Reclaiming Teacher Agency in a Student-Centred Digital World

This article examines the current dilemma faced by many teachers: the drive for a modern day pedagogy advocating student-centred, technology-enabled learning is at odds with teacher comfort zones still nestled in a teacher-talk, print-based classroom. Put another way, the 'techno-reluctance' of many teachers represents a negative reaction to the perception that new technologies represent a threat to their traditional roles and general sense of practical agency in the learning process or classroom. The paper interprets some of the key factors impacting on techno-reluctance as a means of moving beyond such a simplistic view of the connection between digital technologies and changing teacher roles. On this basis, it goes on to discuss the concept of 'technoliteracy' as a means of reclaiming teacher agency in a studentcentred, computer-mediated environment and also reframing teacher attitudes to electronic texts and related literacy practices.     

The Severity of State Truancy Policies and Chronic Absenteeism

ABSTRACT

Since the Common School era, states have maintained truancy laws to ensure that students attend school. However, we know little about the severity of these laws and their relationship to student outcomes, particularly absenteeism. In this study, we survey state education statutes to document the severity of truancy policies. We estimate the relationship between these truancy policies and rates of chronic absenteeism via multilevel models using data on all U.S. public schools from the Office of Civil Rights. We find that most students live in states where they may be referred to legal authorities for levels of absenteeism below federal standards. We find little evidence that states with truancy policies have lower chronic absenteeism after adjusting for demographic and other characteristics. However, while non-White high-school students are overrepresented among chronic absences overall, they have rates of chronic absenteeism comparable to their White peers in states with less severe truancy policies.     

Addressing Physical Education Teacher Socialization Through Standards-based Reform of Physical Education Teacher Education

Research suggests that progress in the physical education profession is slowed by a cycle of nonteaching and dominance of traditional methodologies. Socialization factors operate to preserve and perpetuate the status quo of the profession, which is rooted primarily in team sport content. Teacher education programs are challenged to persuade pre-service teachers to question their initial belief structures while also preparing them for the sociopolitical realities of schools. There is not, however, a formal mechanism through which to accomplish these goals, because current accreditation standards do not include an emphasis on socialization. As a result, the purpose of this article is to stimulate further discussion by reviewing relevant research related to socialization, describe evidence-based practices for overcoming these challenges, and propose an addition to the Society of Health and Physical Educators America (2017) standards for initial physical education teacher education to specifically focus attention on socialization issues.     

Argument and Authority in the Visual Representations of Science

The focus of workplace communication research on visual rhetoric has tended to be the efficient and unproblematically “effective” functioning of visual texts. By suggesting ways in which the visual representations of science are construed by expert readers, this article responds to a call within our discipline for more critically focused contributions to the study of visual literacy. A former editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Botany was asked to explain his interpretation of visuals appearing over an 80-year period in that journal; his responses illustrate how visual explanations testify to their creators' authority and how, once established, such authority actuates the rational arguments of science. Rhetorical appeals within and arrangement of visual texts are considered, as is the persuasive power of legends and captions.     

Developmental and gender influences on coping: Implications for skills training

The transition to adulthood for today's youth is a difficult journey filled with risk, rapid change, and seemingly endless choices. Effective coping skills can help youth navigate these challenges. This article explores the impact of gender and developmental level on coping skill acquisition in adolescence. Suggestions for helping youth to develop effective coping strategies are provided from both a prevention and intervention perspective. By helping today's youth develop the necessary strategies to deal with the unavoidable stresses encountered in life, school psychologists and counselors can help to ultimately create adults who have the skills and necessary psychological resources to successfully cope and adapt to life's changes. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Pre‐school Verbo‐sensory Motor Status as a Predictor of Educational Life‐courses and Self‐perceptions of Young Adults

During a 15‐year longitudinal study, 31 Finnish students (risk group) who had been identified as having deficiencies in reading and writing readiness at pre‐school through the German Breuer–Weuffen Differentiation Test were compared with their peers (n = 62) in order to study long‐term differences that emerged at the starting point of the study. In 1999, the students in the risk group were found to achieve significantly lower final school grades and they also had lower perceptions of their own scholastic competence. In 2005, students in the risk group perceived themselves as less competent than their peers in social acceptance, sense of global self‐worth areas and in the strength‐perceptions related to mathematical thinking, learning skills, and self‐regulation. Path analyses showed that verbo‐sensory motor status measured at pre‐school age had long‐term effects on participants’ educational life‐course and global self‐worth. Possible explanations of the findings and implications for early identification are discussed.     

