An examination of the effect of customized reading modules on diverse secondary students’ reading comprehension and motivation

This research sought to add to a body of knowledge that is severely underrepresented in the scientific literature, the effects of technological tools on reading comprehension and reading motivation in diverse secondary students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The study implemented an independent silent reading (ISR) program across a 5-month semester in an urban public high school and included 145 participants from nine 10th grade literature classes. The control group took part in no ISR, one treatment group participated in weekly ISR read from a textbook, and another treatment group participated in weekly ISR read from a computer module designed to address essential components of reading. Students were measured on global reading comprehension, text-specific reading assessments, and reading motivation. After controlling for initial skill and disposition levels, the results indicated that students from both ISR groups made greater gains than the control group in global reading comprehension, while the computer reading module group outperformed the textbook group and the control on text-specific assignments and increased their reading motivation to a greater degree than those in the other conditions. This research offers much-needed data on secondary students?? reading achievement and disposition and provides evidence that ISR implemented through the use of instructional technology and cognitive tools has broad potential to address development in these areas.     

The Irish ‘Working Group on Information Literacy’ – Edging towards a national policy

The authors of this paper provide an overview of the activities of the Irish Working Group on Information Literacy (WGIL) and its role in advancing a national policy for information literacy in the Republic of Ireland.The study focuses on the work of the group during its lifetime including the various activities, marketing and advocacy initiatives and some of the challenges and issues the group faced, in particular, the diversity of the Irish library and information sector and the lack of an integrated approach for information literacy development.The study presents the findings of the report produced by WGIL entitled Library Association of Ireland: Working Group on Information Literacy: Review of Cross-Sector Activity 2006–2008 and Initial Recommendations for Further Action which reviewed best practices and information literacy activities in the various LIS sectors in the Republic of Ireland during a two-year period. The key recommendation of this report is for the leadership of the Library Association of Ireland to develop a national information literacy strategy that advocates for the importance of information literacy as a lifelong and transferable skill.     

Centre of pressure patterns in the golf swing: individual-based analysis

Weight transfer has been identified as important in group-based analyses. The aim of this study was to extend this work by examining the importance of weight transfer in the golf swing on an individual basis. Five professional and amateur golfers performed 50 swings with the driver, hitting a ball into a net. The golfer's centre of pressure position and velocity, parallel with the line of shot, were measured by two force plates at eight swing events that were identified from high-speed video. The relationships between these parameters and club head velocity at ball contact were examined using regression statistics. The results did support the use of group-based analysis, with all golfers returning significant relationships. However, results were also individual-specific, with golfers returning different combinations of significant factors. Furthermore, factors not identified in group-based analysis were significant on an individual basis. The most consistent relationship was a larger weight transfer range associated with a larger club head velocity (p < 0.05). All golfers also returned at least one significant relationship with rate of weight transfer at swing events (p < 0.01). Individual-based analysis should form part of performance-based biomechanical analysis of sporting skills.     

New library buildings. Part VI: Sciences Library, Brown University.

Brown was one of the first universities in the nation to combine its science collections into a single library in the interest of aiding interdisciplinary teaching and research. This paper discusses the evolution of the Sciences Library and its resources, the development of the medical education program, and the physical aspects of the new library building. A fifteen-story tower, housing the collections of the physical, biological, and medical sciences, symbolizes the interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research at Brown University.     

THE APPLICATION OF REPERTORY GRID TECHNIQUE TO COURSE EVALUATION — A PILOT PROJECT

This paper reports on a pilot project carried out between September 1989 and June 1990 at a large college of Further and Higher Education. Using Interactive software based on Repertory Grid Techniques, the authors monitored the progress of a group of students undertaking theflrst year of the Diploma In Nursing (University of London). The primary focus was on how the students were reacting to the course as a whole and to Illuminate Individual difficulties and concerns, which could then be fed back to the course team. It was hoped that the complete process would provide a unique picture of how individual perceptions and responses changed throughout the year.

The authors explain how the software was used, the data analysed, and how the feedback to students and tutors was managed. The prime purpose of the activity was to gain insights into how the technique could be most effectively used across a wide range of courses within the college and to determine whether it was feasible for students to use each other for reflective analysis and discussion of grids. Such an approach should provide useful Information both to course providers and evaluators.     

Prediction of elite schoolboy 2000m rowing ergometer performance from metabolic, anthropometric and strength variables

In 19 elite schoolboy rowers, the relationships between anthropometric characteristics, metabolic parameters, strength variables and 2000-m rowing ergometer performance time were analysed to test the hypothesis that a combination of these variables would predict performance better than either individual variables or one category of variables. Anthropometric characteristics, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), accumulated oxygen deficit, net efficiency, leg strength and 2000-m rowing ergometer time were measured. Body mass, VO2max and knee extension correlated with 2000-m performance time (r= -0.41, -0.43 and -0.40, respectively; P< 0.05), while net efficiency and accumulated oxygen deficit did not. Multiple-regression analyses indicated that the prediction model using anthropometric variables alone best predicts performance (R = 0.82), followed by the equation comprising body mass, VO2max and skinfolds (R = 0.80). Although the regression equations increased the predictive power from that obtained using single variables, the hypothesis that a prediction model consisting of variables from different physiological categories would predict performance better than variables from one physiological category was not supported.