The effect of playing formation on high-intensity running and technical profiles in English FA Premier League soccer matches

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of playing formation on high-intensity running and technical performance during elite soccer matches. Twenty English FA Premier League games were analysed using a multiple-camera computerized tracking system (n = 153 players). Overall ball possession did not differ (P > 0.05) between 4–4–2, 4–3–3 and 4–5–1 formations (50%, s = 7 vs. 49%, s = 8 vs. 44%, s = 6). No differences were observed in high-intensity running between 4–4–2, 4–3–3 and 4–5–1 formations. Compared with 4–4–2 and 4–3–3 formations, players in a 4–5–1 formation performed less very high-intensity running when their team was in possession (312 m, s = 196 vs. 433 m, s = 261 vs. 410 m, s = 270; P < 0.05) but more when their team was not in possession (547 m, s = 217 vs. 461 m, s = 156 vs. 459 m, s = 169; P < 0.05). Attackers in a 4–3–3 performed ～30% more (P < 0.05) high-intensity running than attackers in 4–4–2 and 4–5–1 formations. However, the fraction of successful passes was highest in a 4–4–2 (P < 0.05) compared with 4–3–3 and 4–5–1 formations. The results suggest that playing formation does not influence the overall activity profiles of players, except for attackers, but impacts on very high-intensity running activity with and without ball possession and some technical elements of performance.     

Effect of combined carbohydrate-protein ingestion on markers of recovery after simulated rugby union match-play

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effect of ingesting carbohydrate alone or carbohydrate with protein on functional and metabolic markers of recovery from a rugby union-specific shuttle running protocol. On three occasions, at least one week apart in a counterbalanced order, nine experienced male rugby union forwards ingested placebo, carbohydrate (1.2 g · kg body mass^?1 · h^?1) or carbohydrate with protein (0.4 g · kg body mass^?1 · h^?1) before, during, and after a rugby union-specific protocol. Markers of muscle damage (creatine kinase: before, 258 ± 171 U · L^?1 vs. 24 h after, 574 ± 285 U · L^?1; myoglobin: pre, 50 ± 18 vs. immediately after, 210 ± 84 nmol · L^?1; P < 0.05) and muscle soreness (1, 2, and 3 [maximum soreness = 8] for before, immediately after, and 24 h after exercise, respectively) increased. Leg strength and repeated 6-s cycle sprint mean power were slightly reduced after exercise (93% and 95% of pre-exercise values, respectively; P < 0.05), but were almost fully recovered after 24 h (97% and 99% of pre-exercise values, respectively). There were no differences between trials for any measure. These results indicate that in experienced rugby players, the small degree of muscle damage and reduction in function induced by the exercise protocol were not attenuated by the ingestion of carbohydrate and protein.     

The how and why of academic collaboration: disciplinary differences and policy implications

This paper examines how and why academics in different parts of the academy collaborate. In this paper we argue that: (1) There is a useful analytical distinction to be made between collaboration (fluid and expressive) and Collaboration (concrete and instrumental); (2) These two are not mutually exclusive and their use varies between disciplines; and (3) This distinction is an informative one for policy making that aims to encourage collaboration. Two interview based studies were used to explore the differences in collaborative practices across disciplines. The first was small and confined to a single university (n = 36) and the second was a larger study conducted in three countries (n = 274). Cross tabulations and analysis of open ended questions demonstrated many differences across the humanities, sciences and social sciences in collaboration. The C/collaboration distinction proves useful in understanding different disciplinary approaches to research, and in pointing to implications for research policy and funding. Attempts to increase collaborative research through Collaboration only, may well have deleterious effects on both collaboration and Collaboration. Research policy and funding should bear these differences in mind when seeking to stimulate collaborative research, so as to gain better outcomes across a range of disciplines.     

Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination

This research explores the experiences of international students at a research university in the U.S. Southwest. Based on interviews of a sample of 24 students from 15 countries, we consider a range of difficulties they encounter which runs from perceptions of unfairness and inhospitality to cultural intolerance and confrontation. Utilizing the conceptual framework of neo-racism to explain many of their experiences, we organize our analysis and discussion around their words and the contexts in which the difficulties they encounter emerge. We find that not all of the issues international students face can be problematized as matters of adjustment, as much research does, but that some of the more serious challenges are due to inadequacies within the host society.     

