Influence of a stressing constraint on stiffness and damping functions of a ski simulator's platform motion

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of stress on a previously acquired motor coordination. Following a longitudinal learning experiment, four participants performed oscillations on a ski simulator, either in normal or stressful conditions. The results showed that the amplitude of the oscillations decreased under stress, but no significant effect was seen regarding coordination, suggesting the strong resistance to stress of overlearned behaviour. Nevertheless, for one participant, a transient regression towards a former stage of learning was observed. This result was consistent with the regression hypothesis formulated by Fuchs ().     

On passion and sports fans: A look at football

Abstract

The purpose of the present research was to test the applicability of the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al., 2003 Vallerand, R. J., Blanchard, C. M., Mageau, G. A., Koestner, R., Ratelle, C.Léonard, M. 2003. Les passions de l'âme: On obsessive and harmonious passion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85: 756–767. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) to being a sport (football) fan. Three studies provided support for this dualistic conceptualization of passion. Study 1 showed that harmonious passion was positively associated with adaptive behaviours (e.g. celebrate the team's victory), whereas obsessive passion was positively associated with maladaptive behaviours (e.g. risking losing one's job to go to a game). Study 2 used a short Passion Scale and showed that harmonious passion was positively related to the positive affective life of fans during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, psychological health (self-esteem and life satisfaction), and public displays of adaptive behaviours (e.g. celebrate the team's victory into the streets), whereas obsessive passion was predictive of maladaptive affective life (e.g. hating opposing teams' fans) and behaviours (e.g. mocking opposing teams' fans). Finally, Study 3 examined the role of obsessive passion as a predictor of partner's conflict that in turn undermined partner's relationship satisfaction. Overall, the present results provided support for the Dualistic Model of Passion. The conceptual and applied implications of the findings are discussed.     

EBLIP: bridging the language barrier

In the Using Evidence in Practice feature for this issue we invited Ghislaine Declève, a health librarian from Belgium who is active in Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, to provide a perspective on the uptake of the paradigm in non-English speaking countries. While her survey extends beyond the health domain it will prove of particular value to the HILJ readership, given that leadership of the movement continues to reside primarily within the health information sector.     

小学数学教科书中的比及其教学

在现行小学数学教科书,都把两个数的比定义为两个数相除,这样的定义不仅削弱了比的现实功能,而且无法让学生感悟比的数学本质.论证了比的本质是两个数量倍数关系的表达与度量,还论证了比与除法、分数、比例的差异.并且,对相关内容的教学提出了建议.     

Strategy development in children with mathematical disabilities: insights from the choice/no-choice method and the chronological-age/ ability-level-match design

This study investigated the strategy characteristics and development of children with mathematical disabilities (MD) in the domain of simple addition and subtraction, in terms of Lemaire and Siegler's model of strategic change, using the choice/no-choice method and the combined chronological-age (CA)/ability-level (AL)-match design. Four groups of children, matched on either CA or mathematical AL, solved a series of 36 problems with the bridge over 10 in four conditions. In the choice condition, children could choose between retrieval, decomposition to 10, and counting on to solve each problem. In the retrieval, decomposition, and counting conditions, they had to answer the same 36 problems using retrieval, decomposition to 10, and counting on, respectively. The results revealed clear differences in the frequency, efficiency, and adaptiveness with which the CA-matched children applied the available strategies. In contrast, we observed no differences in strategy frequency, efficiency, and adaptiveness between the AL-matched children. These results support the hypothesis that the strategy development of children with MD is marked by a delay rather than a specific deficit. Moreover, this study further documents the value of the methodology used to study children's strategy use and development in the domain of simple arithmetic.     

Neo-liberal influences in a ‘conservative’ regime: the role of institutions,family strategies,and market devices in transition to higher education in France

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the interplay between institutional arrangements, family strategies, and market devices in the transition to higher education (HE) in France with a view to documenting both persistent features of the French ‘conservative’ educational regime and recent changes, in particular those related to neo-liberal influences. Using a theoretical model inspired by research on welfare regimes and integrating key elements of the sociology of networks, institutions, and markets, as well as data from a comprehensive qualitative study, the article focuses on three main topics: the impact of both institutional stratification and family choices on segregation and channelling into HE; the framing of students’ choices generated by impersonal policy instruments and personal human guidance; the role of private providers and agencies, as well as the devices they use to influence students’ transition to HE. The conclusion emphasises the impact of these different processes on the perpetuation of educational inequalities.     

Comparing journal and paper level classifications of science

The classification of science into disciplines is at the heart of bibliometric analyses. While most classifications systems are implemented at the journal level, their accuracy has been questioned, and paper-level classifications have been considered by many to be more precise. However, few studies investigated the difference between journal and the paper classification systems. This study addresses this gap by comparing the journal- and paper-level classifications for the same set of papers and journals. This isolates the effects of classification precision (i.e., journal- or paper-level) to reveal the extent of paper misclassification. Results show almost half of papers could be misclassified in journal classification systems. Given their importance in the construction and analysis of bibliometric indicators, more attention should be given to the robustness and accuracy of these disciplinary classifications schemes.     

The Accessibility and Usability of College Websites: Is your Website Presenting Barriers to Potential Students?

Thirty community college websites were evaluated for compliance with federal web accessibility standards found in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d). Two typical sites were tested for usability by individuals with visual impairments, individuals with reading-related learning disabilities (LD), and a control group of individuals without disabilities. Ten additional sites were selected for Simulated Target Group usability testing. Testing revealed that less than 1% of pages evaluated met Section 508 web accessibility standards. Over half of the users found the online admissions application process frustrating, and less than a third of all users could complete the online application without assistance. The Simulated Target Group usability testing encountered similar usability issues across the additional 10 community college websites examined. All four evaluation techniques found that community college websites fared poorly in both accessibility and usability. However, many of the issues could be addressed without significant effort.     

Relationships between learning approach,procrastination and academic achievement amongst first-year university students

Individual differences in student learning influence academic performance, and two aspects influencing the learning process are the particular learning approach the students use and procrastination behaviour. We examined the relationships between learning approaches, procrastination and academic achievement (measured 1 year later as the grade point average (GPA)) amongst 428 first-year university students. Deep and strategic learning approaches positively predicted GPA, and a mediation analysis showed that the strategic learning approach also partly mediated the effect between deep learning approach and GPA. Less procrastination was associated with a strategic learning approach, but procrastination tendencies did not predict GPA. Recommendations are made for educating new students in cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies, helping reduce their procrastination and facilitating the use of deep and strategic learning approaches.