Novice online educator conceptual frameworks: a mental model exploration of mindful learning design

This research study explores the relationship between the socio-cognitive concept of mindfulness and university educators’ learning design conceptualisations. The multi-method research strategy utilises a concept-mapping exercise to reveal learning designer mental models for comparison with Langer Mindfulness Scale scores and critical event interviews to further illuminate the conceptualisations and factors that impact educators’ thinking when designing online units. Research participants were asked to create a concept map of their learning design and to be mindful of concepts incorporated into a Graduate Certificate of Tertiary Education. The analysis highlights some congruence between educators’ mindfulness dimensions and their learning design conceptual frameworks. The mindfulness scores appear to indicate a propensity to be more mindful in designing curriculum, as indicated by participant concept maps, yet not necessarily towards the adaptive use of technology or learner/activity-based pedagogies. The authors suggest metacognitive strategies to encourage learning design reconceptualisation.     

Relative numerosity as a dimension of stimulus control: The peak shift

Pigeons were trained to discriminate between arrays containing equal numbers of two different elements as S+, and arrays which contained more elements of one kind than the other as S?. They were then tested with the full range of the proportions of the two elements. This resulted in behavioral contrast and peak shift, as the pigeons responded more to arrays containing more positive than negative elements than they did to the positive training arrays. These findings were obtained with elements that differed in color (blue vs. red dots) and with elements that differed in orientation (horizontal vs. vertical rectangles). The results indicate that the stimulus control exerted by the derived dimension of relative numerosity involves the same processes as the fundamental dimensions that characterize simple stimulus elements.     

Contextual influences and athlete attitudes to drugs in sport

This article reports on 11 narrative-based case histories which sought to: (1) uncover the attitudes of players and athletes to drugs in sport, and (2) explore contextual factors influencing the formation of those attitudes as informed by social ecology theory. Overall, participants viewed the use of banned performance-enhancing substances as cheating, ‘hard’ non-performance-enhancing recreational or illicit substances as unwise, legal non-performance-enhancing substances as acceptable, and legal performance-enhancing substances as essential. In short, attitudes were sometimes quite libertarian, and contingent upon first, the legality of the substance, and second, its performance impact. Results also indicated that athletes’ attitudes about drugs were fundamentally shaped by sport's culture. Other significant factors included its commercial scale, closely identifiable others, early experiences and critical incidents of players and athletes, and their level of performance.     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of implicit theory research in sport,physical activity,and physical education

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to gather, catalogue, assess, and evaluate the available evidence examining implicit beliefs about ability in the sport, physical activity, and physical education contexts. A total of 43 studies were found, of which 39 were subjected to meta analyses. With only 7 experimental studies, the strength of evidence is moderate, and the field would benefit from greater experimental work. Overall, incremental beliefs were moderately associated with a small group of theoretically derived correlates, while entity beliefs were only weakly associated. The field would benefit from expanding these outcomes to include a wider range of pertinent outcomes. Researchers should focus their efforts on systematically exploring the most powerful ways of inducing adaptive implicit beliefs with the aim of providing solutions to significant problems such as preventing dropout from organised sports, improving academic grades in and beyond physical education, and increasing levels of physical activity.     

Acculturation,social support and academic achievement of Mexican and Mexican American high school students: An exploratory study

Concerns about the high dropout rate among Mexican American high school students has led researchers and educators to determine which variables affect academic success. The study investigated two factors associated with academic achievement: acculturation and social support. The sample consisted of 60 ninth‐grade students of Mexican decent in a southwestern school district. Results indicated that students identified as highly integrated and strongly Anglo‐oriented bicultural tended to have higher academic achievement. In addition, the sample as a whole perceived social support from all four sources. Although no generational effects were identified, females tended to have higher GPAs, and perceive more social support, while the males, interestingly, were slightly more acculturated. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Instructional redesign: Developing learning communities in academia

Traditionally, learning is provided in a unidirectional manner from instructor to learner. This practice can be limiting to all individuals involved in the learning process. To develop quality instructional materials, the learning team can participate in instructional design and development (ID) as partners. This article discusses a proposed learning community to be created during the process of course redesign. Human performance technology and ID professionals who use learning community practices can improve their designs by including all relevant stakeholders.