Mediation analysis of an adolescent HIV/STI/pregnancy prevention intervention

Most interventions designed to prevent HIV/STI/pregnancy risk behaviours in young people have multiple components based on psychosocial theories (e.g. social cognitive theory) dictating sets of mediating variables to influence to achieve desired changes in behaviours. Mediation analysis is a method for investigating the extent to which a variable X (e.g. intervention indicator) influences an outcome variable Y (e.g. unprotected sex) by first influencing an intermediate variable M (e.g. self-efficacy to use a condom) and provides a way for empirically validating theoretical hypothesised mediators. In this way, mediation analysis is a critical tool for suggesting which components of complex interventions should be the focus of more efficient and effective interventions in the future. The present study applied multilevel mediation analysis to outcome data from the All4You2! study to begin to examine the relationships between a theory-based HIV/STI/pregnancy prevention curriculum for students attending alternative high schools who were at risk of educational failure. The study targeted psychosocial mediating variables and the primary outcome unprotected sex in the past three months. Results suggest helping young people attending alternative schools identify and avoid exposure to risky situations and improving their self-efficacy to refuse sex should be focal points of future interventions.     

Romantic relationships: an important context for HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention programmes with young people

Romantic relationships are central in the lives of young people. This paper uses data on romantic relationships from urban youth in the USA to illustrate how using a relationships perspective in HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention programmes broadens the skills and content covered, and contextualises the learning to enhance relevance and use. Self-report survey data were collected using electronic handheld devices for a school-based randomised trial. The survey sample includes 911 young people (mean age = 12.4 years) representative of their schools. Logistic regressions explored associations between selected sexual behaviours and relationship characteristics. For all participants, having more boy/girlfriends, dating alone, ever touching and ever having had oral sex were associated with an increased likelihood of having vaginal sex. Among young people with current partners, having a partner three or more years older, length of relationship and ever having oral sex were associated with an increased likelihood of having vaginal sex. The study data confirm the importance of accounting for relationships in sexual risk reduction programmes, and provide avenues for enhancing the relevancy of typical school-based prevention programmes.     

Examining the task and knowledge demands needed to teach with representations

Representations are often used in instruction to highlight key mathematical ideas and support student learning. Despite their centrality in scaffolding teaching and learning, most of our understanding about the tasks involved with using representations in instruction and the knowledge requirements imposed on teachers when using these aids is theoretical. In this study, we examine the task and knowledge demands for teaching integer operations with representations by analyzing teaching practice. Teaching integer operations is used as an intensity case, as integer operations are challenging for students, and teachers are often required to employ several representations to teach this topic. Following a practice-based approach while also taking prior literature into consideration, we first generate a list of tasks entailed in teaching with representations and then discuss the knowledge demands imposed on teachers to successfully undertake this work. We highlight these tasks and knowledge demands by analyzing and discussing an integer addition and an integer subtraction episode for each of two teachers, Bonita and Karen. Based on our analysis, we organize the generated knowledge components using the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching framework. We conclude by drawing implications for teacher educators and curriculum developers.     

Examining relational engagement across the transition to high schools in three US high schools reformed to improve relationship quality

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in students’ relational engagement across the transition to high school in three schools reformed to improve the quality of student–teacher relationships. In order to analyze this data we employed latent growth curve (LGC) modeling techniques (n = 637). We ran three LGC models on three indicators of relational engagement: perceived teacher press (Middleton and Midgley in Contemp Educat Psychol 27:373–391, 2002), perceived teacher support (Goodenow in Psychol Sch 30:79–90, 1993a), and perceived school belonging (Goodenow in J Early Adolesc 13, 21–43, 1993b). For each model we estimated the latent means of the observed variables, the intercept, and the slope. Our hypothesized model for each of the variables included estimates for the contribution of team status (no team, cross-team, pure teamed), total absences in 8th grade, race (white/non-white), gender, gifted status, and socio-economic status. Alternate models were run dropping non-significant exogenous variables from the model one at a time. In each case, the hypothesized models, including five exogenous predictors, evidenced poor fit. However, alternate models including fewer exogenous predictors evidenced better fit, allowed for the estimation of intercept differences and rate of change, and accounted for significant amounts of variance in relational engagement. Findings are situated within the context of school reform designed to improve relational engagement.     

