Effects of plyometric jump training in female soccer player’s vertical jump height: A systematic review with meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

To assess the effects of plyometric jump training (PJT) in female soccer player’s vertical jump height, a review was conducted using the data sources PubMed, MEDLINE, Web Of Science and SCOPUS. Only peer-review articles were included. To qualify for inclusion in the meta-analysis, studies must have included (i) a PJT programme of at least 2 weeks, (ii) cohorts of healthy female soccer players with no restriction for age, (iii) a control group, (iv) a measure of countermovement jump (CMJ). The inverse variance random-effects model for meta-analyses was used. From 7,136 records initially identified through database searching, 8 were eligible for meta-analysis, comprising 9 training groups (n = 99) and 9 control groups (n = 94). The magnitude of the main effect was moderate (ES = 1.01 [95%CI = 0.36–1.66], Z = 3.04, p = 0.002). Sub-group analyses were performed (i.e., PJT frequency, duration and total number of sessions), revealing no significant subgroup differences (p = 0.34–0.96). Among the studies included in this review, none reported injury or other adverse effects. In conclusion, PJT is effective in female soccer players for the improvement of vertical jump height. In future, research must identify specific dose–response relationships following PJT, particularly in the long term.     

Near-infrared spectroscopy-derived total haemoglobin as an indicator of changes in muscle blood flow during exercise-induced hyperaemia

ABSTRACT

Blood flow changes in response to exercise have been attributed, among other factors, to the effect of vasodilators factors on the microvasculature, suggesting a close relationship between small blood vessels and conducting arteries. The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the changes in near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-derived total haemoglobin ([tHb]) and muscle oxygen saturation (SmO₂) signals and femoral artery blood flow in response to resistance exercise at fast- and slow-velocity muscle contraction. The study randomised crossover design included twelve participants. NIRS and blood flow measurements were continuously monitored before, during, and 5 min after the exercise protocol. There was a significant correlation between [tHb] reperfusion slope ([tHb]_slope) and peak blood flow (BF_peak) after slow- and fast-velocity muscle contraction (r = 0.83, p = 0.0008 and r = 0.72, p = 0.0080, respectively). No significant correlation existed between the SmO₂ reperfusion slope (SmO_{2_slope}) and BF_peak after both slow- and fast-velocity muscle contraction exercise (r = ?0.46, p = 0.1253 and r = 0.33, p = 0.2841, respectively). This study demonstrated a strong relationship between the NIRS-derived [tHb] and Doppler ultrasound BF during the recovery period of dynamic resistance exercise at both slow- and fast-velocity contraction.     

Luce Pathways Project: A Pilot Project for Heritage Language Speakers of Mandarin Chinese,Spanish, and Japanese

This article describes the development process of a project for heritage language speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Japanese at a high-enrollment community college in the northeast United States. This pilot project, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, aimed to empower minority group students through active reinforcement of students’ heritage language and culture, crossdisciplinary faculty collaboration, and a cohort-based advisement model. The pilot project consisted of mentorship by faculty members who shared the same heritage language and culture, incorporation of heritage language and international business courses into students’ curricula, and weekly seminars that focused on developing students’ heritage culture and professional skills. A cohort of nine students demonstrated that such a model is effective for minority students by achieving a remarkably high completion rate (66.67%) compared with an average rate for public 2-year institutions in the United States (21.20%).     

Education policy and equality in France: the socialist years

This article analyses the design of French Socialist egalitarian education policy, defined in terms of a number of indicators: organizational aspects of the education system, financial aspects of education policy and the size of the education system. It considers the extent to which the Socialists altered the institutional structure of the education system in order to create opportunities for lower class pupils or students to study. The performance of the Socialist government suggests that the institutional structures of education tend toward a high degree of continuity and are difficult to change in a short period of time. Nevertheless, despite this pattern of continuity, the Socialists did reform the education system in a way that seems slightly more egalitarian. The article does not attempt to provide a comprehensive explanation of this continuity, but points out some of the factors that account for continuities in certain elements of education policy related to the aim of equality.     

Estrategias de conteo implicadas en los procesos de adición y sustracción

Resumen

A lo largo del presente trabajo se analizan las diferencias existentes entre los diversos procesos puestos en juego por los sujetos a la hora de cuantificar lo real, destacando de entre ellos el subproceso de cuantificación extensiva métrica y uno de los esquemas básicos que lleva aparejados: el esquema de conteo. A continuación se pasa a analizar las diferentes estrategias utilizadas por nuetros escolares de 1°, 2°, 3° y 4° de E.G.B. cuando aplican este esquema para la resolución de algoritmos de adición y de sustracción, destacando la vinculación entre el desarrollo de las estrategias de conteo y la eficiencia en la solución de estos algoritmos.     

