Assessing students’ perception of parental career-related support: development of a new scale and a new taxonomy

The object of this study was to assess students' perceptions of their parents’ career-related behaviours and their influence on the students’ behaviours. In study 1 (528 students), we developed the SIL Scale (support, interference and lack of engagement), a nine-item questionnaire applied to educational and job contexts. In study 2 (1204 students), we tested a person-centred approach and developed a new model called the WID Types (willing, involved and in difficulty), which identifies three clusters of students. The associations between the clusters and career choice difficulties, level of career exploration and stage of the vocational choice confirmed its validity.     

Constructing Explanations in Science: Informal Formative Assessment Practices Among Science Teachers of English Learners

Research in Science Education - Informal formative assessments (IFAs) are classroom interactions teachers use to gather information about their students’ learning, interpret it, and act on...     

A probabilistic model for analysing the effect of performance levels on visual behaviour patterns of young sailors in simulated navigation

Abstract

The visual behaviour is a determining factor in sailing due to the influence of the environmental conditions. The aim of this research was to determine the visual behaviour pattern in sailors with different practice time in one star race, applying a probabilistic model based on Markov chains. The sample of this study consisted of 20 sailors, distributed in two groups, top ranking (n = 10) and bottom ranking (n = 10), all of them competed in the Optimist Class. An automated system of measurement, which integrates the VSail-Trainer® sail simulator and the Eye Tracking System^TM was used. The variables under consideration were the sequence of fixations and the fixation recurrence time performed on each location by the sailors. The event consisted of one of simulated regatta start, with stable conditions of wind, competitor and sea. Results show that top ranking sailors perform a low recurrence time on relevant locations and higher on irrelevant locations while bottom ranking sailors make a low recurrence time in most of the locations. The visual pattern performed by bottom ranking sailors is focused around two visual pivots, which does not happen in the top ranking sailor's pattern. In conclusion, the Markov chains analysis has allowed knowing the visual behaviour pattern of the top and bottom ranking sailors and its comparison.     

Effect of hand paddles and parachute on butterfly coordination

This study investigated the effects of hand paddles, parachute and hand paddles plus parachute on the inter-limb coordination of butterfly swimming. Thirteen male swimmers were evaluated in four random maximal intensity conditions: without equipment, with hand paddles, with parachute and with hand paddles + parachute. Arm and leg stroke phases were identified by 2D video analysis to calculate the total time gap (T1: time between hands’ entry in the water and high break-even point of the first undulation; T2: time between the beginning of the hand’s backward movement and low break-even point of the first undulation; T3: time between the hand’s arrival in a vertical plane to the shoulders and high break-even point of the second undulation; T4: time between the hand’s release from the water and low break-even point of the second undulation). The swimming velocity was reduced and T1, T2 and T3 increased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. No changes were observed in T4. Total time gap decreased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. It is concluded that hand paddles do not influence the arm-to-leg coordination in butterfly, while parachute and hand paddles + parachute do change it, providing a greater propulsive continuity.     

Estimating fat-free mass in elite youth male soccer players: cross-validation of different field methods and development of prediction equation

This study determined the most effective field method for quantifying fat-free mass (FFM) in elite youth male soccer players compared to dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) values and to develop prediction equations for FFM based on anthropometric variables. Forty-one male elite-standard youth soccer players, ages 16.2–18.0 years, undertook FFM assessments including bioelectrical impedance analysis, and different skinfold-based prediction equations. DXA provided a criterion measure of FFM. Correlation coefficients, bias, limits of agreement, and differences were used as validity measures, and regression analyses to develop soccer-specific prediction equations. Slaughter et al (1988), Durnin and Wormersley (1974), and Sarria et al (1998) equations showed the lowest biases, and no significant, standardized, and substantial differences against DXA. The new youth soccer-specific anthropometric equation explained 91% of the DXA-derived FFM variance using three circumferences, eight skinfolds, and one bone breadth. All field methods compared in this study may not be adequate for estimating FFM in elite youth male soccer players, except the equations of Slaughter et al (1988), Durnin and Wormersley (1974), and Sarria et al (1998). We recommend the use of the new soccer-specific equation proposed in this study as a valid alternative to DXA to quantify FFM among elite youth male players.     

Cultivating an online teacher community of practice around the instructional conversation pedagogy: a social network analysis

Educational technology research and development - This mixed methods study followed an explanatory sequential design to explore the formation, development, and evolution of a formal online teacher...     

Validity and reliability of rating perceived exertion in women with fibromyalgia: exertion-pain discrimination

The present study aimed (1) to assess the validity and reliability of the Borg category-ratio (CR-10) scale for monitoring exercise intensity in women with fibromyalgia (FM) and (2) to examine whether women with FM can discriminate between perceived exertion and exercise-induced pain. Thirty-three women with FM performed two incremental treadmill tests (1 week separated). Heart rate, oxygen uptake, minute ventilation and respiratory quotient were measured. The ratings of perceived exertion (RPE: CR-10 scale) and exercise-induced pain were obtained at each workload. The Spearman’s correlation of RPE with the physiological responses ranged from 0.69 to 0.79. The regression models explained ~50% of the variability of the studied physiological responses. We found “perfect acceptable” agreement in 69% of the observations. Weighted Kappa was 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59–0.72). There were differences between RPE and pain at workloads 3 (1.50; 95%CI: 0.85–2.16), 4 (2.10; 95%CI: 1.23–2.96), 5 (3.40; 95%CI: 1.29–5.51) and 6 (3.97; 95%CI: 1.61–6.33). The main findings of the present study suggest that the Borg CR-10 scale is valid and moderately reliable for monitoring exercise intensity in women with FM, and these patients were able to discriminate between exertion and exercise-induced pain.     

On time-varying collaboration networks

The patterns of scientific collaboration have been frequently investigated in terms of complex networks without reference to time evolution. In the present work, we derive collaborative networks (from the arXiv repository) parameterized along time. By defining the concept of affine group, we identify several interesting trends in scientific collaboration, including the fact that the average size of the affine groups grows exponentially, while the number of authors increases as a power law. We were therefore able to identify, through extrapolation, the possible date when a single affine group is expected to emerge. Characteristic collaboration patterns were identified for each researcher, and their analysis revealed that larger affine groups tend to be less stable.     

Patterns of inequality in private funding of culture across the UK

By calculating an additively decomposable inequality measure following the lines of Shorrocks (1980; see Econometrica, 48(3)) we are able to evaluate regional disparities in private funding of cultural enterprises in the UK in a novel way. The country-wide index of inequality separates funding differences across regions from disparities within regions. Using data on private investment in UK cultural organisations, we consider three datasets: the first includes 139 organisations between 1993 and 2005; the second includes 573 organisations between 2002 and 2005; the third includes 898 organisations between 2005 and 2006. Differences among the 12 UK regions account for between a quarter and a third of overall funding inequalities. The largest contributor to funding inequality of cultural institutions in the UK is the degree of heterogeneity among cultural organisations within each region. We find that successful private fundraising is not significantly associated with the region where the organisation operates or with the particular cultural expression object of its activity. These are significant findings for cultural policymakers working on addressing issues of regional concentration of culture and diversifying sources of funding for the sector.