On the use of extended TAM to assess students' acceptance and intent to use third‐generation learning management systems

Service‐oriented e‐learning platforms can be considered as a third generation of learning management systems (LMSs). As opposed to the previous generations, consisting of ad hoc solutions and traditional LMS, this new technology contemplates e‐learning systems as services that can be integrated into different learning scenarios. This paper shows that the flexibility of these systems allows building personal learning environments and proposes the use of an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) to assess the acceptance and intention to use a third generation of LMS. To fit and validate the service‐oriented e‐learning platforms acceptance model, structural equation modeling and path analysis have been implemented. The results point out that the intention to use this third‐generation LMS is determined by the gadgets and container design, both of which are structural elements of this technology. Finally, it is also shown that previous experience does not determine the use intention of this technology.     

Effect of Ball Mass on Dribble,Pass, and Pass Reception in 9–11-Year-Old Boys' Basketball

The objective of the study was to analyze the effect of ball mass on dribble, pass, and pass reception in real game situations in 9–11-year-old boys' basketball. Participants were 54 boys identified from six federated teams. The independent variable was ball mass, and dependent variables were number of dribbles, passes, and pass receptions. Three situations were established in which the participants played four games with each of the following: (a) regulation ball (485 g, 69–71 cm), (b) ball of smaller mass (440 g, 69–71 cm), and (c) ball of greater mass (540 g, 69–71 cm). Four observers recorded data from observing game videos using a computerized register instrument. Participants executed more dribbles, passes, and pass receptions with the 440-g ball when compared to the regulation (p < .05) and 540-g ball (p < .01). Reduction of ball mass seems to have enabled the children to go from paying attention to aspects related to ball handling to aspects of game interpretation.     

Analysing the literature on university social responsibility: A review of selected higher education journals

In the last 30 years, different economic, political and social changes have taken place in the university sector and this has led to an extensive reform to meet the new societal challenges that these institutions are facing today. This emphasises the social dimension of universities and their important role in society as educators of future leaders and policy makers. This reveals the need to integrate social responsibility principles into the mainstream functions of universities. In view of these comments, this paper offers a review of the literature about university social responsibility during the period from 2000 to 2015. The objectives of the review are to: explore patterns in publication outlets; collect, scrutinise and critically analyse the current literature on this field; to identify gaps in the literature and make recommendations for further research in this field. To accomplish this task, data were collected from 15 specialist academic journals that focus on higher education.     

Standing at a hinge of history: what today’s universities can learn from past philosophies of higher education

In recent years, university education has changed considerably, adapting to the prevailing circumstances and proving itself an essential resource in the optimisation of the professional, social and cultural domains. In short, the changes experienced by university education have led to the achievement of quite significant results. However, at the same time we have also witnessed the emergence of certain misgivings about the nature of this education, above all in relation to the personal, ethical and civic development of today’s student populace. This paper focuses on these concerns, and in so doing, it revisits a past in which essential philosophical ideas were being formulated about higher education, ideas that this paper argues are highly pertinent to current reality.     

对高水平乒乓球运动员腿部爆发力和弹跳力的评价

乒乓球运动是一项非周期性运动,对抗过程中涉及极其复杂的战术、心理和生理因素,球员面对对手的施压需要做出快速反应,其中速度和爆发力是基本的、必备的素质.研究目的探讨乒乓球运动员腿部爆发力的重要作用.研究方法本研究选用29名优秀运动员为实验对象,其中包括17名男性(年龄23.5±5.5岁)和12位女性(年龄20.8±2.9岁),均为西班牙国家乒乓球队成员.采用测力台(Ergotester Globus)、Acer笔记本电脑和一些登记册对运动员进行了全蹲跳(CMJ)和半蹲跳(SJ)测试,并对腿部爆发力和弹跳力进行了评价.实验数据的统计处理由SPSS v12.0和Excel v 10.2软件完成.研究结果在腿部爆发力和弹跳力方面,男女组存在显著性差异(p＜0.001),男运动员优于女性运动员.同样,不同打法的选手之间也存在差异,防守型打法的选手都低于进攻型选手.讨论和结论在CMJ和SJ测试中,防守型打法的选手腿部爆发力和弹跳力均低于进攻型选手.在实验中成绩较好的男女选手,排名均在西班牙前十二以内,进一步证实了腿部爆发力在此项运动中的重要性,尤其对进攻型打法的选手.其原因可归结为血液中所含睾丸激素水平的高低,男选手高于女选手,进攻型选手高于防守型.     

The role of positive peer interactions and English exposure in Spanish-speaking preschoolers’ English vocabulary and letter-word skills

We examined the extent to which positive interactions with peers and the amount of English exposure received from them during social interactions in the fall of preschool contributed to low-income Spanish-speaking children's (N = 107; M_age = 53 months; SD = 4.30 months; 56% boys) English vocabulary and letter-word skills in the spring (controlling for parents’ language use, family income, number of English books at home, and children's nonverbal cognitive abilities). We also examined the mediating roles of children's learning behaviors (e.g., attentiveness, independence, initiative, persistence, and participation) and English oral proficiency in the classroom. The association between positive peer interactions and English vocabulary skills was mediated by children's English oral proficiency, whereas the association between positive peer interactions and English letter-word skills was mediated by children's learning behaviors and English oral proficiency. The associations among peer English exposure and children's English vocabulary and letter-word skills were mediated by children's English oral proficiency. There was also evidence of a transactional association between positive peer interactions and children's learning behaviors and between peers’ and children's English oral proficiency. The findings highlight the importance of peer experiences in fostering Spanish-speaking preschoolers’ English vocabulary and letter-word skills.