The relative difficulty of signed arithmetic story problems for primary level deaf and hard-of-hearing students

This study determines the relative difficulty and associated strategy use of arithmetic (addition and subtraction) story problems when presented in American Sign Language to primary level (K-3) deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Results showed that deaf and hard-of-hearing students may consider and respond to arithmetic story problems differently than their hearing peers, with the critical dimension in problem difficulty being based on the operation typically used to solve the problem, not the story within the problem. The types of strategies used by the students supported the order of problem difficulty. The visual-spatial nature of the problem presentation appeared not to assist the deaf and hard-of-hearing students in solving the problems. Factors that may have contributed to this pattern of problem difficulty are discussed so that educators can better align mathematics instruction to the thinking of the deaf child.     

Ensuring Indigenous cultural respect in Australian undergraduate nursing students

Like other Westernised countries, Australia’s history of colonisation, racism and oppression has impacted upon Indigenous Peoples’ health and well-being. It is also evident that institutional racism and ongoing colonisation are present in the Australian health system. Better preparation of health professionals to work in a culturally respectful way can contribute to addressing health disparities and prejudices. One approach to enabling the development of cultural respect is through embedding an Indigenous graduate attribute (IGA) across curricula and ensuring the process is thoughtfully developed and assessed. This paper describes and discusses the process of developing an assessment criteria template (ACT) to assess Indigenous cultural respect in an undergraduate nursing degree programme. Critical to the project was meaningful engagement with Indigenous stakeholders and Indigenous leadership to inform the development and implementation process. Although the context will vary globally due to the diversity of Indigenous Peoples and each country’s history of colonisation, by publishing this work, we intend to provide transparency into the process we undertook to embed and assess an IGA ACT in an undergraduate nursing curriculum. We hope this is helpful for other tertiary institutions internationally who are also engaging in this space.     

Student engagement in the educational interface: understanding the mechanisms of student success

Student success and retention continue to be of concern for higher education institutions. Wider participation, combined with lower completion rates for non-traditional students, highlights the need for new ways of understanding the student experience to ground policy and practice. This article provides this insight by drawing together a number of key constructs to refine a recent framework of student engagement. We argue that the transition metaphor, focusing on the first year, is limited because it depicts differences between students and institutions as both transient and temporal. Instead, we use a cultural lens to introduce the educational interface as a metaphor for the individual psychosocial space within which institutional and student factors combine and student engagement in learning occurs. Incorporating the interface into the existing framework of student engagement makes three contributions to our understanding of the student experience. First, the educational interface is a tangible way of representing the complex interactions between students and institutions, and how those interactions influence engagement. Second, the refined framework highlights four specific psychosocial constructs: self-efficacy, emotions, belonging and well-being, which, we contend, are critical mechanisms for mediating the interactions between student and institutional characteristics and student engagement and success. Finally, the refined framework helps to explain why some students with demographic characteristics associated with lower completion rates are retained and do go on to successfully complete their studies, while similar others do not. These three contributions, the interface, the key constructs within it being mediating mechanisms and their explanatory utility, provide focus for the design and implementation of curricula and co-curricular initiatives aimed at enhancing student success and retention, and importantly to evaluate the impact of these interventions.     

Factors Affecting Students' Acceptance of Tablet PCs: A Study in Italian High Schools

To maximize the advantages of the tablet personal computer (TPC) at school, this technology needs to be accepted by students as new tool for learning. With reference to the Technology Acceptance Model and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the aims of this study were (a) to analyze factors influencing high school students' acceptance of TPCs and (b) to detect any difference in this influence considering the frequency of TPC use, students' gender, and school grade. Two hundred and ninety-six students from six high schools in the Milan area participated in the study. Data were collected using an online survey. The results showed that empowerment in learning, perceived usefulness, and support conditions affect learning use, and empowerment in learning and affect influence communicative use of TPCs. The implications of these results are discussed. (Keywords: tablets, acceptance, digital technologies, high school, path analysis)     

Optimization of Maximal Rate of Heart Rate Increase Assessment in Runners

Purpose: Correlations between fatigue-induced changes in exercise performance and maximal rate of heart rate (HR) increase (rHRI) may be affected by exercise intensity during assessment. This study evaluated the sensitivity of rHRI for tracking performance when assessed at varying exercise intensities. Method: Performance (time to complete a 5-km treadmill time-trial [5TTT]) and rHRI were assessed in 15 male runners following 1 week of light training, 2 weeks of heavy training (HT), and a 10-day taper (T). Maximal rate of HR increase (measured in bpm·s^?1) was the first derivative maximum of a sigmoidal curve fit to HR data recorded during 5 min of running at 8 km·h^?1 (rHRI_8km·h^?1), and during subsequent transition to 13 km·h^?1 (rHRI_{8–13km·h^?1}) for a further 5 min. Results: Time to complete a 5-km treadmill time-trial was likely slower following HT (effect size ± 90% confidence interval = 0.16 ± 0.06), and almost certainly faster following T (–0.34 ± 0.08). Maximal rate of HR increase during 5 min of running at 8 km·h^?1 and rHRI_{8–13km·h^?1} were unchanged following HT and likely increased following T (0.77 ± 0.45 and 0.66 ± 0.62, respectively). A moderate within-individual correlation was found between 5TTT and rHRI_8km·h^?1 (r value ± 90% confidence interval = –.35 ± .32). However, in a subgroup of athletes (n = 7) who were almost certainly slower to complete the 5TTT (4.22 ± 0.88), larger correlations were found between the 5TTT and rHRI_8km·h^?1 (r = –.84 ± .22) and rHRI_{8–13km·h^?1} (r = –.52 ± .41). Steady-state HR during rHRI assessment in this group was very likely greater than in the faster subgroup (≥ 1.34 ± 0.86). Conclusion(s): The 5TTT performance was tracked by both rHRI_8km·h^?1 and rHRI_{8–13km·h^?1}. Correlations between rHRI and performance were stronger in a subgroup of athletes who exhibited a slower 5TTT. Individualized workloads during rHRI assessment may be required to account for varying levels of physical conditioning.     

The exercise effect on psychological well-being in older adults—a systematic review of longitudinal studies

The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between physical activity (PA) and the psychological domains of well-being in older adults and to identify possible moderators and mediators of this relationship. Twelve longitudinal investigations were included in this review. The results indicate that there seems to be a positive association between PA and psychological well-being over time. Thus PA may be one possible individual lifestyle factor for the long-term promotion of psychological well-being in older adults. Especially leisure time PA at light intensities conducted in group settings was identified to be beneficial for promoting psychological well-being. Furthermore, longitudinal results indicated that self-efficacy, self-esteem, affect, optimism, and pre-interventional motivation moderated/mediated the relationship between PA and psychological well-being in older adults.