The Earlier the Better? Pausing for Thought …

Is earlier intervention always superior? Using two complementary forms of meta-analysis, Gardner and colleagues find no support for the “earlier is better” hypothesis in outcomes of parenting programs for child behavior problems across the 2–11 year age range. This commentary explores possible methodological and substantive reasons for the pattern of their findings. We need additional careful analyses of this kind, assessing age variations in intervention effects across broader age ranges, and in other developmental domains, for strong tests of the “earlier is better” hypothesis. At this stage, however, Gardner et al.'s findings give us some pause for thought.     

Validation of self-report measures of physical activity: a case study using the New Zealand Physical Activity Questionnaire

Accurate measurement of physical activity is fundamentally important in epidemiological research of physical activity behavior A widely used telephone-based physical activity questionnaire was compared with other methods of administration and objective measures (pedometers and accelerometers) among 80 adults (43 women). The telephone questionnaire was comparable to both the self-administered form and international telephone-administered equivalent. Although moderate correlation coefficients with objective measures supported the use of the questionnaire, wide prediction intervals generated using Bland Altman methods highlighted large discrepancies between the measures, particularly in the moderate intensity category. These findings illustrate the limitations of correlation coefficients in validation studies and the inaccuracy of self-report questionnaires in measuring physical activity.     

Predictive validity of the K-ABC for exceptional preschoolers

This 5-year follow-up study examined the predictive validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 39 children identified during preschool as exhibiting language impairment (n = 10), behavior control deficits (n = 13), or normal language and behavioral development (n = 16). Mean age at follow-up was 9.75 years. The results generally supported the predictive validity of the K-ABC (p<.001). However, analyses by group indicated that the relationship between baseline K-ABC and follow-up K-ABC, language, and achievement measures for the language-impaired subjects was weak (p>.05). Although these results must be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample size, they suggest that for young children likely to be referred as at risk for future learning problems, the K-ABC may not be useful for prediction of later cognitive skills. Implications for practitioners are discussed.     

排名的困境

分析了大学排行榜产生的原因,指出了大学排名活动中存在的问题,如评估指标的选取、大学的不同定位等,进而指出世界范围内的排名活动会加大英语国家大学的强势,不利于发展中国家大学的发展,并认为大学排名活动应以准确的评估和科学的指标体系作为基础。     

In defence of white privilege: physical education teachers’ understandings of their work in culturally diverse schools

Research suggests that physical education (PE) in Western countries is not providing equitable experiences for non-white students. Responsibility for shortcomings has often been ascribed to white PE teachers. Scholars have claimed that teachers lack cultural competence and know little about how physical cultures or health are understood by the young people with whom they work. The objective of this investigation was to investigate this claim and generate an understanding of how white PE teachers in a culturally diverse high school make sense of their work with non-white students. Data with three Swedish teachers of varying experience were produced using semi-structured interviewing. A series of school visits provided a complementary line of data. Four themes emerged from the data. These related to: (1) differences between white and non-white values; (2) the knowledge and dispositions necessary for success in PE; (3) the broad purpose of PE, and; (4) the differences between boys’ and girls’ experiences of PE. Data were interpreted using a Critical Race Theory (CRT) perspective, with the notion of ‘whiteness’ providing a specific analytic concept. The general thesis developed in the second part of the paper is that problems result not from insensitivity or incompetence but from discourses of whiteness in which many teachers live and work. By building on critical research both in general education and physical education literature and by utilizing whiteness as an analytical concept, the investigation shows how three PE teachers draw extensively on the racial discourse of whiteness and how this disadvantages non-white students. The paper is concluded with a consideration of how racial disadvantage could be challenged or disrupted.     

Factorial Invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale among Senior Women in the Nurses’ Health Study Cohort

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS-A) across subgroups based on demographic, health-related, behavioral, and environmental characteristics among Nurses’ Health Study participants (N = 2,919; age M = 73.0, SD = 6.9 years) living in California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. A series of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate increasingly restrictive hypotheses of factorial invariance. Factorial invariance was supported across age, walking limitations, and neighborhood walking. Only partial scalar invariance was supported across state residence and neighborhood population density. This evidence provides support for using the NEWS-A with older women of different ages, who have different degrees of walking limitations, and who engage in different amounts of neighborhood walking. Partial scalar invariance suggests that researchers should be cautious when using the NEWS-A to compare older adults living in different states and neighborhoods with different levels of population density.     

Static and dynamic accuracy of a magnetic-inertial measurement unit used to provide racket swing kinematics

Magnetic-inertial measurement units (MIMUs) are becoming more prevalent in sports biomechanics and may be a viable tool to evaluate kinematic parameters. This study examined the accuracy of a MIMU to estimate orientation angles under static conditions and dynamically from a squash racket during a forehand drive shot. A MIMU was mounted onto a goniometer and moved through 0–90°, with static data collected at 10° increments during 10 repetitions of all three axes. Typical error analyses showed the MIMU to be very reliable (TE ≤ 0.03°). MIMU accuracy was determined via intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) (r > 0.999, p < 0.001). An ordinary least products regression showed no proportional bias and minimal fixed bias for all axes. Dynamic accuracy was assessed by comparing MIMU and optical motion capture data of squash racket swing kinematics. A MIMU was fixed onto a racket and 10 participants each hit 10 forehand shots. Mean orientation angle error at ball impact was <0.50° and ICC showed very high correlations (r ≥ 0.988, p < 0.001) for all orientations. Swing phase root mean squared errors were ≤2.20°. These results indicate that a MIMU could be used to accurately and reliably estimate selected racket swing kinematics.     

Exploring athletes’ perceptions of coach stress in elite sport environments

The present study aimed to extend research that has focused on the identification of stressors associated with coaching practice by systematically evaluating how such stressors effect athletes, and more broadly, the coach–athlete relationship. A total of 13 professional- and national-level athletes were interviewed to address the three study aims: how they detect when a coach is encountering stressors, how coach experiences of stress effects them as an athlete, and how effective the coach is when experiencing stress. Following content analysis, the data suggested athletes were able to detect when a coach was experiencing stress and this was typically via a variety of verbal and behavioural cues. Despite some positive effects of the coach experiencing stress, the majority were negative and varied across a range of personal influences on the athlete, and effects on the general coaching environment. It was also the broad view of the athletes that coaches were less effective when stressed, and this was reflected in performance expectations, perceptions of competence, and lack of awareness. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing theory and with reference to their implications for applied practice, future research, and development of the coach–athlete relationship.