Child Sleep and Socioeconomic Context in the Development of Cognitive Abilities in Early Childhood

Despite a robust literature examining the association between sleep problems and cognitive abilities in childhood, little is known about this association in toddlerhood, a period of rapid cognitive development. The present study examined the association between various sleep problems, using actigraphy, and performance on a standardized test of cognitive abilities, longitudinally across three ages (30, 36, and 42 months) in a large sample of toddlers (N = 493). Results revealed a between-subject effect in which the children who had more delayed sleep schedules on average also showed poorer cognitive abilities on average but did not support a within-subjects effect. Results also showed that delayed sleep explains part of the association between family socioeconomic context and child cognitive abilities.     

The use of GPS to evaluate activity profiles of elite women hockey players during match-play

The aim of the study was to assess the match-play activity patterns of elite women field-hockey players using a global positioning system (SPI Elite, GPSports, Fyshwick, Australia). The activity of 25 players was analysed for 13 international matches, totalling 158 player-match analyses. Overall mean playing time was 48 ± 4 min but this varied according to playing position (defenders: 56 ± 11 min; midfielders: 50 ± 10 min; forwards: 38 ± 7 min; P < 0.001, d = 0.57-1.92). In total, 55.5 ± 6.3% of match time was spent performing low-intensity exercise (standing: 5.8 ± 2.7%; walking: 49.7 ± 5.6%). Moderate-intensity exercise accounted for 38.1 ± 5.0% (jogging: 25.8 ± 3.5%; running: 12.3 ± 2.9%) of player match-time, with the remainder made up of high-intensity exercise (fast running: 4.9 ± 1.4%; sprinting: 1.5 ± 0.6%). Forwards spent more time performing moderate- (41.4%) and high-intensity (7.7%) exercise than defenders and midfield players (P < 0.001). This is the first study to use a global positioning system to assess the activity characteristics of elite female hockey players and demonstrate that these characteristics differ according to playing position. These differences are probably attributable to the ways in which substitution of players occurs.     

A study of knowledge management enablers across countries

Knowledge has been long cited as a strategic asset and a source of competitive advantage for organizations. However, the creation of knowledge is a complex process that is influenced by several factors beyond the typical practice of knowledge management (KM). In this research, we assess the effects of leadership, Ba (shared context in motion), organizational culture, organizational control, and work style on KM defined in terms of the SECI process of socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization. On the basis of data gathered from a questionnaire survey of a Japanese pharmaceutical company and its subsidiaries in the United States, France, and China, we compare how the aforementioned organizational factors influence the processes of KM in these organizations. The results show that organizational factors affect KM practices differently in each of the targeted countries, and suggest that KM activities need to be tailored to the organizational idiosyncrasies of each local office, without betraying the global vision of the corporation.     

Further evidence of the effectiveness of phonological instruction with oral-deaf readers

The effectiveness of phonological instruction with 6 deaf students in an oral program was investigated. In a previous investigation (Syverud, Guardino, & Selznick, 2009), promising results had been obtained in a case study in which the Direct Instruction curriculum titled Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (Engelmann, Haddox, & Bruner, 1983) was used with an oral-deaf child. Given these results, Syverud and Guardino were asked to replicate the procedures with additional struggling readers. A multiple case study design was implemented for a period of 10 weeks. Tests of nonsense words were administered to monitor weekly progress in phonological decoding. Intervention journals were completed for each tutoring session to provide qualitative information. Although the results were mixed, all 6 participants showed gains in phonological decoding skills. Suggestions for both practitioners and researchers are offered.     

The “Write” Stuff: Simple Techniques Designed to Teach Students How to Avoid Plagiarism

Presently, plagiarism is a serious problem in academics. Research has shown that the number of students who commit some form of plagiarism has increased in recent years. Studies have also shown that students commit plagiarism for a variety of reasons, including ignorance about what constitutes plagiarism, waiting until the last minute to complete an assignment, and a desire to get good grades. Regardless of the reason, students who commit plagiarism face a variety of sanctions ranging from a “slap on the wrist” to expulsion from school. Because of the potential long‐term ramifications of committing plagiarism, it is essential that educators understand why students commit plagiarism and learn ways to teach students how to avoid it. This paper presents a workshop designed to teach students how to avoid committing it and offers a variety of ways in which this material can be incorporated into a program’s existing curriculum.     

Using chipendale in the classroom

One of the most common complaints among criminal justice educators is that students have very poor writing and research skills. In particular, educators cite that students’ papers are poorly organized, are replete with grammar and spelling errors, are missing key elements in their discussions, and are often plagiarized. Despite the need for research and writing classes, very few social science faculty members teach writing‐intensive courses because of the amount of time such a course requires. Accordingly, this paper presents a model criminal justice writing class that outlines specific teaching methods to overcome the most common problems found in criminal justice writing and research.     

Preparing schools to accommodate the challenge of Web 2.0 technologies

With laptops, mobile phones, tablets and broadband wireless access becoming more widely available, Web 2.0 is now entering schools. This changes the way students work and communicate, altering their relationship with knowledge, and generating new objectives for media literacy in the digital society. Thus, schools face new challenges and this paper aims at highlighting four of them. A first challenge relates to trust. Web 2.0 opens the classroom to the world and educators have to face new dangers and irrelevant uses, while bringing their students to gain better access to information and culture. The second challenge relates to teachers’ professional identities. The role of teachers is changing as Web 2.0 tools are being used by students, and policymakers should take this into account. A third challenge relates to a growing need to control working time, timetable organization and rhythm in schools. The fourth challenge that we underline is the need for common rules that allow students to benefit from the opportunities offered by Web 2.0 to develop their autonomy and to foster ethical practices.