Characteristics of extracurricular physical activity and cognitive performance in adolescents. The AVENA study

Abstract

The aim of this report was to examine the associations between some characteristics (i.e., structure and number) of extracurricular physical activity (EPA) and cognitive performance in adolescents. A total of 1662 adolescents (880 girls; 13.0–18.5 years) from 5 Spanish cities (Granada, Madrid, Murcia, Santander and Zaragoza) were included in this study. Structure (organised and non-organised) and number of EPAs, and participation at vigorous intensity during EPA were self-reported. Cognitive performance (verbal, numeric and reasoning abilities, and an overall score) was measured with the “SRA-Test of Educational Ability”. Results showed that vigorous EPA was positively associated with all cognitive variables. Adolescents who practiced an organised EPA had higher scores in 3 of the 4 cognitive variables than those who practiced a non-organised EPA (all P < 0.05). Likewise, the group who participated in more than one EPA had higher cognitive performance in all variables than the group who participated in only one EPA (all P < 0.05). Regardless of potential confounder variables, including vigorous EPA, both structure and number of EPAs were each other independently associated with cognitive performance. Therefore, structure and number of EPAs may positively influence cognitive performance in adolescents. Participating in multiple, organised EPA may have benefits for cognitive performance.     

Vitamin C supplementation does not influence plasma and blood mononuclear cell IL-6 and IL-10 levels after exercise

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether the highest vitamin C supplementation associated with complete bioavailability influences the plasma and blood mononuclear cell IL-6 and IL-10 response to exercise. A double-blinded study of supplementation with vitamin C was performed. After 15 days of supplementation with vitamin C (500 mg · day^?1, n = 16) or a placebo (n = 15), participants in the study completed a 15-km run competition. Blood samples were taken before and after competition. Oxidative stress markers, antioxidants, cortisol, IL-6 and IL-10 were determined in plasma or serum. IL-6 and IL-10 protein and mRNA levels were measured in blood mononuclear cells. Although higher plasma and blood mononuclear cell vitamin C levels were observed in the supplemented group when compared with the placebo one, the two groups showed identical exercise-induced changes in all the measured parameters. Exercise induced increased IL-6 and IL-10 levels in plasma and blood mononuclear cells. IL-6 and IL-10 mRNA levels in blood mononuclear cells increased after the competition. After recovery, IL-6 mRNA returned to basal levels and IL-10 mRNA levels remained elevated. In conclusion, exercise induced increased IL-6 and IL-10 production in blood mononuclear cells. However, vitamin C supplementation did not influence IL-6 and IL-10 response to exercise.     

A longitudinal study of handwriting skills in pre-schoolers: the acquisition of syllable oriented programming strategies

Previous studies have shown the relevance of the syllable as a programming unit in handwriting production, both in adults and elementary school children. This longitudinal study focuses on the acquisition of writing skills in a group of preschoolers. It examines how and when the syllable structure of the word starts regulating motor programming in handwriting. Eighteen five year old preschoolers copied six-letter Catalan words (disyllabic and trisyllabic) on a digitiser at three different times over the academic year (January, March, and May). The words were written in uppercase letters. We measured the duration of the inter-letter intervals (ILI) to gather information on the timing of motor programming. The results indicated that from January to March the children were mostly focused on movement proficiency. The results also showed different profiles of ILI duration for the two types of words over the three sessions. For disyllabic words, the syllable regulated movement programming in January; for trisyllabic words, this happened in March. This suggests that the syllable already plays a role in the programming of handwriting movements in kindergarten.     

Diversity among Spanish-speaking English language learners: profiles of early literacy skills in kindergarten

This study explored heterogeneity in literacy development among 2,300 Hispanic children receiving English as a Second Language (ESL) services at the start of kindergarten. Two research questions guided this work: (1) Do Spanish-speaking English language learners receiving ESL services in the fall of kindergarten demonstrate homogeneous early literacy skills, or are there distinct patterns of achievement across measures of phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and orthography? and (2) if there are distinct profiles, to what extent do they predict literacy achievement at the end of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade? Using cluster analysis, the authors identified four distinct literacy profiles derived from fall kindergarten measures of phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and phonetic spelling. These profiles were found to be associated with literacy outcomes in spring of kindergarten and fall of first grade. The two profiles that were associated with greater success on later measures of concept of word in text, letter sound knowledge, word reading, and spelling were the two that included stronger performance on orthographic skills (i.e., alphabet knowledge and phonetic spelling). These findings demonstrated that there is heterogeneity among Hispanic ESL students at kindergarten entry and suggested that literacy instruction must be differentiated from the very beginning in order to meet students’ individual needs. The findings also suggested that orthographic skills should be assessed and taught early on. While phonological awareness may be a necessary precursor to reading, phonological awareness in the absence of orthographic skills may not be sufficient.     

