Questions of Assessment

Using SATs in their present form meets the requirements neither of individual assessment nor of the monitoring of standards, writes Professor Klaus Wedell, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Educational Needs, Institute of Education, London University.     

Effects of acoustic feedback training in elite-standard Para-Rowing

Assessment and feedback devices have been regularly used in technique training in high-performance sports. Biomechanical analysis is mainly visually based and so can exclude athletes with visual impairments. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of auditory feedback on mean boat speed during on-water training of visually impaired athletes. The German National Para-Rowing team (six athletes, mean ± s, age 34.8 ± 10.6 years, body mass 76.5 ± 13.5 kg, stature 179.3 ± 8.6 cm) participated in the study. Kinematics included boat acceleration and distance travelled, collected with Sofirow at two intensities of training. The boat acceleration-time traces were converted online into acoustic feedback and presented via speakers during rowing (sections with and without alternately). Repeated-measures within-participant factorial ANOVA showed greater boat speed with acoustic feedback than baseline (0.08 ± 0.01 m·s^?1). The time structure of rowing cycles was improved (extended time of positive acceleration). Questioning of athletes showed acoustic feedback to be a supportive training aid as it provided important functional information about the boat motion independent of vision. It gave access for visually impaired athletes to biomechanical analysis via auditory information. The concept for adaptive athletes has been successfully integrated into the preparation for the Para-Rowing World Championships and Paralympics.     

Understanding Performance Improvement

I argue in this article that the foundation of performance improvement consists of a number of principles of reasoning as opposed to a number of models. I show, along with some prominent models, what these principles are and that none of the models incorporates them completely. Finally, I consolidate these principles into one list and show how they lead to a simple performance improvement process that includes the development of new models and the adaptation of existing models.     

Limited Fine Motor and Grasping Skills in 6‐Month‐Old Infants at High Risk for Autism

Atypical motor behaviors are common among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, little is known about onset and functional implications of differences in early motor development among infants later diagnosed with ASD. Two prospective experiments were conducted to investigate motor skills among 6‐month‐olds at increased risk (high risk) for ASD (N₁ = 129; N₂ = 46). Infants were assessed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and during toy play. Across both experiments, high‐risk infants exhibited less mature object manipulation in a highly structured (MSEL) context and reduced grasping activity in an unstructured (free‐play) context than infants with no family history of ASD. Longitudinal assessments suggest that between 6 and 10 months, grasping activity increases in high‐risk infants.     

Auf dem Weg zur inklusiven Schule: Versuch einer bildungsstatistischen Zwischenbilanz

In the context of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, this contribution traces current developments in Germany towards inclusive schooling on the basis of education statistics. The first section illustrates the two developmental phases of remedial schooling from the 1950s to the present: firstly, the expansion of the Sonderschulen and the Förderschulen, and secondly, their gradual decline. In the second section, data from individual German federal states on tuition in remedial and mainstream schools is discussed and analysed. In the third section, selected data is used to draw attention to the central problems– besides matters particular to school development—encountered on the path to inclusive schooling. Finally, a cautious outlook is provided.