24 h Accelerometry: impact of sleep-screening methods on estimates of sedentary behaviour and physical activity while awake

Although accelerometers can assess sleep and activity over 24 h, sleep data must be removed before physical activity and sedentary time can be examined appropriately. We compared the effect of 6 different sleep-scoring rules on physical activity and sedentary time. Activity and sleep were obtained by accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X) over 7 days in 291 children (51.3% overweight or obese) aged 4–8.9 years. Three methods removed sleep using individualised time filters and two methods applied standard time filters to remove sleep each day (9 pm–6 am, 12 am–6 am). The final method did not remove sleep but simply defined non-wear as at least 60 min of consecutive zeros over the 24-h period. Different methods of removing sleep from 24-h data markedly affect estimates of sedentary time, yielding values ranging from 556 to 1145 min/day. Estimates of non-wear time (33–193 min), wear time (736–1337 min) and counts per minute (384–658) also showed considerable variation. By contrast, estimates of moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) were similar, varying by less than 1 min/day. Different scoring methods to remove sleep from 24-h accelerometry data do not affect measures of MVPA, whereas estimates of counts per minute and sedentary time depend considerably on which technique is used.     

The Role of Epiphanies in Moral Reflection and Narrative Thinking: Connectedness and Good Teaching

In this paper I will explore the implications of an analysis of two kinds of knowledge, the exercise of practical wisdom and the insights associated with narrative knowing, for connected teaching. My aim is to show that both kinds of thinking share important similarities insofar as they include the experience of openness and surprise of epiphanies. Epiphanic experience involves a creative process of discovery that occurs with the emotional recognition of the connection between hitherto separate aspects of experience. In the case of practical wisdom the experience of a general sense of value infuses the perception of the particular situation; in the case of narrative knowing we experience the integration of diverse elements of the plot expressing the meaning of a concatenation of events.     

Day care for the child with cancer

Laughing and shrieking in the afternoon sun, the children unleash their pent-up energy on the playground. After a morning indoors, they are happy to shout without being shushed. One child, however, does not join in. She stands motionless, a colorful cap not quite covering her bald head. The right sleeve of her winter coat hangs limp and empty. She has osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, and after an absence of several months, this is her first day back at school.Sheila M. Bonaiuto is Writer-Information Specialist at ALSAC-St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee. ALSAC is the fund-raising arm of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.     

Virtual schools: The changing landscape of K-12 education in the U.S.

Virtual schools are a growing phenomenon in k-12 education. School systems in almost every state in the United States offer some version of fully online or blended education. It is no longer far-fetched to conclude that if the current trend continues, virtual school enrollments will eclipse those of traditional brick-and-mortar k-12 institutions within the next 10 years. This paper examines some of the challenges and strengths of virtual schools, it offers questions to consider when deciding whether or not a virtual school option would be ideal, and it draws conclusions, which provide an outlook for the future of virtual schools in k-12 education.     

The relationship between school’s organizational climate and teacher’s job satisfaction: Malaysian experience

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between school organizational climate and teachers’ job satisfaction. A quantitative survey method was applied, and three broadly hypothesized relationships were tested with a sample of 245 teachers from six government secondary schools in district of Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia. The instrument used in this study was the modified version for combination of two questionnaires: Organizational Climate Index and the Teachers’ Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. The findings indicated that there is a significant positive relationship between school organizational climate and teachers’ job satisfaction. The teachers in this study were found to be fairly satisfied with their job, with the responsibility factor as the biggest contributor to job satisfaction. This study found that there is no significant difference in levels of job satisfaction between the teachers’ gender (male and female). Based on the years of service in their current school, there was a statically significant difference in the level of job satisfaction among the teachers. These findings revealed that the secondary schools in Sabah have a positive and open climate, with the professional teachers’ behaviour factor as the biggest contributor. The results of this study indicate the necessity to provide positive organizational climate and up keeping teachers’ job satisfaction by policy makers and principals with hope in enhancing the quality of schools in Malaysia.     

Psychometric Properties of the ECERS-R Among an Epidemiological Sample of Preschools

Research Findings: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS-R) is widely used to evaluate the quality of early childhood education and its association with child development. However, the psychometric properties of the ECERS-R are not well established. Consequently, in this study we tested 3 different factor solutions of the ECERS-R using models sourced from the existing literature (featuring 1-, 2-, and 3-correlated-factor solutions) and applying confirmatory factor analysis to data from the epidemiological sample of the Embu Pre-school Mental Health Study (n = 1,292 children). Alternative measures of child education quality (such as teacher-to-child ratio) were also analyzed. The confirmatory factor analysis returned good fit indices for both the unidimensional and 3-correlated-factor solution models. Practice or Policy: This study showcases different applications of the ECERS-R, both the full and shortened versions. These findings are particularly important for improving ECERS-R guidelines for researchers, professionals, and policymakers.     

Human Rights and ‘Free and Fair Competition'; the significance of European education legislation for girls in the UK

UK law on education and sex discrimination does not protect the right of girls to equality in education. The European Convention on Human Rights and the Treaty of Rome offer better protection. The Convention provides for the right to education and the right of parents to have their philosophical convictions considered in the education of their child. The European Court of Human Rights’ interpretation of these rights is relevant to those seeking a remedy for sexism in education. The Treaty of Rome has stronger and faster enforcement procedures than the Convention but it makes little provision for education except in vocational training and recognition of qualifications. The form and structure of the EEC legal system nevertheless make it hospitable to a reforming education policy. Educationists need to make sure that the focus on education within the EEC extends beyond vocational training, that the context of the discussion and the definition of education are similar to those of the European Convention and the European Court of Human Rights.     

The Nazi symbiosis: politics and human genetics at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute

The case of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Heredity and Eugenics (KWIA), from its inception in Weimar Republic Germany to its apogee under the rule of the Third Reich, is an example of how politics and human heredity can function as mutually beneficial resources. Whether it was a result of the Nazi bureaucrats' desire to legitimize their racial policy through science, or the KWIA personnel's desire to secure more funding for their research, the symbiotic relationship that developed between human genetics and Nazi politics could help explain why many scientists in the Third Reich undertook research projects that wholly transgressed the boundaries of morally acceptable science.