Gender effects in self-management training: Individual versus cooperative interventions

This study examined gender differences in individual and cooperative (small-group) self-management training programs targeting mathematics performance. It was hypothesized that gender would interact with type of self-management training, such that girls in the individual training condition and boys in the cooperative training condition would improve less than girls in the cooperative training condition or boys in the individual training condition. As expected, girls in the individual training con- dition improved significantly less than both girls in the cooperative condition and boys in the individual condition. In contrast, boys in the cooperative training condi- tion did not differ significantly from either boys in the individual training condition or girls in the cooperative training condition. These results suggest the benefit of more cooperative self-management training interventions for classroom-wide interventions that include both boys and girls. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Teaching in Higher Education A Policy Statement

Abstract

This article examines the current preoccupation with enhancing the employability of graduates through the adoption of generic key skills into the undergraduate curriculum. It looks at the evidence for seven assumptions commonly made by those who promote the ‘employability’ agenda, and raises questions about the security of these assumptions including the transferability of key skills to employment contexts, the cost effectiveness of developing key skills in Higher Education rather than in employment and the competitive market advantage that individual students are believed to obtain. It concludes that in the absence of major changes to the funding regime there is unlikely to be a radical change to the curriculum and that more attention should now be paid to the post‐graduation/induction period than to the pre‐graduation stages.     

Agreement between polar and SRM mobile ergometer systems during laboratory-based high-intensity, intermittent cycling activity

The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement between two mobile cycle ergometer systems for recording high-intensity, intermittent power output. Twelve trained male cyclists (age 31.4 +/- 9.8 years) performed a single 3 min intermittent cycle test consisting of 12 all-out efforts, separated by periods of passive recovery ranging from 5 to 15 s. Power output was recorded using a Polar S710 heart rate monitor and power sensor kit and an SRM Powercrank system for each test. The SRM used torque and angular velocity to calculate power, while the S710 used chain speed and vibration to calculate power. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in power were found at 8 of the 12 efforts. A significant difference (P = 0.001) was also found when power was averaged over all 12 intervals. Mean power was 556 +/- 102 W and 446 +/- 61 W for the SRM and S710 respectively. The S710 underestimated power by an average of 23% with random errors of */[division sign] 24% when compared with the SRM. Random errors ranged from 36% to 141% with a median of 51%. The results indicate there was little agreement between the two systems and that the Polar S710 did not provide a valid measure of power during intermittent cycling activity when compared with the SRM. Power recorded by the S710 system was influenced greatly by chain vibration and sampling rates.     

“How different can we be?”: Using Tuesdays with Morrie and intergenerational interactions to promote positive views of older adults among college students

ABSTRACT

This article reports the results of an Adult Development course assignment. This assignment required that undergraduate students interact with an older adult on two occasions, provide written reflection on these interactions, and read and review the book, Tuesdays with Morrie. The goals of this assignment were for students to comfortably interact with older adults, to recognize the value of intergenerational interactions, and to recognize ageist or stereotyped ideas that they may have held about older adults. The analyses were primarily qualitative, but indicate that these goals were met. Student reactions to this assignment were overwhelmingly positive and insightful. While a number of students expressed initial concern about these interactions, they unanimously reported them to be positive experiences. Students also indicated that it was a learning experience for them, and sometimes for the older adults as well, and several made note of stereotypes or ageist ideas that they had held. Students completed the Fraboni Scale of Ageism after completing these assignments, and scores were significantly below neutral. While pretest, and additional post-test, measures would make the results of this study stronger, the students’ reports indicate that they perceived positive change within themselves, which suggests that this was an effective means of promoting positive attitudes about older adults.     

Advantages and Challenges of Using Physics Curricula as a Model for Reforming an Undergraduate Biology Course

We report on the development of a life sciences curriculum, targeted to undergraduate students, which was modeled after a commercially available physics curriculum and based on aspects of how people learn. Our paper describes the collaborative development process and necessary modifications required to apply a physics pedagogical model in a life sciences context. While some approaches were easily adapted, others provided significant challenges. Among these challenges were: representations of energy, introducing definitions, the placement of Scientists’ Ideas, and the replicability of data. In modifying the curriculum to address these challenges, we have come to see them as speaking to deeper differences between the disciplines, namely that introductory physics—for example, Newton''s laws, magnetism, light—is a science of pairwise interaction, while introductory biology—for example, photosynthesis, evolution, cycling of matter in ecosystems—is a science of linked processes, and we suggest that this is how the two disciplines are presented in introductory classes. We illustrate this tension through an analysis of our adaptations of the physics curriculum for instruction on the cycling of matter and energy; we show that modifications of the physics curriculum to address the biological framework promotes strong gains in student understanding of these topics, as evidenced by analysis of student work.