Examining the influence of international large-scale assessments on national education policies

This paper examines whether, to what extent, and how international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) have influenced education policy-making at the national level. Based on an exploratory review of the research and policy literature on ILSAs and two surveys administered to educational policy experts, researchers, policymakers, and educators, our research found that ILSAs, with their multiple and ambiguous uses, increasingly function as solutions in search for the right problem – that is, they appear to be used as tools to legitimize educational reforms. The survey results pointed to a growing perception among stakeholders that ILSAs are having an effect on national educational policies, with 38% of respondents stating that ILSAs were generally misused in national policy contexts. However, while the ILSA literature indicates that these assessments are having some influence, there is little evidence that any positive or negative causal relationship exists between ILSA participation and the implementation of education reforms. Perhaps the most significant change associated with the use of ILSAs in the literature reviewed is the way in which new conditions for educational comparison have been made possible at the national, regional, and global levels.     

An overview of educational policies in the countries of Latin America during the 1990s

In this paper we want to examine the construct of the Learning Society in its economic and social context in the UK. We will argue that the policy rhetoric which makes up the current discourse of the ‘learning’ society is both powerfully normative and unhelpfully reductionist and that it displaces and masks issues of inequality. The discourse of the Learning Society has conflated the achievement of increased levels of participation for 16‐ to 19‐year‐olds with the insertion of market mechanisms and relations and the assertion of self‐interest. This has meant that issues of exclusion, polarization and social justice have been systematically neglected. The Learning Society provides, we suggest, for a redrawing and relegitimation of patterns of exclusion. In particular, in a time of social crisis, middle‐class retrenchment (masked as familial duty) has re‐asserted itself, in part, through a specific, particular engagement with the Learning Society in order to ensure advantage and distinction. As Connell (1996: 5) puts it, this ‘is the point on which the politics of education markets mainly turns’. Thus, we believe it is critical to address the question, ‘Whose Learning Society'? We shall attempt this through a preliminary examination of data collected from a cohort of 16‐year‐olds who are in the process of transition from statutory schooling into a post‐16 education and training market (ETM), and deploy their ‘emergent narratives’ to problematize the normative simplicities of the Learning Society.     

Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test-Level 1 to monitor changes in aerobic fitness in pre-pubertal boys

The present study aimed to examine the performance and heart rate responses during the Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test-Level 1 (Yo-Yo IE1) in children under the age of 10. One hundred and seven male children (7–9 years) performed the Yo-Yo IE1 at the beginning (M₁), middle (M₂) and end (M₃) of the school year. Data from individual heart rate curves of the Yo-Yo IE1 were analysed in order to detect the inflection point between an initial phase of fast rise in heart rate values and a second phase in which the rise of the heart rate values is much smaller. The distance covered in the Yo-Yo IE1 improved from M₁ to M₃ (884 ± 496 vs. 1032 ± 596 m; p < 0.05; d = 0.27), with intermediate values for M₂ (962 ± 528 m). Peak heart rate (HR_peak) decreased from M₁ to M₂ and M₃ (204 ± 9, 202 ± 9 and 200 ± 9 bpm, respectively; p < 0.05; d = 0.25–0.42). The 7th shuttle of the test (280 m), corresponding to 2.5 min, was identified as the inflection point between the two phases. Also, absolute heart rate at the 7th shuttle decreased progressively throughout the year (185 ± 9, 183 ± 10, and 179 ± 10 bpm; p < 0.05; d = 0.31–0.61). The present study provides evidence of the usefulness of a maximal as well as a submaximal version of Yo-Yo IE1 as a tool to monitor changes in aerobic fitness in pre-pubertal children.     

