Student Interest in Activities in a Secondary Physical Education Curriculum: An Analysis of Student Subjectivity

Abstract

Previous studies that have examined self-efficacy–performance relationships have used novice performers. It is unclear if these findings would generalize to “experienced” performers. Based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory, this study was designed to investigate (a) the effects of false information feedback on self-efficacy beliefs and subsequent weightlifting performance, and (b) whether self-efficacy or past performance is most related to subsequent weightlifting performance. Experienced weightlifters engaged in six performance sessions, each consisting of a one-repetition-maximum bench press. Male subjects (N = 36) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: accurate performance information, false information that they lifted more than their actual lift, or false information that they lifted less than their actual lift. Before each session, subjects indicated the amount of weight they were 100%, 75%, and 50% confident they could lift. Results replicated existing research findings regarding deception and performance; false positive feedback increased future bench press performance. In addition, results indicated that past weightlifting performance accounted for nearly all of the variance in subsequent performance. This finding is discussed in light of the difficulty in extending the predictions of self-efficacy theory to sport settings where athletes have gained experience by undergoing repeated training trials.     

American college students' perceptions of counsellor approachability: Professional implications

The Repertory Grid technique was used to explore differences in the way in which freshers and postgraduate counselling students perceived the roles of “counsellor” and “friend”. Postgraduates viewed counsellors as more approachable than other students, while freshers viewed other students as more approachable than counsellors. The constructs identified by the students were content-analyzed to define “approachability” for each group. The perceptions held by students were used to address implications for the provision of outreach services, role-induction programmes, and the status of the counsellor as the professional.     

A possible contribution of word-retrieval difficulties to reading and spelling impairments

Good and poor readers at the junior high school level and good and poor spellers at the university level were compared on their ability to produce words in response to a semantic cue (a category name), a visual cue (three letters), and an auditory cue (a syllable rime). Kindergarten children were tested on a word-identification task and their retrieval of words in response to the semantic and auditory cues. At all ages, poor readers or spellers produced fewer words on all word-retrieval tasks than did good readers or spellers. Performance on the auditory and visual word-retrieval tasks correlated very highly with pseudoword reading and spelling ability in the two older groups; in the kindergarten children, auditory retrieval correlated with word identification. The results suggest that poor readers have not organized words in long-term memory according to rhyming families but that good readers have. We speculate that failure to retrieve rhyming words during acquisition of reading and spelling skills underlies the failure of poor readers and spellers to abstract the higher-order relationships between orthography and phonology.     

English Learner Curricular Streams in Four Middle Schools: Triage in the Trenches

Little is known about the curricular experiences schools provide English learner students (ELs) to meet the dual goals of attaining English language proficiency (ELP) and grade-level achievement. I introduce the concept of Curricular Streams to provide a more nuanced comparative analysis of four urban middle schools, focusing on: (a) the extent to which they provided English language development (ELD) instruction and access to the core and full curriculum; and (b) the relative emphasis on ELP versus core academic content, remediation versus acceleration, and isolation versus integration of ELs with non-EL peers. I situate the Curricular Streams within the schools’ broader cultures and practices. The results reveal local definitions of EL status and wide variation in EL Curricular Streams: One school emphasized ELP and remediation over access to the core. Another integrated ELs more quickly into mainstream courses, yet its remediation emphasis limited access to the core. The third provided more access, but isolated ELs. The fourth provided more access to the core, accelerated ELD, and eschewed interventions. The evidence suggests that schools are groping for solutions and it raises questions about the efficacy of EL state policy that relies on local control for interpretation. I provide implications for research, policy, and practice and hypotheses about the characteristics of Curricular Streams and school cultures that might increase ELs’ opportunity to learn and achieve the dual goals.     

Preschooler Sleep Patterns Related to Cognitive and Adaptive Functioning

Research Findings: Preschoolers’ sleep patterns were examined related to cognitive and adaptive functioning. The sample consisted of 874 typically developing preschool children with a mean age of 40.01 months. Parent/caregiver reports of children's sleep pattern factors, Stanford-Binet 5 intelligence scale scores, and Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, adaptive behavior composite scores were examined. The results provided evidence of the interaction among preschoolers’ sleep factors, cognitive variations across performance areas, and adaptive functioning. Practice or Policy: Sleep needs vary according to the child, and maintaining optimal sleep habits will help preschool performance and skills acquisition. Practical implications for prevention, early intervention, education, and policy are discussed.     

The interface of Pacific and other knowledges in a supplementary education site

Because identity (language and culture) are central to Pacific knowledge and knowledge construction processes, Pacific students’ educational experiences should be viewed through a cultural lens that sees Pacific knowledge and practices as valid and valued. This study explores the relationship between culture and educational outcomes as seen in how participation in a school Polynesian club (a cultural education supplementary site) builds youth feelings of self-esteem, identity and the confidence to connect to other educational, cultural and social spaces.     

“Well,You Can’t Force Them”: Altercasting in the Home Health Care Context

Home health aides are often low-paid, low-status workers, performing their job in an isolated and interpersonally complex environment. This study, made up of semistructured interviews with 36 home health aides, explores compliance-gaining challenges faced by “low status, remote workers.” It was found that altercasting, a compliance-gaining technique using social roles to govern behavior, is well suited for the home care context. Aides were found to activate four altercast roles, including parent, trainer, employee, and friend. It is suggested that by using positive altercasting as a compliance-gaining technique, aides are able to both persuade their client to complete necessary tasks of daily living at the same time they construct and maintain the moral identity of a good caregiver.     

V. CHILDREN NAVIGATING STORIES

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