The effects of psoas major and lumbar lordosis on hip flexion and sprint performance

In this study, we analyzed the correlations between hip flexion power; sprint performance, lumbar lordosis (LL) and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the psoas muscle (PM). Ten young adults performed two sprint tests and isokinetic tests to determine hip flexion power. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine LL and PM CSA. There were correlations between hip flexion power, sprint performance, and PM CSA, but LL showed no correlation with any parameter The impact of hip flexion power and LL on sprint stride pattern efficiency was considered. Hip flexion might not have a simple role in the passive knee replacement of the stride pattern; instead, it may be an active parameter. Other investigations are needed to determine the influence of pelvic architecture on sprint performance.     

Teacher sensitivity in interaction with individual students: the role of teachers’ daily negative emotions

ABSTRACT

Research stresses the importance of teacher sensitivity for the development of special needs students, including students with attachment problems. However, little is known about the antecedents of teacher sensitivity. This study investigated associations between teachers’ daily negative emotions and teacher sensitivity towards individual students. Data were collected from 71 teacher-student dyads in special education primary schools and included students with mild to severe attachment problems (6 to 10 years old). Teachers reported their daily negative activating (e.g. anger) and deactivating (e.g. sadness) emotions in relation to individual students during a three-week period. Teacher sensitivity was observed in interaction with the target student in a cognitively challenging and an emotionally challenging task. Teachers’ higher but decreasing negative activating emotions were associated with higher levels of observed teacher sensitivity in the cognitively challenging task. In addition, heightened levels of negative deactivating emotions were associated with lower levels of observed teacher sensitivity but only in the emotionally challenging task.     

Examining teacher–child relationship quality across two countries

The present study examined the quality of teacher–child relationships in a collectivist and individualist country, specifically, Portugal and Belgium. Two relationship dimensions were examined the following: conflict and closeness. Participants were 158 Portuguese and 197 Belgian children and their teachers. In both countries, teachers completed the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS). Measurement invariance was tested through multiple-group analysis. The results supported configural and metric invariance across countries, but not full scalar equivalence, suggesting that the STRS is robust across countries. Some associations differed between the samples. Specifically, teachers’ perceptions of closeness were negatively related to conflict in Belgium, but not in Portugal. Teachers described boys and girls as having similar levels of both conflict and closeness in Portugal, while in Belgium girls are likely to have closer relationships with their teachers. Moreover, observed emotional climate was positively associated with closeness in Belgium (but not Portugal), indicating that Belgian teachers in classrooms with more warm and positive interactions were likely to have closer individual relationships with their students.     

Effect of implicit theories on judgement of cheating acceptability in physical education: The mediating role of achievement goals

Abstract

We tested a hypothetical model that examined both the effects of implicit theories of ability on the judgement of cheating acceptability in a physical education context and the mediating role of the achievement goals defined in the social-cognitive model of achievement motivation. Data were collected from 477 middle-school students, who completed measures of implicit theories of ability, achievement goals, and judgement of cheating acceptability in team sports within a cross-sectional design. The results indicated that performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals mediated the relationships between entity theory and the judgement of cheating acceptability, and mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goals mediated the relationships between incremental theory and the judgement of cheating acceptability. Further research is needed to determine whether these results would be replicated with other moral variables and other contexts.     

A 3D kinematic analysis of breathing patterns in competitive swimmers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to understand which differences long-term swimming training can cause on trunk mechanics during breathing and how these differences are related to the years of swimming training. The variations and coordination among trunk compartments were considered as target movement patterns. Video-based plethysmography was utilised for data acquisition and pre-processing. A group of swimmers, who followed a long-term intensive swimming training previously to this study, was compared with a non-swimmer control group. The participants of both groups performed quiet breathing and vital capacity tests. From the compartmental volumes associated with each breathing curves, the relative amplitude and cross-correlation among these volumetric time-varying signals were calculated, in order to analyse the relative partial volume variation and the coordination among trunk compartments involved in respiration. The results of a Mixed-ANOVA test (P ≤ 0.05) revealed higher coefficient of variation (P < 0.001) and correlations among trunk compartments in the swimmers group when vital capacity was performed. Significant linear regression was found between the years of swim training and the coefficients of variation and correlation. The results suggest that after long periods of intensive swim training, athletes might develop specific breathing patterns featuring higher volume variations in the abdominal region and more coordination among compartments involved in forced respiratory tasks such as vital capacity.     

“I Am Not a Francophone”: Identity Choices and Discourses of Youth Associating With a Powerful Minority

Taking a broad interest in the linguistic, educational, and identity issues relevant to young people, this article examines the experiences and discourses of linguistic minority youth in the French-dominant context of Québec City. Our analysis is based on qualitative interviews conducted with 10 young people who speak a language other than French at home and who chose to study in English at the postsecondary level. Beyond exploring the local impact of language policies, we focus on the identity choices these youth make in positioning themselves and the discourses that they appropriate in describing their sociolinguistic context. Findings suggest that tensions between linguistic groups in Québec are perpetuated through discourses that distance one group from another, including discourses of closed-mindedness and superiority. What the students in our study appear to be doing is rejecting a minority identity by invoking national and international scales through their discourses, scales in which English is dominant.     

Fostering cognitive and affective-motivational learning outcomes for high-ability students in mixed-ability elementary classrooms: a systematic review

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Since there has been no clear overview of educational practices that benefit high-ability students in mixed-ability classrooms in grades one to six,...     

Innovation and knowledge sharing across professional boundaries: Political interplay between boundary objects and brokers

The article examines the process of innovation and knowledge sharing from a perspective that focuses on the influence that local circumstances can have. In particular, it looks at the problems of knowledge sharing between groups of professionals. It presents a comparative analysis of two studies, one involving two groups of IT professionals; the other a network of healthcare professionals. The data was collected in two sets. The first set consisted of the results from two earlier, independent studies; the second was collected specifically for this article. We investigate the role played by boundary objects and brokers. Through an analysis of the interplay between boundary object and broker, we uncover the dynamics of the innovation process and show that the role played by the broker can be political. We identify two strategies that are used by brokers in the selection of a boundary object. The first is directed towards achieving a balance between the actors involved and the second is directed towards controlling their activities. We conclude by suggesting that other researchers should also consider the interplay between broker and boundary object when examining cross-boundary knowledge sharing.