Enduring Association Between Parenting and Cortisol: A Meta‐analysis

Warm caregiving is associated with concurrent hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis function, although the persistence of this association over time is less established. Using longitudinal and intervention studies, this meta‐analysis examined the enduring association of parental warmth (measured when children were ages < 1 through 15 years) with basal cortisol, reactivity and recovery (measured when children were ages < 1 through 25 years; k = 38; N = 6,608). These studies demonstrate no overall associations between parenting and children's HPA axis; instead there are small associations that vary based on moderators such as socioeconomic status, developmental stage, study design and stressor type, though many moderators are confounded. This first wave of studies indicates that the enduring association between parenting and cortisol is small and only understood in the context of other factors, and directly informs four sets of methodological and theoretical recommendations to strengthen this literature.     

Does performance level affect initial ball flight kinematics in finger and wrist-spin cricket bowlers?

Spin bowling plays a fundamental role within the game of cricket yet little is known about the initial ball kinematics in elite and pathway spin bowlers or their relationship to performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to record three-dimensional ball kinematics in a large and truly high level cohort of elite and pathway finger-spin (FS) and wrist-spin (WS) bowlers, identifying potential performance measures that can be subsequently used in future research. A 22-camera Vicon motion analysis system captured retro-reflective markers placed on the seam (static) and ball (dynamic) to quantify ball kinematics in 36 FS (12 elite and 24 pathway) and 20 WS (eight elite and 12 pathway) bowlers. Results indicated that FS bowlers delivered the ball with an increased axis of rotation elevation, while wrist-spin bowlers placed greater amounts of revolutions on the ball. It also highlighted that ball release (BR) velocity, revolutions and velocity/revolution index scores for both groups and seam stability for FS bowlers, and seam azimuth angle and spin axis elevation angle for WS bowlers, were discriminators of playing level. As such these variables could be used as indicators of performance (i.e. performance measures) in future research.     

Day-level sedentary pattern estimates derived from hip-worn accelerometer cut-points in 8–12-year-olds: Do they reflect postural transitions?

Improving sedentary measurement is critical to understanding sedentary-health associations in youth. This study assessed agreement between the thigh-worn activPAL and commonly used hip-worn ActiGraph accelerometer methods for assessing sedentary patterns in children. Both devices were worn by 8–12-year-olds (N = 195) for 4.6 ± 1.9 days. Two ActiGraph cut-points were applied to two epoch durations: ≤25 counts (c)/15 s, ≤75c/15s, ≤100c/60s, and ≤300c/60s. Bias, mean absolute deviation (MAD), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) tested agreement between devices for total sedentary time and 11 sedentary pattern variables (usual bout duration, sedentary time accumulated in various bout durations, breaks/day, break rate, and alpha). For most sedentary pattern variables, ActiGraph 25c/15s, 75c/15s, and 100c/60s had poor ICCs, with bias and MAD >20%. ActiGraph 300c/60s had a better agreement than the other cut-points, but all ICCs were <0.587. ActiGraph underestimated sedentary time in longer bouts and usual bout duration, and overestimated sedentary time in shorter bouts, breaks/day, and alpha. For total sedentary time, ActiGraph 25c/15s, 300c/60s, and 75c/15s had good/fair ICCs, with bias and MAD <20%. Sedentary patterns derived from two commonly used ActiGraph cut-points did not appear to reflect postural changes. These differences between measurement devices should be considered when interpreting findings from sedentary pattern studies.     

Preschoolers’ Physical Activity Participation Across a Yearlong Mastery-Motivational Climate Intervention

Purpose: This study sought to determine how children’s participation in physical activity during a mastery-motivational climate changed during a 20-week intervention and to compare it to children’s free-play activity during a typical day at their local day-care facility. Method: Twelve 4-year-old children participated in a mastery-motivational climate physical activity program delivered 2 days a week for 20 weeks during a period of 8 months. All children were fitted with an Actigraph GT3X triaxial accelerometer. Data from the accelerometers were reduced to determine minutes of sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during (a) all 20 weeks, and (b) Weeks 1 through 4, Weeks 9 through 12, and Weeks 17 to 20 for the mastery climate. Activity levels in the mastery condition were compared to the children’s activity during unplanned free play in Weeks 1, 10, and 20. Results: During the course of the mastery-motivational climate program, participation in sedentary behavior decreased statistically significantly, while participation in MVPA increased statistically significantly. Within the free-play condition, there were no changes in the levels of activity across time, with the children spending on average more than 80% of their time being sedentary. Conclusions: Findings indicate that when specific task structures associated with a mastery climate are included in an instructional setting, these climate manipulations seem to have a direct effect on physical activity levels once the children learned how to manage themselves in the setting. Free-play activity in and of itself does not appear to stimulate MVPA.     