Humor Works in Funny Ways: Examining Satirical Tone as a Key Determinant in Political Humor Message Processing

This multi-experiment study builds upon extant political entertainment theory, testing whether satire type (horatian versus juvenalian) cues varying processing mechanisms (message discounting versus resource allocation), and if consequential differences to argument scrutiny levels or message persuasiveness result. Using novel stimuli (e.g., animated cartoons, study one) and real-world late-night political satire (The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, study two), results suggest that satire type was a key antecedent in political humor message processing. Additionally, the varying mechanisms had differential effects on political argument scrutiny levels and message persuasiveness.     

On the compression of search trees

Let X=_x1,_x2,…,_xn$X=x_1\text{,}{x}_2\text{,}\dots \text{,}{x}_n$ be a sequence of non-decreasing integer values. Storing a compressed representation of X that supports access and search is a problem that occurs in many domains. The most common solution to this problem uses a linear list and encodes the differences between consecutive values with encodings that favor small numbers. This solution includes additional information (i.e. samples) to support efficient searching on the encoded values. We introduce a completely different alternative that achieves compression by encoding the differences in a search tree. Our proposal has many applications, such as the representation of posting lists, geographic data, sparse bitmaps, and compressed suffix arrays, to name just a few. The structure is practical and we provide an experimental evaluation to show that it is competitive with the existing techniques.     

Child abuse,child protection,and defensive ‘touch’ in PE teaching and sports coaching

This text introduces recently completed research on ‘no touch’ sports coaching, by placing it in a broader social context which problematises the way child abuse and child protection (or safeguarding) are conceived and discussed in terms of policy and practice. It also provides a brief indicative summary of the research findings and offers a discussion of moral panic, risk society and worst case thinking, before drawing on Foucault's work on governmentality to offer an explanation of how the current situation arose. The authors suggest that the approach to discussing child abuse, and the guidelines and training stemming from the dominant discourse, for the most part initiated by the NSPCC's Child Protection in Sport Unit, together create an environment in which many coaches and PE teachers are confused and fearful, and consequently unsure of how to be around the children and young people they teach and coach.     

Shooting motion in high school,collegiate, and professional men’s lacrosse players

The purposes of this research were to quantify the kinematics of the lacrosse shot, based on arm dominance and player experience level. Male players (N = 39; 14–30 years; high school [n = 24], collegiate [n = 9], professional [n = 6]), performed overhead shots using dominant and non-dominant sides. Motion was captured using a high-speed, 12-camera optical system and high-speed filming. Body segment rotational velocities and joint angles were determined at key points in the shot cycle from foot contact (0% of shot) to ball release (100% of shot). All players shot with less anterior trunk lean, less transverse shoulder rotation, and slower trunk-shoulder rotational velocities with the non-dominant side than the dominant side (all p < 0.05). Professional players produced crosse angular velocities 21% faster than high school or collegiate players (p < 0.05). Transverse shoulder rotation range of motion on both dominant and non-dominant and trunk rotation sides was highest in the professional players (p < 0.05). These kinematic features enable professional players to produce faster ball speeds than younger players (138 ± 7 km/h vs. 112 ± 15 km/h, respectively; p < 0.05). Less anterior lean or suboptimal rotation sequence could increase proximal shoulder forces that could contribute to injury as in other throwing sports.     

Olympic Sport and Its Lessons for Peace

The purpose of this paper is to study the expressive part of game performance in soccer by introducing the concept of theatricality to describe a special form of expression. The aim is to contribute to the understanding of game performance by looking into the appearance, role and value of theatricality. The main argument of the paper is that theatricality can describe an important, but rarely noticed performance aspect, as it provides a unifying concept for expressive distancing in four dimensions of the players’ life-worlds: the subjective, intersubjective, collective and institutional. By explicating the value of this kind of expression in soccer the paper can provide a philosophical basis for including theatricality in performance and development strategies.