Recovery of pulmonary diffusing capacity after maximal exercise

Abstract

Pulmonary diffusing capacity (Dl_co), together with spirometric variables, arterial oxygen tension (paO₂) and cardiac output were determined before and at intervals after maximal arm cranking, treadmill running and erogmeter rowing. Independent of the type of exercise, Dl_co increased immediately post‐exercise from a median 13.6 (range 7.3–16.3) to 15.1 (9.3–19.6) mmol min^‐1 kPa^‐1 (P <0.01). However, it decreased to 11.6 (6.9–15.5) mmol min^‐1 kPa^‐1 (P <0.01) after 24 h with cardiac output and paO₂ at resting values, and Dl_co normalized after 20 h. Thoracic electrical impedance at 2.5 and 100 kHz increased slightly post‐exercise, indicating a decrease in thoracic fluid balance, and there were no echocardiographic signs of left ventricular failure at the time of the decrease in Dl_co. Also, active muscle (limb) circumference and volume, and an increase in haematocrit from 43.8 (38.0–47.0) to 47.1 (42.7–49.8) (P <0.01), had normalized at the time of the decrease in Dl_co. Vital capacity, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, peak and peak mid‐expiratory flows did not change. However, total lung capacity increased from 6.8 (5.0–7.6) to 7.0 (5.1–7.8) litres (P <0.05) immediately after exercise and remained elevated at 6.9 (5.1–8.7) litres (P <0.05) when a decrease in Dl_co was noted. The results demonstrate that independent of the type of maximal exercise, an approximate 15% reduction in Dl_co takes place 2–3 h post‐exercise, which normalizes during the following day of recovery.     

Tracking Club Sport Participation From Childhood to Early Adulthood

This study examined the strength of tracking sport participation from childhood to early adulthood among the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study cohort. Participation in sport, dance, or gymnastics as part of a club or group (outside of school) was assessed at ages 7, 9, 15, 18, and 21 years. In addition to the traditionally used correlation coefficients, summary statistics (intraclass correlations; ICC) from random effect models and stability coefficients from generalized estimating equations (GEE) were calculated using all the longitudinal data and controlling for the influence of covariates on tracking strength. Correlation coefficients revealed statistically significant tracking of club sport participation (7–21 years) at low levels (r = .07–0.28). The ICC summary statistic (0.23) was consistent with this, while the GEE suggested moderate tracking (0.59). The results of this study suggest that encouraging sport participation during childhood and adolescence may result in a modest increase in the likelihood of participation later in life. However, the substantial movement into and out of sport participation observed here and in other studies cautions against relying solely on sport promotion among youth as a strategy to promote lifelong participation.     

The experiences of sexual harassment in sport and education among European female sports science students

The study investigates whether sport is an especially risky environment for sexual harassment to occur. It explores female students’ experiences of sexual harassment in organized sport and compares them with their experiences in formal education, by addressing the following research questions: (1) Are there any differences in female sport students’ experiences of sexual harassment in sport and education? (2) Are there any differences in female sport students’ experiences of sexual harassment from coaches and teachers? (3) Are there any differences in female sport students’ experiences from peer students and peer athletes? A total of 616 female students from three different European countries, Czech Republic, Greece and Norway, answered a questionnaire. The results revealed that the students had experienced more sexual harassment in an educational setting than in a sport setting. Further analysis showed that this was primarily due to sexual harassment from peers in school. In Greece and Norway, there was no difference between occurrences from teachers and coaches, yet in Czech Republic coaches appear to harass more than teachers. The difference between sexual harassment occurring from peers in sport and in education is discussed in relation to whether the sense of belonging/camaraderie that a sport club member may experience might function as a barrier for sexual harassment to occur—because it embarrasses or hurts a teammate. In addition, sport clubs and teams are governed by their respective sport rules and possibly by additional club/team rules, which may also establish extra inside-club/team boundaries for acceptable and nonacceptable/harassing behaviors. This article concludes that greater emphasis ought to be placed on education; not only toward shaping safer teacher/coach behaviors, but also toward the student/athlete behaviors.