The impact of engineering curriculum design principles on elementary students’ engineering and science learning

The Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards propose that students learn core ideas and practices related to engineering as well as science. To do so, students will need high-quality curricular materials designed to meet these goals. We report an efficacy study of an elementary engineering curriculum, Engineering is Elementary (EiE) that includes a set of hypothesized critical components designed to encourage student engagement in practices, connect engineering and science learning, and reach diverse students. To measure the impact of the curriculum, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in 604 classrooms in 152 schools in three states. Schools were randomly assigned to either the treatment curriculum or to a comparison curriculum that addressed the same learning goals but did not include several critical components. Results show that students who used the treatment curriculum (EiE) regardless of demographic characteristics outperformed students in the comparison group on outcome measures of both engineering and science content learning. The results show that curriculum design affects student-learning outcomes.     

Forced Disruption of Anatomy Education in Australia and New Zealand: An Acute Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Australian and New Zealand universities commenced a new academic year in February/March 2020 largely with “business as usual.” The subsequent Covid-19 pandemic imposed unexpected disruptions to anatomical educational practice. Rapid change occurred due to government-imposed physical distancing regulations from March 2020 that increasingly restricted anatomy laboratory teaching practices. Anatomy educators in both these countries were mobilized to adjust their teaching approaches. This study on anatomy education disruption at pandemic onset within Australia and New Zealand adopts a social constructivist lens. The research question was “What are the perceived disruptions and changes made to anatomy education in Australia and New Zealand during the initial period of the Covid-19 pandemic, as reflected on by anatomy educators?.” Thematic analysis to elucidate “the what and why” of anatomy education was applied to these reflections. About 18 anatomy academics from ten institutions participated in this exercise. The analysis revealed loss of integrated “hands-on” experiences, and impacts on workload, traditional roles, students, pedagogy, and anatomists' personal educational philosophies. The key opportunities recognized for anatomy education included: enabling synchronous teaching across remote sites, expanding offerings into the remote learning space, and embracing new pedagogies. In managing anatomy education's transition in response to the pandemic, six critical elements were identified: community care, clear communications, clarified expectations, constructive alignment, community of practice, ability to compromise, and adapt and continuity planning. There is no doubt that anatomy education has stepped into a yet unknown future in the island countries of Australia and New Zealand.     

Technical and tactical skills related to performance levels in tennis: A systematic review

The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of outcome measures and instruments identified in the literature for examining technical and tactical skills in tennis related to performance levels. Such instruments can be used to identify talent or the specific skill development training needs of particular players. Searches for this review were conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo databases. Out of 733 publications identified through these searches, 40 articles were considered relevant and included in this study. They were divided into three categories: (1) technical skills, (2) tactical skills and (3) integrated technical and tactical skills. There was strong evidence that technical skills (ball velocity and to a lesser extent ball accuracy) and tactical skills (decision making, anticipation, tactical knowledge and visual search strategies) differed among players according to their performance levels. However, integrated measurement of these skills is required, because winning a point largely hinges on a tactical decision to perform a particular stroke (i.e., technical execution). Therefore, future research should focus on examining the relationship between these skills and tennis performance and on the development of integrated methods for measuring these skills.     

Acute and chronic effects of foam rolling vs eccentric exercise on ROM and force output of the plantar flexors

Foam rolling and eccentric exercise interventions have been demonstrated to improve range of motion (ROM). However, these two modalities have not been directly compared. Twenty-three academy soccer players (age: 18 ± 1; height: 1.74 ± 0.08 m; body mass: 69.3 ± 7.5 kg) were randomly allocated to either a foam rolling (FR) or eccentric exercise intervention designed to improve dorsiflexion ROM. Participants performed the intervention daily for a duration of four weeks. Measurements of dorsiflexion ROM, isometric plantar flexion torque and drop jump reactive strength index were taken at baseline (pre-intervention) and at three subsequent time-points (30-min post, 24-hours post and 4-weeks post). A significant time x group interaction effect was observed for dorsiflexion (P = 0.036), but not for torque or reactive strength index. For dorsiflexion, there was a significant increase in both acute (30-min; P < 0.001) and chronic (4-week; P < 0.001) ROM for the eccentric group, whilst FR exhibited only an acute improvement (P < 0.001). Eccentric training would appear a more efficacious modality than foam rolling for improving dorsiflexion ROM in elite academy soccer players.     

I am fast but I do not fit: an autoethnography of a swimmer’s experiences of ‘competitive performance’ stigma in two sporting contexts

Given that research outside of sport and exercise has found that stigma may cause severe consequences (e.g. depression), it is important to explore the concept in regard to its connection to socio-cultural issues in the development and persistence of stigmatisation in sporting contexts. Analytic autoethnography and Goffman’s theory of stigma was used to explore one female swimmer’s experiences of ‘enacted’ and ‘felt’ competitive performance stigma occurring in elite swimming and a masters swimming context. Competitive performance stigma has not been conceptualised or explored as a stigma type in sport research, however through the presentation and analysis of two vignettes and the use of Goffman, this is achieved. The social agents that contributed to both ‘enacted’ and ‘felt’ competitive performance stigma and the consequences/effects (e.g. withdrawal from sport, feelings of shame) for this swimmer are highlighted. Our analysis further highlights the role of particular cultural insiders (e.g. coaches, team managers and other swimmers) in the reproduction of competitive performance stigma through acts of labelling, discrimination and social isolation. These acts positioned the female swimmer as an ‘outsider’ because of her competitive performance which in turn led to her withdrawal from these two sporting contexts highlighting the implications for recipients of stigmatisation.     

