A logic of enumeration: the nature and effects of national literacy and numeracy testing in Australia

This paper reveals the array of practices arising from strong policy pressure for improved student results in national literacy and numeracy tests in Australia: the National Assessment Programme in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The paper provides an account of a policy context characterised by significant pressure upon teachers and principals to engage in practices to ensure improved outcomes on standardised literacy and numeracy tests, and of teachers and principals’ responses to these policy pressures. Drawing upon Bourdieu’s theory of practice, the article argues that what is described as the ‘field of schooling practices’ has become increasingly dominated by a ‘logic of enumeration’, and that high test results on standardised literacy and numeracy tests are increasingly valued capitals, evident in a strong focus upon teachers meeting, discussing and informing one another about NAPLAN; engaging in curriculum development practices which foreground NAPLAN, and; actively preparing students to sit the test, including, whether intentionally or unintentionally, teaching to the test. Such a focus has important implications for the sorts of practices most valued in schooling settings, as more educative logics are potentially marginalised under such circumstances.     

Deliberation 2.0: Comparing the Deliberative Quality of Online News User Comments Across Platforms

As news organizations look toward social networking sites as a way to expand their audience, the present article explores how this trend might impact discussion among users of political news content. A content analysis of user comments left by readers of the Washington Post suggests that when it comes to discussing political news, there are significant differences in the deliberative quality of those who access the news directly through the news organization's Web site and those who access the same news via Facebook. In short, comments left by Web site users exhibited greater deliberative quality than those left by Facebook users.     

Mapping the classroom emotional environment

Harvey and Evans (2003) have proposed that teachers’ emotional skills, as required in the classroom, can be organized into a five-dimensional model. Further research is necessary to validate this model and evaluate the importance of each dimension of teacher emotion competence for educational practice. Using a statistical method for mapping psychological constructs, teachers’ emotional practices were transformed into a ‘map’ with three spatial dimensions, which was supported by comparative validity checks. The nature of emotional practice was further investigated by administering a Q-Sort of emotional practice items to 100 teachers. Ten highly applicable clusters of emotional behavior across six profile patterns with teachers were identified. Authors’ model and the applicability of emotions were generally supported.     

高水平教练员获取科研成果的途径

为保持优秀运动员的运动优势,高水平教练员必须不断提高自身的知识水平和结构.但体育科研在运动成绩中所占的比重及科研成果向教练员传递的有效机制,我们还了解甚少.     

Time-optimal Control Systems with Norm Constraints on State Variables at Intermediate Times

The problem of time-optimal control systems with both norm constraints on control inputs and on state variables at discrete intermediate times is formulated as an L-problem in the theory of moments. The simplex method is used for solving a nonlinear minimizing problem inherent in the functional analysis solution to this latter problem. Numerical results are presented for a train operation.     

Lower limb joint kinetics in the starting blocks and first stance in athletic sprinting

The aim of this study was to examine lower limb joint kinetics during the block and first stance phases in athletic sprinting. Ten male sprinters (100 m PB, 10.50 ± 0.27 s) performed maximal sprint starts from blocks. External force (1000 Hz) and three-dimensional kinematics (250 Hz) were recorded in both the block (utilising instrumented starting blocks) and subsequent first stance phases. Ankle, knee and hip resultant joint moment, power and work were calculated at the rear and front leg during the block phase and during first stance using inverse dynamics. Significantly (P < 0.05) greater peak moment, power and work were evident at the knee joint in the front block and during stance compared with the rear block. Ankle joint kinetic data significantly increased during stance compared with the front and rear block. The hip joint dominated leg extensor energy generation in the block phase (rear leg, 61 ± 10%; front leg, 64 ± 8%) but significantly reduced during stance (32 ± 9%), where the ankle contributed most (42 ± 6%). The current study provides novel insight into sprint start biomechanics and the contribution of the lower limb joints towards leg extensor energy generation.