Developmental Trends in Sexual Attraction Among Puerto Rican Early Adolescents in Two Contexts

Sexual attraction (SA), the earliest stage of sexual orientation, is scarcely studied. This prospective study examined, over 3 years, prevalence, changes in SA, and the role of context, among 946 Puerto Rican youth, aged 11–13 years at initial assessment in the South Bronx (SBx), New York City, and Puerto Rico (PR). Overall, 98.1% of boys and 95.3% of girls reported opposite-sex only SA at some point, whereas 13.8% of girls and 12.0% of boys reported any-same SA. Opposite-sex only SA increased over time, whereas other SAs decreased except for any same-sex SA among SBx girls. Girls in the SBx and younger youth in PR reported more any same-sex SA. Context and culture may play a role in the developmental trajectories of adolescents’ SA.     

The Impact of Three-Dimensional Printed Anatomical Models on First-Year Student Engagement in a Block Mode Delivery

Student engagement is known to have several positive effects on learning outcomes and can impact a student's university experience. High levels of engagement in content-heavy subjects can be difficult to attain. Due to a major institutional restructure, the anatomy prosection laboratory time per subject was dramatically reduced. In response, the authors set out to redesign their anatomy units with a focus on engaging the learning activities that would increase time-on-task both within and outside of the classroom. One of these curriculum changes was the implementation of a suite of anatomy learning activities centered on sets of three-dimensional printed upper limb skeleton models. A two-part mixed-method sequential exploratory design was used to evaluate these activities. Part one was a questionnaire that evaluated the students' engagement with and perceptions of the models. Part two involved focus groups interviews, which were an extension of the survey questions in part one. The results of the study indicated that the majority of students found the models to be an engaging resource that helped improve their study habits. As a result, students strongly felt that the use of the models inspired greater academic confidence and overall better performance in their assessments. Overall, the models were an effective way of increasing the engagement and deep learning, and reinforced previous findings from the medical education research. Future research should investigate the effects of these models on student's grades within osteopathy and other allied health courses.     

Focused Multisensory Anatomy Observation and Drawing for Enhancing Social Learning and Three-Dimensional Spatial Understanding

The concept that multisensory observation and drawing can be effective for enhancing anatomy learning is supported by pedagogic research and theory, and theories of drawing. A haptico-visual observation and drawing (HVOD) process has been previously introduced to support understanding of the three-dimensional (3D) spatial form of anatomical structures. The HVOD process involves exploration of 3D anatomy with the combined use of touch and sight, and the simultaneous act of making graphite marks on paper which correspond to the anatomy under observation. Findings from a previous study suggest that HVOD can increase perceptual understanding of anatomy through memorization and recall of the 3D form of observed structures. Here, additional pedagogic and cognitive underpinnings are presented to further demonstrate how and why HVOD can be effective for anatomy learning. Delivery of a HVOD workshop is described as a detailed guide for instructors, and themes arising from a phenomenological study of educator experiences of the HVOD process are presented. Findings indicate that HVOD can provide an engaging approach for the spatial exploration of anatomy within a supportive social learning environment, but also requires modification for effective curricular integration. Consequently, based on the most effective research-informed, theoretical, and logistical elements of art-based approaches in anatomy learning, including the framework provided by the observe–reflect–draw–edit–repeat (ORDER) method, an optimized “ORDER Touch” observation and drawing process has been developed. This is with the aim of providing a widely accessible resource for supporting social learning and 3D spatial understanding of anatomy, in addition to improving specific anatomical knowledge.     

