The impact of collaboration on teachers’ individual data use

Research considers collaboration to be a significant factor in terms of how teachers use data to improve their practice. Nevertheless, the effects of teacher collaboration with regard to teachers’ individual data use has remained largely underexplored. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the interplay between collaboration and the personal factors that influence teachers’ data use. This paper addresses this research gap by defining factors that affect collaboration, and by investigating the impact of collaboration on teachers’ individual data use. The resulting research questions were answered by drawing on questionnaire data from 1,472 primary and secondary school teachers in Flanders. The findings indicate that collaboration is the main explanatory factor for teachers’ individual data use compared to teachers’ self-efficacy and attitude. Therefore, this study demonstrates the value of collaboration for future research and for creating a supportive environment for teachers’ individual data use.     

Assessing the Relevance of Statistics and Crime Analysis Courses for Working Crime Analysts

Crime analysts study criminal activity and police function to improve performance. Analysts inform operations, aid resource allocation, and evaluate programs. These tasks require high levels of statistical literacy. Given that most analysts are college-educated civilians, college coursework in statistics and/or crime analysis may represent the foundational knowledgebase within the profession. However, little research has attempted to determine if coursework teaches the skills needed by analysts. Underlying this issue is a limited understanding about what technical skills crime analysts regularly use. Analyzing parallel surveys of 98 criminal justice educators and 146 crime analysts, this study compares the skills taught in undergraduate-level statistics and crime analysis courses to those used by analysts. Comparisons are made between perceptions of the value of coursework. Results indicate discrepancies between the orientation of coursework and the needs of analysts which underscore differences in the perceived relevance of statistics education. Recommendations are discussed.     

Theoretical Foundations for Website Design Courses

Theoretical foundations in website design courses can facilitate students learning the genres of Internet communication. Genre theory and activity theory provide opportunities for emphasizing the social context of websites in ways that emphasize for students the identity-laden nature of sites that can often appear to be anonymous and addressed to multiple audiences. After proposing ways that these theories can be integrated into website design courses, the article focuses on two students' website portfolios and ways they utilize theories discussed in class to produce websites in two different fields.     

Developmental and Intervention-Related Change in Autobiographical Memory Specificity in Maltreated Children: Indirect Effects of Maternal Reminiscing

This study examined the development of autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) in a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of 242 maltreated and nonmaltreated children (aged 36–86 months; 50.4% male; 39.7% Black, 25.9% White, 34.5% Latinx/other) and their mothers. Half of the maltreated families were randomized to receive an intervention to improve maternal reminiscing. The effects of maltreatment and the intervention on children’s AMS via two indices of maternal reminiscing, sensitive guidance, and elaboration, were evaluated. Bidirectional associations between AMS and child maladjustment were also examined. Intervention-related improvement in maternal sensitive guidance 6-month postintervention (b* = .36) related to greater AMS among maltreated children 1 year later (b* = .19). These findings underscore the role of maternal sensitive guidance in facilitating AMS.     

How the relationship between text and headings influences readers’ memory

Two questions regarding signals’ influence on memory were examined. First, the relationship between headings and text was manipulated to determine whether headings serve as visual cues, directing readers to recall all subsequent information, or content-specific cues, directing readers to recall only to certain information. Second, distance between headings and signaled information was manipulated to determine the extent to which headings focus readers’ recall. College students read a multiple-topic expository text. Free recall for main topics was facilitated by being related to headings and being close to headings and inhibited by being unrelated to headings and distant from headings. Conditional recall (recall of subordinate information pertaining to a main topic) was not affected by either relatedness of heading or distance. Results are consistent with research showing signals’ mixed influence on recall and suggest relation and distance as factors to consider when writing and reading exposition.     

Predicting the Grades of Low-Income–Ethnic-Minority Students From Teacher-Student Discrepancies in Reported Motivation

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of discrepancies between teachers' perceptions of students' motivation and students' reports of their motivation on math and English grades and to identify possible gender and ethnic differences. Participants included 215 low-income, ethnic-minority students and their teachers in academically struggling schools. Discrepancy in motivation ratings accounted for a significant amount of variation in final grades. This teacher-student discrepancy effect was larger than both the effect of students' recent standardized test scores and the effect of self-efficacy in both subjects. Girls were found to attract positive teacher bias, but their grades were not differentially affected. Differences in teacher-student discrepancy effects between African American and Latino students were not found.     

Determinants of recovery from a 161-km ultramarathon

The primary study objective was to identify determinants of short-term recovery from a 161-km ultramarathon. Participants completed 400 m runs at maximum speed before the race and on days 3 and 5 post-race, provided a post-race blood sample for plasma creatine kinase (CK) concentration, and provided lower body muscle pain and soreness ratings (soreness, 10-point scale) and overall muscular fatigue scores (fatigue, 100-point scale) pre-race and for 7 days post-race. Among 72 race finishers, soreness and fatigue had statistically returned to pre-race levels by 5 days post-race; and 400 m times at days 3 and 5 remained 26% (P = 0.001) and 12% (P = 0.01) slower compared with pre-race, respectively. CK best modelled soreness, fatigue and per cent change in post-race 400 m time. Runners with the highest CKs had 1.5 points higher (P < 0.001) soreness and 11.2 points higher (P = 0.006) fatigue than runners with the lowest CKs. For the model of 400 m time, a significant interaction of time with CK (P < 0.001) indicates that higher CKs were linked with a slower rate of return to pre-race 400 m time. Since post-race CK was the main modifiable determinant of recovery following the ultramarathon, appropriate training appears to be the optimal approach to enhance ultramarathon recovery.     

The Use of Health Related Quality of Life Measurement in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy Practice: An Exploratory Study

Background: The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) recommends health related quality of life (HRQL) measurement with all cardiovascular and pulmonary patients. The current pattern of use of HRQL measurement among cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapists is unknown. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pattern of use of HRQL measurement among cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapists. Design: The study used a semi-structured interview format within the context of 3 focus groups. Methods: Eleven physical therapists participated in this study and all were members of the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Participants participated in a conference call and were provided a question tree to guide discussion. Results: Several primary themes emerged, including decreased knowledge, barriers, and poor indicators of patient status. In addition, several subthemes developed including lack of familiarity, lack of use, administrative and cost limitations, inappropriateness of tool for patient population, correlation between function and quality of life, and suggestions for future outcome measures. Conclusions: A lack of familiarity and use of HRQL measurement and barriers to their use were established. In addition, ideas for future research on HRQL measurements with specific patient populations in physical therapy practice were defined.Key Words: health related quality of life, outcomes measurement