Agreement in activity energy expenditure assessed by accelerometer and self-report in adolescents: variation by sex, age, and weight status

The agreement between self-reported and objective estimates of activity energy expenditure was evaluated in adolescents by age, sex, and weight status. Altogether, 403 participants (217 females, 186 males) aged 13-16 years completed a 3-day physical activity diary and wore a GT1M accelerometer on the same days. Partial correlations (controlling for body mass) were used to determine associations between estimated activity energy expenditure (kcal · min(-1)) from the diary and accelerometry. Differences in the magnitude of the correlations were examined using Fisher's r to z transformations. Bland-Altman procedures were used to determine concordance between the self-reported and objective estimates. Partial correlations between assessments of activity energy expenditure (kcal · min(-1)) did not differ significantly by age (13-14 years: r = 0.41; 15-16 years: r = 0.42) or weight status (normal weight: r = 0.42; overweight: r = 0.39). The magnitude of the association was significantly affected by sex (Δr = 0.11; P < 0.05). The agreement was significantly higher in males than in females. The relationship between activity energy expenditure assessed by the objective method and the 3-day diary was moderate (controlling for weight, correlations ranged between 0.33 and 0.44). However, the 3-day diary revealed less agreement in specific group analyses; it markedly underestimated activity energy expenditure in overweight/obese and older adolescents. The assessment of activity energy expenditure is complex and may require a combination of methods.     

Perception and action in golf putting: skill differences reflect calibration

We assessed how golfers cope with the commonly observed systematic overshoot errors in the perception of the direction between the ball and the hole. Experiments 1 and 2, in which participants were required to rotate a pointer such that it pointed to the center of the hole, showed that errors in perceived direction (in degrees of deviation from the perfect aiming line) are destroyed when the head is constrained to move within a plane perpendicular to the green. Experiment 3 compared the errors in perceived direction and putting errors of novice and skilled players. Unlike the perceived direction, putting accuracy (in degrees of deviation from the perfect aiming line) was not affected by head position. Novices did show a rightward putting error, while skilled players did not. We argue that the skill-related differences in putting accuracy reflect a process of recalibration. Implications for aiming in golf are discussed.     

Evaluation of the level of problem solving skills of Turkish higher education graduates in technology-rich environments

Educational technology research and development - This study aims to evaluate the level of Turkish higher education graduates’ problem-solving skills (PSSs) in technology-rich environments...     

A meta-analysis of the impact of mobile learning on mathematics achievement

Education and Information Technologies - The technological developments of the twenty-first century have enabled the emergence of alternative teaching-learning models and instructional tools. One...     

Movement and engagement in flexible,technology-enhanced classrooms: investigating cognitive and emotional engagement from the faculty perspective

Learning Environments Research - The main objective of the study was to understand specific ways in which a flexible, technology-enhanced space can create opportunities for student engagement....     

Professional and Technical Communication in a Web 2.0 World

This article reports on results of a nationwide survey of alumni in professional and technical communication. It presents a series of snapshots from the results, including the types of texts written and valued, where those types are written, with and for whom, and with what technologies. A range of implications are explored.     

Exploring the Relations between In-service Training,Prior Contacts and Teachers’ Attitudes towards Persons with Intellectual Disability

This study investigates the relations between teachers’ attitudes towards persons with intellectual disability (ID), in-service training on ID, and prior contacts with persons with ID. A sample of Canadian elementary school teachers (N?=?118) completed the Attitudes Toward Intellectual Disability Questionnaire, which measures cognitive, affective and behavioural components of attitudes towards persons with ID. Correlational and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Frequent contacts with persons with ID and experience of including a child with ID increased the likelihood of reporting prior positive contacts with persons with ID. In turn, this was associated with less discomfort towards persons with ID and more willingness towards interactions. In-service training on ID was related to better knowledge of rights and capabilities of persons with ID. Experience of including a child with ID in general education classrooms increased the likelihood to report feeling competent in teaching children with ID, which predicted more willingness to include children with ID.     

ICT tools in environmental education: reviewing two newcomers to schools

United Nations of Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO’s) founding statements about environmental education (EE) in the 1970s positioned it as a multidisciplinary field of inquiry. When enacted as such, it challenges traditional ways of organising secondary school education by academic subject areas. Equally, according to UNESCO, EE requires various forms of integrated and project-based teaching and learning approaches. These can involve hands-on experimentation alongside the retrieval and critical analysis of information from diverse sources and perspectives, and with different qualities and statuses. Multidisciplinary and knowledge engagement challenges are key considerations for an EE curriculum designed to harness information and communication technologies (ICT) to support and enhance student learning, which also challenge traditional instructional priorities that for example are largely based on textbooks. This review summarises research that has sought to integrate ICT and digital tools in EE. A key finding is that while there is a rich variety of such tools and applications available, there is far less research on their fit with and implications for student learning. The review calls for further studies that will provide models of productive forms of teaching and learning that harness ICT resources, particularly in developing the goals and methodologies of EE in the twenty-first century.