Reliability of a 5-m multiple shuttle test

The aim of the present study was to determine the reliability of a modified 5-m multiple shuttle test. The ‘matchrelated fitness’ of 23 female hockey players was assessed on four occasions within 4 weeks. The results of each test session and each shuttle were analysed using analysis of variance with repeated measures to determine the reliability of the test. The mean distance for each of the six shuttles decreased (121.2 ? 7.5, 114.5 ? 7.5, 112.2 ? 7.5, 109.9 ? 7.9, 108.4 ? 8.1 and 108.7 ? 8.3 m for shuttles 1-6, respectively; P < 0.001) similarly for each of the four sessions (P = 0.99). The total and peak distances covered during the tests were not significantly different (P = 0.99 and P = 0.12, respectively). The intra-class correlation coefficient (R) for these variables was 0.98 and 0.86, respectively. The delta distance and the fatigue index calculated post-test were significantly different (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively) between the four sessions. The intra-class correlation coefficient for both these variables was 0.74. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were not significantly different between sessions (P = 0.42 and P = 0.095, respectively). The intra-class correlation coefficient for heart rate ranged from 0.65 to 0.97 and that for RPE from 0.85 to 0.91. We conclude that the 5-m multiple shuttle run test is a reliable measure of total and peak distances, heart rate and RPE response and is sufficiently reliabile to track changes in fitness over a season. The delta distance and fatigue index are not as reliable and should be interpreted with caution.     

Faculty Governance in Neoliberal Educational Contexts: Challenges for Democratic Decision Making

Few faculty members are immune from the deleterious impact of neoliberal values, policies and practices that have resulted in the “corporatization” of universities, with the reduction of teaching and research to “products” and faculty to “producers,” and students to “clients.” The role of faculty governance in this process has been debated yielding diverse perspectives on its effectiveness in challenging this influence, particularly, in regard to the role of democratic decision making at the college-level of governance where administrators may push for furthering market-driven agendas. This critical action research project highlights how two faculty assembly leaders facilitated participatory decision making as they re-conceptualized their leadership roles as team-based representatives, and developed multiple communicative networks that supported faculty voice and leadership listening at the grassroots level—two processes that may thwart corporatization and marketization at the college-level. This article highlights how characteristics of desired communication practices for more democratic decision making at the college-level lay the groundwork for building the collective faculty capacity to respond in a timely manner to neoliberal agendas.     

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Students' Prior Sexual Abuse Victimization

This paper reports findings of an exploratory study surveying 61 students about their prior child sexual abuse victimization. Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students were surveyed at the beginning and end of a child abuse course and results indicated that 19.7 % of the students reported being sexually abused during childhood. Results also indicated that taking a child abuse course may increase BSW students' self‐awareness regarding prior victimization. The paper discusses how prior child sexual abuse victimization can affect social work students, education, and practice.     

OP‐ED

Many view policy as a normative instrument from which improved practice directly follows. This view leads to the erroneous conclusion that resources do not matter. Resources do not enact themselves. What does matter is resource use. In the account offered here, the district superintendent presented many resources in his plan for district reform. Remarkably, his reform plan lacked provisions for teacher professional development. From an equity standpoint, the superintendent’s lack of a professional development plan may exacerbate achievement disparities. Without such a mechanism, I believe that resources in the district will be squandered and that school stakeholders and observers will continue to conclude erroneously that resources do not matter.     

Developing latent mathematics abilities in economically disadvantaged students

This Javits grant evaluation study sought to develop latent abilities in economically disadvantaged students by providing opportunities for mathematics development and acceleration. This study examined the effects of Kumon instruction, a supplementary, highly sequential, individualized method of developing mathematics skills. Whole classes of Title I elementary school students from grades two through five were divided into two groups, those with Kumon instruction and those without. All students continued with traditional textbook mathematics. Pre‐and posttests were administered to all participants to assess progress, compare standardized test results, and examine levels of acceleration. Results showed that Kumon group students improved their mathematics skill levels more than non‐Kumon group students, and they scored significantly higher than non‐Kumon group students two years after their Kumon instruction ended.     

