A multi-sensor system for automatic analysis of classical cross-country skiing techniques

Commercial systems utilizing data from inertial measurement units (IMUs) to analyse movement patterns have not yet been adapted to monitor daily training in cross-country (XC) skiing. The main purposes of this study are to investigate: (1) the feasibility and potential of a multi-sensor system consisting of a heart rate sensor, global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) data and seven IMUs placed at multiple locations on the body for outdoor XC skiing, and (2) the validity of employing hard decision rules based on the correlation between arms and legs for detecting sub-techniques in classical XC skiing. All sensor data were synchronously sampled and synchronized with GNSS data from a commercially available sports watch while XC skiing on varying tracks, from amateur skiers and world-class athletes. An algorithm based on the correlation of the angular velocity of arms and legs was developed to detect the three main classic sub-techniques, diagonal, double poling with a kick and double poling. Other sub-techniques were classified as miscellaneous (0–20%). The system is shown to work well outdoors on snow during different conditions, and the implemented algorithm was validated by video analyses to detect the three sub-techniques with a sensitivity of 99–100%. This study is the first to detect and link sub-techniques in XC skiing to GNSS data, thereby associating the detection and distribution of sub-techniques to different terrains. Such information gives insight into the technical and tactical aspects of skiers’ daily training and competitions, thereby providing a tool for coaches and athletes.     

School leaders’ practices for innovative use of digital technologies in schools

School leaders’ practices to support the innovative use of digital technologies for teaching and learning and the conditions for technology-enhanced learning were studied in a 1:1 laptop initiative in two schools over a period of 3 years in Umeå, Sweden. The aim of this paper is to explore, analyze and discuss the possibilities and challenges in the final phase of this 1:1 initiative from the perspective of the school leader. The school leaders saw possibilities in new methods of working, sharing and collaboration, and created a beneficial environment for the use of digital technologies in teaching. The challenges were technical problems, supporting teachers in their work, and finding time to prioritize leadership for the use of digital technologies. How school organizers support school leaders’ practices in creating beneficial conditions for technology-enhanced learning will be important for how school leaders’ practices support, promote, and advance innovative and sustainable teaching and learning environments through the use of digital technologies.     

‘Alternative’ universities revisited: A study of the distinctiveness of universities established in the spirit of 1968

Abstract

In the late 60s and early 70s, several universities were set up in various European countries with the intention of providing an alternative to established institutions of higher education. The new universities were expected, amongst other things, to experiment with new forms of leadership and management internally, give teaching and learning higher priority, and to be regional relevant institutions for the area in which they were located. The paper analyses to what extent three such university establishments: Aalborg University in Denmark, Maastricht University in the Netherlands and Troms?University in Norway have managed to maintain and develop their alternative profile during the last thirty years. The study suggests that even though the universities in some areas have adapted to environmental pressure, they have managed to keep their profile as innovative and alternative.     

Learned Helplessness and Psychological Adjustment: Effects of age,gender and academic achievement

The present study deals with relations between academic achievement, learned helplessness and psychological adjustment (self-esteem and depression), controlled for gender and age. A preliminary study was conducted to test the direction of the relationship between learned helplessness, assessed by the teacher, and own expectation about academic achievement. The sample consisted of 1580 students with data collected in grades 3 and 4, 6 and 7 and 8 and 9. The relation between these two variables was reciprocal, with the strongest effect between helplessness and expectations. Hypotheses concerning the relations between achievement, helplessness and psychological adjustment were tested by means of a cross-sectional sample consisting of 1575 students in grades 4, 7 and 9. The analyses of structural equation models showed that academic achievement was directly and indirectly related to the pattern of attributions, expectations, helplessness and psychological adjustment. Moreover, helplessness and academic expectations were significantly related to psychological adjustment. The results also clearly found that boys showed more helpless behaviour, as assessed by the teacher, than did girls, while, on the other hand, girls reported more psychological maladjustment. Some practical implications of the findings are reported at the end of the paper.     

Perceived Classroom Interaction,Goal Orientation and Their Association with Social and Academic Learning Outcomes

This study aimed to investigate students’ perceptions of classroom interaction and goal orientation in association with academic achievement, school non-attendance, and disobedience among students in lower-secondary schools. The sample contained 1975 students from grades 8–10 (age 14–16) in 11 Norwegian lower-secondary schools. The results generally supported the theoretical model in which classroom interaction is significantly associated with goal orientation, which in turn is associated with academic achievement, school non-attendance, and disobedience. However, some grade-specific relations were observed.     

Teachers' Work with Documentation in Preschool: Shaping a Profession in the Performing of Professional Identities­

This article analyses how the teaching profession takes shape when policy demands on increased documentation in preschool is interpreted and enacted by teachers. The profession and professional identities take shape in the tension between two forms of professionalism: occupational professionalism, based on collegial authority, and organizational professionalism, regulated by policy, bureaucracy, and markets. Interviews with preschool teachers about documentation and parents highlight how different professional identities not only took form in the policy interpretation process, but also worked as arguments for ways of dealing with change. A major conclusion is that it would be a win-win situation for professionals, children/parents, and central/local authorities if the influence of occupational professionalism was strengthened through a revaluation of teachers' experiences and professional standards.     

Job Values in Professional Education: The role of achievement goals

What kind of jobs students prefer after having completed their professional education may have important personal and organisational consequences. It is therefore essential to gain a better understanding of the job values they pursue, as well as of the antecedents of such values. In this longitudinal study, we first showed that the job values of the 152 participating Norwegian student nurses and student teachers could be divided into extrinsic job values, such as high salary and good opportunities for advancement, and intrinsic job values, such as good social relations and interesting work. Moreover, we found that an important aspect of academic motivation, that is, students' achievement goals, predicted their job values. Specifically, students adopting performance‐approach goals were more likely to pursue extrinsic job values and students adopting mastery goals were more likely to pursue intrinsic job values. Ways in which the findings address current controversies in the literature on achievement goals are discussed.     

Vygotsky as Precursor to Metacognitive Theory: II. Vygotsky as Metacognitivist

In this article it is demonstrated that topics discussed in contemporary metacognitive research are integral parts of Vygotsky's (1978, 1986) theory of cognitive development. This conclusion is reached through a discussion of Vygotsky's views of self‐regulation, the relationship between self‐awareness and self‐regulation, and the relationship between awareness/regulation on the one hand and cognitive process on the other. The uniqueness of a Vygotskian approach to metacognition is also specified. This uniqueness resides in Vygotsky's focus on the sign system of human language, on the linguistic tools of thought and the central role they play in mediating cognitive performance.