A configural analysis of differences among higher education consortia

In order to plan appropriate cooperative programs for particular higher education consortia, it is necessary to identify the characteristics of these organizations. The spatial configuration technique was used to illustrate the impact of eleven variables of the member institutions in differentiating among four consortia. Six of the variables — Control, Highest Degree Awarded, Percentage of Males, Math SAT Scores, Conventional Orientation, Scientific Orientation, and Endowment — were found to be significant in differentiating among the consortia. It was concluded that the spatial configuration technique was an effective way of visually comparing those consortia composed of member institutions, which as groups had similar and dissimilar characteristics.     

逃避

她说坚强的人是不会逃避的.那不是对待人生正确的方式.可是坚强的人也会跑.但那是为了使生活变得更好。     

The impact of roommate personality on achievement: An exploratory study and model of analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of personality characteristics, academic ability, and achievement among pairs of male dormitory roommates. OPI factor scores were developed for five groups of roommate pairs who were identified as exhibiting similar achievement and ability patterns. The scores were analyzed to provide an indication of the degree of similarity or difference between the individual pairs on the personality measures and to determine if there were important trends evident in the data within groups. The results suggest that personality may have a differential effect on achievement among students of different ability levels. For example, there was evidence that average- and low-ability students earn higher grades when paired with high-ability students of similar personality profiles.     

Cultural Misperceptions and Goals for Samoan Children’s Education in Hawai’i: Voices from School, Home, and Community

Research lauds the benefits of parent involvement in the schools, yet many schools and communities have not achieved desired levels of involvement. Underlying expectations and methods soliciting parent involvement may be rooted in cultural misperceptions. This study, based on Epstein’s (1987) Overlapping Spheres of Influence model, explored the ways and extent that community members, school staff, and Samoan families interact regarding a public middle school. Qualitative research methods (interviews and observations) involved parents, teachers, administrators, and community agency members and officials in participatory action research. Findings displayed a base of cultural differences regarding parent involvement: Samoan parents were expected to participate in school events and assist children with homework, yet Samoan culture has historically divided the parents’ responsibilities from the teachers’ responsibilities. Parents identified their responsibilities for children’s spirituality and discipline and viewed academic matters as solely the responsibility of teachers. The school’s new activities, parents’ shifting focus, and community members’ diverse actions are demonstrating a start of change. This research supports the need for school personnel to understand the cultural roots of minority families’ parent involvement practices. Marianna F. Valdez is a Ph.D. Candidate in Community and Cultural Psychology. She completed her M.A. degree at the University of Hawaii and B.A. degree at Tulane University. Her research interests involve the development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally appropriate community programs, especially related to the public school setting. She is most interested in understanding and representing emic perspectives to drive action research, informed by culturalist approaches and mixed methods. Peter W. Dowrick is Professor of Disability Studies and affiliate graduate faculty in Psychology at the University of Hawaii. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Auckland, ATCL at Trinity College London, M.Sc. at the University of Auckland, and B.Sc. at the Victoria University of Wellington. He has wide experience working with people marginalized by culture, disability, mental health, and other considerations. His consultation on prevention and intervention extends to 31 states and 21 countries. His overarching contribution has been in the concepts of feedforward and creating futures, applied in situations of personal safety, serious mental illness, social behavior, sports and recreation, daily living, literacy, academic skills, health, housing, management, and jobs, among others. Ashley E. Maynard is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Hawaii. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles, M.A. at the University of California, Los Angeles, and B.A. at the University of Virginia. She studies the interrelationships of culture, contexts of child development, and healthy cognitive and social development of children. Based on a socio-cultural paradigm, the theoretical question that lies at the heart of her research program is the ways in which a variety of culturally based activity settings influence adaptive pathways of development for children and families. She teaches courses in Developmental Psychology and Culture and Human Development.     

Perturbations in Blood Phosphatidylcholine and Sphingomyelin Fatty Acid Composition in a Sample Population of Cigarette Smokers

Docosahexaenoic (DHA) and arachidonic acids (AA) are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), major components of brain tissue and neural systems, and the precursors of a number of biologically active metabolites with functions in inflammation resolution, neuroprotection and other actions. As PUFAs are highly susceptible to peroxidation, we hypothesised whether cigarette smokers would present altered PUFAs levels in plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids. Adult males from Indian, Sri-Lankan or Bangladeshi genetic backgrounds who reported smoking between 20 and 60 cigarettes per week were recruited. The control group consisted of matched non-smokers. A blood sample was taken, plasma and erythrocyte total lipids were extracted, phospholipids were separated by thin layer chromatography, and the fatty acid content analysed by gas chromatography. In smokers, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, the AA precursor, was significantly reduced in plasma and erythrocyte phosphatidylcholine. AA and DHA were significantly reduced in erythrocyte sphingomyelin. Relatively short term smoking has affected the fatty acid composition of plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids with functions in neural tissue composition, cell signalling, cell growth, intracellular trafficking, neuroprotection and inflammation, in a relatively young population. As lipid peroxidation is pivotal in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease, early effects of smoking may be relevant for the development of such conditions.     

