Differences in the Intensity and Duration of Adolescents' Sports and Exercise Across Physical and Social Environments

We used data from the American Time Use Survey (years 2003–06) to analyze whether the intensity and duration of high school students' (ages 15–18 years) sports and exercise bouts differed across physical and social environments. Boys' sports and exercise bouts were more likely to reach a vigorous intensity when taking place at school and with friends/acquaintances/other people; whereas girls' sports and exercise bouts were more likely to reach a vigorous intensity when outdoors and alone. For boys and girls, bout durations were greater at school and with friends/acquaintances/other people than in other environments. Overall, environmental influences on the intensity but not duration of sports and exercise bouts appear to differ between boys and girls.     

The Impact of Alumni Status on Institutional Giving by Faculty and Staff

This study explores the association between propensity toward giving and personal and positional characteristics of faculty and staff across 3 years within a large, public, multi-campus higher education institution. Informed by the literatures on organizational identity and commitment, faculty and staff giving, and the higher education workforce, the study employs a hurdle analysis to estimate the predictors of likelihood of donating (the hurdle) and the amount given among those who donate. Following up on earlier research by the authors that demonstrated that academic employees and employees who are institutional alumni are more likely to give, the present study explores the interaction between these roles and offers a more powerful model for predicting the amount given. The results of this study have implications for understanding how organizational commitment and identification may be relevant in addressing giving, for institutional fundraising, and for building institutional loyalties.     

Action research for instructional improvement: the Bad,the Ugly,and the Good

In the wake of accreditation cycles stressing student outcomes, we believed the reflective and practitioner-centered philosophy of action research a perfect fit for effecting institutional improvements for a four-year grant-funded effort in our urban–suburban community colleges in California. We learned that things were both worse and better than we had imagined. While we had anticipated what we will call ‘the Bad’, the classic budgetary and institutional forces buffeting us, our project, and our institutions, we had not anticipated what we will call ‘the Ugly’. And perhaps because of our grasp of ‘the Bad’, we also had not anticipated what we will call ‘the Good’. We found ourselves challenged to rethink how to encourage colleagues to become reflective practitioners, yet able to appreciate the power of action research to lead to genuine transformation.     

Evaluation of Handheld Computers for Direct Systematic Classroom Observation

Through this study the authors evaluate outcomes associated with the use of handheld computers by interventionists in improving the efficiency of direct systematic classroom observation. Information from observations is used by interventionists for treatment planning and evaluation. In this study, interventionists were trained to use personal digital assistants with classroom observational software for use with students who displayed low levels of academic engagement. Results indicated that the personal digital assistants and observational software were perceived as user-friendly, increased computer self-efficacy, and facilitated treatment planning and evaluation. Discussion focuses on implications for use of handheld computers and mobile devices by interventionists.     

Taking Shared Print to the Next Level: The Partnership for Shared Book Collections

Abstract

This article introduces the Partnership for Shared Book Collections, a federation of monograph shared print programs. Collaboration of programs at the network level allows for:

• Reducing the cost of retaining the scholarly record through shared distribution of commitments;

• De-duplicating efforts;

• Developing and promoting evidence-based best practices;

• Increasing the effectiveness of communication with end-users and funders;

• Tackling large-scale projects and research that are out of reach for individual shared print programs. This shared stewardship of collection is critical as local resources are depleted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and access to print for digitization increases.

     

Dissection versus Prosection: A Comparative Assessment of the Course Experiences,Approaches to Learning,and Academic Performance of Non-medical Undergraduate Students in Human Anatomy

Many institutions rely upon prosection-based laboratories as more resource-efficient and time-effective alternatives to traditional cadaver dissection for human anatomy education. To facilitate growing enrollment numbers despite resource limitations, the University of Guelph (a non-medical institution) introduced a modified “stepwise” prosection-based laboratory cohort to supplement a dissection-based course. In this design, all students attended the same lectures, but those in the dissection-based cohort learned by performing regional dissections and students in the prosection-based cohort studied from those dissections. Prosection students thereby witnessed a “slow reveal” of structures throughout the course. This study compared the perceived course experiences, student approaches to learning, and academic performance between the two groups. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to isolate the effect of the laboratory environment on student approaches to learning and academic performance from demographic and situational covariates. Both groups reported positive course experience ratings and high average final grades that were not statistically dissimilar (P > 0.05), increased reliance on deep approaches to learning (P = 0.002), and decreased reliance on surface approaches to learning (P = 0.023). When controlling for covariates, participation in dissection had small but statistically significant positive associations with deep approaches to learning (P = 0.043), performance on laboratory oral assessments (P < 0.001), and average final grades (P = 0.039). Ultimately, both designs promoted meaningful learning and desirable performance outcomes, indicating that both dissection and stepwise prosection have the potential to facilitate high quality human anatomy instruction.     

Business Action Learning Tasmania (BALT) – an account of practice

Business Action Learning Tasmania’s (BALT) mission is self-reliant industry development, with diverse companies co-operating to improve their profitability, develop their people and grow the local economy. This is achieved through collaborative action learning, with companies working together on projects of vital importance and sharing the learnings. The Tasmanian economy has been in decline for several years due to relative isolation, rising costs of freight, labour, energy and capital, skills shortages, and a high Australian dollar. BALT demonstrates the potential for self-directed action learning between organisations in a regional area to grow the local economy. BALT evolved from an initial Lean Action Learning program conducted in Tasmania in 2010. Since then 5 programs involving 13 companies have been completed, with a further 2 programs and 7 projects underway at time of writing. Representatives from participating companies have played a leading role, with support from the Tasmanian Government. This Account of Practice describes outcomes achieved, evaluation methods, lessons learnt and future aspirations for BALT.     

Do Latino Youth Really Want to Get Pregnant?: Assessing Pregnancy Wantedness

Despite recent declines, Latinas bear a disproportionate burden of teen births. Understanding social, cultural, and demographic factors underlying pregnancy desire among Latino adolescents is needed to design effective teen pregnancy prevention interventions.

A questionnaire was completed by 794 Latino youth including a “pregnancy wantedness scale” (PWS) to assess attitudes toward an early pregnancy and socio-demographic variables. Regression analyses examined the association between these variables and PWS score. PWS scores for all groups were below but near the midpoint, suggesting ambivalence toward an early pregnancy. Being female, older, acculturated, using hormonal contraception, living with parents, and having an educated mother were significantly associated with lower PWS scores, but impacted youth differently depending on their sex and sexual experience. Multi-component Latino teen pregnancy prevention strategies should address behavioral and attitudinal differences based on sex and sexual experience and acknowledge the contribution of social determinants on pregnancy intentions.