Writes of passage: writing up qualitative data as a threshold concept in doctoral research

Effective writing is an essential skill for all doctoral students, yet it is one that receives relatively little attention in training and supervision. This article explores extensive feedback from participants in a series of workshops for doctoral candidates engaged with writing up qualitative data. The themes arising from the data analysis are discussed in terms of the affective domain of writing, and the main claim is that writing up qualitative data has been identified as what Meyer and Land would call a threshold concept for doctoral candidates employing qualitative analysis. Drawing on Turner's notion of liminality, the article concludes that interdisciplinary workshops can be instrumental in helping doctoral candidates understand the role of writing, and of writing up qualitative data in particular, in their development into independent, autonomous researchers.     

“Packaged” Information: How are new Means of Delivering Information Affecting Students’ Information-Seeking Behavior?

This article explores two methods of “packaging” information for students: custom textbooks and web-based discovery services. It examines the implementation of each of these initiatives at the University of Reading, using the institution as a case study to explore the implications on students’ information-seeking behavior. This is combined with a review of the relevant literature surrounding each service. Custom textbooks were used by the University's History department to support one of its first-year undergraduate modules, with the aim of providing a source of essential reading. The University Library released its web-based discovery service to students in October 2011. Various effects on information-seeking behavior are observed, including the potential decline of critical thinking in order to evaluate sources and the danger of sidelining search skills in favor of easy information solutions. The article concludes that librarians have an important role to play in helping students to understand the complexity of information searching. Whilst custom textbooks and discovery services are in some ways beneficial to students, they still require guidance from expert library staff to help them navigate these resources as independent learners. Finally, topics for further research are presented.     

From Pride to Smugness and the Nationalism Between: Olympic Media Consumption Effects on Nationalism Across the Globe

To measure relationships between Olympic media viewing and nation-based attitudes, 6 nations (Australia, Bulgaria, China, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the United States) were surveyed in the 5 days immediately after the 2012 London Olympics. A total of 1,025 respondents answered questions pertaining to four measures of nationalism: patriotism, nationalism, internationalism, and smugness. The amount of Olympic viewing resulted in significantly higher scores for patriotism, nationalism, and smugness, but not internationalism. In addition, differences by nation are reported, revealing considerable differences in nationalism measures among the 6 nations studied; for instance, the United States was the lowest of the 6 nations regarding internationalism yet highest of the 6 nations regarding smugness. Conclusions related to theory and the role of Olympic media content are offered.     

Merging Catalogs: Creating a Shared Bibliographic Environment for the State University Libraries of Florida

The eleven state universities of Florida have long shared an integrated library system architecture, but maintained separate databases. In 2009 the deans and directors of the eleven state university libraries tasked the three largest libraries to investigate the feasibility of combining all catalogs into a single bibliographic entity. With the help of a central automation group, the three successfully negotiated the fine line between sharing data and retaining the unique work created by each of the three libraries. The groundwork laid in this initiative should prove valuable to other libraries seeking to centralize functions and pool resources.     

Activity profiles of the Australian female netball team players during international competition: Implications for training practice

Abstract

In elite sport, to remain competitive at the international level, it is critical to understand the game demands on players to ensure sport specific training programmes are designed for optimal athlete preparation and conditioning. In netball, recent research examining the activity patterns of players at the elite level is lacking, with only one study undertaken on this level of competition in the past 30 years. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide coaches with up to date knowledge of player activity patterns as a basis for the design of optimal sport specific training programmes. The Australian female netball team were analysed using video footage of three international test matches. Player activity was categorised into five movement and eight game-based activities; and further classified as work or rest. Results suggest that differences in the current game exist when compared to the previous analysis. Positional differences were also found with regard to player activity confirming the need for an individualised component of training based on player position.     