Book reviews

Mike Huggins, Flat Racing and British Society, 1790–1914: A Social and Economic History (London and Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 2000). Pp. xv + 270, 25 illustrations, index. £39.50/$57.50 (cloth); £17.50/$26.50 (paper). ISBN 0–7146–4982–1; 0–7146–8045–1.

Bill Mallon and Ian Buchanan, The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitions in All Events, with Commentary (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2000). Pp. xx + 516, index. $45.00. ISBN 0–7864–0598–8.

Randy Shaw. Reclaiming America: Nike, Clean Air, and the New National Activism (University of California Press, 1999). Pp. ix + 312, index. ISBN 0–520–21359–9.

Mark Douglas Lowes, Inside the Sports Pages: Work Routines, Professional Ideologies, and the Manufacture of Sports News (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999). Pp. xiii + 126, index, bibliography. $40.00 (cloth); $16.95 (paper). ISBN 0–8020–4359–3; 0–8020–8183–5.

C. Gaddy, An Olympic Journey: The Saga of an American Hero: LeRoy T. Walker. (Griffin Publishing Group: California, 1998). Pp. xiv + 265, illustrations, bibliographical references, achievements. $24.95. ISBN 1–882180–92–5.

William Marshall, Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945–1951 (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1999). Pp. xii + 513, 81 photographs, index. $29.95. ISBN 0–8131–2041–1.

Bob Allen with Bill Gilbert, The 500 Home Run Club: Baseball's 15 Greatest Home Run Hitters from Aaron to Williams (Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing Inc., 1999). Pp. x + 273, photographs. $22.95. ISBN 1582610312.

Simon Rae, W.G. Grace: A Life (London, Faber and Faber, 1999). Pp. xx + 548, 30 illustrations, index. £20.00 (cloth); £9.99 (paper). ISBN 0–571–17855–3; 0–571–19573‐ 3.

David W. Anderson. More Than Merkle: A History of the Best and Most Exciting Baseball Season in Human History (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2000). Pp. xxx + 285, 17 photographs, bibliography, index, $29.95. ISBN 0–8032–1056–6.

Joanna Avery and Julie Stevens, Too Many Men on the Ice: Women's Hockey in North America (Vancouver: Polestar Book Publishers, 1997). Pp. 286, 62 photographs, 37 tables, index, bibliography. CANS 19.95; US$ 16.95. ISBN 1–896095–33‐X.

John Fizel, Elizabeth Gustafson and Lawrence Hadley (eds.), Sports Economics: Current Research. (Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 1999). Pp. xiv + 246, index, bibliography. $59.95. ISBN 0–275–96330–6.

Frank P. Jozsa, Jr. and John J. Guthrie, Jr., Relocating Teams and Expanding Leagues in Professional Sports: How the Major Leagues Respond to Market Conditions (Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 1999). Pp. 206, index, bibliography. $59.95. ISBN 1–56720–193–8.

Adrian Shubert, Death and Money in the Afternoon: A History of the Spanish Bullfight (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999). Pp. 270, 17 illustrations, 2 appendices, index. $25.00. ISBN 0–19–509524–3.

Cindy S. Aron, Working at Play: A History of Vacations in the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999). Pp. xii + 324. 30 photographs, index. $35.00. ISBN 019–5055845.

L. Koppett, Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998). Pp. xiv + 521, index. $34.95. ISBN 1–56639–638–7. J.H. Bready, Baseball in Baltimore: The First 100 Years (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998). Pp. ix + 242, photographs throughout, index. $34.95. ISBN 0–9018–5833‐X.

L. Koppett, Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998). Pp. xiv + 521, index. $34.95. ISBN 1–56639–638–7. J.H. Bready, Baseball in Baltimore: The First 100 Years (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998). Pp. ix + 242, photographs throughout, index. $34.95. ISBN 0–9018–5833‐X.

J. Zoss and J. Bowman, Diamonds in the Rough: The Untold History of Baseball (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1996). Pp. xiv + 433, many photographs, index. $16.95. ISBN 0–8092–3234–0. M. Stang and L. Harkness, Baseball by the Numbers: A Guide to the Uniform Numbers of Major League Teams. American Sports History Series, No. 4 (Lanham, MD and London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1997). Pp. xix + 1125, 8 photographs. ISBN 0–8108–3054‐X.

R. Ruck, The Tropic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic (Lincoln and London: Nebraska University Press, 1999). Pp. xx + 215, 19 photographs, 3 maps, index. $12.00. ISBN 0–8032–8978–2.

D.Q. Voigt, The League That Failed. American Sports History Series, No. 10 (Lanham, MD and London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1998). Pp. xiv + 322, 23 photographs, index. $45.00. ISBN 0–8108–3309–3.

J. Zoss and J. Bowman, Diamonds in the Rough: The Untold History of Baseball (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1996). Pp. xiv + 433, many photographs, index. $16.95. ISBN 0–8092–3234–0.