English in action: school based teacher development in Bangladesh

In the Least Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs), School Based Teacher Development (SBTD) is sometimes advocated as a potential mechanism for improving the classroom practices experienced by millions of children in a complete school system, as quickly as possible. Robust evidence is required for approaches to be implemented with some confidence by Government development agencies, such as the UK Department for International Development (DFID). SBTD has a long history stemming from ideas of school-based curriculum development, which underlay the ideas on teacher-as-researcher, and is typically advocated in the developed world based on a view of the teacher as a professional. How might such notions play out, and to what effect, in LEDC contexts? This article examines the issues at stake in introducing SBTD in LEDCs, by examining: the nature of the evidence for various forms of teacher development, the nature of SBTD in particular and the evidence for its effectiveness. The latter issues will be illustrated through examination of English in Action (EIA, www.eiabd.com), a large-scale SBTD programme for primary and secondary English language (EL) teachers serving government schools across Bangladesh.     

Variables involved in personal, social and school adjustment in a sample of preschool-aged children from different cultural backgrounds

The continuing incorporation of immigrant populations into the Spanish educational system poses an important challenge in that all participants must cooperate toward creating the best possible adaptation process at the academic level as well as on the personal and social levels. A number of different factors appear to influence children’s adjustment during the preschool stage, and these factors are especially relevant since many studies have shown that this is a key period for the prevention of future difficulties. The present study examines the variables involved in the adaptation of a group of preschool-aged children from different cultural backgrounds in Spain. The results indicate that preschoolers, regardless of their background, have similar performance and learning potential, with language proficiency being the factor that most clearly affects the other variables investigated. It was also found that children’s attitudes toward learning were related to the presence of behavioral difficulties and with the quality and type of parental child-rearing practices. These practices appear to be related to a number of difficulties immigrant children may experience on personal and social levels.     

Fixing the Cracks in Education So No One Slips Through

Education acts in this country have been created with the express purpose of preventing students from slipping through the cracks. Unfortunately, legislation has not been successful. By disaggregating the student dropout rate in Texas and juxtaposing this information to the prison influx rate in 2001, a profile of the population entering Texas prisons emerges. Both data and various schools of thought are examined in search of the underlying factors inherent in juvenile delinquency, as well as feasible, practical solutions to such a complex conundrum.     

The path to mobile shopping compatibility

The mobile technology involves an unexplored world of doing business and consumer behavioral change that constitutes a revolution in the application of technologies to marketing. A key factor in the adoption of mobile commerce is the compatibility that the consumer perceives with his/her life. Given that the research on compatibility with mobile purchases made so far treats it as an antecedent of adoption, this pioneer research studies the influencing role of two more personal factors (self-efficacy and innovativeness) and two factors more related to the shopping (involvement and perceived entertainment). The model was tested using PLS with information from 583 Mexican mobile buyers. Our results show a positive effect of innovativeness, involvement and perceived entertainment on compatibility. On the contrary, self-efficacy does not seem to influence the perception of compatibility of mobile shopping with consumer life. This work has important implications for the practice of professionals dedicated to mobile commerce.     

Innovation and business survival: A long-term approach

This paper explores the influence of innovation on the probability of survival of two hundred top British firms founded throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. To this end, we have collected the firms’ significant innovations and classified them by Schumpeterian types, patented and non-patented and domestic and imported. The number of patents registered by the firms throughout their lifetime ?a rough measure of their incremental innovation activity– has also been recorded. In addition, twelve control variables ?five characteristics of the firms and seven of their business leaders– have been included. Both log-normal and gamma duration models have been used in the analysis. They have been estimated, firstly for the whole set of firms and, secondly, for the manufacturing and the service firms separately to control for industry differences. The results of the log-normal and gamma estimations are highly coincident, with some nuances. The significant innovations ?particularly new processes, non-patented and domestic ones– have been found to positively influence the probability of business survival. The number of patent applications seems to increase the survival probability of the manufacturing firms, but not of the service ones. Among the control variables, the firm’s size, its international dimension, and the age of the business leader at entry seem to be the most influential ones on business survival, although there are some differences between manufacturing and services. The main results are robust to the division of the sample by entry period.     

POSTCOLLEGE EARNINGS OF FORMER STUDENTS OF CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES: Methods, Analysis, and Implications

In the wake of new federal and state mandates,community colleges are faced with demands to provideaccountability reports on student outcomes. With the useof the Employment Development Department Unemployment Insurance (EDD-UI) wage record data, along withthe California Community Colleges Chancellor's OfficeManagement Information System administrative database,this study sought to investigate the extent to which completing an associate degree andvocational certificate impacts the postcollege earningsof students. Based on information from 700,564 studentsfrom California community colleges during the 1992-93 academic year, the findings suggest thatstudents' gains from first year out of college to thirdyear out will differ by age group. Among economicallydisadvantaged students, a strong positive relationship exists between educational attainment andpostcollege gains. An important finding among vocationalstudents is that as women complete more education, theearnings gap closes between men and women. Finally, this study raises several policy implicationsand presents suggestions for future research.