Africa.com: the self-representation of sub-Saharan nations on the World Wide Web

In a textual analysis of government Web sites of 29 sub-Saharan countries, we evaluate how African nations use the Internet to construct a self-image for the world. Our analysis finds that the sites echo the ongoing struggle over the definition and purpose of the nation-state in relation to a global economy. Rather than representing a variety of domestic concerns, African countries present a “reflected” identity mirroring Western interests. Their governmental Web sites position the nation as a “brand” and construct citizens as exotic Others who can be marketed to foreign investors and tourists. The tensions between primordial loyalties and modernizing ambitions dissipate in favor of branded identities celebrating ethnicities and natural beauty to attract global investments. Moreover, the technological logic and aesthetics of the Internet reinforce the dependence of these texts on Western knowledge production. Our analysis challenges common assumptions of both post-colonial and Internet research.     

A Patient-centered Approach to Breaking Bad News: Communication Guidelines for Health Care Providers

This investigation takes a patient-centered approach to examining strategies physicians use to deliver bad news to patients. Qualitative data were obtained from 68 patients who had received a message they perceived as negative information from a health care provider. Through grounded theory methodology, patient accounts were examined to reveal four provider strategies for breaking bad news. This investigation underscores the importance of using effective communication strategies to achieve patient satisfaction and compliance.     

Self-Determination Theory as an Organizing Framework to Investigate Women'S Physical Activity Behavior

The purpose of this paper is to explore the literature on the status of women's health behavior and the benefits of physical activity using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as an organizing framewrok for syntbcsizing and interpreing the extant research. The Health Belief Model and the Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change) are included in that framework. Women's physical activity behaviors are examined through the lens of SDT with the intention of identifying strategies to design theoretically based intervention programs to increase women's participation in physical activity. Interventions that have been succcessful in modifying exercise behavior in women have been characterzed as individualized, flexible, and tailored to meet women's specific needs. SDT can be used to direct future research by investigating how autonomy, relatedness, and competence can be incorporate in program to increase women's self-determination with regard to heir physical activity and ultimately facilitate internalized, intrinsic motivation leading to loag-term behavior change     

Geographic Literacy and Young Learners

A survey study examined how attitudes about professional development (PD) vary among teachers of different subjects. Elementary teachers were more supportive of PD than health and physical education, social studies, and science teachers; special education teachers were more supportive of PD than social studies and science teachers; and five teacher groups (elementary, special education, math, English, and art and music) were more supportive of PD than science teachers. The results show the need for the design, implementation, and evaluation of program innovations aimed to improve both program effectiveness and teachers’ attitudes about PD.     

Predictors of developmentally appropriate classroom practices in kindergarten through third grade

This study was designed to (a) test the psychometric properties of a new observation measure of developmentally appropriate classroom practices in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms, and (b) determine how well classroom and teacher characteristics predict developmentally appropriate classroom practices. Teacher-reported and observational data from 69 classrooms provided support for construct validity, internal consistency, and interrater agreement of the Assessment of Practices in Early Elementary Classrooms (APEEC) measure. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that classroom characteristics (grade, class size, number of children with disabilities), teacher characteristics (education level, years of experience) and teacher beliefs (developmentally appropriate beliefs and developmentally inappropriate beliefs) accounted for 42% of the variance in observed classroom practices. With all variables in the model, teacher education, grade, and beliefs in developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practice accounted for most of the variance in observed classroom practices.     

Addressing the Needs of First‐Generation College Students: Lessons Learned From Adults From Low‐Education Families

The fact that 1st‐generation college students have lower retention rates than their peers and confront barriers hindering college success is well known. However, less information exists about the effect that 1st‐generation college status has after college completion. In this qualitative study, the career development experiences of adults from families without college education were examined. Three themes were identified: the role of the father, expectations about career, and expectations about college. Implications for college counselors are provided.     

Setting the scientific stage for esports psychology: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Competitive gaming, better known as electronic sports (esports), is rapidly growing in popularity. We systematically reviewed the available literature regarding the psychological aspects of esports using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) evidence-based reporting checklist and a Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcomes (PICO) framework with the following inclusion criteria: (i) published between 1994 and 2018; (ii) empirical investigation (as the current state of research is dense with positions and opinions but has few empirical investigations); and (iii) focussed on esports games that are associated with either cognitive performance or game performance. The goal of our research was twofold: to present a summary of the empirical evidence addressing the psychological characteristics of both cognitive and game performance in esports, and to integrate esports in the field of sport psychology. More specifically, our goals were to highlight the interplay of psychological aspects of performance and esports and to clearly define the theoretical foundations of the psychological aspects of esports performance. Underlining the differences from video gaming will inform future research directions and stimulate the development of high-quality practice in the applied field of sports and exercise psychology.