The influence of water depth on kinematic and spatiotemporal gait parameters during aquatic treadmill walking

The purpose of this study was to investigate kinematic and spatiotemporal variables of aquatic treadmill walking at three different water depths. A total of 15 healthy individuals completed three two-minute walking trials at three different water depths. The aquatic treadmill walking was conducted at waist-depth, chest-depth and neck-depth, while a customised 3-D underwater motion analysis system captured their walking. Each participant’s self-selected walking speed at the waist level was used as a reference speed, which was applied to the remaining two test conditions. A repeated measures ANOVA showed statistically significant differences among the three walking conditions in stride length, cadence, peak hip extension, hip range of motion (ROM), peak ankle plantar flexion and ankle ROM (All p values < 0.05). The participants walked with increased stride length and decreased cadence during neck level as compared to waist and chest level. They also showed increased ankle ROM and decreased hip ROM as the water depth rose from waist and chest to the neck level. However, our study found no significant difference between waist and chest level water in all variables. Hydrodynamics, such as buoyancy and drag force, in response to changes in water depths, can affect gait patterns during aquatic treadmill walking.     

Kicking modality during erratic-dynamic and static condition effects the muscular co-activation of attacker

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of different kicking modality, i.e., erratic-dynamic target (EDT) versus static target (ST) on the performance of the roundhouse kick in two groups of taekwondo athletes of different skill level. Three-dimensional analysis and surface electromyography (SEMG) analysis were performed on 12 (Group A: six sub-elite, Group B: six elite) athletes to investigate muscle co-activation pattern under two conditions, i.e., EDT versus ST. In the results, the muscle recruitment ratio of the agonistic muscles was higher for Group A, whereas Group B had higher recruitment ratio for antagonist muscles. Overall, the co-activation index (CI) of hip joints appeared higher in the extensors for Group A, whereas higher CI was observed in flexor muscles for Group B with comparatively higher CI during EDT condition than ST condition. Higher value of CI was observed in flexor muscles of the knee joints among Group A during EDT conditions, in contrast, higher CI in the extensor muscles was observed among Group B during ST conditions. In conclusion, the study confirmed that erratic-dynamic movements of target could change the movement coordination pattern to maintain the joint stability of participants.     

The Effects of Self‐ and Peer‐Monitoring in Social Studies Performance of Students with Learning Disabilities and Low Achieving Students

This study employed group randomized trials to investigate the effects of self‐ and peer‐monitoring on the academic vocabulary and content knowledge of students with learning disabilities and low achieving students in social studies. Fourth grade students were randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups on a class level. Results indicated that there was a significant interaction effect between the intervention and students’ pretest scores on academic vocabulary acquisition; the intervention was more effective for students with lower scores in the pretest than those with higher scores. In addition, there was a significant intervention effect on content knowledge acquisition; the effect size of the growth of the treatment group on the content knowledge test was significantly larger than that of the comparison group. Teacher interviews also revealed that teachers viewed the intervention positively. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Difference score reliabilities within the RIAS-2 and WISC-V

Many prominent intelligence tests (e.g., Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition [WISC-V] and Reynolds Intellectual Abilities Scale, Second Edition [RIAS-2]) offer methods for computing subtest- and composite-level difference scores. This study uses data provided in the technical manual of the WISC-V and RIAS-2 to calculate reliability coefficients for difference scores. Subtest-level difference score reliabilities range from 0.59 to 0.99 for the RIAS-2 and from 0.53 to 0.87 for the WISC-V. Composite-level difference score reliabilities generally range from 0.23 to 0.95 for the RIAS-2 and from 0.36 to 0.87 for the WISC-V. Emphasis is placed on comparisons recommended by test publishers and a discussion of minimum requirements for interpretation of differences scores is provided.     

Nonnative English-Speaking Professors’ Experiences of English-Medium Instruction and Their Perceived Roles of the Local Language

This study examines the experiences of nonnative English-speaking faculty instructors teaching subject courses in English-medium instruction (EMI) at a Korean university and reveals the perceived roles of the local language in the context. The data consist of questionnaire responses of 91 Korean professors and qualitative interviews with 15 who had answered the questionnaires. Findings showed that the participants perceived the local students’ performances and the amount of interaction between local and international students negatively. Their perceived need for the local, Korean language correlated negatively with the interaction between Korean and international students. In the qualitative interviews, the local language in the EMI context, despite the full-fledged EMI policy being implemented top down, was represented as crucial for social and instructional purposes and for their own time management. These perceived roles were found to be associated with their multiple identities, as instructors and researchers, required and practiced in the context. The findings are discussed to provide information on how to support an EMI policy for internationalization of higher education, especially in non-English-speaking societies.     

Measuring perceptions of the learning environment and approaches to learning: validation of the learn questionnaire

While focus on quality in Danish higher education has been growing in recent years, limited attention has been devoted to developing and thoroughly validating instruments that allow collecting data about university students’ perceptions of the teaching-learning environment. Based on data from a large sample of Danish university students, a Danish version of the Learn questionnaire was validated using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. Analyses confirmed the existence of three scales reflecting students’ approaches to learning and six scales reflecting students’ perception of the teaching-learning environment. The results suggest that the Danish version of Learn is a valid instrument to be used for evaluation of the teaching-learning environment as well as for research into Danish university students’ learning strategies.     

Differential pathways to generic skills development of male and female college students in Korea

This study analyzed a stratified random sample of 1,707 senior students at 60 four-year universities in South Korea to explore the gender-specific pathways to Korean students?? development of generic skills??analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. Multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate the involvement factors differential effects on the development of students?? generic skills. The findings suggest that college student involvement plays a critical role in developing the important generic skills. Furthermore, male and female students do have different routes to the development of such skills. In the case of Korean students, at 4-year institutions of higher education, male students tend to develop generic skills more through formal and independent activities in and out of the classroom, whereas female students do so typically in an informal and interdependent way. These results call for additional scholarly investigation into gender influence on college impact and gender-dependent activities during college; moreover, they encourage institutions of higher education to adopt more gender-specific approaches to relevant institutional policies and practices.