Teachers' perspectives on the challenges of teaching physical education in urban schools: the student emotional filter

The purpose of this study was to analyze how the challenges of urban schools influence physical education teachers' emotional understanding and connections with their students and the implications on their teaching. Sixty-one elementary physical educators from an urban school district in the midwestern U.S. were interviewed multiple times (N = 136) over 3 years using interpretive methodology. Teachers reported five unique challenges that significantly shaped their thinking about students and their careers, along with strategies they used to overcome or manage those challenges. The challenges were: (a) insufficient instructional resources, (b) implementing culturally relevant pedagogy, (c) dealing with community violence, (d) integrating more games in curricula, and (e) teaching in a culture of basketball. Implications centered on the guilt-inducing nature of urban teaching, developing an informed and realistic vision of urban physical education, and the role of teacher preparation and professional development.     

The relationship between achievement and IQ in students with learning disabilities

To investigate the relationship between achievement and IQ in the learning-disabled (LD) population, changes in the IQ scores of LD students from the early elementary grades to the high school grades were studied. The intercorrelations among those IQ scores and a variety of achievement scores were then explored for the purpose of ascertaining causal relationships. The results were interpreted as support for the contention that the underachievement of LD students (in particular, reading underachievement) plays a predominant causal role in the achievement-IQ relationship in this population.     

Response to Intervention in Middle Schools: Practices and Outcomes

Response to intervention (RTI) is advocated in elementary school as a system‐wide, multitiered model of academic and behavioral interventions. Middle schools have begun adopting RTI models based on these existing elementary models. This investigation into current middle school RTI practices describes technical aspects as well as some of cultural and contextual issues surrounding implementation. The study included multiple data collection procedures including surveys, discussion groups, phone interviews, and site visits. Although many schools reported substantial progress with implementation, they recognized rigorous implementation of RTI posed such on‐going challenges as changes in staffing, curricular realignments, very limited selections of screening and progress monitoring tools aligned with their curriculum, and scheduling of secondary and tertiary level interventions.     

Individual Differences in Emotional Reactivity and Academic Achievement: A Psychophysiological Study

Factors related to grade point average (GPA) are of great importance for students' success. Yet, little is known about the impact of individual differences in emotional reactivity on students' academic performance. We aimed to examine the emotional reactivity–GPA link and to assess whether self‐esteem and psychological distress moderate this relationship. Eighty undergraduate students reported on their GPA, self‐esteem, and psychological distress. Students' pupil radius was monitored during affective picture viewing to assess sympathetic activation in response to emotional stimuli. Cluster analysis on pupil reactivity to pictures identified low, average, and high emotionally reactive students. Regression analyses indicated that profiles of emotional reactivity were associated with GPA. This relationship was moderated by self‐esteem, but not psychological distress. Among students with higher emotional reactivity, those with lower self‐esteem reported poorer GPA. Findings document the importance of differences in students' emotional reactivity and self‐esteem in relation to academic success.     

From retrieval to robotics: The national science foundation's support of information research

This article describes how the National Science Foundation's support of information research has evolved from NSF's original mission of improving the dissemination of scientific and technical information to its present interest in information robotics and intelligent systems. The pattern of grant support, since a major reorganization of the information science division in 1978, is analyzed in terms of the institutions, the investigators, and the disciplines that have been major grant recipients.     

Interaction of wrestling shoe and competition surface: effects on coefficient of friction with implications for injury

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a significant difference in the co-efficient of friction (Fc) between old versus new wrestling shoes and mats and to investigate the effect of perspiration. Fc was measured by dragging a weighted shoe over a wrestling mat surface and measuring the vertical and horizontal forces produced. Three different shoe conditions were assessed over two mat types for both wet and dry conditions for a total of 12 conditions. To simulate the wet condition, saline solution was smeared over the surface of the mat. There was a significant effect of shoe, mat, and wet/dry conditions. In addition, significant interactions of shoe by mat, shoe by dry/wet, and mat by dry/wet were observed. Overall, Fc was 36% higher for the new wrestling mat compared to the old wrestling mat. Application of the saline solution reduced Fc by 14% compared to the dry condition. Comparison of the mean Fc for all three shoe types revealed the Fc for the older design shoe was 23% to 28% lower than the brand new shoe and the worn newer design, respectively. A high Fc, such as in the new mat/new shoe combination, has the potential to increase the risk of knee and ankle injuries by fixing the foot more securely to the ground.