Weight Transfer Patterns During the Golf Swing

Abstract

Twenty right-handed male golfers participated as subjects in an investigation of the two-dimensional weight transfer pattern produced during the golf swing. Ten subjects possessed handicaps of less than 10 strokes while the remaining 10 subjects had handicaps greater than 20. Center of vertical force locations were sampled during the swing with a computerized forceplate at a rate of 350 Hz. The occurrence of the initiation of the downswing (TOS) was monitored by a vacuum transducer in the club grip while ball contact (CON) was monitored by a laser/photocell system. Variables analyzed consisted of minimum/maximum force distribution ratios from heel to toe and from back foot to target foot as well as distribution ratios at TOS and CON. Intraclass correlation coefficients showed all variables to be reliable for both groups (r > 0.8). A subsequent discriminant function analysis produced one significant function (p < .05) which served to distinguish between the low and high handicap groups. The accuracy of group membership predicted from weight transfer patterns was 85%.     

Hamden’s Course in Appreciation of Movies and Radio

In the spirit of the Steven Stahl 600 Book Kid Challenge, 90 preservice teachers engaged children in 36 read-aloud sessions for a vocabulary improvement service learning project. This article describes how the preservice teachers used narrative and informational books as a vehicle for rare-word vocabulary exposure for children ages 8–12.     

Wellness of Minority Female Counselor Educators

Minority female counselor educators are faced with numerous challenges. This qualitative study revealed that for female minority counselor educators, these challenges continue to negatively affect their professional and personal experiences. It is through operational wellness practices and optimal balance and functioning that minority female counselor educators have often prevailed. Implications for minority female counselor educators, university administrators, and counselor educators from the majority population are provided.     

Applying a Cognitive-Affective Model of Conceptual Change to Professional Development

This study evaluated Gregoire’s (2003) Cognitive–Affective Conceptual Change model (CAMCC) for predicting and assessing conceptual change in science teachers engaged in a long-term professional development project set in a large school district in the southwestern United States. A multiple case study method with data from three teacher participants was used to understand the process of integrating and applying a reform message of inquiry based science teaching. Data sources included: responses to example teaching scenarios, reflective essays, lesson plans, classroom observations, and action research projects. Findings show that the CAMCC functioned well in predicting how these teachers made decisions that impacted how they processed the reform message. When the reform message was communicated in such a way as to initiate stress appraisal, conceptual change occurred, producing changes in classroom practice. If the reform message did not initiate stress appraisal, teachers rejected the professional development message and developed heuristic responses. In order to further research and improve practice, propositions for assessments related to the CAMCC are provided.     

Children's Ideas about Strengthening Structures

This research focused on 181 school children's (aged 5-13 years) responses to an Awareness of Technology Survey question intended to explore their conceptual knowledge of structural strength. The survey responses showed that the children had many productive ideas about structural strength prior to formal classroom instruction. After instruction, the children's ideas showed little overall change. The Discussion explores how the framework of the programme and professional development opportunities did not help the teachers to implement the programme. Suggestions for productive classroom experiences related to structural strength include: introducing children to a greater variety of building materials; assisting children to explore the physical and mechanical properties of materials; practising with vocabulary needed to describe properties of materials; providing opportunities to understand the pushes and pulls at work in a structure; and promoting design technology discourse.     

Ask and they shall deceive: how what we ask drives what they tell us,and why it's mostly useless

The author describes his experience of market research through surveys and focus groups. He proposes that both techniques are seriously flawed and offers a neurophysiological explanation of why that should be so.