Early Intervention and Mediating Processes in Cognitive Performance of Children of Low-Income African American Families

This longitudinal study of 161 African American children from low-income families examined multiple influences, including early childhood interventions and characteristics of the child and family, on longitudinal patterns of children's cognitive performance measured between 6 months and 8 years of age. Results indicate that more optimal patterns of cognitive development were associated with intensive early educational child care, responsive stimulating care at home, and higher maternal IQ. In accordance with a general systems model, analyses also suggested that child care experiences were related to better cognitive performance in part through enhancing the infant's responsiveness to his or her environment. Maternal IQ had both a direct effect on cognitive performance during early childhood and, also, an indirect effect through its influence on the family environment.     

A Comparison of Special,General and Support Teachers’ Controllability and Stability Attributions for Children’s Difficulties in Learning

The study aimed to explore teachers’ attributions for learner difficulties in their schoolwork. In order to explore their attributions of controllability and stability, three groups of teachers, general mainstream class teachers (N = 39), mainstream learning support teachers (N = 35), and special school teachers (N = 25) were asked to rate vignettes about children’s difficulties. The results showed that the two groups of teachers working in the mainstream settings viewed learners with identified support needs as having less control over their performance than those with no specific support needs, while special school teachers viewed both learner groups similarly. Similar findings were found for teacher attributions of controllability in high‐ and low‐ability learners. Stability attributions across all conditions showed that special school teachers viewed children’s difficulties as more amenable to change than did the two groups of mainstream teachers. The implications of these findings for inclusion in mainstream schools are discussed.     

当代文化的众声喧哗——浪漫伦理与现代消费主义精神

本文为英国社会学家柯林.坎贝尔《浪漫主义伦理与现代消费主义精神》的导论部分。此书从标题到研究思路沿袭了韦伯的《新教伦理与资本主义精神》,通过对18世纪英国工业革命时期伴随而来的消费革命的梳理与分析,探寻现代消费主义的起源,试图将文学浪漫主义与现代工业社会的“获取与花费”相联接。通过对文学、历史、社会学、经济学等学科的例证,坎贝尔提出现代社会消费主义的特征不仅源于工业资本主义的市场力量,也与获取快感和白日梦的浪漫艺术相关。此书是西方消费文化研究的经典作品,也是研究消费文化的必读书目。此书在消费文化研究、大众文化研究等领域影响深远。在导论一节中,作者主要介绍了研究的方法、方法论及其思路形成过程。     

A Practical Application of Ocean Color Methodology to an Undergraduate Curriculum

Recently there have been newly launched ocean color satellites which target the coastlines at unprecedented scales. Science education curricula can benefit from the provision of small low-cost spectroradiometers and curriculum supplemental materials that can be incorporated in a “hands on” teaching approach to explain and demonstrate remote sensing reflectance principles. A lesson in which a progressive set of spectral measurements of familiar and unfamiliar objects and natural waters acquired by students using a small fiberoptic probe and spectroradiometer is presented. This lesson has a dual purpose. The first is to serve as a teaching supplement to high school science curricula while paralleling the National Science Education Standards (NSES) for NASA ocean color products, as well as other satellite ocean products such as GLI and MERIS. The second is to focus on the scientific goals of the graduate-school bound undergraduate student by providing a fundamental understanding of the principles of passive ocean color remote sensing that will perhaps nurture the interest of some students toward research involving utilization of NASA’s Earth science data products. We intend to have these spectroradiometers readily available for use by teachers in the Earth sciences through a publicly available technology library.     

Inclusive and exclusive masculinities in physical education: a Scottish case study

This research examines how adolescent males (ages 16–17 years) construct and experience their masculine identities within the context of physical education (PE). A class of 23 boys and 3 girls from a state secondary school in Scotland were observed over a period of 3 months. During the third month, five of the observed pupils volunteered to take part in a conversation with the lead researcher which was guided by their participation in a repertory grid task. The same five participants also took part in a one-to-one semi-structured interview. The analysis of the evidence revealed that the adolescent pupils internalised and performed an orthodox form of masculinity that centred on strength, pain tolerance and the policing of others. More inclusive masculinities appeared to be emerging, however, the hypermasculine and public nature of the PE environment made it very difficult for the pupils to freely adopt or perform these alternative, more inclusive forms of masculinity. Additionally, pupils who did perform traits associated with inclusive masculinity often exhibited a high degree of social and physical capital. In order to facilitate a culture where all individuals feel free to express their gendered identities, teachers are encouraged to recognise, promote and celebrate multiple masculinities. This could create a safer learning environment for pupils and help prevent identities from being ‘destroyed’ in PE.     