EXTENDING THE VALIDITY OF THE FAMILY INVOLVEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE–SHORT FORM FOR CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE FAMILIES FROM LOW‐INCOME BACKGROUNDS

The construct validity of the Family Involvement Questionnaire–Short Form (FIQ‐SF) was examined in an independent sample of ethnically and linguistically diverse low‐income families (N = 498) enrolled in an urban Head Start program in the Southeast. A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses replicated the three‐factor structure identified in initial validation studies with Northeast samples: home‐school conferencing, home‐based involvement, and school‐based involvement. Findings from multiple group confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence that the three‐factor structure was invariant across family ethnicity. multivariate analyses of variance also confirmed hypothesized mean differences on FIQ‐SF dimension scores across family demographic variables such as caregiver ethnicity, primary home language, caregiver education, employment, and marital status. Findings replicate and extend prior construct validity evidence to support the use of the FIQ‐SF by early childhood education programs such as Head Start serving diverse families from low‐income backgrounds. Implications for future research, practice, and policy applications in early childhood are discussed.     

Students' evaluation of CALL software programs

Although several studies have explored the attitudes of teachers and students towards CALL, there has been little research regarding students' insights and impressions. We agree with Kessler and Plakans (2001, p. 15) when they state that in the process of evaluating materials ‘learners must be included, as they are also experts of their learning as well as the benefactors of well‐developed materials’. With this in mind, we undertook a study in which students were given the opportunity to express their opinions about the software they used in the multimedia laboratory. The sample was made up of 59 undergraduates who completed a questionnaire. The conclusion to be drawn is that students clearly see software programs as a complementary tool in the foreign language classroom.Évaluation par les étudiants des programmes d'informatique. Bien que plusieurs études aient exploré les attitudes des enseignants et des enseignés envers le CALL, il y a eu peu de recherches sur les vues et impressions des étudiants. Nous sommes d'accord avec Kessler et Paklans (2001, p. 15) quand ils déclarent que dans le processus d'évaluation des documents les étudiants doivent être inclus car ils sont aussi experts de leur apprentissage aussi bien que les bénéficiaires de documents bien conçus! Dans cet esprit nous avons entrepris une étude dans laquelle les étudiants ont eu l'occasion d'exprimer leurs opinions sur le logiciel qu'ils utilisent dans le laboratoire multimédia. L'échantillon était constitué de 59 « undergraduates » qui ont rempli un questionnaire. La conclusion à en tirer est que les étudiants voient clairement ces logiciels comme un outil complémentaire dans la classe des langues étrangères.Evaluation von CALL Software Programmen durch Studenten. Obwohl verschiedene Studien die Einstellungen von Lehrern/Dozenten und Schülern/Studenten dem CALL-Programm gegenüber untersucht haben, ist bislang wenig über die Eindrücke und Erlebnisse der Schüler und Studenten geforscht worden. Wir stimmen mit Kessler und Plakans (2001, S 15) überein, wenn sie behaupten, dass man im Prozess der Evaluierung des Materials 'die Lerner einbeziehen sollte, da sie einerseits Experten ihres eigenen Lernprozesses sind und andererseits von gut entwickelten Materialien profitieren'. Dies berücksichtigend führten wir eine Studie durch, in der den Studenten die Gelegenheit gegeben wurde, ihre Meinungen über die Software, die sie im Multimedia-Labor nutzten, darzulegen. Die Stichprobe bestand aus 59 Studenten, die einen Fragebogen ausfüllten. Die Schlussfolgerung war, dass Studenten Softwareprogramme eindeutig als ergänzendes Werkzeug im Fremdsprachenunterricht betrachten.     

Inquiry projects for scientific education: a good option for compulsory secondary education / Proyectos de indagación para la educación científica: una buena opción para la educación secundaria obligatoria

The approach of learning science through inquiry presents significant challenges for teachers and students. In light of this, an extensive experience has been developed in which students without any previous training or specific interests have been organized into small groups to carry out scientific inquiry projects guided by their teachers. Evaluation of the experience is clearly positive, and is based on questionnaires completed at the end of the experience by the students as well as retrospective reports provided by their teachers. Despite this, some problems are presented, such as the difficulty or repetitiveness of some scientific practices mentioned by some students, or when the inquiry or the group does not work out in some cases, as mentioned by teachers. Scientific inquiry projects like the one described here could play a key role in science education in compulsory secondary education.