Seeking resilience and sustainability: outdoor education in Singapore

Outdoor education is not a universal value. Rather, outdoor education's contributions need to be grounded in time, place and culture. In this paper we describe the historical and cultural milieu that has enabled the emergence of outdoor education in Singapore and report on exploratory survey research into Singaporean teachers' conceptions of outdoor education. We compare the reported outcomes of outdoor education in Singapore to similar studies from Australia and New Zealand. Further focus group research is then used to develop a vision for outdoor education in Singapore. In so doing we aim to illustrate, and celebrate, how culturally-specific circumstances must be considered in both interpreting and conceptualizing outdoor education. We conclude that while personal development outcomes are important for Singaporean outdoor educators, these are developed more for the benefits of society and the State. The future role of outdoor education in Singapore will most probably continue to be linked to ongoing and emerging social and cultural imperatives such as harmony among diverse religious groups and environmental consequences of climate change.     

A Librarian Research Consultation Requirement for University Honors Students Beginning Their Theses

Honors students represent a population for whom special library instructional services may be appropriate. The author describes a required librarian research consultation program for honors students starting work on their theses.     

LibQUAL Revisited: Further Analysis of Qualitative and Quantitative Survey Results at the University of Mississippi

This paper updates an earlier 2010 longitudinal study of LibQUAL qualitative and quantitative data from the University of Mississippi libraries with an additional year of LibQUAL data, collated with other library-collected data such as gate-count numbers. In doing so, it identifies several results that are not satisfactorily analyzed by LibQUAL, and it concludes that a more specialized local survey may be helpful to supplement or supplant LibQUAL.     

The roles of value predispositions,communication, and third person perception on public support for censorship of films with homosexual content

This study aims to examine the roles of value predispositions, communication, and third person perception on public support for censorship of films with homosexual content in Singapore. Findings from a nationally representative telephone survey of adults showed that the majority of Singaporeans supported stricter censorship of films with homosexual characters. Conformity to norms, intrinsic religiosity, and Asian orientation were positively associated with public support for censorship. Media exposure and perceived negative media effects on self were negatively associated with public support for censorship. Our results supported the perceptual component but not the behavioral component of the third person effect.     

Promoting preventive behaviors against influenza: Comparison between developing and developed countries

Applying the health belief model, this study examined young adults' intention to adopt preventive behaviors against influenza infection in developing countries (Thailand and Cambodia) and developed countries (the USA and Singapore). Self-efficacy was the only variable significantly related to behavioral intention in the developing countries. In contrast, perceived threat, expected benefits, and media attention were significant predictors in the developed countries. Trust in information sources also had a consistent impact across the two samples. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Press laws in North Korea

The press in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is closely tied to its communist sociopolitical structures. The North Korean press finds its modus operandi in the ‘Soviet Communist’ theory for its relationship with its government. This study examines the press laws and regulations in North Korea, pursuing three questions: (1) What is the status of the press as a sociopolitical institution in North Korea?; (2) What is the constitutional and statutory scheme relating to press freedom in North Korea?; and (3) What is the impact of the statutory mechanisms on the press in North Korea?

The press and other mass media in North Korea are totally controlled by the Korean Worker's Party. No dissenting voice is permitted in the news media. North Korea recognizes freedom of the press as a Constitutional right of their citizens. Nevertheless, there is a considerable disparity between the constitutional guarantee of press freedom and its practical application. In the name of ‘collective good’ as defined by President Kim II Sung and his party, the basic right to a free and independent press as understood in its libertarian sense is denied to North Koreans. While there are no separate specialized laws relating to the rights and/or responsibilities of the North Korean press, several indirect press laws are on the books. Nevertheless, it is doubtful whether they have any noticeable bearing upon the functions of the state‐controlled press. The impact of the statutes upon the North Korean press is negligible in that the press does not (or to be precise, need not) feel any statutory constraint. This is because there is no room for conflict between the North Korean press and law enforcement authorities.     

Supervised Teaching Practice as a Partnership Process: Novice and experienced student-teachers' perceptions

The article examines the views trainee teachers on a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Course have about their Supervised Teaching Practice (STP). Data obtained through quantitative and qualitative methods revealed that in general the trainees held a positive view of the STP. A closer examination indicated some differences between novice and experienced trainees in their perception of the role of the STP and its impact on their teaching and learning. Experienced trainees tended to evaluate the STP from a pedagogical perspective, perceiving it as a valuable mechanism for facilitating their teaching. But novice trainees tended to be more concerned with the contextual and technical aspects of the STP being less ready to contemplate its impact on their teaching. Results suggested that trainees' years of teaching experience is an important factor to be considered when conducting the STP. Implications are drawn about the role of the supervisor in helping novice trainees overcome their concerns associated with the early stages of professional development; clarifying the role of the supervisor; the need for involving a school mentor in the STP, and strengthening the existing school-university partnership in teacher education.     

Normative data for regional sweat sodium concentration and whole-body sweating rate in athletes

The purpose of this study was to establish normative data for regional sweat sodium concentration ([Na⁺]) and whole-body sweating rate in athletes. Data from 506 athletes (367 adults, 139 youth; 404 male, 102 female) were compiled from observational athlete testing for a retrospective analysis. The participants were skill/team-sport (including American football, baseball, basketball, soccer and tennis) and endurance (including cycling, running and triathlon) athletes exercising in cool to hot environmental conditions (15–50°C) during training or competition in the laboratory or field. A standardised regional absorbent patch technique was used to determine sweat [Na⁺] on the dorsal mid-forearm. Whole-body sweat [Na⁺] was predicted using a published regression equation (y = 0.57x+11.05). Whole-body sweating rate was calculated from pre- to post-exercise change in body mass, corrected for fluid/food intake (ad libitum) and urine output. Data are expressed as mean ± SD (range). Forearm sweat [Na⁺] and predicted whole-body sweat [Na⁺] were 43.6 ± 18.2 (12.6–104.8) mmol · L^–1 and 35.9 ± 10.4 (18.2–70.8) mmol · L^–1, respectively. Absolute and relative whole-body sweating rates were 1.21 ± 0.68 (0.26–5.73) L · h^–1 and 15.3 ± 6.8 (3.3–69.7) ml · kg^–1 · h^–1, respectively. This retrospective analysis provides normative data for athletes’ forearm and predicted whole-body sweat [Na⁺] as well as absolute and relative whole-body sweating rate across a range of sports and environmental conditions.