Educational brokering: New services for adult learners

This paper describes a fast-growing variety of programs that directly enable adult learners to pursue educational and career plans within their communities. Educational brokering serves an intermediary role between individual clients and the vast array of educational resources in a region. This paper considers the missions of brokering—advisement, assessment, and advocacy—its organizational arrangements, and the sources of its support and development. Specific successes and impacts of brokering are presented, as is the importance of the brokering idea to several larger public policy issues. Efforts currently underway to expand brokering activities on a national level are also discussed.Dr. Heffernan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Higher/Postsecondary Education at Syracuse University and is Coordinator of Research and Editor of theBulletin of the National Center for Educational Brokering. He has been assisted in the preparation of this article by Francis U. Macy and Donn F. Vickers, Director and Associate Director, respectively, of the National Center for Educational Brokering, 405 Oak Street, Syracuse, New York 13203.     

String vibration dampers do not reduce racket frame vibration transfer to the forearm

In this study, we examined the effect of string vibration damping devices on reducing racket frame vibration transfer to the forearm. Twenty participants volunteered to hold a tennis racket stationary in a forehand and backhand stroking position while tennis balls were fired at 20 m x s(-1) towards two impact locations, the node of vibration and the dead spot. A three-way analysis of variance with repeated measures on damping condition, impact location and stroke condition was performed on the data. The resonant frequency of the hand-held racket was found to be approximately 120 Hz. No significant differences in amplitude of vibration at the resonant frequency were found for the wrist or the elbow when damped and non-damped impacts were compared. Impacts at the dead spot produced greater amplitudes of vibration (P < 0.01) but no interaction between impact location and string dampers was evident. The string dampers had no effect on the grip force used or the muscle electrical activity in the forearm after impact. In conclusion, we found that string dampers do not reduce the amount of racket frame vibration received at the forearm. We suggest that string dampers remain a popular accessory among tennis players because of their acoustic effects and psychological support rather than any mechanical advantage.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS) among adolescent athletes

The aim of the present study was to examine the factorial validity of the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas et al., 1999) among adolescent athletes using confirmatory factor analysis. The TOPS was designed to assess eight psychological strategies used in competition (i.e. activation, automaticity, emotional control, goal-setting, imagery, negative thinking, relaxation and self-talk,) and eight used in practice (the same strategies except negative thinking is replaced by attentional control). National-level athletes (n = 584) completed the 64-item TOPS during training camps. Fit indices provided partial support for the overall measurement model for the competition items (robust comparative fit index = 0.92, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.88, root mean square error of approximation = 0.05) but minimal support for the training items (robust comparative fit index = 0.86, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.81, root mean square error of approximation = 0.06). For the competition items, the automaticity, goal-setting, relaxation and self-talk scales showed good fit, whereas the activation, emotional control, imagery and negative thinking scales did not. For the practice items, the attentional control, emotional control, goal-setting, imagery and self-talk scales showed good fit, whereas the activation, automaticity and relaxation scales did not. Overall, it appears that the factorial validity of the TOPS for use with adolescents is questionable at present and further development is required.     

Physical activity and executive control: implications for increased cognitive health during older adulthood

Electrocortical and behavioral responses of low, moderate, and high physically active older adults were compared with a younger control group on neutral and incompatible conditions of a flankers task. Compared to younger adults, high and moderate active older adults exhibited increased event-related potentials component P3 amplitude for the incompatible condition at the frontal electrode site. For the neutral condition, only low active older adults exhibited decreased amplitude at the central-parietal site, compared to younger adults. P3 latency revealed the longest latencies for low active older adults, followed by moderate active, high active, and younger adults, respectively. Reaction time (RT) data revealed that younger adults exhibited faster RT compared to all three older groups. Results suggest that physical activity may improve executive control function in older adults by affecting the distribution of P3 amplitude, which has been related to memory and attentional processes, and by decreasing P3 latency, which relates to the speed of cognitive processing.     

The decline in CUNY applications: Who and how come

In the fall of 1976 applications for admission to the City University of New York (CUNY) had dropped sharply. In total number they were down by almost 13,000 from 1974, a drop of approximately 18%. Several hypotheses have been posited for the sharp decline in student applicants to the City University. Analysis of data drawn from the computer printouts of the City University's allocations indicates that the end of open admissions, for example, does not, in and of itself, explain the application drop. Similarly, the change in allocation formulas at CUNY seems not to explain the enrollment decline adequately. Finally, the imposition of tuition, or the perception about tuition, appears by no means the single most important factor in the enrollment drop. This paper attempts to determine the characteristics of the students not applying and to examine the reasons contributing to the sharp enrollment decline.