Learning from older citizens’ research groups

ABSTRACT

This article adds to an ongoing conversation in gerontology about the importance of training and involving older people in research. Currently, the literature rarely distinguishes between the one-off involvement of older citizens in research projects and the development of research groups led by older people that sustain over time as well as the nature of educational initiatives that support their development. This article presents a case-study based on evaluative data from the WhyNot! Older Citizens’ Research Group that has been running independently for nearly eight years. Members’ evaluations of, and reflections on, the impact of the training program explore from their perspective: Why older people want to get involved in research training and research groups, what they value most in the training, and the types of impact their involvement has had. Creating an educational environment where participants were able to contribute their knowledge in a new context as well learn new skills through group-work based experiential learning were key. Regular role-modeling provided by inputs from successful established citizen research groups was also important. Of the many benefits members gained from being part of a research group, emphasis was given to the relational aspects of the experience. Likewise the benefits members’ accorded to taking part in training and research transcended individual benefits encompassing benefits to the collective and the wider community. Linking health, social care and educational policies is important in providing coherence and opportunity for older people’s voices to shape research, policy, and practice.     

‘There are other people out there!’ Successful postgraduate peer groups and research communities at a New Zealand university

Recent research has highlighted the various benefits of postgraduate peer support, including timely degree completion. This article describes and considers an initiative that sought to manufacture postgraduate peer-support groups and communities at a New Zealand university. It intends to further understanding of this area and, in particular, to discuss positive characteristics of postgraduate peer groups and the role of the institution in supporting them. Drawing on interviews with 12 postgraduate peer leaders, key findings include: the possibility of manufacturing peer-support groups, with a legitimising function coming from overt institutional support; that peer groups can be made up of students from across a wide range of postgraduate courses and disciplines; that, given an open mandate from the institution, peer leaders can contribute to the challenge of creating a positive research community; and that a collaborative institution-wide approach to postgraduate support provision is achievable.     

Frame loss error concealment for SVC

INTRODUCTION Real-time transmission of video data in network environments, such as wireless and Internet, is a challenging task, as it requires coding efficiency, network friendliness and error robustness. Scalability is a possible solution for network adaptive applica- tions. The Scalable Extension of H.264/AVC (SVC) (JVT of ISO/IEC MPEG & ITU-T VCEG, 2005b) aims at achieving both high compression performance and adaptivity for video delivery over heterogeneous networks. SVC…     

The Impact of Supply and Demand on Doctorates in Physical Education Teacher Education: The Future of the Profession

ABSTRACT

Quality preparation of doctoral students is a key to the survival of physical education teacher education. Past research has revealed a shortage of students graduating with a doctoral degree in physical education and a general reluctance of teachers to leave their jobs to pursue an advanced degree. As the number of universities preparing new physical education teacher education assistant professors decreases, those in the profession are concerned for the future of teacher education. Unlike other professions that prepare more doctoral students than the market can accommodate, this is not the case for physical education teacher education doctoral programs. This article will provide summary information on supply and demand, which will be used to identify trends and recommendations for the future. This article will explore the status of doctoral programs in the United States and whether university programs will be able to prepare a sufficient number of professors to replace the aging physical education teacher education professoriate.     

Physiological reactivity, social support, and memory in early childhood

The interactive effects of physiological reactivity and social support on children's memory were examined. Four- to 6-year-olds completed a laboratory protocol during which autonomic responses and salivary cortisol were measured. Memory was assessed shortly afterward and 2 weeks later. During the second interview, children were questioned by a supportive or nonsupportive interviewer. Few significant relations emerged between reactivity and children's short-term memory. Following a 2-week delay, cortisol reactivity was associated with poorer memory and autonomic reactivity was associated with increased accuracy among children questioned in a supportive manner but decreased accuracy among children questioned in a nonsupportive manner. Results question traditional conceptualizations of reactivity as a risk factor and instead suggest that reactivity may only confer risk in certain environmental contexts.