Equivalence of Population Variances: Synchronizing the Objective and Analysis

Researchers are often interested in establishing equivalence of population variances. Traditional difference-based procedures are appropriate to answer questions about differences in some statistic (e.g., variances, etc.). However, if a researcher is interested in evaluating the equivalence of population variances, it is more appropriate to use a procedure designed to determine equivalence. A simulation study was used to compare novel equivalence-based tests to traditional variance homogeneity tests under common data conditions. Results demonstrated that traditional difference-based tests assess equality of variances from the wrong perspective and that the proposed Levene-Wellek-Welch test for equivalence of group variances the best performing test for detecting equivalence. An R function is provided in order to facilitate use of this test for equivalence of population variances.     

Teaching Life Narratives in the Classroom: Strategies Based on Indigenous Traditions

The life narrative is an oral genre grounded in Indigenous tradition and teaching practice. In Canadian Indigenous communities, the expertise and content transmitted by life narratives are a part of their oral heritage. Drawing from their personal and professional experiences in Indigenous school environments, as well as the results from exploratory studies, the authors have developed an educational model for teaching life narratives in the classroom. This paper begins with an overview on the pedagogical use of life narratives for historical reconciliation, knowledge and expertise preservation, and ethical education. This enables the authors to propose a definition supported by the existing scientific literature. An analysis of the data collected from Innu, Algonquin, and Mohawk communities revealed the main strategies commonly used by their teachers and Elders. A pedagogical model dividing these strategies into planning, integration, and implementation phases for using life narratives is finally presented.     

Accuracy and Feasibility of Video Analysis for Assessing Hamstring Flexibility and Validity of the Sit-and-Reach Test

The accuracy of video analysis of the passive straight-leg raise test (PSLR) and the validity of the sit-and-reach test (SR) were tested in 60 men and women. Computer software measured static hip-joint flexion accurately. High within-session reliability of the PSLR was demonstrated (R > .97). Test-retest (separate days) reliability for SR was high in men (R = .97) and women R = .98) moderate for PSLR in men (R = .79) and women (R = .89). SR validity (PSLR as criterion) was higher in women (Day 1, r = .69; Day 2, r = .81) than men (Day 1, r = .64; Day 2, r = .66). In conclusion, video analysis is accurate and feasible for assessing static joint angles, PSLR and SR tests are very reliable methods for assessing flexibility, and the SR validity for hamstring flexibility was found to be moderate in women and low in men.     

Long-term impacts of two secondary school environmental studies programs on environmental behaviour: the shadows of patriarchy and neoliberalism

Abstract

A survey of alumni of two longstanding interdisciplinary secondary school environmental studies programs revealed that the vast majority of alumni reported being engaged in pro-environmental behaviours, which they attributed to participation in the programs five to twenty-three years prior. That finding in itself is worth sharing. Digging deeper, however, revealed that most reported behaviours were in the private rather than public sphere. Women alumni reported engaging in more household and marketplace-oriented behaviours. Further, a small number of men from the rural school expressed hostility towards environmental concerns using aggressively sexist and homophobic discourse. A feminist analysis takes into account structural forces such as patriarchy and neoliberalism to interpret the findings and illuminates gendered dimensions of pro- and anti-environmental behaviours.     

A multilevel treatment approach for culture shock experienced by sojourners

This article describes culture shock as an adjustment reaction syndrome which affects sojourners intellectually, emotionally, behaviorally, and physiologically. A brief review of the literature shows that while various theories regarding the etiology of culture shock have been proffered, and many crosscultural training methods developed for dealing with different aspects of culture shock, to date no treatment has been designed which responds to the needs of sojourners experiencing stress in the four areas mentioned. Therefore a treatment was designed which integrates various cross-cultural training methods with psychotherapeutic techniques in order to provide sojourners with coping skills for dealing with the multilevel impact of culture shock. The treatment was implemented with 64 North Americans who had recently arrived in Costa Rica to study Spanish. A group of students, designated the control group, received no treatment. The next group of students to arrive at the school was offered the 6 week treatment. Both groups of subjects were tested at the end of 12 weeks, using the SCL-90-R, a multidimensional self-report inventory designed to measure symptomatic psychological distress. Treatment and control group subjects were matched on eight control variables and their scores on the SCL-90-R were compared using the t test for correlated samples. Statistical analysis yielded a significant difference between groups with p < .01. It may therefore be inferred that the treatment model described here is effective in reducing symptoms of psychological distress for sojourners similar to those in this study.