The Effectiveness of Librarian Searching of Google,WorldCat, and a Library Online Catalog

As studies show, undergraduates needing information frequently begin their research in a search engine such as Google rather than a library online catalog. To test the efficacy of that research approach, a local usability study of fifty topics in ten disciplines of study was performed. In a comparison of WorldCat.org and Google Books to the library catalog, it was found that more than double the number of hits to library-held material was found by searching WorldCat.org than the library online catalog alone. It was also learned that twice as many hits to articles and material within a thirty-mile radius were found in WorldCat.org and Google Books as compared to searching the online catalog alone. These results suggest the need to improve the native interface of catalogs and for continued placement of resources outside the library catalog.     

The validation and application of Inertial Measurement Units to springboard diving

Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) may offer an ecologically valid, reliable, and practical method for biomechanical performance analysis. With such potential in mind, Part 1 of this study examined the accuracy of IMUs gyroscopes with an optical system (Cortex 3.3). A calibration formula standardised the IMUs angular velocity output with the optical system. The percentage differences between the two measures = 0.5% (p < 0.05), suggest IMU’s efficacy for application. In Part 2, the aim was to examine and understand how dive flight angular velocity time series plots change and increase according to dive degree of difficulty. With IMUs attached to three competitive divers performing forward somersault dives, dive flight kinematics were assessed. Biomechanically, a 4½ tuck somersault dive differed to lower degree of difficulty dives in terms of: (1) a rotational delay immediately after takeoff (to gain greater vertical translation); (2) increased total time of flight; (3) greater muscle effort to resist increased centrifugal forces produced by the increased angular velocity (1,090 °/s); and (4) greater eccentric control during deceleration allow a safe and vertical entry into the water. IMUs can be effectively utilised and integrated into contexts such as springboard diving for performance analysis and optimisation purposes.     

The effectiveness of peer mediation in a low‐SES rural elementary school

Thirty 6th‐8th‐grade students were trained to serve as mediators for peers in conflict. Student mediators were taught conflict resolution and mediation techniques from the Conflict Resolution Unlimited (1995) manual. Mediation was available to students school‐wide (N = 798); disputants were given the option to go to mediation or to the principal for resolutions. Mediators' responses to written tests indicated increased knowledge of mediation skills after training, which was maintained at 6‐week follow‐up. During the 6 weeks following training, 32 of 34 mediations resulted in satisfactory conflict resolution. School‐wide suspensions decreased during the intervention year, as compared to 3 years of baseline data. In addition, mediators' own office referrals were lower than a randomly selected matched control group. Further, mediators' current referrals were lower than in the previous year, while there was no such change for the control group. Results and process variables of the implementation are discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Graduate,the Globetrotter and the Good Samaritan: adolescent girls’ visions of themselves in early adulthood

Adolescent aspirations have been extensively researched, particularly in the contexts of higher education and the workforce. This paper extends research by exploring how the educational and career aspirations of rural adolescent girls relate to their other future goals. It demonstrates how exploring aspirations, both within and outside of the contexts of higher education and the workforce, enables a deeper understanding of various adolescent aspirations and the interconnections between them. This paper draws on a qualitative study with adolescent girls living in the Cradle Coast region of Tasmania-a rural and remote region where access to a wide range of educational resources and experiences is limited in comparison to those available in metropolitan centres. The paper responds to recent participation policy in Australia that implies young people from rural locations are lacking in aspiration. The article demonstrates that despite rurality, the girls in this study have many aspirations, including those for higher education. It discusses how having many and quite varied aspirations influences the girls’ decision making and planning around their futures. The paper shows that it is the balancing of many future goals that influences educational and career decision-making, rather than low aspirations.     

Gap Analysis by Subject Area of the University of Houston Main Campus Library Collection

This article outlines preliminary results of a complete gap analysis of the collections at the University of Houston Libraries. Methodology for a large-scale collection analysis project is explored here, including necessary collaborators for successful and accurate data collection. As well, the preliminary results of phase one of the project, studying usage by subject area and comparing to available interlibrary loan data, are outlined. Limitations and future directions for the project are also discussed.     

‘We’re not the hottest ethnicity’: Pacific scholars and the cultural politics of New Zealand universities

ABSTRACT

Academic labour markets around the world are increasingly globalised and tied to transnational circuits of neoliberal capital. Universities in New Zealand are closely aligned with these trends and an academic labour force has developed over time that reflects these economic flows and currents. This labour force is characterised by an exceptionally high number of multinational academic staff, many of whom contribute to research and inquiry aimed at maintaining and broadening the influence of their institutions abroad. Pacific faculty, however, experience the micro-geographies of New Zealand universities in different ways from other migrant scholars, especially those who hail from the global North. They are rarely included in academic ‘prestige economies’ or elite scholarly networks and are often isolated in their academic departments. This paper draws on a study about the experiences of senior Pacific academics in Aotearoa New Zealand and explores how they formulate pan-Pacific solidarities within the neoliberal and settler-colonial milieu of higher education. We focus on the often fraught dynamics of encounters between Pacific scholars, white academic elites and indigenous Māori colleagues as they map academic identities on to institutional space.     

Evaluation of the KA24 (Knowledge Access 24) service for health and social care staff in London and the south-east of England. Part 2: qualitative

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this two-part paper is to identify the main transferable lessons learned from both the quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the KA24 (Knowledge Access 24) service of online databases and selected full-text journals for health and social care staff in London and the south-east of England. The objectives of the qualitative evaluation were to assess the enablers and barriers to usage, and to assess the impact of the service on patient care. METHODS: Telephone interviews (n = 65) and a questionnaire survey (n = 296) were conducted with various types of user, in various Trust settings. Some non-users were also contacted. Selection of interviewees and questionnaire recipients was not random, and aimed to cover all groups of users representatively. RESULTS: Results show that policy goals were being delivered, with indications of changes to clinical practice, and improved clinical governance. Promotion, training and support needs to be extensive, and tailored to needs, but users are not always aware they need training. The sharing of passwords cast doubts on the reliability of some usage data. CONCLUSIONS: Digital health library services, delivered at the point of care, are changing the way some clinicians practise. A combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods are needed to assess digital library services.     

Decoding via Coding: Analyzing Qualitative Text Data Through Thematic Coding and Survey Methodologies

ASBTRACT

In order to effectively analyze qualitative data one must use a systematic process to organize and highlight meaning. This article suggests a practical method of navigating the challenges of organizing and classifying qualitative data through the use of thematic coding and the reorganization of text data into a SurveyMonkey survey.     

Teaching Communication Research Methods: Student Perceptions of Topic Difficulty,Topic Understanding,and Their Relationship with Math Anxiety

The undergraduate Communication Research Methods course is a foundational course offered by a majority of departments across the country. Despite its ubiquity and importance, the course is often seen as a difficult pedagogical experience for students and instructors alike. To more completely understand student learning in this course, this study examined relationships between perceptions of course topic understanding, course topic difficulty, and their relationship with students’ level of math anxiety. Results revealed that statistical topics emerged as the most difficult for students to learn. Significant and strong negative correlations were observed between perceived difficulty and understanding for each of the 19 course topics. Self-reported math anxiety was positively related to both perceived difficulty and understanding of the topics. Suggestions are offered to enhance course instruction.