M. Stang and L. Harkness, Baseball by the Numbers: A Guide to the Uniform Numbers of Major League Teams. American Sports History Series, No. 4 (Lanham, MD and London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1997). Pp. xix + 1125, 8 photographs. ISBN 0–8108–3054‐X.

R. Ruck, The Tropic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic (Lincoln and London: Nebraska University Press, 1999). Pp. xx + 215, 19 photographs, 3 maps, index. $12.00. ISBN 0–8032–8978–2.

D.Q. Voigt, The League That Failed. American Sports History Series, No. 10 (Lanham, MD and London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1998). Pp. xiv + 322, 23 photographs, index. $45.00. ISBN 0–8108–3309–3.

Eddie Irvine, with Jane Nottage, Life in the Fast Lane: The Inside Story of the Ferrari Years (London: Ebury Press, 1999; distributed in the US by Trafalgar Square Publishing, North Pomfret, Vermont). Pp. xxiii + 232, 32 photographs. $29.95. ISBN 0–09–18746–02.

J.S. Todd, Physical Culture and the Body Beautiful: Purposive Exercise in the Lives of American Women, 1800–1875 (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1998). Pp. ix + 369, 81 illustrations, methodology, bibliography, index. US$39.95. ISBN 0–86554–561–8.

Eric G. Dunning, Joseph A. Maguire and Robert E. Pearton (eds.), The Sports Process: A Comparative and Developmental Approach (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, 1993). Pp. 279 + xiii, index. £37.50 (cloth). ISBN 0–87322–419–1.

Christiane Eisenberg, "English Sports “ und deutsche Bürger: Eine Gesellschaftsgeschichte 1800–1939 (Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh, 1999). Pp. 523.

M.L. Biscotti (comp.), A Bibliography of American Sporting Books, 1926–1985 (Far Hills, NJ: Meadow Run Press, 1997). Pp. ix + 573. $80.00. ISBN 1–886967–06–7.

J.L. Arbena (comp.), Latin American Sport: An Annotated Bibliography, 1988–1998, Bibliographies and Indexes on Sports History No 3 (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999). Pp. vii + 264. $75.00. ISBN 0–313–29611–1.

D. Kyle, H. Lee, T. Scanlon and K. Kitchell, Entering the Stadium: Approaches to Ancient Greek Athletics. Editor K. Kitchell, The Classical Bulletin, Vol.74 (1998), No.2 (Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy‐Carducchi). Pp. 100–200. $20.00. ISSN 0009–8337.

Wendy Long, Celebrating Excellence: Canadian Women Athletes (Vancouver: Polestar Book Publishers, 1995). Pp. 255. CAN$ 29.95. ISBN 1–896095–04–6.

Steven J. Overman, The Influence of the Protestant Ethic on Sport and Recreation (Aldershot: Avebury Press, 1997. Pp. + 394, index. ISBN 1 ‐85972–387‐X.

Douglas Booth, The Race Game: Sport and Politics in South Africa (London and Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 1998). Pp. xxi + 250, 10 photographs, index. £42.50/$59.50 (cloth); £17.50/$26.50 (paper). ISBN 0–7146–4799–3; 0–7146–4354–8.

Mike Cronin, Sport and Nationalism in Ireland: Gaelic Games, Soccer and Irish Identity since 1884 (Dublin and Portland, OR: Four Courts Press, 1999). Pp.214. £14.95. ISBN 1–85182–456–1.     

Child-initiated learning,the outdoor environment and the ‘underachieving’ child

The Foundation Phase for Wales advocates an experiential, play-based approach to learning for children aged three to seven years that includes child-initiated activity within the outdoor environment. In previous research, Foundation Phase practitioners maintained that children perceived to be ‘underachieving’ within the classroom came into their own when engaged in child-initiated learning outdoors. This study, which involved eight Foundation Phase teachers, aimed to explore these perceived differences as well as teachers’ perceptions of ‘underachievement’. It is concluded that the more natural outdoor spaces in which child-initiated activity took place appeared to amplify the effects of child-initiated learning and diminish the perception of underachievement; that engagement in this project enabled some teachers to see ‘underachievement’ as being distributed across people, place and activity; and that through constructing the outdoor ‘space’ as a ‘place’ embedded with positive meanings, children may have had the opportunity to reconstruct themselves as strong, competent children rather than as ‘underachieving’ pupils.     

The Case for Early,Targeted Interventions to Prevent Academic Failure

The persistent achievement gaps among children of different race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status in the United States represent an issue that has commanded public, policy, and research attention on and off for about 100 years now, and it is once again in the forefront of policy-making agendas. Debates nevertheless abound on the most promising and cost-effective strategies to address the problem. We examine critically the available evidence on the benefits and costs of early childhood education and conclude that early, vigorous interventions targeted at disadvantaged children offer the best chance to substantially reduce gaps in school readiness and increase the productivity of our educational systems. The available evidence fails to provide a complete road map for future investments, however. Hence, we propose a program of challenge grants to states and their subunits, coupled with waivers from regulation, to spur innovation and experimentation within this important research area. We provide examples of the types of experiments that could be funded and discuss important considerations in the development and implementation of such a research grants program.