White Paper: functionality and efficacy of wrist protectors in snowboarding—towards a harmonized international standard

The wrist is the most frequently injured body region among snowboarders. Studies have shown that the risk of sustaining a wrist injury can be reduced by wearing wrist protection. Currently, there are a wide variety of wrist protection products for snowboarding on the market that offer a range of protective features. However, there are no minimum performance standards for snowboarding wrist protectors worldwide. The International Society for Skiing Safety convened a task force to develop a White Paper to evaluate the importance and necessity of a minimum performance for all wrist protectors used in snowboarding. The White Paper outlines the need for a general framework for a harmonized international standard and reviews the existing evidence. Therefore, this White Paper may serve as a common base for future discussions. The broader goal of developing and implementing such a standard is to reduce the incidence and the severity of wrist injuries in snowboarding without increasing the risk of adverse events, such as upper arm or shoulder injury. The European standard for inline skating wrist protectors (EN 14120) can serve as a starting point for efforts related to a standard for snowboard wrist protectors, but certain modifications to the standard would be required. It is hypothesized that implementation of a snowboarding wrist protector standard would result in fewer and less severe wrist injuries in the sport and could translate into more riding days for healthy snowboarders and significant health-care costs savings.     

The urban university and urban culture

Conclusion We have briefly described an urban university in contrast to the traditional university, and we have recommended several strategies for changing the traditional university. The urban university plays a much more important role in the intellectual life of the urban community. It reaches throughout the community and, in becoming a center of intellectual activity in its urban settings, gives the intellectual life of a community greater focus. We believe that many urban communities would be anxious to develop an urban university and that such communities would be attractive to a great many people.William L. Blizek and Robert B. Simpson are, respectively, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.This paper is a revised version of one presented originally at the First National Conference on Urban Education, Kansas City, Missouri, November 25, 1975.     

Examining Child and Word Characteristics in Vocabulary Learning of Struggling Readers

Although instruction has been shown to be effective at increasing vocabulary knowledge and comprehension, factors most important for promoting the acquisition of novel vocabulary are less known. In addition, few vocabulary studies have utilized models that simultaneously take into account child-level, word-level, and instructional factors to better understand the acquisition of novel vocabulary from informational text. Sixty-eight children with reading difficulties in Grades 3–5 were randomly assigned to either vocabulary strategy instruction or traditional comprehension instruction with both groups reading the same set of expository texts. Crossed random-effects models were used to predict item-level variance in vocabulary acquisition. Results indicated main effects for condition favoring vocabulary instruction, child-level predictors (vocabulary and knowledge of the content), and word-level factors (frequency and imageability). One interaction was significant, indicating that students with higher vocabulary scores were more likely to do better when provided vocabulary instruction than students with lower prior vocabulary.     

Convergence of Sequences and Series 2: Interactions Between Nonvisual Reasoning and the Learner’s Beliefs about their own Role

This paper examines the work of students who, when reasoning about real analysis, do so almost exclusively by means of verbal and algebraic reasoning, and tend not to incorporate visual images into their work. It examines the work of students from two parallel courses of introductory real analysis, whose reasoning ranges from those who introduce definitions appropriately and work with them competently, to those who cannot recall definitions and appear to manipulate notation without regard for its reference. It presents a theory that relates the differences to students expectations regarding their role as learners of mathematics. Throughout, the argument is illustrated with interview data from which the theory was inductively generated.     

The Impact of On-campus Student Growth on First-year Student Engagement and Success

During the past two decades institutions of all types have sought to expand and enhance residential facilities. Institutional focus on scale, configuration, amenities, and academic integration has sought to leverage prior research documenting the multiple and often positive impacts of on-campus residence. Although institutional size has been documented to differentially impact student engagement [Kezar, A. J. (2006). NASPA Journal 43(1): 87–114], few studies, however, have directly explored the effect of residential expansion on student engagement. This study, based on a sample of 731 first-time freshmen explores NSSE results before and after the opening of a residential facility that doubled on-campus living at a single, metropolitan institution. Results indicate limited positive differences after opening, and suggest that structure, in the form of size, does not, in and of itself, contribute significantly to shifting engagement. Additionally, these results suggest an alternative method for using NSSE data in institutional analyses.     

Who drops out from primary schools in China? Evidence from minority-concentrated rural areas

One of the Millennium Development Goals is to ensure universal access to primary education by 2015. However, primary school dropout remains a challenge in many developing countries. While official statistics in China report aggregated primary school dropout of only 0.2 %, almost no independent, survey-based studies have sought to verify these dropout rates in rural areas. The primary objective of our study is to document the dropout rate in primary schools in rural China and compare the dropout rate of ethnic minorities and Han students. Using a first-hand dataset of 14,761 primary students in northwest China, we demonstrate that the annual dropout rate in poor rural areas is 2.5 %, suggesting a cumulative dropout of 8.2 %. Importantly, Hui and Salar minority students drop out at rates that are significantly higher than the official rates. Most noteworthy, 23 % of Hui girls and 22 % of Salar girls are dropping out by the end of grade 6. Our findings call for more attention to China’s primary school dropout issue—especially in minority areas. Policymakers should begin to examine new ways to increase the chances for minority students to succeed in the educational system.     

Cognitive Empathy and the Transition to Independent Graduate Study in Mathematics

Thirteen Ph.D. students took part in interviews focussed on the nature of their own learning of mathematics. In analysing these interviews an unexpected category emerged concerning the students awareness of others as having particular types of learning goal. In this paper we explore the three levels which we discerned within this category and link them to the notion of cognitive empathy. We suggest that differences in ones own cognitive style are linked to differences in the ability to empathise with those who have alternative learning goals. We also consider how these two features – cognitive style and cognitive empathy – may come to be linked.     

Defining attitude for science educators

A distinct and complex definition of attitude is evolving within the literature. A mental readiness to respond and a correlational consistency between attitude and behavior—although controversial and in need of further study and analysis—remain viable subcomponents within the definition. Most agree that evaluation is the heartbeat of attitude. The impact of social influence on attitudes is becoming increasingly important. Attitudes are learned and not inherited.     

Alternative models of entrance exams and access to higher education: the case of the Czech Republic

The study compares the potential effects of a university admission exam model based on program-specific knowledge and an alternative model relying on general study aptitude (GSA) in the context of a strongly stratified educational system with considerable excess of demand over supply of university education. Using results of the Sonda Maturant 1998 survey, we show that in the specific context of the Czech Republic, displaying the above characteristics in the given period, an admission exam model based on general study aptitude tests may improve the access of talented individuals with lower socioeconomic status to university education. Our simulations show that with the GSA model (provided the model assumptions are met), the relative chances of an applicant with a university-educated father would be only by one-fourth higher than the relative chances of a student with a less educated father, as compared to the more than a one-third difference in case of the model emphasizing program-specific knowledge. The odds ratio for the GSA model is by 28% points lower for mother’s education.