Teachers' emotions and test feedback

A qualitative methodology, grounded theory, was used to examine the thoughts and emotions of teachers who delivered test feedback to students. The goal of this study was to develop a conceptual model of test-feedback processes that was grounded in observational and interview data. Seven college teachers were interviewed and observed as they planned and conducted testfeedback sessions. During the test-feedback sessions, these teachers experienced a variety of negative emotions when they encountered challenges from students in the classroom. Strategies developed by these teachers reflected their attempts to organize test feedback in ways that were consistent with their goals and beliefs, but that also limited their negative emotions and stress during the feedback session. These findings are discussed in terms of their contribution to existing research on teachers' interactive thought and emotion and on the ways that teachers cope with stress in the classroom.     

Naturally Acquired Mentoring Relationships and Young Adult Outcomes Among Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

We evaluated whether having a naturally acquired mentor during adolescence was associated with improved adult outcomes among youth with learning disabilities (YLD). Mentored youth were more likely to have graduated from high school, reported a higher level of self‐esteem, and reported a higher overall number of positive outcomes than nonmentored youth. Mentorship by teachers/guidance counselors was associated with larger differences in high school graduation rates and self‐esteem compared to nonmentored youth whereas mentorship by nonteachers was associated with smaller changes in self‐esteem and no differences in high school completion rates. Future research should include more in‐depth, objective assessments of youths’ learning disabilities, consideration of interactions with concurrent risk factors, and efforts to clarify optimal strategies for mentoring support of YLD.     

Self-Regulating Informational Text Reading Comprehension: Perceptions of Low-Achieving Students

Students who struggle with learning may not have the metacognition needed to support the multiple processes required to understand what is read in informational text. Instruction for these students, therefore, should include methodologies that promote self-regulation of critical thinking processes. Fifty-eight low-achieving students were provided Self-Regulated Strategy Development instruction for the TWA (Think before reading, think While reading, think After reading) strategy approach. Students were explicitly taught to establish goals, self-monitor performance, use positive self-instructions, and self-reinforce. We examined these students' perceptions in regard to application of the self-regulation procedures. Students' worksheets and comments as well as perceptions documented in post-instruction interviews were used to gain insight into students' metacognitive awareness of the self-regulation procedures taught and learned.     

The stress of travel

International travel is an essential part of the life of elite athletes, both for competition and training. It is also becoming increasingly common among recreational sportspersons. Long-distance travel is associated with a group of transient negative effects, collectively referred to as 'travel fatigue', which result from anxiety about the journey, the change to an individual's daily routine, and dehydration due to time spent in the dry air of the aircraft cabin. Travel fatigue lasts for only a day or so, but for those who fly across several time zones, there are also the longer-lasting difficulties associated with 'jet lag'. The problems of jet lag can last for over a week if the flight crosses 10 time zones or more, and they can reduce performance and the motivation to train effectively. Knowledge of the properties of the body clock enables the cause of the difficulties to be understood (an unadjusted body clock), and forms the basis of using light in the new time zone to promote adjustment of the body clock. Sleep loss and its effects are important components of jet lag, and attempts to promote sleep by the use of melatonin and other hypnotics are also relevant. Sleep loss is also found in those who undertake challenges that involve long periods where the normal consolidated sleep of 8 h length is not possible. Advice on sleep regimens in such circumstances is given.     

Evaluation of evidence-based medicine search skills in the clinical years

The librarians of the Health Sciences Library worked with the director of the Primary Care Clerkship to reinforce the principles of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) searching, taught during the first two years of medical school, through an intensive workshop. The purpose of the program was to ensure that students apply EBM principles in a timely and effective manner in clinical situations. Working in teams led by a resident and librarian, students researched real cases and then evaluated the effectiveness of their approach to the problems. This paper outlines the rationale for the team approach, reviews the administration of a computer-based workshop, and discusses the evaluation process. Evaluation focused on both the current workshop and its implications for the informatics program presented to students during years one and two.     

