Goal orientations and moral identity as predictors of prosocial and antisocial functioning in male association football players

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task and ego goal orientation and moral identity on prosocial and antisocial judgement and behaviour in football. The interaction between task and ego orientation in predicting these variables was also examined. Participants were 210 adult male footballers (age 25 +/- 6 years) competing at recreational (n = 133) and semi-professional (n = 77) levels. They completed questionnaires measuring task and ego goal orientation, the importance of moral identity, prosocial and antisocial judgement, frequency of prosocial and antisocial behaviours in football, and social desirability. Regression analysis revealed no main effects for goal orientations and moral identity on prosocial judgement and behaviour. However, a significant interaction effect between task and ego orientation emerged in relation to prosocial judgement. Specifically, task orientation positively predicted prosocial judgement only at low levels of ego orientation. Ego orientation emerged as a positive predictor of antisocial judgement and behaviour, whereas moral identity negatively predicted these variables. The differentiation between prosocial and antisocial aspects of morality was supported. It was concluded that examining moral identity and interactions between task and ego orientation adds to our understanding of the influence of these variables on prosocial and antisocial functioning in sport.     

Non-wear or sleep? Evaluation of five non-wear detection algorithms for raw accelerometer data

ABSTRACT

Detection of non-wear periods is an important step in accelerometer data processing. This study evaluated five non-wear detection algorithms for wrist accelerometer data and two rules for non-wear detection when non-wear and sleep algorithms are implemented in parallel. Non-wear algorithms were based on the standard deviation (SD), the high-pass filtered acceleration, or tilt angle. Rules for differentiating sleep from non-wear consisted of an override rule in which any overlap between non-wear and sleep was deemed non-wear; and a 75% rule in which non-wear periods were deemed sleep if the duration was < 75% of the sleep period. Non-wear algorithms were evaluated in 47 children who wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer during school hours for 5 days. Rules for differentiating sleep from non-wear were evaluated in 15 adults who wore a GeneActiv Original accelerometer continuously for 24 hours. Classification accuracy for the non-wear algorithms ranged between 0.86–0.95, with the SD of the vector magnitude providing the best performance. The override rule misclassified 37.1 minutes of sleep as non-wear, while the 75% rule resulted in no misclassification. Non-wear algorithms based on the SD of the acceleration signal can effectively detect non-wear periods, while application of the 75% rule can effectively differentiate sleep from non-wear when examined concurrently.     

Designing online assessment tools for disengaged youth

This article reports on the development of online assessment tools for disengaged youth in flexible learning environments. Sociocultural theories of learning and assessment and Bourdieu's sociological concepts of capital and exchange were used to design a purpose-built content management system. This design experiment engaged participants in assessment that led to the exchange of self, peer and teacher judgements for credentialing. This collaborative approach required students and teachers to adapt and amend social networking practices for students to submit and judge their own and others' work using comments, ratings, keywords and tags. Students and teachers refined their evaluative expertise across contexts, and negotiated meanings and values of digital works, which gave rise to revised versions and emergent assessment criteria. By combining social networking tools with sociological models of capital, assessment activities related to students' digital productions were understood as valuations and judgements within an emergent, negotiable social field of exchange.     

Advancing the construct validity of the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) for infants and toddlers: Equivalence of growth trajectories across two early head start samples

The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is a measure for universal screening, intervention decision-making, progress monitoring for infants and toddlers needing higher levels of support, and program accountability. In the context of the ECI's long-term wide-scale use for these purposes, we examined the invariance of ECI measurement in two samples of the same Early Head Start (EHS) population differing in the years data were collected. Invariance or equivalence across samples is an important step in measurement validation because making inferences assumes that the measurements are factorially invariant. A number of time-covarying factors (e.g., assessors, children, etc.) can be hypothesized as threats to measurement invariance. Results of latent growth curve analyses indicated similarity in the functional forms (velocity and shape) of the ECIs four key skill trajectories between groups of children and ECI vocalizations, single, and multiple words trajectories met strong factorial and structural invariance. Gestures met only weak factorial invariance. ECI total communications, a weighted composite of the four scales, also met both strong factorial and structural invariance. With one exception, results indicated that the ECI produced comparable growth estimates over different conditions of programs, assessors, and children over time, strengthening the construct validity of the ECI. Implications are discussed.     