High-stakes teacher evaluation policy: US principals’ perspectives and variations in practice

Principals’ implementation of new teacher evaluation policies in a suburban and rural southeastern area of the United States was examined over a five-year period. This study reports findings on two of eleven interview questions examining changes in principals’ perceptions over time regarding policy concerns and benefits. Findings indicate while initially overwhelmed, principals eventually managed implementation time challenges and later focused on the benefits of evaluation. Secondly, principals quickly integrated the instructional rubric criteria into classroom observations and professional development work. Third, increasing doubts emerged regarding the inconsistent application of the rubric criteria, the inclusion of student test scores in teacher evaluation, and the calculation of teacher effectiveness ratings. The authors conclude that mandating rigorous evaluation policy will not sufficiently address teacher effectiveness and may complicate principals’ instructional leadership. They assert that policy-makers must consider the long-term effects of implementation before substantial teacher evaluation change results.     

Left ventricular morphology and function in endurance-trained female athletes.

In this study, we investigated resting left ventricular dimensions and function in trained female rowers, canoeists and cyclists. In male populations, such athletes have demonstrated the largest left ventricular wall thicknesses and cavity dimensions. Echocardiograms were analysed from 24 athletes (rowers and canoeists, n = 12; cyclists, n = 12) and 21 age-matched controls to measure left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and volume, and septal (ST) and posterior wall (PWT) thicknesses. Left ventricular mass was calculated from M-mode data. Systolic and diastolic function were calculated from M-mode and Doppler echocardiography, respectively. Height, body mass, body surface area and fat-free mass were determined anthropometrically. The athletes were well matched with the controls for all anthropometric variables except fat-free mass (rowers and canoeists 49.7+/-3.6 kg, cyclists 48.0+/-3.8 kg, controls 45.0+/-5.4 kg; P < 0.05). The left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, mass and volume, and septal and posterior wall thicknesses, were all significantly greater in the athletes than the controls (P < 0.05). These differences persisted (except for left ventricular end-diastolic dimension) even after allometric adjustment for group differences in fat-free mass. Stroke volume was larger (rowers and canoeists 102+/-13 ml, cyclists 103+/-16 ml, controls 80+/-15 ml; P < 0.05) in both groups of athletes but all other functional data were similar between groups. As in male athletes, female rowers, canoeists and cyclists displayed significantly larger left ventricular cavity dimensions and wall thicknesses than controls.     

Communicative Action for Reforming University Education: Comments from a Sri Lankan Case Study

There is an urgent need for a new wave of learning that will transform university education through communicative action. Open discourse, by concentrating on values, feelings, fears, and hopes, enables a trusting basis for critical and problem-and-solution discussions. Dominated by an instrumental type of rationality, the existing dominant paradigm of university education is becoming progressively coercive and destructive of student and collegial life-worlds. Communicative action, through open discourse between universities, governments, and business, could lead to increasing transnational openness. Can developed countries play a role in this process without dominating and destroying university life-worlds in developing countries?     

Validity of a contact mat and accelerometric system to assess countermovement jump from flight time

Countermovement jump (CMJ) height is an important parameter in physical performance. This study compared CMJ height measured using ChronoJump contact mat (CJ) and Myotest accelerometer (MT) systems with a force platform (FP). Thirty recreationally active adults (32.1 ± 10.4 years, 75.9 ± 12.0 kg, 173.2 ± 6.3 cm) completed a CMJ protocol where height was simultaneously recorded using the three systems. CJ and MT measures were strongly and significant correlated (r = 0.65, 0.66, respectively; p < 0.05) with FP. CJ-derived measures were not significantly different to FP measures (p > 0.05), yet MT-derived measures were significantly different from those obtained using the FP (p < 0.05). Systematic bias was observed between FP and the CJ and between FP and MT. This study demonstrates the validity of CJ and MT systems for the assessment of CMJ height. Systematic bias and between-device differences in measurement should be considered when interpreting and comparing data from these devices.