Research on Tai Chi as a sport in health care

This article examines the content and methodology of studies on Tai Chi as a sport in health care. We investigate the concept behind the rather simple name “Tai Chi,” concluding that this concept is manifold and highly variable. How did researchers deal with this variability when studying the effects of Tai Chi as a health-care intervention? We then explore how scientific research on Tai Chi has been conducted to date and draw the interim conclusion that the variability was barely taken into consideration. Our analysis of seven Tai Chi interventions reveals that two interventions referred to as Tai Chi may differ considerably in their content. The variability poses difficulty in repeating the intervention and drawing causal inferences. This problem is discussed in the current literature under the term “complexity in health-care interventions.” On the basis of a summary of this debate, we discuss the challenge of researching Tai Chi from a complex perspective—with the aim of achieving solid results that can be repeated.     

The Tour de France and the doping issue

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Threshold frequency of an electrically induced cramp increases following a repeated,localized fatiguing exercise

Abstract

Though clinical observations and laboratory data provide some support for the neuromuscular imbalance theory of the genesis of exercise-associated muscle cramps, no direct evidence has been published. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of local muscle fatigue on the threshold frequency of an electrically induced muscle cramp. To determine baseline threshold frequency, a cramp was electrically induced in the flexor hallucis brevis of 16 apparently healthy participants (7 males, 9 females; age 25.1 ± 4.8 years). The testing order of control and fatigue conditions was counterbalanced. In the control condition, participants rested in a supine position for 30 min followed by another cramp induction to determine post-threshold frequency. In the fatigue condition, participants performed five bouts of great toe curls at 60% one-repetition maximum to failure with 1 min rest between bouts followed immediately by a post-threshold frequency measurement. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and simple main effects testing showed post-fatigue threshold frequency (32.9 ± 11.7 Hz) was greater (P < 0.001) than pre-fatigue threshold frequency (20.0 ± 7.7 Hz). An increase in threshold frequency seems to demonstrate a decrease in one's propensity to cramp following the fatigue exercise regimen used. These results contradict the proposed theory that suggests cramp propensity should increase following fatigue. However, differences in laboratory versus clinical fatiguing exercise and contributions from other sources, as well as the notion of a graded response to fatiguing exercise, on exercise-associated muscle cramp and electrically induced muscle cramp should be considered.     

Grip and Forearm Position Effects on Tests of Static and Dynamic Upper Body Endurance

Abstract

The effects of grip and forearm position on two tests of upper body muscular endurance were investigated in 109 male subjects 18–21 years of age. Subjects were systematically presented 12 tasks: six pull-up and six straight-arm hang grip and forearm variations. Each of the six tasks for both endurance tests represented a different combination of grip (thumb over bar and thumb under bar) and forearm position (pronated, supinated and semi-pronated). Task results were analyzed utilizing 2 × 3 (grip × forearm) ANOVA with repeated measures on the two factors. Analysis of pull-up data revealed that the semi-pronated and supinated forearm positions were not statistically different from each other, but superior to the pronated condition. Results of straight-arm hang performance revealed a significant difference between grips at the semi-pronated position, with the “thumb under bar” being superior. Results for forearm positions at grips indicated a significant difference for the “thumb under bar,” with the pronated and semi-pronated positions being superior to the supinated position. For forearm positions at “thumb over bar,” the pronated condition was significantly different from the semi-pronated and supinated positions. Thumb position trends and kinesiological mechanical analysis did foster general recommendations for use of the “thumb over bar” for pull-ups and the “thumb under bar” position for the straight-arm hang.     

First-generation college students: Characteristics,experiences, and cognitive development

This study sought answers to three questions: (1) Do the precollege characteristics of first-generation students differ from those of traditional students? (2) Do first-generation students' college experiences differ from those of other students? (3) What are the educational consequences of any differences on first-year gains in students' reading, math, and critical thinking abilities? Answers come from 2,685 students (825 first-generation and 1,860 traditional students) who entered 23 diverse institutions nationwide in Fall 1992 and who completed one year of study. First-generation students differ from their traditional peers in both entering characteristics and college experiences. Although traditional students make greater net gains in reading during their first year, the two groups gain to about the same degree in math and critical thinking skills. Those gains, however, appear to result from somewhat different experiences.     

First Things First: Developing Academic Competence in the First Year of College*

Perhaps two-thirds of the gains students make in knowledge and cognitive skill development occur in the first 2 years of college (Pascarella, E. T., and Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students Vol. 2. A third decade of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass). A significant proportion of the students entering America’s colleges and universities, however, never make it to their second year at the institution where they began. This study, part of a national effort to transform how colleges and universities think about, package, and present their first year of college, is based on data from nearly 6,700 students and 5,000 faculty members on 30 campuses nationwide. The study identifies the individual, organizational, environmental, programmatic, and policy factors that individually and collectively shape students’ development of academic competence in their first year of college. *Paper presented at the meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, June 6, 2005 San Diego, CA. This study was supported by grants from the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Lumina Foundation for Education to the Policy Center for the First Year of College, Brevard, NC. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of those foundations or the Policy Center, and no official endorsement should be inferred.     

Children's Estimations of the Sizes of the Continents

Curriculum changes in geography have focused increasing attention on children's knowledge and understanding of global spatial relationships. Map projections have become fashionable once more in geographical education, which also raises issues of the cartographic representation of the relative proportions of the land masses. In this study, 62 children were asked to estimate the sizes of the continents in relation to Europe, by selecting from a range of cut‐out continents of different sizes. The results indicate that the size of Asia was underestimated and the sizes of Australasia and Antarctica were overestimated. Possible reasons for this are discussed and some teaching approaches suggested.     

Physical discipline and children's adjustment: cultural normativeness as a moderator

Interviews were conducted with 336 mother-child dyads (children's ages ranged from 6 to 17 years; mothers' ages ranged from 20 to 59 years) in China, India, Italy, Kenya, the Philippines, and Thailand to examine whether normativeness of physical discipline moderates the link between mothers' use of physical discipline and children's adjustment. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that physical discipline was less strongly associated with adverse child outcomes in conditions of greater perceived normativeness, but physical discipline was also associated with more adverse outcomes regardless of its perceived normativeness. Countries with the lowest use of physical discipline showed the strongest association between mothers' use and children's behavior problems, but in all countries higher use of physical discipline was associated with more aggression and anxiety.     

Teacher demand: crisis what crisis?

This paper is based on two studies of teacher recruitment and retention commissioned by the General Teaching Council of Wales and the ESRC. Using official statistics from a variety of secondary sources, it shows trends over time in teacher numbers in England and Wales, and examines teacher vacancies, pupil‐teacher ratios and teacher wastage. It concludes that although individual indicators, examined in isolation, are an inadequate basis for assessments of the situation, there is no evidence in the data of any ‘crisis’ of teacher supply or demand in Wales (or indeed most of England). There are regional, occasional and subject‐specific disparities, but there are now more teachers than ever before, while the number of pupils in schools is falling. The paper, therefore, considers a variety of possible explanations for the widely‐held belief that there is a serious shortage of teachers.     

An Examination of the Clinical Preparation of School Counselors

Clinical training is considered the capstone experience (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 2001) for preservice counselors. This exploratory study examined pedagogical practice for clinical preparation in a purposeful sample of 59 school counseling internship syllabi. A qualitative analysis revealed wide diversity in content regarding supervision, student assignments, and, in particular, on‐site requirements.