Responses to an interactive science exhibit in a school setting

Unattended science and technology exhibits of both static and operational types have been an integral part of museum displays for many years. More recently interactive exhibits in which observers are encouraged to become part of the system of exhibits have become more common. A study was commenced to explore the impact and potential of low cost, unattended, interactive exhibitsset up singly in a normal school classroom without the distractions of a multiplicity of activities as is common in ‘science museums’. Three small groups of Grade 5/6 primary school children interacted with a ‘Falling Towers’ exhibit and their voluntary activities were recorded on videotape for later analysis. Children appeared to state the results of their activity in ways consistent with their expectations rather than with their most recent experience with the exhibit. The responses of girls, boys and mixed groups are reported. Specializations: primary mathematics and science education, teaching strategies. Specializations: science education, students' understandings of phenomena in science.     

Seeing things differently: teachers' constructions of underachievement

The identity of the underachiever has become synonymous with the stereotypical identity of boys. Teachers know what underachievement looks like: it looks like a boy who is bright, but bored. Evidence from a research study reported here demonstrates that teachers are more likely to select boys as underachievers than girls and that teachers construct underachievement differentially by gender. The consequence is that underachievement in girls is often overlooked or rendered invisible. Underachievement is concerned with potential not lack of ability, while high and low achievement are concerned with performance. It becomes a matter of concern if teachers perceive boys as the vessel of potential and of latent ability, while the high achievements of girls are seen to be about performance, not ability.     

Prediction of elementary school children's externalizing problem behaviors from attentional and behavioral regulation and negative emotionality

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of individual differences in negative emotionality in the relations of behavioral and attentional (emotional) regulation to externalizing problem behaviors. Teachers' and one parent's reports of children's regulation (attentional and behavioral), emotionality, and problem behavior were obtained when children were in kindergarten to grade 3 and two years later (N = 169; 146 in major analyses); children's behavioral regulation also was assessed with a measure of persistence. According to the best fitting structural equation model, at two ages behavioral dysregulation predicted externalizing behavior problems for children both high and low in negative emotionality, whereas prediction of problem behavior from attentional control was significant only for children prone to negative emotionality. There were unique, additive effects of behavioral and attentional regulation for predicting problem behavior as well as moderating effects of negative emotionality for attentional regulation.     

Strength training: isometric training at a range of joint angles versus dynamic training

Strength training with isometric contractions produces large but highly angle-specific adaptations. To contrast the contractile mode of isometric versus dynamic training, but diminish the strong angle specificity effect, we compared the strength gains produced by isometric training at four joint angles with conventional dynamic training. Thirty-three recreationally active healthy males aged 18 - 30 years completed 9 weeks of strength training of the quadriceps muscle group three times per week. An intra-individual design was adopted: one leg performed purely isometric training at each of four joint angles (isometrically trained leg); the other leg performed conventional dynamic training, lifting and lowering (dynamically trained leg). Both legs trained at similar relative loads for the same duration. The quadriceps strength of each leg was measured isometrically (at four angles) and isokinetically (at three velocities) pre and post training. After 9 weeks of training, the increase in isokinetic strength was similar in both legs (pooled data from three velocities: dynamically trained leg, 10.7%; isometrically trained leg, 10.5%). Isometric strength increases were significantly greater for the isometrically trained leg (pooled data from four angles: dynamically trained leg, 13.1%; isometrically trained leg, 18.0%). This may have been due to the greater absolute torque involved with isometric training or a residual angle specificity effect despite the isometric training being divided over four angles.