Instructor characteristics and students’ evaluation of teaching effectiveness: evidence from an Italian engineering school

This study examines the relationship between students’ evaluation of teaching effectiveness and the instructor's characteristics, based upon an original data set from an Italian university. Age and seniority (academic rank) are both found to affect negatively teaching evaluation, although the effect of rank depends heavily on the discipline. Profession-oriented disciplines are more poorly evaluated and exhibit stronger effects for rank; in the same disciplines, many courses are taught by non-faculty members, who are evaluated poorly. Gender is also found to be relevant, as it affects students’ evaluation of female instructors, although this result might be biased by the gender composition of classes. Past research outputs, as measured by an instructor's publication track record, has a positive impact on students’ evaluation of teaching effectiveness, although the rate of impact decreases with the amount of publications.     

Developing Positive Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration Among Students in the Health Care Professions

This study examined whether attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration (Physician-Nurse, Physician-Social Worker, Nurse-Social Worker) held by medical, social work, and nursing students changed after completing an interprofessional curriculum consisting of (a) Interprofessional Education Development Session and (b) the Senior Aging and Geriatrics Educator mentoring program. The 15-item original and two modified versions of the Jefferson School of Attitudes Toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC) were administered as pretest/posttest. Of the 186 participants who completed the pretest, 156 (84%) completed the posttest. Results showed that the medical students (n = 52) reported the most positive change in attitude toward all three pairs of interprofessional collaboration. Social work students (n = 55) reported the least positive attitudes toward Physician-Social Worker collaboration and nursing students (n = 49) reported the least positive attitudes toward Physician-Nurse collaboration. It is recommended to evaluate the interprofessional curriculum and other factors, such as the possible influence of the facilitator in group discussions, and that future studies include a rigorous design that monitors content of each educational session to ensure integrity across groups. Postgraduate follow-up measures could be used to enhance positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration.     

The Digital Divide in Classrooms: Teacher Technology Comfort and Evaluations

A disconnect exists between students’ comfort with using technology for learning and teachers’ comfort in using technology for teaching. Students report the desire for more engaging technology-based assignments. Teachers cite multiple reasons for their hesitancy to use technology in their teaching. The current study investigates whether this disconnect has implications for students’ evaluations of their teachers. Using data from 101 high school students, researchers found that students’ perceptions of their teachers’ comfort with technology impacts their evaluations only when student affect for technology is high. Implications for how this might impact teacher evaluations and directions for future research are discussed.     

Understanding How Families Use Magnifiers During Nature Center Walks

This analysis uses a sociocultural learning theory and parent–child interaction framework to understand families’ interactions with one type of scientific tool, the magnifier, during nature walks offered by a nature center. Families were video recorded to observe how they organized their activities where they used magnifiers to explore in the outdoors. Findings include that families used magnifiers for scientific inquiry as well as for playful exploration. Using the concept of guided facilitation where families develop roles to support their joint endeavor, three roles to support family thinking were found to be: (a) tool suggester, (b) teacher, and (c) exploration ender. Some families struggled to use magnifiers and often, parents and older siblings provided support for younger children in using magnifying lenses. Implications to informal science learning theory are drawn and suggestions for future family learning research are offered: (a) inclusion of sociocultural and situated perspectives as theories to study informal learning in outdoor spaces, (b) further study on the role of siblings in family interactions, (c) design-based research is needed to encourage family role-taking when engaging in science practices, and (d) new conceptualizations on how to design informal programs that support science learning while leaving space for visitors’ personal agendas and interests that can guide the families’ activities.     

The important thing is not to win,it is to take part: What if scientists benefit from participating in research grant competitions?

“The important thing is not to win, it is to take part,” this famous saying by Pierre de Coubertin asserts that the value athletes draw from Olympic games lies in their participation in the event and not in the gold they collect during it. We find similar evidence for scientists involved in grant competitions. Relying on unique data from a Swiss funding program, we find that scientists taking part in a research grant competition boost their number of publications and average impact factor while extending their knowledge base and their collaboration network regardless of the result of the competition. Receiving the funds increases the probability of co-authoring with co-applicants but has no additional impact on the individual productivity.