Identifying students with learning disabilities: the effect of implementing statewide guidelines

Methods for identifying students with learning disabilities continue to be an area of controversy. The present investigation examined the impact of implementing statewide guidelines for the identification of these students. Data were collected from multidisciplinary team reports on 718 students with learning disabilities who were referred and labeled during the 1983-84 school year (before implementation of statewide learning disability guidelines) and 790 students who were identified during 1987-88 (after implementation of the guidelines). The results of the study revealed that the statewide guidelines significantly changed the characteristics of students who were identified. After the implementation of the guidelines, students with much more severe academic problems were identified. These students were much more likely to have a severe discrepancy and be chronically failing in the regular classroom. However, even with explicit, widely accepted guidelines, approximately one third of all students identified in 1987-88 failed to meet the stated criteria for identification. The implications of these findings for professional practice and future research are discussed.     

On the development of the scientific work monitoring system at higher educational institutions

The main aspects of the creation of a monitoring system for the research activities of the members of a higher-education institution are considered. The scientific activities of the lecturers and members of Turgenev Orel State University is used as the basis. It is expected that this system will be an efficient tool for optimal managerial decisions at all levels.     

A review of ancient Egyptian pigments and cosmetics

The pigments used by the ancient Egyptians constitute the most diverse pigment palette of the ancient world. This review discusses the pigments and binders which were used, arranged principally in terms of the colours themselves, namely, the white, green, grey, black, brown, blue, red, orange, and yellow pigments. The chemical identity of these pigments is discussed with some details regarding the artefacts or time periods from which the pigment concerned has been identified. Combinations of pigments were used for creating some colours, especially: greens, pinks, blues, yellows, and a variety of pale hues by mixing primary colours with a white addition, such as calcite. The identification of ancient Egyptian pigments is often aggravated by chemical interactions between pigment and binder media, or between the pigment and environmental pollutants, or both. The nature of the binders and varnishes used in ancient Egypt is briefly discussed. The identification of green pigments from ancient Egypt is often difficult, and some of the recent research concerning the topic is reviewed. In addition to including relevant details from older literature, this review provides a synopsis of recent studies which have appeared since the last major review carried out by Lee and Quirke in 2000.     

Troubleshooting Electronic Resources with ILL Data

Troubleshooting electronic resource linking issues can seem to be an insurmountable task—so many resources, so little time. Using interlibrary loan (ILL) data on requests for materials available online, the electronic resources staff at the Samford University Library detected problems with the implementation of their new link resolver. This data also provided a window into some systemic issues within the metadata of certain sources and the link resolver knowledgebase. In addition to helping us improve linking for our users, the establishment of a workflow for communicating cancelled ILL transaction data on an ongoing basis has also improved the communication between electronic resources staff and the ILL department regarding the overall linking process.     

Gamifying your Teaching: Guidelines for Integrating Gameful Learning in the Classroom

Gamified teaching is a pedagogical strategy that utilizes principles of gaming in the structure of assignments and grading. When students are allowed to engage in gameful educational experiences, they are given the freedom to choose their own pathway through assignments in order to better customize their learning. This article presents a rationale for gamified teaching and outlines the various elements of this instructional approach. In addition, guidance is provided on how to convert a traditional course to a gamified class.     

Mediating effects of resistance training skill competency on health-related fitness and physical activity: the ATLAS cluster randomised controlled trial

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of resistance training skill competency on percentage of body fat, muscular fitness and physical activity among a sample of adolescent boys participating in a school-based obesity prevention intervention. Participants were 361 adolescent boys taking part in the Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time (ATLAS) cluster randomised controlled trial: a school-based program targeting the health behaviours of economically disadvantaged adolescent males considered “at-risk” of obesity. Body fat percentage (bioelectrical impedance), muscular fitness (hand grip dynamometry and push-ups), physical activity (accelerometry) and resistance training skill competency were assessed at baseline and post-intervention (i.e., 8 months). Three separate multi-level mediation models were analysed to investigate the potential mediating effects of resistance training skill competency on each of the study outcomes using a product-of-coefficients test. Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle. The intervention had a significant impact on the resistance training skill competency of the boys, and improvements in skill competency significantly mediated the effect of the intervention on percentage of body fat and the combined muscular fitness score. No significant mediated effects were found for physical activity. Improving resistance training skill competency may be an effective strategy for achieving improvements in body composition and muscular fitness in adolescent boys.     

Effects of high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese women

The purpose of this study was to evaluate two practical interval training protocols on cardiorespiratory fitness, lipids and body composition in overweight/obese women. Thirty women (mean ± SD; weight: 88.1 ± 15.9 kg; BMI: 32.0 ± 6.0 kg · m²) were randomly assigned to ten 1-min high-intensity intervals (90%VO₂ peak, 1 min recovery) or five 2-min high-intensity intervals (80–100% VO₂ peak, 1 min recovery) or control. Peak oxygen uptake (VO₂ peak), peak power output (PPO), body composition and fasting blood lipids were evaluated before and after 3 weeks of training, completed 3 days per week. Results from ANCOVA analyses demonstrated no significant training group differences for any primary variables (P > 0.05). When training groups were collapsed, 1MIN and 2MIN resulted in a significant increase in PPO (?18.9 ± 8.5 watts; P = 0.014) and time to exhaustion (?55.1 ± 16.4 s; P = 0.001); non-significant increase in VO₂ peak (?2.36 ± 1.34 ml · kg^?1 · min^?1; P = 0.185); and a significant decrease in fat mass (FM) (??1.96 ± 0.99 kg; P = 0.011). Short-term interval exercise training may be effective for decreasing FM and improving exercise tolerance in overweight and obese women.     

Multivariate analyses of individual variation in soccer skill as a tool for talent identification and development: utilising evolutionary theory in sports science

The development of a comprehensive protocol for quantifying soccer-specific skill could markedly improve both talent identification and development. Surprisingly, most protocols for talent identification in soccer still focus on the more generic athletic attributes of team sports, such as speed, strength, agility and endurance, rather than on a player’s technical skills. We used a multivariate methodology borrowed from evolutionary analyses of adaptation to develop our quantitative assessment of individual soccer-specific skill. We tested the performance of 40 individual academy-level players in eight different soccer-specific tasks across an age range of 13–18 years old. We first quantified the repeatability of each skill performance then explored the effects of age on soccer-specific skill, correlations between each of the pairs of skill tasks independent of age, and finally developed an individual metric of overall skill performance that could be easily used by coaches. All of our measured traits were highly repeatable when assessed over a short period and we found that an individual’s overall skill – as well as their performance in their best task – was strongly positively correlated with age. Most importantly, our study established a simple but comprehensive methodology for assessing skill performance in soccer players, thus allowing coaches to rapidly assess the relative abilities of their players, identify promising youths and work on eliminating skill deficits in players.