Rhythm production at school entry as a predictor of poor reading and spelling at the end of first grade

Rhythm plays an organisational role in the prosody and phonology of language, and children with literacy difficulties have been found to demonstrate poor rhythmic perception. This study explored whether students’ performance on a simple rhythm task at school entry could serve as a predictor of whether they would face difficulties in word reading and spelling at the end of grade 1. The participants were 479 Norwegian 6-year-old first graders randomized as controls in the longitudinal RCT on track (n = 1171). Rhythmic timing and pre-reading skills were tested individually at school entry on a digital tablet. On the rhythm task, the students were told to tap a drum appearing on the screen to two different rhythms (2 Hz paced and 1.5 Hz paced). Children’s responses were recorded as they tapped on the screen with their index finger. Significant group differences were found in rhythm tapping ability measured at school entry, when groups were defined upon whether children went on to score above or below the 20th percentile reading and spelling thresholds in national assessment tests at the end of grade one. Inclusion of the school-entry rhythmic tapping measure into a model of classification accuracy for above or below threshold reading and spelling improved accuracy of classification by 6.2 and 9.2% respectively.     

Integrating Mathematical Learning During Caregiving Routines: A Study of Toddlers in Swedish Preschools

In recent years the interest in preschool mathematics has increased. However, studies seldom focus on children under the age of three and research is scarce on the early use of mathematics observed in natural settings. This article reports a study of mathematical possibilities during diaper changing in a preschool setting. A diaper change can be a communicative moment when the child can experience mathematics with a professional preschool teacher, but it can also be a moment of mechanical routine with no pedagogical context. The intention of the study presented here was to investigate the mathematical potential preschool teachers described in relation to diaper changing and to examine the ways this potential was put into action. Both similarities and differences emerged regarding the mathematical potential preschool teachers described in relation to diaper changing and the mathematical content that they were observed to communicate. The results show that it is possible to communicate mathematical content in a pedagogical way during diaper changes, making this routine a learning opportunity for children. However, the results also show variations in the observed range and context of such communication, and therefore the potential for mathematical learning during diaper changes seems to differ widely.     

Children's Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviour,as Perceived by Children,Parents and Teachers

Within the context of a widespread concern with children's antisocial behaviour, especially bullying, the development of ‘whole‐school’ policies on bullying, and also recent national guidelines which emphasise the importance of fostering children's prosocial behaviours, this research examines the extent to which children, parents and teachers exhibit within‐ and between‐group consensus, both in their perceptions and relative judgements of different forms of child prosocial and antisocial behaviours, and in their responses to such behaviours. Less consensus was found in judgements of prosodal than of antisocial behaviours, both within and between groups, and significant between‐group differences are discussed in the context of the teaching of social behaviour.     

Education and Race: the racialisation of class inequalities'?

Throughout most of the 1960s there was considerable optimism among education policy makers that schools could foster equality of opportunity: could mitigate social class disparities in educational achievements. During the 1980s a growing number of local education authorities have produced policy documents which are designed to remedy racism, ‘racial’ inequalities and ‘racial’ disparities in achievements. This article argues that these more recent initiatives mirror very clearly the earlier, class based, definitions of problems, explanatory paradigms and policy recommendations. It suggests that the racialisation of structural inequalities, the politicisation of ‘race’ issues locally and the contradictions generated by four particular crises of legitimacy within education provide the context within which antiracist policies can be understood. It asks what lessons can be learned from the demise and failure of earlier class‐based education policies.     

Lessons Learned from PISA: A Systematic Review of Peer-Reviewed Articles on the Programme for International Student Assessment

International large-scale assessments are on the rise, with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) seen by many as having strategic prominence in education policy debates. The present article reviews PISA-related English-language peer-reviewed articles from the programme’s first cycle in 2000 to its most current in 2015. Five literature bases were searched, and results were analysed with SPSS. Results map the frequency of publications according to journal, country, and scientific discipline. They also summarise major themes within three identified categories: secondary analysis, policy impact, and critiques. Findings indicated that studies based on the PISA dataset has led to progress in educational research while simultaneously pointing to the need for caution when using this research to inform educational policy.     

The Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy in the Information Seeking Behavior of Library and Information Science Students

This study investigated the self-efficacy perceptions of Israeli library and information science students regarding their information seeking behavior. That is, it examined the judgments that participants make of their searching abilities. The study was based on Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy information: past performance or mastery experiences, vicarious experiences of observing the experiences of others, social feedback and affective states. An online survey presenting the Information Seeking Self-Perception Scale (IRSPS) was distributed and 205 students completed the questionnaire anonymously. Findings show that participants reported a high level of self-efficacy and that three of the four sources of self-efficacy information were significant in constructing their self-efficacy beliefs. Correlations between self-efficacy percepts and several socio-demographic variables revealed no gender-based differences. A significant correlation was found between age and degree and the sources with more influence. Older postgraduate students reported being more impacted by their mastery experiences, their affective states and social feedback. The implementation of the Information Seeking Self-Perception Scale (IRSPS) can be valuable when designing and implementing LIS academic programs for different groups of students.