Influence of Three Different Training Programs on Strength and Speed of a Limb Movement

Abstract

The experiment was designed to compare the effects of isometric-isotonic (A), dynamic-overload (B), and free swing (C) exercise programs on the speed and strength of a lateral arm movement The 26 college men in each group—three experimental and one control—were given pre- and post-training speed and strength trials. Each experimental group performed its assigned exercise twice a week during the 10-week training period. Reliability coefficients for both strength and speed of movement measurements were found to be high. Following training there were significant speed increases in both the isometric-isotonic and dynamic-overload groups (t=10.06 and 8.10; however, the difference in speed gain between conditions was nonsignificant (F=.10). Also, strength increases in both of these groups were significant (t=8.81 and 3.08), with that of the isometric-isotonic group significantly greater than the dynamic-overload group (F=5.11). No significant speed or strength gains were registered by either the free swing or control group.     

Greater lower limb flexion in gymnastic landings is associated with reduced landing force: a repeated measures study

High impact forces during gymnastic landings are thought to contribute to the high rate of injuries. Lower limb joint flexion is currently limited within gymnastic rules, yet might be an avenue for reduced force absorption. This study investigated whether lower limb flexion during three gymnastic landings was related to force. Differences between landings were also explored. Twenty-one elite women's artistic gymnasts performed three common gymnastic techniques: drop landing (DL), front and back somersaults. Ankle, knee, and hip angles, and vertical ground reaction force [(vGRF) magnitude and time to peak], were measured using three-dimensional motion analysis and force platform. The DL had significantly smaller peak vGRF, greater time to peak vGRF and larger lower limb flexion ranges than landing from either somersault. Peak vGRF and time to peak vGRF were inversely related. Peak vGRF was significantly reduced in gymnasts who landed with greater hip flexion, and time to peak was significantly increased with increasing ankle, knee, and hip flexion. Increased range of lower limb flexion should be encouraged during gymnastic landings to increase time to peak vGRF and reduce high impact force. For this purpose, judging criteria limitations on lower limb flexion should be reconsidered.     

Une question nouvelle pour l'action educative et la formation: Le vieillissement des populations

Résumé L'auteur met l'accent sur l'une des principales contradictions des sociétés industrialisées: l'accroissement de l'espérance de vie aux âges élevés et, en même temps, la marginalisation des personnes âgées. Le vieillissement dans ses différents aspects, notamment socio-démographiques, devrait constituer un thème éducatif de première importance dans le cadre de l'enseignement scolaire et dans la formation des intervenants auprès des personnes âgées. L'éducation peut enfin contribuer à enrichir les connaissances des personnes âgées mais aussi les aider à mieux assurer leur rôle de transmetteur de savoirs et d'expériences.

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The author stresses one of the principal contradictions in industrialized societies: the increase in life expectancy at advanced ages, at the same time as the marginalization of the elderly. Aging, in its different aspects, and notably that of social demography, should be an educational topic of first importance both in school teaching and in the training of those who care for the elderly. Education can help to enlarge older people's learning, but it can also assist them in their role of transmitter of knowledge and experience.

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Zusammenfassung Der Autor hebt einen der Hauptwidersprüche in Industrieländern hervor: die Erhöhung der Lebenserwartung und zur gleichen Zeit die Ausgrenzung älterer Menschen. Das Altern sollte mit seinen unterschiedlichen Aspekten und besonders dem Aspekt der sozialen Demographie als bildungspolitisches Thema höchste Priorität besitzen, und zwar sowohl im schulischen Bereich als auch in der Ausbildung von Altenpflegern. Bildung kann Lernmöglichkeiten für Ältere erweitern, aber sie kann sie auch in ihrer Rolle als Übermittler von Wissen und Erfahrungen bestärken.

     

Disseminating the right information to the right audience: cultural determinants in the use (and misuse) of rankings

Rankings and league tables, or Report Cards (RCs), of Higher Education Institutions have become a global phenomenon. Their purpose, it is claimed, is to help “student-consumers” make informed decisions. Yet the degree to which RCs succeed in helping students in their college choice is disputed. Even though RCs are intended for all, which information is sought and how it is used may differ between potential students hailing from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds. In particular, RCs may neglect certain cultural determinants that influence students’ college choice behaviour. The article reviews the literature on the cultural determinants of college choice and especially the use of RCs in the ambit of cultural determinants. In the United States, possibly because of evident educational gaps between ethnic groups in society, the issue of cultural perceptions in college choice has been addressed, albeit scantly. In Europe, this field of study is virtually non-existent, despite increasing indications that second and third generation immigrants still lag behind in terms of higher education participation and graduation rates.

Call for papers

Call for papersSecond international symposium on the role of the universities in developing areas     

Changeover contingencies and choice on concurrent schedules

Pigeons were trained on a multiple concurrent schedule with two components per session. In one component, changing schedules required the completion of a small fixed ratio on the switching key (a fixed-ratio changeover, or FRCO), and in the other component, changing schedules required only one switching response but engaged a changeover delay (COD) during which keypecks were not reinforced. Response ratios overmatched reinforcer ratios under the FRCO but undermatched under the COD. There was no difference in time allocation. In addition to these molar regularities in behavior, there were characteristic differences in performance at the molecular level. These local patterns of behavior, which can be explained within the context of contingencies created by the different changeover requirements, appear to underlie differences in performance at the molar level. Obtained molar differences in performance are not compatible with the assumption that there is a “general outcome” on concurrent schedules; and explaining these molar differences in performance in terms of the local contingencies of reinforcement is contrary to the assumption that behavior is allocated as a function of molar distributions of reinforcers.     

Narrowmobilization and Tea Party Activism: A Study of Right-Leaning Alternative Media

Past research concerning the theoretical framework of Resistance Performance (RP) has been based on observations of liberal organizations and activists. In the following essay, we engage in a qualitative content analysis of alternative media utilized by conservative “Tea Party” activists to build on the concept of RP. Overall, we discovered that the dominant theme found in much of the content focuses on “purity,” which is considerably different from past RP research that found broad themes of “human rights,” “democracy,” “be the media,” and “principles of unity” embedded within liberal alternative media content. We conclude that the theme of “purity” gives rise to narrowmobilization, which constructs very focused protest communities within right-leaning politics.     

ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS,CONTRIBUTORS, AND RESEARCH DIRECTIONS: MAPPING PUBLICATION ROUTES IN THE JOURNAL

A content analysis of the journal Religious Education: An Interfaith Journal of Spirituality, Growth and Transformation was conducted for a 10-year period between 1993–2002 (Volume 88, 1–Volume 97, 4). A total of 325 articles (277 authors) were analyzed into 3 primary research directions (theoretical, qualitative, and quantitative). Author institutional affiliation, religious identity, position, geographic location, and number of contributions were also computed. Implications for the Journal and the field of religious education are discussed.     

Students' Expectations of Teachers Love and Authority

In this article, the author introduces a series of practical strategies to support the development of an innovative and technology-rich curriculum. The author begins with the importance of understanding what possibilities for innovation exist given the relationship between curriculum, equity issues, and education reform. The author then discusses specific strategies including understanding basic modes of computer use, determining available resources, creating detailed lesson plans, using materials readily available via the Web, and implementing alternative assessments. Accompanying Web-based resources support these strategies. The author concludes with a discussion of how innovative technology curriculum is an area in which education reform's limitations are evident and can be challenged by new ideas and practices.