Influence of longswing technique on the kinematics and key release parameters of the straddle Tkachev on uneven bars

Tkachev on uneven bars is a release and re-grasp skill performed using variations of preparatory longswing techniques; the reasons why different techniques are chosen remains unclear. This study examined kinematic and key release parameters specific to three distinct techniques with the aim of understanding the relative benefits of each. During two international artistic gymnastics competitions six arch, straddle and pike longswings preceding the straddle Tkachev were recorded using twin video cameras. Calibration and movement images were digitised and reconstructed using 3D DLT. Shoulder and hip angular kinematics, angular momentum and key release parameters were compared between techniques. In the arch longswing, the first and second hip functional phases began significantly earlier than the straddle or pike. No significant differences were established for release parameters although large effect sizes for horizontal release velocity and angular momenta about the mass centre and bar were reported between the arch and other two variants. Therefore, the arch variant may provide the opportunity to develop more complex combinations following the Tkachev. Providing insight into mechanical advantages of specific longswing techniques, and highlighting those that elicit desirable characteristics offers the potential to provide coaches with objective data on technique selection and ultimately skill development.     

Implications of intra-limb variability on asymmetry analyses

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intra-limb variability on the calculation of asymmetry with the purpose of informing future analyses. Asymmetry has previously been quantified for discrete kinematic and kinetic variables; however, intra-limb variability has not been routinely included in these analyses. Synchronized lower-limb kinematic and kinetic data were collected from eight trained athletes (age 22 ± 5 years, mass 74.0 ± 8.7 kg, stature 1.79 ± 0.07 m) during maximal velocity sprint running. Asymmetry was quantified using a modified version of the symmetry angle for selected kinematic and kinetic variables. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between left and right values for each variable were calculated to indicate intra-limb variability relative to between-limb differences. Significant asymmetry was present in only 39% of kinematic variables and 23% of kinetic variables analysed. Large kinetic asymmetry values (>90%) were calculated for some athletes that were not significant, due to large intra-limb variability. Variables that displayed significant asymmetry were athlete-specific. Findings highlight the potential for misleading results if intra-limb variability is not included in asymmetry analyses. The exclusion of asymmetry scores for variables not displaying significant asymmetry will be useful when calculating overall asymmetry for different participants and could be applied to future running gait analyses.     

Applying a resilience systems framework to urban environmental education

A growing body of literature on community gardening, watershed restoration, and similar ‘civic ecology’ practices suggests avenues for integrating social and ecological outcomes in urban natural resources management. In this paper, we argue that an environmental education programme in which learning is situated in civic ecology practices also has the potential to address both community and environmental goals. Further, we suggest that civic ecology practices and related environmental education programmes may foster resilience in urban social‐ecological systems, through enhancing biological diversity and ecosystem services, and through incorporating diverse forms of knowledge and participatory processes in resource management. By proposing interrelationships among natural resources management, environmental education, and social‐ecological systems, we hope to open up discussion of a research agenda focusing on the role of environmental education in systems processes and resilience.     

More than a shortage of early childhood teachers: looking beyond the recruitment of university qualified teachers to promote quality early childhood education and care

In Australia and internationally, government policies aim to increase the supply of early childhood teachers and thus improve the quality of early childhood education and care services. In this paper, we suggest that such a policy-quality trajectory in Australia is not as straightforward as policy discourses suggest. From industrial relations and broader policy contexts, we argue that the early childhood profession is a profession on the margins and that this marginalisation complicates efforts to enhance numbers of early childhood teachers. Mindful of this marginalisation, we draw upon preliminary findings from a study exploring the motivations, beliefs and expectations of mature age postgraduate students to highlight practical issues pertaining to students and early childhood teacher education programs that further complicate policy drives to increase the supply of early childhood teachers. We propose that the success of such policy drives is dependent on a comprehensive addressing of the complexities raised in this paper.     

Moving Toward a Comprehensive Assessment System: A Framework for Considering Interim Assessments

Local assessment systems are being marketed as formative, benchmark, predictive, and a host of other terms. Many so-called formative assessments are not at all similar to the types of assessments and strategies studied by   Black and Wiliam (1998)   but instead are interim assessments. In this article, we clarify the definition and uses of interim assessments and argue that they can be an important piece of a comprehensive assessment system that includes formative, interim, and summative assessments. Interim assessments are given on a larger scale than formative assessments, have less flexibility, and are aggregated to the school or district level to help inform policy. Interim assessments are driven by their purpose, which fall into the categories of instructional, evaluative, or predictive. Our intent is to provide a specific definition for these "interim assessments" and to develop a framework that district and state leaders can use to evaluate these systems for purchase or development. The discussion lays out some concerns with the current state of these assessments as well as hopes for future directions and suggestions for further research.     

The Ability–Achievement Discrepancy: Does it Contribute to an Understanding of Learning Disabilities?

Federal legislation of the 1960s and 1970s extending educational services to learning disabled children contained a criterion requiring a severe discrepancy between an child's ability and achievement. Following a discussion of the historical context related to this decision, research related to discrepancy is reviewed using reading disabilities or dyslexia as the prototype. Topics examined include the relationship of IQ to various factors, including underlying cognitive weaknesses; varying IQ levels; stability of diagnosis; heterogeneity of the diagnostic category; genetic and neuroimaging findings; and appropriate standards of comparison. Research on the practical application of the discrepancy model is also reviewed. In general, there is little evidence to support its continued use. Three proposed alternatives are considered, and a possible model is offered that incorporates findings from research on diagnosis and intervention.     

Learning to Make Good Decisions: A Self-Regulation Perspective

Two studies were conducted to determine the extent to which feedback could improve the decision-making of adolescents and adults. In Experiment 1, 96 eighth graders and adults engaged in a task that required a choice between easy and hard questions. Two types of feedback (i.e., verbal and outcome) were used to help participants identify the type of question that would be most likely to earn them points. Results showed that (1) neither group benefited from verbal feedback, and (2) adults benefited more from outcome feedback than eighth graders. In Experiment 2, two types of feedback were once again employed in the context of a medical decision-making task. Fifty-five adults and adolescents participated. As was found in Experiment 1, adults seemed to benefit more from feedback than adolescents. In addition, intelligence was unrelated to performance. The results are interpreted within the perspective of a self-regulation model of decision-making.