Adjustment outcomes of developmental placement: A longitudinal study

Over the years, educators and psychologists have recommended delaying school entry and have developed alternative interventions for young children identified as unready for school. These developmental placement interventions, including readiness kindergartens and pre‐first classes, were developed to avoid both academic and social‐emotional problems in schools. However, the efficacy of these programs has not been proven. This study examined school adjustment outcomes and emotional and learning difficulties, both short‐term and longitudinally, for students who participated in readiness kindergartens and pre‐first classes, as well as for control groups of students. Significant differences were noted in retention rates, dropout rates, and special education placement rates. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The effect of altering loading distance on skeleton start performance: Is higher pre-load velocity always beneficial?

Athletes initiating skeleton runs differ in the number of steps taken before loading the sled. We aimed to understand how experimentally modifying loading distance influenced sled velocity and overall start performance. Ten athletes (five elite, five talent; 67% of all national athletes) underwent two to four sessions, consisting of two dry-land push-starts in each of three conditions (preferred, long and short loading distances). A magnet encoder on the sled wheel provided velocity profiles and the overall performance measure (sled acceleration index). Longer pre-load distances (12% average increase from preferred to long distances) were related to higher pre-load velocity (r = 0.94), but lower load effectiveness (r = ?0.75; average reduction 29%). Performance evaluations across conditions revealed that elite athletes’ preferred distance push-starts were typically superior to the other conditions. Short loading distances were generally detrimental, whereas pushing the sled further improved some talent-squad athletes’ performance. Thus, an important trade-off between generating high pre-load velocity and loading effectively was revealed, which coaches should consider when encouraging athletes to load later. This novel intervention study conducted within a real-world training setting has demonstrated the scope to enhance push-start performance by altering loading distance, particularly in developing athletes with less extensive training experience.     

Emeritus professors: Correlates of professional activity in retirement II

Dorfman (1980b) investigated correlates of professional activity in retirement of professors at a major state university who continued to reside in their academic community during the entire year. This follow-up study extends that research to the total population of emeriti by including emeriti who left the University community after retirement and emeriti who continued to live in the University community for part of the year. Interviews were conducted with 113 University of Iowa emeritus professors. There was consistency between level of professional activity during the preretirement career and level of professional activity in retirement for the entire group, with stayers more consistent than leavers. Significant correlates of professional activity in retirement for the entire group included rated importance of consulting and University service, strength of ties to colleagues and professional organizations outside the University, contacts with former students, and perceived rapidity of changes in knowledge in respondents' fields. Multiple regression results showed that the strongest predictors of professional activity in retirement were level of professional activity during the preretirement career and strength of ties to professional organizations outside the University.     

Te Wero—the challenge: reimagining universities from an indigenous world view

This paper provides a foundational framework to bring into conversation indigenous world views in reimagining universities. Highlighting a specific indigenous world view, the university is presented as a site for critical conversation and transformative praxis. We discuss the workplace experiences of indigenous staff in a university and infer from these how management practices related to indigenous staff could be enhanced. Building on our study of Māori academic and administrative staff in a New Zealand university, an indigenous typology and a Wero or challenge matrix is offered, which locates different positions and actions that universities adhere to or seek to emulate. The paper argues for universities to reimagine their policies and practices by drawing from the complex richness of indigenous world views.     

Piracy on the OA High Seas

Protecting intellectual property in all its variations is a serious international issue and challenge. While the theft of journal articles may not always be visible, there increasingly is evidence that it is occurring for both commercial publishers and open access publishers. The implications of massive downloading of journal content for unauthorized purposes will differentially impact the sustainability of the business model employed by the publisher. The resulting extremely serious implications, risks, and impacts are identified and considered in a high-hearted manner that contrasts with similar aspects previously encountered in managing unwanted journal donations.     

A Matter of Size

Customer expectations from a journal publisher can be affected by the size of the publishing firm. The economies of scale, efficiencies, branding, and value added services are explored in relationship to expectations of the author customer, the reading customer, and the paying customer. When the imperative to sell is removed, there are differences in quality perception for traditional commercial publishers versus open access mega journals. Regardless of the size of the publisher, those involved in the publishing world are committed to ensuring research results are shared and accessible to their readers.