Developmental gender differences for overhand throwing in Aboriginal Australian children

In a review of 46 meta-analyses of gender differences, overhand throwing had the largest gender difference favoring boys (ES > 3.0). Expectations for gender-specific performances may be less pronounced in female Australian Aborigines, because historical accounts state they threw for defense and hunting. Overhand throwing velocities and kinematics were recorded in 30 female and male Aboriginal Australian children 6-10 years old. Results indicated the Aboriginal girls and boys were more similar in horizontal ball velocities than U.S. girls and boys. Throwing kinematics between girls and boys were also more similar in Australian Aborigines than U.S. children. Aboriginal girls threw with greater velocities than U.S., German, Japanese, and Thai girls, while the boys were similar across cultures.     

Paraprofessionals use of group school-based instrumental mentoring: Examining process and preliminary outcomes

Many schools use paraprofessionals to implement and monitor interventions. Though paraprofessionals are cost-effective, many questions remain about the training and skills they need to implement a wide array of school-based interventions. In this study, we compare paraprofessionals' (i.e., undergraduates) implementation of the Group-Academic Mentoring Program for Education Development (Group-AMPED) to school psychology graduate students' implementation of Group-AMPED. Ten paraprofessionals and five school psychology graduate students provided approximately eight sessions of Group-AMPED to 35 sixth-grade students. Results indicated no significant differences between middle school students' engagement when groups were led by either school psychology graduate students or paraprofessionals. Similarly, self-reports of fidelity and supervisor postsession implementation confidence indicated no difference between paraprofessionals and graduate students' implementation of Group-AMPED. Follow-up measures indicated that mentors and proteges perceived Group-AMPED as feasible, acceptable, and understandable. Most importantly, middle school students participating in Group-AMPED had significantly higher second-semester grades in comparison to a small control group.     

Quelques reflexions sur l'enseignement de la numération aux enfants de 7, 8 ou 9 ans

Sans résuméI.R.E.M. de Paris-Sud     

Making Space for Storytime: The Role of the Environment in the Production of Storytime

ABSTRACT

This article reviews the findings from Project VIEWS2, a four-year IMLS-funded study that examined the early literacy impact of public library storytimes, and provides detail on a secondary analysis of storytime spaces that was done using the Project VIEWS2 dataset. The storytimes spaces were explored by looking at the spatial quality, physical literacy environment, and seating of attendees, as these characteristics have been identified as important aspects of early childhood learning environments. Findings across these three characteristics are presented as well as implications and recommendations for more effective storytime practice and space design.     

Digital Module 12: Think-aloud Interviews and Cognitive Labs https://ncme.elevate.commpartners.com

In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. Jacqueline Leighton and Dr. Blair Lehman review differences between think-aloud interviews to measure problem-solving processes and cognitive labs to measure comprehension processes. Learners are introduced to historical, theoretical, and procedural differences between these methods and how to use and analyze distinct types of verbal reports in the collection of evidence of test-taker response processes. The module includes details on (a) the different types of cognition that are tapped by different interviewer probes, (b) traditional interviewing methods and new automated tools for collecting verbal reports, and (c) options for analyses of verbal reports. This includes a discussion of reliability and validity issues such as potential bias in the collection of verbal reports, ways to mitigate bias, and inter-rater agreement to enhance credibility of analysis. A novel digital tool for data collection called the ABC tool is presented via illustrative videos. As always, the module contains audio-narrated slides, quiz questions with feedback, a glossary, and curated resources.     

Measuring Quality Technology Integration in Science Classrooms

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Researchers, evaluators, and practitioners need tools to distinguish between applications of technology that support, enhance, and transform classroom...