Using student feedback to improve teaching

Gathering student feedback on teaching practice is commonly used in educational settings as an improvement tool and performance measure. Typically this feedback is collected using rating style surveys when a subject concludes; however, whether this practice improves the quality of teaching requires further research. This study was designed using an action research methodology to investigate the impact of student feedback on teacher practices in a secondary setting. Specifically, the efficacy of an ongoing, collaborative feedback model in which teachers collected student feedback regularly, were guided in reflecting on the data, and were supported through professional development to improve their practices was explored. Results supported student feedback as a valuable improvement tool, and powerful stimulus for teacher reflection. Student feedback informed teachers on the effectiveness of their practice and identified areas for future professional learning. Additionally, it opened up a dialogue around teaching and learning in the classroom, and gave the teachers insights into the unique challenges experienced by their students.     

Rhetorical Homology and the Caveman Mythos: An(Other) Way to Ridicule the Aggrieved

This essay uses the emergence of the caveman mythos, both in a Geico advertising campaign and an ABC television series, to show how a seemingly fanciful text can offer an explicit set of instructions to an audience beyond their critical awareness. Drawing on the work of Kenneth Burke and Barry Brummett, I use the homological connection between black stereotypes in the television series and gay stereotypes in the Geico ads to uncover a new process of hegemonic Othering based on trivializing the feelings of the Other by making their grievances appear ridiculous. I close by discussing the implications of this process when it is put to use on the actual Others that invariably fill our social worlds.     

Muscle force adaptation to changes in upper body position during seated sprint cycling

ABSTRACT

Sprint cycling performance depends upon the balance between muscle and drag forces. This study assessed the influence of upper body position on muscle forces and aerodynamics during seated sprint cycling. Thirteen competitive cyclists attended two sessions. The first session was used to determine handlebar positions to achieve pre-determined hip flexion angles (70–110° in 10° increments) using dynamic bicycle fitting. In the second session, full body kinematics and pedal forces were recorded throughout 2x6-s seated sprints at the pre-determined handlebar positions, and frontal plane images were used to determine the projected frontal area. Leg work, joint work, muscle forces and frontal area were compared at three upper body positions, being optimum (maximum leg work), optimal+10° and optimal-10° of hip flexion. Larger hip (p = 0.01–0.02) and reduced knee (p = 0.02–0.03) contribution to leg work were observed at the optimal+10° position without changes at the ankle joint (p = 0.39). No differences were observed in peak muscle forces across the three body positions (p = 0.06–0.48). Frontal area was reduced at optimum+10° of hip flexion when compared to optimum (p = 0.02) and optimum-10° (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that large changes in upper body position can influence aerodynamics and alter contributions from the knee and hip joints, without influencing peak muscle forces.     

Male Program Assessment for College Excellence (M-PACE): Content Validation Summary

This article describes the development and content validation of the Male Program Assessment for College Excellence (M-PACE). The M-PACE is an outcomes based assessment tool designed to assess and improve the effectiveness of programs and initiatives serving men of color in the community college. The instrument was developed to serve as a standardized outcomes assessment tool to determine the efficacy of minority male initiative (MMI) interventions and enhance program models.     

The magic and misdirection of public service loan forgiveness in the United States

In recent years, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has garnered more attention among student loan borrowers in the United States as a potential source of loan relief. However—at least prior to the PSLF Program Overhaul introduced in October 2021—arduous eligibility criteria, opaque communication on the part of the U.S. Department of Education and contracted loan servicers, and ongoing threats to the continuation of the program made for a skittish and frustrated group of enrollees. This article leverages a mixed methods study to explore the meaning borrowers ascribe to prospective loan forgiveness and interrogates how magical thinking contributes to enrollees' perspectives on prospective loan forgiveness. With several of these sources of meaning standing in conflict with each other and with confidence in personal prospects of loan forgiveness fairly low, we argue that magical thinking overlays the meaning of potential loan forgiveness among some borrowers.     

新建本科院校“转型期”发展的基本策略——基于济宁学院的实践探索

内涵发展是新建本科院校＂转型期＂实现科学发展的主要方式,建设合格的本科院校是＂转型期＂首要战略目标,更新教育观念、加强教学基本建设、全面提升人才培养质量、抓学科建设,提升科研水平、积极推进管理创新是＂转型期＂内涵发展的主要内容。