On the Relationship between Objective Measures and Performance in Basketball: Selecting Teams of Seventh Grade Girls

Abstract

The present study examines the utility of several objective measures to predict which girls were selected for one of six junior high school basketball teams. One purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which differences between coaches' selection strategies might have contributed to the apparently contradictory results among previous attempts to identify correlates of coaches' ratings or team selections. Linear discriminant models of six coaches' team selections were constructed from measures of basketball and athletic skills, strength, physical measures, and competition anxiety obtained during the first week of practice. These models provided greater-than-chance agreement with coaches' player selection for each team (87%–93% correct classification). A cross-modeling procedure revealed that the six coaches' selections could be modeled in terms of one of three approaches to selection: a) Select the aspirants who possess the best basketball skills (three teams), b) select the aspirants with greatest size and strength and least competition anxiety (two teams), and c) select only the aspirants with both types of attributes (one team). The results indicate that it may be difficult to identify a single set of measures to select skillful or potentially skillful basketball players, because of differences in how coaches might choose to define these terms     

Race and Color: Revisiting Perspectives in Black Education

Racial inequities, such as systematic disparities in school discipline and achievement outcomes, are a perennial characteristic of public education in the United States. Although attention to interracial chasms such as the Black–White achievement gap is common, limited efforts are devoted to understanding how and why colorism motivates imbalances within communities of color. In this article, I outline how the color complex relates to racial battles and social perspectives within the nation's educational system. Recommendations for altering problematic norms are presented.     

The interplay between subjective abilities and subjective demands and its relationship with academic success. An application of the person–environment fit theory

In this study, we draw on person–environment fit theory to analyze whether academic success is best explained by individual abilities subjectively exceeding situational demands or by abilities matching the demands. Moreover, we disentangled effects of perceived abilities and subjective person–environment (P-E) fit on academic success. All in all, 693 teacher education students participated in an online questionnaire. Students were asked to rate general requirements of their academic programs (e.g., self-discipline) on a 5-point scale in terms of (1) their own abilities and (2) the perceived relevance for their studies. P-E fit was determined by difference scores between abilities and relevance ratings. Academic success was assessed by grades, perceived performance, and study satisfaction. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling and suggest that academic success is best explained by a match between abilities and demands. Moreover, all three criteria for academic success were more strongly related to subjective fit than to subjective abilities.     

Effect of visual-spatial ability on medical students' performance in a gross anatomy course

The ability to mentally manipulate objects in three dimensions is essential to the practice of many clinical medical specialties. The relationship between this type of visual-spatial ability and performance in preclinical courses such as medical gross anatomy is poorly understood. This study determined if visual-spatial ability is associated with performance on practical examinations, and if students' visual-spatial ability improves during medical gross anatomy. Three hundred and fifty-two first-year medical students completed the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) before the gross anatomy course and 255 at its completion in 2008 and 2009. Hypotheses were tested using logistic regression analysis and Student's t-test. Compared with students in the lowest quartile of the MRT, students who scored in the highest quartile of the MRT were 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2 and 3.8] and 2.1 (95% CI 1.2 and 3.5) times more likely to score greater than 90% on practical examinations and on both practical and written examinations, respectively. MRT scores for males and females increased significantly (P < 0.0001). Measurement of students' pre-existing visual-spatial ability is predictive of performance in medical gross anatomy, and early intervention may be useful for students with low visual-spatial ability on entry to medical school. Participation in medical gross anatomy increases students' visual-spatial ability, although the mechanism for this phenomenon is unknown.     

Infusing two models of evaluation into a military environment: A case study

Determining the worth and effectiveness of training used within a military environment is the same accountability responsibility that educational organizations, businesses, and social agencies are charged with for improving programs and services to society. The need for accountability implies the process of evaluation, particularly in governmental training programs. This article provides a case study, blueprint, and action plan for the infusion of two evaluation models as the foundation for determining the effectiveness of training within a military application.