Dialogue: Comment on “Effects of Grip and Forearm Position on Flexed-Arm Hang Performance”

Abstract

The majority of physical activity initiatives have been directed toward promoting cardiorespiratory fitness and general health. Far less attention has been devoted to encouraging or understanding muscular fitness-promoting behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine if constructs from the Transtheoretical Model, a contemporary behavior change framework, could be adapted and applied to the study of muscular fitness-promoting behaviors. Participants were 429 college students who completed measures of stage of change, the behavioral and cognitive processes of change, and self-efficacy. All measures were modified to relate specifically to muscular fitness-promoting behaviors. Two direct discriminant function analyses were performed, revealing that the behavioral processes of change and self-efficacy were the major correlates of the stages of change for muscular fitness-promoting behaviors.     

Vicarious language instruction with bilingual children through self-modeling

The present experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a self-modeling procedure and a self-modeling procedure combined with social reinforcement on the language acquisition of bilingual children. In the self-modeling condition the children were prompted to mimic portions of sentences on audiotape. These fragments were edited into complete sentences and served as models during instruction. Children in the self-modeling group displayed significantly more adjective usage and adopted more of the modeled content than children whose self-modeled responses were socially reinforced and children assigned to the two control conditions.     

Transforming the embodied dispositions of pre-service special education teachers

Teacher education programs seek to foster dispositions that welcome student differences in race, culture, language and ability. However, pre-service teachers’ dispositions are difficult to transform because they tend to be aligned with the field of schooling where differences are punished or excluded. This study examines an activity for transforming pre-service teachers’ communicative habitus that was inspired by Bourdieu’s theory that habitus or dispositions are unconsciously embodied and therefore require a bodily counter-training for change. The activity instructed 17 pre-service Special Education teachers to communicate an experience through sound alone rather than words in order to challenge teachers’ deeply embodied communicative norms and open them up to the possibilities of non-normative communication. Follow up discussions, written reflections and videotaped think-alouds provided opportunities for explicit pedagogy and reflection. In this article, we discuss findings and implications from a recent implementation of this activity.     

蛋白质组学研究前沿及主要技术方法

基因组中的几乎所有基因最终是通过蛋白质的表达、修饰和相互作用来实现其功能的,因此对蛋白质的分析历来是生命科学研究中很重要的内容。随着多种生物的基因组计划的实施和完成,蛋白质研究技术的发展和突破以及生物信息学的发展,人们开展了大规模的蛋白质分析,蛋白质组学随之产生。一般认为,蛋白质组学的一个很重要的内容应该是筛选出参与一个生命过程(生理过程或病理过程)的全部蛋白质种类及其后修饰和相互作用。为此,需要借助一些高通量,快速,准确,自动化程度高的技术和手段。当然,任何新技术和手段都在发展完善中,也存在一定的局限,因此…     

Learning From Our Mistakes: Improvements in Spelling Lead to Gains in Reading Speed

The present study tested the hypothesis that underlying orthographic representations vary in completeness within the individual, which is manifested in both spelling accuracy and reading speed. Undergraduate students were trained to improve their spelling of difficult words. Word reading speed was then measured for these same words, allowing for a direct evaluation of whether improvements in spelling would bring about faster reading speeds. Results were clear: Spelling accuracy and reading speed were strongly related across and within participants. Most important, words that improved in spelling accuracy were read more rapidly at posttest than words that did not show improvement in spelling. These results provide direct evidence showing that the quality of orthographic representations, as indexed by spelling accuracy, directly relates to reading speed. This is consistent with the lexical quality hypothesis and highlights the relevance of spelling in literacy acquisition.     

A MODEL FOR DETERMINING COMPARABLE PROGRAM COSTS IN POSTSECONDARY OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Determining and analyzing unit costs in higher education has been variously discussed for decades. This article presents the rationale and operational guidelines of a method for determining comparable costs in two‐year college occupational and technical programs that is reasonable to adapt and use by many colleges without developing a new financial data system. Forms and procedures are also included to encourage adoption