Reading videogames as (authorless) literature

This article presents the outcomes of research, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in England and informed by work in the fields of new literacy research, gaming studies and the socio‐cultural framing of education, for which the videogame L. A. Noire was studied within the orthodox framing of the English literature curriculum at A level (pre‐university) and undergraduate (degree level) in the United Kingdom. A mixed methods approach was adopted. Firstly, students contributed to a gameplay blog requiring them to discuss their in‐game experience through the ‘language game’ of English literature, culminating in answering a question constructed with the idioms of the subject's set text ‘final examination’. Secondly, students taught their teachers to play L. A. Noire, with free choice over the context for this collaboration. Thirdly, participants returned to traditional roles to work through a set of study materials, designed to reproduce the conventions of the ‘study guide’ for literature education. Fourthly, interviews were conducted after each phase. The interviews informed a redrafting of the study materials, which are now available online for teachers. In the act of inserting the study of L. A. Noire into the English literature curriculum as currently framed, this research raises epistemological questions about ‘subject identity’, and the implications for digital transformations of texts for ideas about cultural value in schooled literacy and also the politics of ‘expertise’ in pedagogic relations.     

Activity identification and classification in wheelchair rugby using fractal dimensions

The purpose of the study was to develop an evidence-based method for identification and classification of wheelchair sports (rugby) activities and performance during a match using fractal dimensions. The approach involves five wheelchair rugby athletes of different classifications who were monitored during six different matches using mobile devices with in-built accelerometers. The linear acceleration signals were processed using two different approaches based on calculating fractal dimensions. One was based on Rényi’s entropy, which produced the probability dimension (S ₀), and the other was based on Hausdorff’s definition, resulting in the Hausdorff dimension (D _H). When both dimensions were individually plotted as cumulative distribution plots, they offered two approaches to analyze the performance of a wheelchair rugby athlete. Combining the two dimensions produced a two-dimensional (2D) mapping that identified five different activities of each athlete during a wheelchair rugby match—(1) no activities, (2) low activities, (3) high-speed coasting, (4) high-speed pushing, and (5) extreme collisions. In the 2D mapping, four boundary lines separate the five different activities, which produced a template for each athlete. It was found in this research that the classification and skill level of the athlete had an effect on the boundary line values that form the template. The outcome of the activity identification was also verified by comparing with video footage of the athletes. The method developed in this research has possible applications for coaching, match analysis, and talent identification.     

Contradiction and conflict between ‘leading identities’: becoming an engineer versus becoming a ‘good muslim’ woman

This paper builds on previous work (Black et al., Educational Studies in Mathematics 73(1):55-72, 2010) which developed the notion of a leading identity (derived from Leont’ev’s concept of ‘leading activity’) which, we argued, defined students’ motive for studying during late adolescence. We presented two case studies of students in post-compulsory education (Mary and Lee) and highlighted how the concept of a leading identity might be relevant to understanding motivation in mathematics education and particularly the ‘exchange value’ or ‘use value’ of mathematics for these students. (Lee’s identity was mediated by mathematics’ potential exchange value in becoming a university student, and Mary’s more by its perceived use value to her leading identity as an engineer.) In this paper, we follow up Mary’s story as she progresses to university, and we see how she is now ‘led’ by contradictory motives and identities: Mary’s aspirations and decisions seem to be now as much related to her identity as a Muslim woman as to her identity as an engineer. Therefore, we argue that more than one identity/activity may be considered as ‘leading’ at this point in time—e.g. work versus motherhood/parenting, for instance—and this raises conflicts and tensions. We conclude with a more reflexive account of leading identity which recognises the adolescent’s developing awareness of self—an ongoing process of organisation as they experience contradictions in managing their education, work, domestic, community and other lives.     

Trust schools and the politics of persuasion and the mobilisation of interest

This paper sets out the theoretical and methodological approach of a study of the politics of persuasion and the mobilisation of interest in relation to the Trust schools initiative in England. Drawing on the discourse theoretical approach of Laclau and Mouffe the paper argues that the politics of consensus associated with New Labour reconfigures the field of politics, closing down legitimate democratic space. Building on this approach and that of policy sociology the paper outlines how the researchers seeks to address the following questions – if the space for legitimate democratic debate is so severely constrained then how does a social democratic government deal with the kind of opposition that Labour faced in relation to Trust schools? How do governments persuade dissident citizens to support unpopular policies? How are citizens mobilised to support such policies? This also raises questions about how, in such a restricted political space, do those questioning or resisting such policies, engage in the politics of persuasion and the mobilisation of interests? The reconfiguration of the field of politics and what this means for the constitution of legitimate democratic debate is the object of study of the research.     

America's Cup yacht racing: Race analysis and physical characteristics of the athletes

Abstract

The America's Cup is the oldest competing trophy in sport, yet little is known of the nature and intensity of racing or the physical characteristics of the athletes. In this study, aspects of the physical demands of America's Cup yacht racing were analysed, including the intensity of exercise and activity pattern of “grinding”. Anthropometric data were collected from 92 professional male America's Cup sailors, and fitness data from a top-4 and a lower-7 ranking team during the 32nd America's Cup. Over the 135 races, mean race duration was 82 min (s = 9), with 20 tacks (s = 10) and 8 gybes (s = 3) per race. Grinding bouts were 5.5 s (s = 5.4; range: 2.2–66.3) long, with 143 exercise bouts per race and an exercise-to-rest ratio of 1:6. Mean and peak heart rate was 64% and 92% of maximum for all positions, with bowmen highest (71% and 96%). Grinders were taller, heavier, and stronger than all other positions. Body fat was similar between positions (13%, s = 4). The higher-standard team was stronger and had greater strength endurance, which probably contributed to their quicker manoeuvres. Intensity of exercise was dependent on the similarity of competing boats and the role of the athlete. The short duration and intermittent nature of grinding is indicative of predominantly anaerobic energy provision.     

Principals' confidence in managing disruptive student behaviour. Exploring geographical context in NSW primary schools

This article discusses the results from an initial quantitative analysis of survey data collected from the Principals and Behaviour Survey (PABS) conducted in New South Wales, Australia. PABS was built upon a foundation of existing validated studies measuring principals' attitudes to the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream schools. Principal component analysis as an exploratory procedure indicated that whilst many similarities exist, the geographical context of the school impacts on a principal's skills and confidence, how they use their skills, and their attitudes towards the resources and supports required to support students with disruptive behaviour. Implications for the wide-scale implementation of approaches to managing disruptive behaviour across contexts are discussed alongside continuing dichotomies between the pragmatics of school practice and benefits of inclusive practice.