Effects of short-term Rhodiola Rosea (Golden Root Extract) supplementation on anaerobic exercise performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of short-term Rhodiola Rosea (Golden Root Extract (GRE)) supplementation on repeated Wingate performance. Eleven physically active college aged females were recruited for this study. In a within groups counterbalanced study design, participants were supplemented with either 1,500 mg/day of GRE or placebo (gluten-free cornstarch) for 3 days. Participants also took an additional 500 mg dose of corresponding treatment 30 minutes prior to testing of each trial. During each exercise trial, participants completed 3 × 15-second Wingate Anaerobic Tests (WAnTs) separated by 2-minute active recovery periods. Each exercise trial was separated by a 7 day washout period. Over the 3 × 15-second WAnTs, mean watts (p = 0.017, ES = 0.55), mean anaerobic capacity (p = 0.025, ES = 0.96), mean anaerobic power (p = 0.03, ES = 1.07), mean peak watts (p = 0.029,ES = 0.46), and mean total work (p = 0.017, ES = 0.49) were higher in the GRE treatment trial versus placebo. However, mean fatigue index (p = 0.094, ES = 0.39) was unaffected regardless of treatment. Our results show that GRE supplementation enhanced anaerobic exercise performance as measured through repeated WAnTs. GRE may possess ergogenic benefits and findings hold important implications for boosting anaerobic performance in repeated anaerobic bouts of exercise.     

Speaking to read: The effects of speech recognition technology on the reading and spelling performance of children with learning disabilities

In recent literature on persons with learning disabilities (LD), speech recognition has been discussed primarily as an assistive technology to help compensate for writing difficulties. However, prior research by the authors has suggested that in addition to helping persons to compensate for poor writing skills, speech recognition also may enhance reading and spelling; that is, what was designed as assistive technology appears to serve remedial functions as well. The present study was conducted to determine whether elementary and secondary students with LD who used the technology to write self-selected compositions and class assignments would demonstrate improvements in reading and spelling. Thirty-nine students with LD (ages 9 to 18) participated. Nineteen participants used speech recognition 50 minutes a week for sixteen weeks, and twenty students in a control group received general computer instruction. Results indicated that the speech recognition group showed significantly more improvement than the control group in word recognition (p<.0001), spelling (p<.002) and reading comprehension (p<.01). Pre- and posttests on five reading-related cognitive processing measures (phonological, orthographic, semantic processing, metacognitive reading strategies, and working memory) indicated that for the experimental group, only phonological processing improved significantly over the treatment period when compared to controls (p<.04). Further ANCOVA suggested that growth in phonological processing was associated with significant differences among conditions for all three academic measures: word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension. Address correspondence to 971 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107. E-mail center@frostig.org.     

Using concept maps to assess student learning in the science classroom: Must different methods compete?

This yearlong study was implemented in seventh-grade life science classes with the students' regular teacher serving as teacher/researcher. In the study, a method of scoring concept maps was developed to assess knowledge and comprehension levels of science achievement. By linking scoring of concept maps to instructional objectives, scores were based upon the correctness of propositions. High correlations between the concept map scores and unit multiple choice tests provided strong evidence of the content validity of the map scores. Similarly, correlations between map scores and state criterion-referenced and national norm-referenced standardized tests were indicators of high concurrent validity. The approach to concept map scoring in the study represents a distinct departure from traditional methods that focus on characteristics such as hierarchy and branching. A large body of research has demonstrated the utility of such methods in the assessment of higher-level learning outcomes. The results of the study suggest that a concept map might be used in assessing declarative and procedural knowledge, both of which have a place in the science classroom. One important implication of these results is that science curriculum and its corresponding assessment need not be dichotomized into knowledge/comprehension versus higher-order outcomes. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 1103–1127, 1998.