Generalizability and Validity of a Mathematics Performance Assessment

The QUASAR Cognitive Assessment Instrument (QCAI) is designed to measure program outcomes and growth in mathematics. It consists of a relatively large set of open-ended tasks that assess mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and communication at the middle-school grade levels. This study provides some evidence for the generalizability and validity of the assessment. The results from the generalizability studies indicate that the error due to raters is minimal, whereas there is considerable differential student performance across tasks. The dependability of grade level scores for absolute decision making is encouraging; when the number of students is equal to 350, the coefficients are between .80 and .97 depending on the form and grade level. As expected, there tended to be a higher relationship between the QCAI scores and both the problem solving and conceptual subtest scores from a mathematics achievement multiple-choice test than between the QCAI scores and the mathematics computation subtest scores.     

Placement,inclusion, law and teachers’ perceptions in Macao’s schools

In Macao, the government has initiated a debate regarding revisions in the Decree Law in order to promote a more inclusive schooling system. In this Special Administrative Region of China, inclusive education is one of three possible types of special education that are likely be legislated in the future. The way the teachers perceive the different aspects related to inclusive education, namely the principles, concepts and law, is essential for its full implementation. The aim of this study is to understand teachers’ perceptions about the proposed amendments in the consultation document for changes in the special education regime. In particular, we focus on teachers’ acceptance of the recommended role of parents, the proposed placement models and expectations for teacher training. A mixed-methods approach with a survey of a sample of 500 teachers in private schools and interviews to a sub-sample of 20 provide the data. While agreeing in principle with the majority of the proposed changes in the Decree Law, there were several reservations made by the teachers, especially regarding the extent of parental choice, placement decisions and teacher training. Recommendations to continue the pathway for a more inclusive education system in Macao and for further research are made.     

The influence of playing surface on physiological and performance responses during and after soccer simulation

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of playing surface on physiological and performance responses during and in the 48 h after simulated soccer match play. Blood lactate, single-sprint, repeated-sprint and agility of eight amateur soccer players were assessed throughout a 90-min soccer-simulation protocol (SSP) completed on natural turf (NT) and artificial turf. Counter-movement jump, multiple-rebound jump, sprint (10 m, 60 m), L-agility run (L-AR), creatine kinase (CK) and perception of muscle soreness (PMS) were measured before, immediately after, 24 h and 48 h after exercise. Analyses revealed significant changes in blood lactate and single-sprint performance (both P < 0.05) during the SSP but with no significant differences between surfaces. Conversely, repeated-sprint performance demonstrated an interaction effect, with reductions in performance evident on NT only (P < 0.05). Whilst L-AR and 10-m sprint performance remained unchanged, 60-m sprint and multiple-rebound jump performance were impaired, and PMS and CK were elevated immediately following the SSP (all P < 0.05) but with no surface effects. Although performance, CK and PMS were negatively affected to some degree in the 48 h after the SSP, there was no surface effect. For the artificial and natural surfaces used in the present study, physiological and performance responses to simulated soccer match play appear to be similar. Whilst a potential for small differences in performance response exists during activity, surface type does not affect the pattern of recovery following simulated match play.     

Four studies dealing with mediated persuasive messages,attitudes, and learning styles

Conclusions A fundamental assumption of the research presented above was that attitude change is an important concern of the educator, and that if attitudes are important, information on how attitudes might be formed or changed with media is needed. Four studies were conducted to examine the use of media to deliver persuasive messages. The results of the four studies presented in this article tended to support the following conclusions. First, attitudes toward educationally relevant topics, such as conservation, smoking, and disabled persons, can be modified by using persuasive messages delivered by media. Next, it appeared that some types of media may be more effective than others at delivering information designed to change attitudes. Motion pictures seem to be more effective than slides. There also seems to be sufficient evidence to warrant further investigation into the relationship between the content of persuasive messages, the media used to deliver those messages, and the learning styles of the target audience. In short, attitudes can be modified by mediated messages, and the degree of modification may be related to the characteristics of the students who view the message and to the way the message is mediated.     

The Use of Online Support Groups to Seek Information about Chronic Illness: Applying the Theory of Motivated Information Management

The growing number of adults living with chronic illness, combined with the increased availability of illness-specific online support groups, is changing the way individuals seek information about their chronic illnesses. This study utilized elements of the theory of motivated information management (TMIM) to examine how individuals decide to seek information about their chronic illness from online support groups. Adults with chronic illness who had visited at least one online support group in the last six months completed an online survey. Structural equation model findings revealed that, although uncertainty discrepancy about a chronic illness did not predict negative emotional response, both target efficacy and communication efficacy were positively related to information-seeking. Findings aid in explaining specific processes individuals go through when deciding to visit online support groups to gather information about their chronic illnesse, but cannot conclusively support TMIM in this context.     

文化批评在当代还有用武之地吗?

论文简要分析了当前彻底商业化的社会里从事文化批评所面临的困境,商品拜物教、形象崇拜愈演愈烈,人文领域危机四伏;认为通过精神分析批评和马克思主义批评的结合,可以揭示资本主义社会中被压制和歪曲的文化因素;论文用“后意识形态共生”的理论对中国电影《英雄》作了解读;最后的结论是文化批评在当代仍有存在的价值。     

A new approach to determining net impulse and identification of its characteristics in countermovement jumping: reliability and validity

Examining a countermovement jump (CMJ) force-time curve related to net impulse might be useful in monitoring athletes' performance. This study aimed to investigate the reliability of alternative net impulse calculation and net impulse characteristics (height, width, rate of force development, shape factor, and proportion) and validate against the traditional calculation in the CMJ. Twelve participants performed the CMJ in two sessions (48 hours apart) for test–retest reliability. Twenty participants were involved for the validity assessment. Results indicated intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) of ≥ 0.89 and coefficient of variation (CV) of ≤ 5.1% for all of the variables except for rate of force development (ICC = 0.78 and CV = 22.3%). The relationship between the criterion and alternative calculations was r = 1.00. While the difference between them was statistically significant (245.96 ± 63.83 vs. 247.14 ± 64.08 N s, p < 0.0001), the effect size was trivial and deemed practically minimal (d = 0.02). In conclusion, variability of rate of force development will pose a greater challenge in detecting performance changes. Also, the alternative calculation can be used practically in place of the traditional calculation to identify net impulse characteristics and monitor and study athletes' performance in greater depth.