of verbal reasoning ability, which is highly associated with Key Stage 2 (KS2) and 3 English scores. In Study Two, children's performance on writing measures was examined more specifically. Ten to eleven‐year‐old children were asked to complete another English to text message translation exercise. Spelling proficiency was also assessed, and KS2 Writing scores were obtained. Positive correlations between spelling ability and performance on the translation exercise were found, and group‐based comparisons based on the children's writing scores also showed that good writing attainment was associated with greater use of textisms, although the direction of this association is nor clear. Overall, these findings suggest that children's knowledge of textisms is not associated with poor written language outcomes for children in this age range.