Talking about gendered headship: how do women and men working in schools conceive and articulate notions of gender?

In this paper I explore how a woman secondary school headteacher and her colleagues talk about her gendered headship. To facilitate and contextualise the semi-structured interviews, participants were asked to categorise a range of attributes and qualities that have been seen as 'masculine' or 'feminine'. They attempted to plot their perceptions of her gendered headship on a continuum from 'extremely masculine' to 'extremely feminine' in relation to her appearance and interactions in various contexts. Their talk, as they explained and illustrated their thinking, reveals that even from a dualist starting point many have an understanding of the fluid nature of complex, subjective, gendered identities. The rejection of binary notions of gender by some participants disrupts the perpetuation of gender as a dualist concept. In particular, the headteacher forces open a space in which to consider the complexity of her own gendered headship.     

Ten-season epidemiological study of match injuries in men’s international rugby sevens

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to describe the incidence, nature and causes of match injuries in men’s international rugby sevens and to compare these to values for international rugby fifteens. The study comprised a 10-season, whole population, prospective study of the Sevens World Series. Over the ten seasons, the overall incidence of injury was 122.4 (95% CI = 116.3 to 128.9) injuries/1000 player-match-hours and the mean severity of injury was 43.0 (95% CI = 40.3 to 45.7) days-absence. There was an increasing trend in the incidence of injury over the ten-season period (slope = 5.3 injuries/1000 player-hours/season, R² = 0.68, p = 0.003) but no trend in the mean severity of injury (slope = 0.02 days/season, R² < 0.01, p = 0.971). Head/face (15.7%), knee (15.6%), ankle (15.4%) and shoulder/clavicle (11.9%) were the most common injury locations and ligament sprain (30.5%), muscle strain (16.4%), concussion (12.6%) and haematoma/bruise (10.6%) the most common types of injury sustained. Being-tackled (33.1%), tackling (23.4%), running (16.1%) and collisions (12.4%) were the most common events leading to injury. These results indicate that the burden of injury in international rugby sevens is two to three times higher than that reported for international rugby fifteens.     

An assessment of training volume in professional rugby union and its impact on the incidence, severity, and nature of match and training injuries

A prospective cohort study was used to assess the influence of training volume on injuries sustained by 502 professional rugby union players in England. Training volumes (excluding warm-ups, cool-downs, and recovery sessions), player injuries, and player match exposure times were reported weekly. Higher training volumes (>9.1 hours per week) did not increase the incidence of match or training injuries. However, higher training volumes did increase the severity of match injuries, particularly during the second half, and consequently resulted in a significant increase in the number of days' absence due to match injuries. Although lower-limb injuries were the most common match and training injuries, shoulder dislocations/instabilities resulted in more days' absence during weeks of higher training volumes, but the differences were not significant. The least number of days lost due to injuries occurred during weeks of intermediate training volumes (6.2-9.1 h per week). Training volume was not correlated with final league position. Fitness testing, defence, and rucking and mauling components were identified as being very high- or high-risk training activities. Our results provide evidence of the benefits of modifying the volume and content of rugby union training to reduce the risk associated with injuries to professional players.     

A longitudinal comparison of WISC-III and WISC-R scores of special education students

This study investigated the performance of 166 special education students who had been administered the WISC-R and approximately 3 years later the WISC-III. The sample ranged in age from 6.0 to 16.6 years. The scores were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation coefficients and t tests of the differences between means for related samples. The results indicated that there was a significant, positive correlation among global scales (p < .001). This finding suggests that the WISC-R and the WISC-III IQ scores measure similar abilities. Analysis of mean IQ score differences revealed significant differences in the WISC-R and the WISC-III IQ scores, with the WISC-III global scores being lower. Implications for the evaluation of students for special education are discussed, with special emphasis on the role and function of the psychologist practicing in the schools. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A critical review of national physical activity policies relating to children and young people in England

BackgroundThere has been an increasing focus on the importance of national policy to address population levels of physical inactivity. It has been suggested that the 4 cornerstones of policy comprise (1) national guidelines on physical activity (PA), (2) setting population goals and targets, (3) surveillance or health-monitoring systems, and (4) public education. The current study aimed to review the policy actions that have addressed each of these elements for children and youth in England and to identify areas of progress and remaining challenges.MethodsA literature search was undertaken to identify past and present documents relevant to PA policy for children and youth in England. Each document was analyzed to identify content relevant to the 4 cornerstones of policy.ResultsPhysical activity guidelines (Cornerstone 1) for children and youth have been in place since 1998 and reviewed periodically. Physical activity targets (Cornerstone 2) have focussed on the provision of opportunities for PA, mainly through physical education in schools rather than in relation to the proportion of children meeting recommended PA levels. There has been much surveillance (Cornerstone 3) of children''s PA, but this has been undertaken infrequently over time and with varying inclusions of differing domains of activity. There has been only 1 campaign (Cornerstone 4) that targeted children and their intermediaries, Change4Life, which was an obesity campaign focussing on dietary behavior in combination with PA. Most recently, a government infographic supporting the PA guidelines for children and young people was developed, but details of its dissemination and usage are unknown.ConclusionThere have been many developments in national PA policy in England targeted to children and young people. The area of most significant progress is national PA guidelines. Establishing prevalence targets, streamlining surveillance systems, and investing in public education with supportive policies, environments, and opportunities would strengthen national policy efforts to increase PA and reduce sedentary behavior.     

Assessment matters—Research and learning intensive: Bowling Green State University commits to both

Ten years ago, BGSU pledged to become the premier learning community in Ohio and one of the best in the nation. With campuswide agreement and widespread assessment, the institution has made gains and has a clear sense of what it needs to do next.