Swinging between infatuation and disillusionment: learning about teaching teachers through self-study

Background: School teachers who become teacher educators (TEs) are rarely prepared for the different pedagogies that teacher education requires. One pedagogical difference is the need for TEs to make their thinking and decisions explicit to pre-service teachers (PSTs) so PSTs can see teaching as an adaptive process rather than a set of routines to be memorised.

Purpose: This research set out to analyse my learning about teaching teachers through making my decisions and thinking explicit to my PSTs.

Participants and data collection: Using a self-study of teacher education practice (S-STEP) methodology, I collected data during an outdoor education course in a physical education (PE) degree. Participants included a convenience sample of six participating PSTs (of a cohort of 24) who participated in four interviews and two group interviews. Three critical friends observed five lessons and participated in interviews. In addition, self-generated data consisted of 104 written reflective journal entries (both private and open). Lessons were video-recorded to assist with reflection.

Data analysis: Utilizing Schön’s concepts of reflection for, in and on action, I sought out contrary perspectives in order to frame and reframe my understanding of TE practice. I then presented these new understandings to other participants for further development.

Findings: My learning about teaching teachers can be represented as swinging between opposite extremes of infatuation and disillusionment. After observing my teaching, a critical friend identified that my physical position (or how I placed myself in the group) affected PST engagement in discussions. As I explored this aspect of my teaching further, I became very focused on the influence of my physical position to the point of infatuation. My infatuation stage culminated in a reflection-in-action moment when I changed my position in the act of teaching, which appeared to significantly increase PST engagement. But the PSTs challenged my interpretation and stated that inequalities of power cannot be resolved by rearranging where a teacher stands. In this second stage, I experienced a strong sense of disillusionment, even cynicism. As a TE, I felt any actions I took were pointless against the power structures of society. Later, with insights from participants, I developed a more nuanced understanding of power and position; while not a panacea, how I arranged myself and the class physically did have some influence on the flow of discussions.

Conclusions: S-STEP requires that researching practitioners challenge their assumptions. In making my own learning about my teaching explicit to my PSTs and critical friends, I was able to frame and reframe my understandings about teaching teachers. Through this research, I discovered that I learnt about my teaching by swinging between extremes. I argue that thinking about teaching informed by extreme positions, provides a fuller purview of the complexity of teaching teachers. S-STEP in conjunction with explicit teaching practices offers TEs a tangible means to understand our practices more deeply and furthermore, to advance our understanding of teacher education more broadly.     

Maturity-associated considerations for training load,injury risk,and physical performance in youth soccer: One size does not fit all

Biological maturation can be defined as the timing and tempo of progress to achieving a mature state. The estimation of age of peak height velocity (PHV) or percentage of final estimated adult stature attainment (%EASA) is typically used to inform the training process in young athletes. In youth soccer, maturity-related changes in anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics are diverse among individuals, particularly around PHV. During this time, players are also at an increased risk of sustaining an overuse or growth-related injury. As a result, the implementation of training interventions can be challenging. The purpose of this review was to (1) highlight and discuss many of the methods that can be used to estimate maturation in the applied setting and (2) discuss the implications of manipulating training load around PHV on physical development and injury risk. We have provided key stakeholders with a practical online tool for estimating player maturation status (^{Supplementary Maturity Estimation Tools}). Whilst estimating maturity using predictive equations is useful in guiding the training process, practitioners should be aware of its limitations. To increase the accuracy and usefulness of data, it is also vital that sports scientists implement reliable testing protocols at predetermined time-points.     

Family therapy: A case for training for school psychologists

This article presents both a rationale and methodology for family involvement by school personnel and underscores the need for school psychology training programs to respond programmatically to the training of their students in understanding and working with families. A family systems approach is adopted by the authors and is presented in the form of key questions concerning some important family dynamics. Five applications of this framework in the school setting are discussed.     

The impact of organisational factors on career pathways for female coaches

Government and sport organisations have spent considerable resources on increasing the number of female coaches in sport, yet women are still significantly under-represented in this sector. Research directed towards understanding why females remain involved in coaching in the Australian sport system has tended to focus on individual barriers and motivations, with generally less attention given to the organisational setting in which coaches work. To examine why there continues to be low numbers of female coaches in elite sport, Kanter's (Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic) organisational theory of homologous reproduction was used to guide a case study of a state sport organisation (SSO). Results indicated that organisational strategies, prevailing hegemonic masculinity, and systemic barriers in the SSO were sustaining male coaching dominance in the organisation whilst marginalizing women.