The Relations of Maternal Practices and Characteristics to Children''s Vicarious Emotional Responsiveness

This study examined the relations of maternal vicarious emotional responding and child-rearing practices, as well as familial emotional environment, to 5-6 and 8-9-year-old children's vicarious emotional responding. There were some correspondences between mothers' and children's heart rate, facial, and self-reported reactions to a sympathy-inducing film. Maternal sympathy/perspective taking and reinforcement of sympathy/prosocial behavior, as well as negative subordinate emotion in the home, were associated with markers of girls' sympathy; mothers' personal distress (for girls), restrictiveness regarding displays of hurtful negative emotions (particularly for young girls), and negative dominant emotion in the home (for both sexes) were associated with markers of personal distress. Mothers' linking of the film character's experience to children's own experience was associated with children's responsiveness to the film, and mother's verbalizations during the film concerning her own emotional state and role taking were associated with boys' self-reported sympathy.     

Parental preferences in the choice for a specialty school

Choosing a specialty school involves huge challenges for families. This research aims to understand the behavioral process that leads families to choose among various specialty school programs. Discrete choice models, based on revealed preferences data from middle school applications in a large school district in Florida, are estimated using both, the top and all-ranked alternatives. This study returns insights into geographic settings, theme specialties and socioeconomic characteristics of applicants, schools and their relationships. Distance from home, the school’s academic quality, the school’s theme specialty, and the high percentage of applicant’s own race are found to be the strongest factors related to the decision to apply.     

Effect of the level of effort during resistance training on intraocular pressure

Background: We aimed to evaluate the influence of the level of effort during four basic resistance exercises leading to muscular failure on intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular perfusion (OPP), as well as the role of exercise type and sex. Methods: Twenty-five young adults (12 women) performed 10 repetitions against their 10-RM (repetition maximum) load in the squat, military press, biceps curl and calf raise exercises. IOP was measured before, during and after exercise, whereas OPP was indirectly assessed before and after each exercise. Results: There was a progressive IOP rise during exercise (p?η²?=?0.531), which was dependent on exercise type (p?=?0.020, η²?=?0.125). The squat exercise induced higher IOP increments in comparison to the other exercises (corrected p-values?p-values?=?0.012 and 0.002). OPP exhibited a significant reduction when leading to muscular failure (p?=?0.001, η²?=?0.364), being statistically significant for the squat and military press exercises (corrected p-values?=?0.037 and 0.047). No effect of sex was found for IOP and OPP (p?>?0.05). Conclusions: A single set of resistance training leading to muscular failure causes an instantaneous and progressive IOP rise in healthy young individuals. These IOP rises depend on exercise type (squat?>?military press?=?biceps curl?>?calf raise), but not on participant´s sex. OPP diminished as a consequence of performing resistance training exercise, being statistically significant for the squat and military press exercises. Future studies should include glaucoma patients aiming to corroborate the generalizability of our findings.     

Low test scores in Latin America: poor schools,poor families or something else?

Latin American students consistently score low on international tests of cognitive skills. In the PISA 2012 results, students in seven Latin American countries had an average score of 395 in mathematics, or about 100 points lower than the average score of 497 in four Scandinavian countries. We estimate the effect of socioeconomic characteristics on student scores in Latin America and Scandinavia and find that 50 points of the difference are explained by Latin American parents’ lower average educational and socioeconomic characteristics, 25 points are explained by Latin America’s weak cultural orientation toward reading books and the remaining 25 points are explained by the lower effectiveness of Latin American educational systems in teaching cognitive skills.     

The outcomes of running a sport camp for children and youth with visual impairments on faculty members’ teaching,research, and service activities: a case study

Abstract

We explored the outcomes of running a sport camp for children and youth with visual impairment on faculty members’ roles. Seven adapted physical activity faculty members were interviewed. Questionnaires and documents were also analyzed and a variety of strategies were employed to ensure the study’s trustworthiness. Regarding the teaching role, disability knowledge and real life examples gave faculty more credibility in conducting their class. As for the research role, the outcomes were not shared by the majority of participants and seemed to rely on aspects such as camp maturity, directors’ aptitudes, and partnerships. In turn, running the camp was a means for faculty members to perform their external service roles. These potential outcomes may become a significant part of the process by which people enact their institutional roles and may serve as a framework for future studies with a more hypothesis-driven approach.