The effect of recovery strategies on physical performance and cumulative fatigue in competitive basketball

To evaluate the effectiveness of recovery strategies on physical performance during a 3-day tournament style basketball competition, 29 male players (mean age 19.1 years, s= 2.1; height 1.84 m, s= 0.34; body mass 88.5 kg, s= 14.7) were assigned to one of three treatment groups: carbohydrate+stretching (7.7 g kg(-1) day(-1), s= 1.7; 'n = 9), cold water immersion (11 degrees C, 5 x 1; n = 10) or full leg compression garments (18 mmHg, approximately 18 h; n = 10). Effects of the recovery strategies on pre-post tournament performance tests were expressed as the mean change (% +/- standard deviation of the change score). Changes and differences were standardized for accumulated game time, assessed against the smallest worthwhile change for each test, and reported qualitatively. Accumulated fatigue was evident over the tournament with small to moderate impairments in performance tests. Sprint and agility performance decreased by 0.7% (s = 1.3) and 2.0% (s = 1.9) respectively. Vertical jump decreased substantially after the first day for all treatments, and remained suppressed post-tournament. Cold water immersion was substantially better in maintaining 20-m acceleration with only a 0.5% (s = 1.4) reduction in 20-m time after 3 days compared with a 3.2% (s = 1.6) reduction for compression. Cold water immersion (-1.4%, s = 1.7) and compression (-1.5%, s = 1.7) showed similar substantial benefits in maintaining line-drill performance over the tournament, whereas carbohydrate+stretching elicited a 0.4% (s =1.8) reduction. Sit-and-reach flexibility decreased for all groups, although cold water immersion resulted in the smallest reduction in flexibility. Basketball tournament play elicited small to moderate impairments in physical test performance. In conclusion, cold water immersion appears to promote better restoration of physical performance measures than carbohydrate + stretching routines and compression garments.     

Grade retention among students with learning disabilities

This study explored the rates of grade retention among children with undiagnosed learning disabilities. During the 1990–91 school year, data were collected on 344 Michigan students who were referred for special-education evaluation due to learning problems. Of the 201 students determined to possess a learning disability (LD), 71.6% had been retained at least once before they were referred for special-education evaluation. Minority and urban LD students were more apt to be retained before being referred for evaluation. Retained LD students were usually one year older than nonretained LD students at the time of special-education referral. Although retention among LD students did not appear to be related to gender or grade placement, retained LD students generally exhibited lower levels of intelligence and weaker skills in reading comprehension, writing, and math at the time of their referral. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Using and Selecting Graphic Techniques to Acquire Structural Knowledge

Structural knowledge, the knowledge of relationships between concepts in a content area, is essential for comprehension and problem solving. Learning structural knowledge can be facilitated through learner-generated two-dimensional diagrams of conceptual relationships. These diagrams include networks, concept maps, pattern notes, semantic maps and graphic organizers. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of graphic techniques and the cognitive processes that learners use to construct the diagrams. We then propose a model that can be used to choose between different graphic techniques based upon the cognitive processes elicited by the techniques and the learning outcomes derived from their use.     

Developing and acting upon one's conception of the nature of science: A follow‐up study

This study aimed to delineate the factors mediating the translation of preservice teachers' conceptions of the nature of science into instructional planning and classroom practice. Additionally, the study assessed the influence of temporally separating teaching preservice teachers about the nature of science and teaching them how to address it instructionally. This latter intervention was based on the results of a previous investigation. Prior to student teaching, the 13 participants responded to an open‐ended questionnaire designed to assess conceptions of the nature of science. Throughout student teaching, daily lesson plans, classroom videotapes, portfolios, and supervisors' weekly clinical observation notes were collected and searched for explicit instances of nature of science planning and/or instruction. Following student teaching, participants were interviewed to validate their responses to the open‐ended questionnaire, identify factors that mediate the translation of their conceptions of the nature of science into classroom teaching, and explicate their pedagogical preferences for teaching the nature of science. Participants possessed adequate understanding of several aspects of the nature of science and, contrary to the results of the earlier investigation, most did not conflate the nature of science with science processes. Furthermore, several participants explicitly addressed some aspects of the nature of science during classroom instruction. Participants, however, failed to include the nature of science among their instructional objectives and did not make a concerted effort to assess student understandings. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 563–581, 2000