Student-life stress in Education and Health Service majors

In order to better understand the effects of student-life stress on Education and Health Service majors (n?=?195) at a private, religious, Midwestern university in the USA, we assessed student perception of overall stress level and physical stress level using the Student-life Stress Inventory. The targeted sample consisted of students with declared majors that lead to careers involving interaction with vulnerable populations (i.e., children, individuals with disabilities, patients). Women in this study experienced a significantly higher (F?=?7.092 [1195], p?=?.008) overall stress level than their male counterparts. When the physical stress reaction scores were isolated, women still experienced significantly higher stress levels (F?=?7.758 [1195], p?=?.01). Regardless of gender, seniors and graduate students had an overall stress difference that was 11 points below that of freshman students in overall stress scores. There was a significant difference in the overall stress score (F?=?6.484 [2181], p?=?.001) between students who took 18 or more credit hours and those who took less. Students who worked more than four hours per week had a significantly higher overall stress level. Students in the age category 23+ had significantly less physical stress. There was a significant difference between students who prayed at least daily and students who never pray (F?=?1.114 [3188], p?=?.03). This study provides a valuable insight into the characteristics of individuals more likely to have difficulties adjusting to the demands of college life and the inherent stress of a profession in Education or Health Service.     

The relationship between vocabulary and writing quality in three genres

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of vocabulary in writing across three genres. Fifth graders (N = 105) wrote three compositions: story, persuasive, and informative. Each composition revolved around the topic of outer space to control for background knowledge. Written compositions were scored for holistic writing quality and several different vocabulary constructs: diversity, maturity, elaboration, academic words, content words, and register. The results indicated that students vary their vocabulary usage by genre. Story text had higher diversity than informative text as well as higher maturity as compared to persuasive text. Persuasive text contained higher diversity than informative text, and higher register than both of the other genres. Informative text included more content words and elaboration than the other text types as well as more maturity than persuasive text. Additionally, multiple regression and commonality analysis indicated that the vocabulary constructs related to writing quality differed by genre. For story text, vocabulary diversity was a unique predictor, while for persuasive text, content words and register were unique predictors. Finally, for informative text content words was the strongest unique predictor explaining almost all of the total variance in the five factor model, although maturity was also a unique predictor.     

Associations Among Pubertal Development,Empathic Ability,and Neural Responses While Witnessing Peer Rejection in Adolescence

Links among concurrent and longitudinal changes in pubertal development and empathic ability from ages 10 to 13 and neural responses while witnessing peer rejection at age 13 were examined in 16 participants. More advanced pubertal development at age 13, and greater longitudinal increases in pubertal development, related to increased activity in regions underlying cognitive aspects of empathy. Likewise, at age 13 greater perspective taking related to activity in cognitive empathy‐related regions; however, affective components of empathy (empathic concern and personal distress) were associated with activity in both cognitive and affective pain‐related regions. Longitudinal increases in empathic ability related to cognitive and affective empathy‐related circuitry. Findings provide preliminary evidence that physical and cognitive‐emotional development relate to adolescents' neural responses when witnessing peer rejection.     

Practical considerations informing teachers’ technology integration decisions: the case of tablet PCs

The unique characteristics of tablet PCs promise important benefits for education. Yet, little is known about the rationale underlying teachers’ decisions concerning their educational uses within the constraints of daily classroom practice. The current multiple case study investigated the practical considerations informing nine secondary school teachers’ decision-making processes regarding the use of tablet PCs. Stimulated recall interviews revealed 10 criteria underpinning teachers’ instructional decisions. Four criteria influenced the degree of congruence with teachers’ previous practices: familiarity, alignment with course content, opportunities to achieve (new) instructional goals efficiently, and compatibility with established pedagogical beliefs. Costs and benefits of tablet PCs were determined in terms of educational added value, lesson preparation requirements and potential disruptions to the learning environment. Finally, access to a solid technology infrastructure, supportive school policies and knowledge of how to effectively integrate tablet PCs with course content were identified as important pre-conditions for sustainable implementation. Overall, the results suggest that practical concerns constitute a critical element in teachers’ decision making, influencing not only teachers’ intention to adopt tablet PCs, but also the ways in which they use this technology to support instruction.