Enhancement and constraint: student-mothers’ experiences of higher vocational education,emotion and time

Student-mothers who study vocationally related higher education programmes are a relatively under-researched group. Specifically, there is a paucity of research into the emotions that these learners experience. This article discusses a qualitative investigation that examined the emotional narratives that a group of vocational student-mothers offered. They were studying for a foundation degree for teaching assistants at a university in the North of England. The student-mothers were largely found to have experienced positive emotions. However, familial and workplace guilt had also been encountered. These emotions emanated from notions about how family and workplace time should be used. Student-mothers managed this cognitive dissonance by stressing the reciprocal relationships that existed between their studies, family lives and school work. However, for many of these learners familial and workplace guilt was a strong and continuing emotion.     

Displaying Dinosaurs at The Natural History Museum,London

Dinosaur reconstructions have been exhibited in public for over a hundred years. During that time, scientific and public understanding of these extinct animals has changed considerably. Changes in perception have influenced and been influenced by the three-dimensional reconstructions mounted in museums and galleries, and these in turn have been influenced by the availability and use of mounting materials and techniques. The dinosaur exhibition in The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London contains examples of original, altered, and new dinosaur reconstructions that are described here—two, Gallimimus and Massospondylus, in detail. The final form of any reconstructed dinosaur is often influenced by factors beyond the control of the conservation, preparation, and mounting workers involved.     

Validity and reliability of a linear positional transducer across commonly practised resistance training exercises

This study investigated the validity and reliability of the GymAware PowerTool (GPT). Thirteen resistance trained participants completed three visits, consisting of three repetitions of free-weight back squat, bench press, deadlift (80% one repetition maximum), and countermovement jump. Bar displacement, peak and mean velocity, peak and mean force, and jump height were calculated using the GPT, a three-dimensional motion capture system (Motion Analysis Corporation; 150 Hz), and a force plate (Kistler; 1500 Hz). Least products regression were used to compare agreeability between devices. A within-trial one-way ANOVA, typical error (TE; %), and smallest worthwhile change (SWC) were used to assess reliability. Regression analysis resulted in R² values of >0.85 for all variables excluding deadlift mean velocity (R² = 0.54–0.69). Significant differences were observed between visits 3-2 for bench press bar displacement (0.395 ± 0.055 m; 0.383 ± 0.053 m), and deadlift bar displacement (0.557 ± 0.034 m; 0.568 ± 0.034 m). No other significant differences were found. Low to moderate TE (0.6–8.8%) were found for all variables, with SWC ranging 1.7–7.4%. The data provides evidence that the GPT can be used to measure kinetic and kinematic outputs, however, care should be taken when monitoring deadlift performance.     

Validating the Sedentary Sphere method in children: Does wrist or accelerometer brand matter?

This study aimed to validate the Sedentary Sphere posture classification method from wrist-worn accelerometers in children. Twenty-seven 9–10-year-old children wore ActiGraph GT9X (AG) and GENEActiv (GA) accelerometers on both wrists, and activPAL on the thigh while completing prescribed activities: five sedentary activities, standing with a phone, walking (criterion for all 7: observation) and 10-min free-living play (criterion: activPAL). In an independent sample, 21 children wore AG and GA accelerometers on the non-dominant wrist and activPAL for two days of free-living. Per cent accuracy, pairwise 95% equivalence tests (±10% equivalence zone) and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) analyses were completed. Accuracy was similar, for prescribed activities irrespective of brand (non-dominant wrist: 77–78%; dominant wrist: 79%). Posture estimates were equivalent between wrists within brand (±6%, ICC > 0.81, lower 95% CI ≥ 0.75), between brands worn on the same wrist (±5%, ICC ≥ 0.84, lower 95% CI ≥ 0.80) and between brands worn on opposing wrists (±6%, ICC ≥ 0.78, lower 95% CI ≥ 0.72). Agreement with activPAL during free-living was 77%, but sedentary time was underestimated by 7% (GA) and 10% (AG). The Sedentary Sphere can be used to classify posture from wrist-worn AG and GA accelerometers for group-level estimates in children, but future work is needed to improve the algorithm for better individual-level results.     

‘The influence of overseas coaching and management on the occupational subculture of English professional soccer: views from the dugout’

It is generally acknowledged that expatriate British players and coaches were instrumental in soccer’s radiant global diffusion and that different technical and tactical emphases developed according to particular geographical locations and cultural milieu. As the twentieth century unfolded, the trend reversed with increased inward flows of elite foreign playing and coaching labour challenging the distinctive and erstwhile dominant occupational culture of the English game. This paper explores the dynamics and tensions of subcultural modification and adaptation at the British: migrant coaching talent interface. Owing to issues associated with access, the occupational subculture of elite-level football is impenetrable to most researchers. Previous employment in professional soccer allowed this author to overcome such impediments, permitting access to a range of high-status national and international players and coaches (n = 25) affecting and affected by occupational subcultural change. This enabled a distinctive research platform combining insider knowledge and grounded experience with academic orthodoxy. The paper is built upon primary data collected in semi-structured interviews and critical analysis of emerging themes. In doing so, it offers a fresh dimension to understanding the impact of globalization on elite professional English soccer. Key findings indicated the opinion of British coaches on the impact of this foreign influx polarized. Although many demonstrated an enlightened standpoint, adopting innovative practices introduced by overseas coaching talent, these views were counter-balanced by evidence of a myopic arrogance bordering on xenophobic resistance to change in what now has to be considered the global rather than the ‘English’ game.     

Considerations for the use of functional principal components analysis in sports biomechanics: examples from on-water rowing

The proliferation of new biomechanical technology in laboratory and field settings facilitates the capture of data-sets consisting of complex time-series. An understanding of the appropriate statistical approaches for analysing and interpreting these data-sets is required and the functional data analysis (FDA) family of statistical techniques has emerged in the biomechanical literature. Given the use of FDA is currently in its infancy with biomechanical data, this paper will form the first of a two part series aiming to address practical issues surrounding the application of FDA techniques in biomechanics. This work focuses on functional principal components analysis (fPCA), which is explored using existing literature and sample data from an on-water rowing database. In particular methodological considerations for the implementation of fPCA such as temporal normalisation of data, removal of unwanted forms of variation in a data-set and documented methods for preserving the original temporal properties within a set of curves are explored in detail as a part of this review. Limitations and strengths of the technique are outlined and recommendations are provided to encourage the appropriate use of fPCA within the field of applied sports biomechanics.     

Classroom management: Approaches of regular education teachers and learning disability resource teachers

The approaches to classroom management of classroom teachers and learning disability resource teachers were examined. Significant differences in overall approach to classroom management were indicated, with classroom teachers displaying a more sensitizing (punitive) approach to classroom management. Classroom teachers pursuing graduate training in learning disabilities, as compared to elementary education or reading, displayed a significantly less sensitizing approach to classroom management.