A quiver full of arrows: recommended Web-based tutorials for PubMed,PowerPoint, Ovid MEDLINE,and FrontPage

Librarians often are responsible for instructing their patrons in the use of various databases and popular software packages. When this instruction can't be provided through face-to-face contact, Web-based tutorials can be useful tools to bridge the information gap. This article recommends Web-based tutorials for PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, PowerPoint, and FrontPage.     

Muscle fatigue induced by exercise simulating the work rate of competitive soccer

Fatigue represents a reduction in the capability of muscle to generate force. The aim of the present study was to establish the effects of exercise that simulates the work rate of competitive soccer players on the strength of the knee extensors and knee flexors. Thirteen amateur soccer players (age 23.3+/-3.9 years, height 1.78+/-0.05 m, body mass 74.8+/-3.6 kg; mean+/-s) were tested during the 2000-2001 soccer season. Muscle strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings was measured on an isokinetic dynamometer. A 90 min soccer-specific intermittent exercise protocol, incorporating a 15 min half-time intermission, was developed to provide fatiguing exercise corresponding in work rate to a game of soccer. The exercise protocol, performed on a programmable motorized treadmill, consisted of the different intensities observed during soccer match-play (e.g. walking, jogging, running, sprinting). Muscle strength was assessed before exercise, at half-time and immediately after exercise. A repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant reductions (P < 0.001) in peak torque for both the quadriceps and hamstrings at all angular velocities (concentric: 1.05, 2.09, 5.23 rad x s(-1); eccentric: 2.09 rad x s(-1)). The peak torque of the knee extensors (KE) and knee flexors (KF) was greater before exercise [KE: 232+/-37, 182+/-34, 129+/-27, 219+/-41 N x m at 1.05, 2.09 and 5.23 rad x s(-1) (concentric) and 2.09 rad x s(-1) (eccentric), respectively; KF: 126+/-20, 112+/-19, 101+/-16, 137+/-23 N x m] than at half-time (KE: 209+/-45, 177+/-35, 125+/-36, 214+/-43 N x m; KF: 114+/-31, 102+/-20, 92+/-15, 125+/-25 N x m) and greater at half-time than after exercise (KE: 196+/-43, 167+/-35, 118+/-24, 204+/-43 N x m; KF: 104+/-25, 95+/-21, 87+/-13, 114+/-27 N x m). For the hamstrings:quadriceps ratio, significant changes were found (P < 0.05) for both legs, the ratio being greater before than after exercise. For fast:slow speed and left:right ratios, no significant changes were found. We conclude that there is a progressive reduction in muscle strength that applies across a range of functional characteristics during exercise that mimics the work rate in soccer.     

Predictors and Outcomes of Early vs. Later English Language Proficiency Among English Language Learners

The development of English language learners (ELLs) was explored from kindergarten through eighth grade within a nationally representative sample of first-time kindergartners (N = 19,890). Growth curve analyses indicated that, compared to native English speakers, ELLs were rated by teachers more favorably on approaches to learning, self control, and externalizing behaviors in kindergarten and generally continued to grow in a positive direction on these social/behavioral outcomes at a steeper rate compared to their native English-speaking peers, holding other factors constant. Differences in reading and math achievement between ELLs and native English speakers varied based on the grade at which English proficiency is attained. Specifically, ELLs who were proficient in English by kindergarten entry kept pace with native English speakers in both reading and math initially and over time; ELLs who were proficient by first grade had modest gaps in reading and math achievement compared to native English speakers that closed narrowly or persisted over time; and ELLs who were not proficient by first grade had the largest initial gaps in reading and math achievement compared to native speakers but the gap narrowed over time in reading and grew over time in math. Among those whose home language is not English, acquiring English proficiency by kindergarten entry was associated with better cognitive and behavioral outcomes through eighth grade compared to taking longer to achieve proficiency. Multinomial regression analyses indicated that child, family, and school characteristics predict achieving English proficiency by kindergarten entry compared to achieving proficiency later. Results are discussed in terms of policies and practices that can support ELL children's growth and development.