Inservice Teacher Development in Mathematical Problem Solving

A humanistic perspective provided the basis for a problem-solving oriented teacher inservice program. The program was designed to provide opportunities that allowed elementary teachers to focus on personal experience as a way of achieving self-understanding and a way of reconstructing their personal meanings about problem solving and problem-solving instruction. Impact of the program was studied through interviews with the six participants and observations of their teaching. The results indicated that the program had a positive effect on the participants' beliefs about and teaching of problem solving. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Methodological considerations in the determination of projected frontal area in cyclists.

Several studies have reported values for projected frontal area in cycling. Even when similar systems (i.e. riders and bicycles) have been measured, the results have diverged widely. It seems likely that this variability is due to methodological differences. The aims of the present study were to compare three methods of determining the frontal area in cyclists, and to determine the effects on the measured frontal area of variables which contribute to distortion and perspective in photographs. Theoretical models were developed to describe the expected effects of changing the relative position of the cyclist and the reference dimension, the position of the camera relative to the cyclist, and the focal length of the camera. Photographs were then taken of cyclists using different camera positions and settings, and analysed using three different methods: photographic weighing and manual and computerized planimetry. All three methods showed high precision and reliability, and yielded results that were substantially similar (mean values differed by <3.3%). Of possible sources of error, frontal deviation of the reference dimension had the most dramatic effect. Displacing the reference board forward by 0.4 m decreased the measured frontal area by 25%. As the distance between the camera and the cyclist increased, the frontal area decreased by about 5% for each metre. As the focal length of the camera became shorter, the frontal area became smaller, varying by >8% for focal lengths ranging from 28 to 70 mm. These results showed close agreement with the theoretical models, and can be explained in terms of the perspective and distortion effects which occur in photography. The results demonstrate the importance of standardization in measuring the frontal area of cyclists.     

Teacher and school outcomes of the Physical Education and Physical Literacy (PEPL) approach: a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial of a multicomponent intervention to improve physical literacy in primary schools

ABSTRACT

Background: Physical education (PE) can be considered the centrepiece of school physical literacy (PL) programs, but ineffective lessons or an absence of PE across the public primary school system has raised concern. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation, acceptability and impact of teacher delivery of PE as part of a multicomponent Physical Education Physical Literacy (PEPL) approach, designed to improve classroom teachers’ provision of PE and PL opportunities within a cluster of suburban primary schools.

Method: Within a pragmatic randomised cluster-based trial with mixed methods, a PEPL coach was appointed to seven schools for one school year, with another seven schools continuing their usual practice as the control group. The coach’s role was to support and professionally develop classroom teachers to teach PE and to create opportunities that develop PL inside and outside the school environment. Focusing on Grade 5 teachers, the implementation, acceptability and teacher impact were assessed using direct observations of PE teaching style, a daily log kept by the coach and interviews with principals and teachers.

Results: The PEPL coach visited each school on average once a week for the 33 available weeks of the school year. There were several positive effects for teachers and schools. With no classroom teacher initially taking PE or classroom physical activity breaks, all seven teachers regularly introduced a PE lesson and activity breaks into their weekly schedule. PE class instructional time increased (intervention; +4.8 vs. control; ?3.5 min/lesson; β?=?1.69; SE?=?0.76; p?=?.05), with lessons of greater duration (intervention; +8.6 vs. control +1.9 min/lesson; β?=?1.14, SE?=?0.58, p?=?.05) and moderate and vigorous physical activity increased 5.7 min in intervention classes (p?<?.05). The PEPL coach introduced regular physical activities before and after school and linked the schools with a national sports coaching scheme. Interviews indicated that the PEPL approach was both valued and well-accepted by staff, that classroom teacher confidence to teach PE increased and that principals perceived a shift toward a school ‘culture’ of physical activity.

Conclusions: Well-received by classroom teachers and principals, the PEPL approach resulted in classroom teachers introducing both PE and activity breaks into their weekly teaching program and schools were linked to external sport coaching programs. These effects suggest that the PEPL approach enhanced opportunities for the development of physical literacy in this suburban primary school setting.

Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12615000066583.     

Spelling Performance in Children with Developmental Language Disorder: A Meta-Analysis across European Languages

ABSTRACT

Spelling difficulties often occur in children with developmental language disorder (DLD), the extent and drivers of these difficulties are underspecified. Meta-analyses were conducted to address this gap. We identified child-based factors (age, language spoken, profile of difficulties) and task-based factors (text production or dictation) as potential moderators of the impact of DLD on spelling performance. Thirty-two studies were analyzed, including 984 children with DLD. Large differences between the spelling of children with DLD and their age-matched peers were found. The average mean effect size was ?1.42, 95% confidence interval [?1.60, ?1.24]. Heterogeneity was large. Effect size estimates were larger when participants had additional phonological or reading difficulties than when they did not. No differences were found between participants with DLD and their language-matched peers. The results are discussed with respect to the underlying processes that impact on spelling across languages. Specific recommendations for future studies are made.     

Predicting the throwing velocity of the ball in handball with anthropometric variables and isotonic tests

Abstract

The aims of this study were to (1) investigate the influence of general anthropometric variables, handball-specific anthropometric variables, and upper-limb power and strength on ball-throwing velocity in a standing position (ν_ball), and (2) predict this velocity using multiple regression methods. Forty-two skilled male handball players (age 21.0 ± 3.0 years; height = 1.81 ± 0.07 m; body mass = 78.3 ± 11.3 kg) participated in the study. We measured general anthropometric variables (height, body mass, lean mass, body mass index) and handball-specific anthropometric parameters (hand size, arm span). Upper-limb dynamic strength was assessed using a medicine ball (2 kg) throwing test, and power using a one-repetition maximum bench-press test. All the variables studied were correlated with ball velocity. Medicine ball throwing performance was the best predictor (r = 0.80). General anthropometric variables were better predictors (r = 0.55–0.70) than handball-specific anthropometric variables (r = 0.35–0.51). The best multiple regression model accounted for 74% of the total variance and included body mass, medicine ball throwing performance, and power output in the 20-kg bench press. The equation formulated could help trainers, athletes, and professionals detect future talent and test athletes' current fitness.     

Financial Resources, Parent Psychological Functioning, Parent Co-Caregiving, and Early Adolescent Competence in Rural Two-Parent African-American Families

We proposed a family process model that links family financial resources to academic competence and socioemotional adjustment during early adolescence. The sample included 90 9–12-year-old African-American youths and their married parents who lived in the rural South. The theoretical constructs in the model were measured via a multimethod, multi-informant design. Rural African-American community members participated in the development of the self-report instruments and observational research methods. The results largely supported the hypotheses. Lack of family financial resources led to greater depression and less optimism in mothers and fathers, which in turn were linked with co-care giving support and conflict. The associations among the co-caregiving processes and youth academic and socioemotional competence were mediated by the development of youth self-regulation. Disruptions in parental co-caregiving interfered with the development of self-regulation. This interference negatively influenced youths' academic competence and socioemotional adjustment.     

Gold Medals and White Economy: Winter Olympic Games and the Making of the French Elite (1959–2013)

In 1959, a new organization was created in France under the name of ‘the Pool of the Providers of the French Ski Team’. Its aim was to support the national team with money, human resources, and specific equipment. It included some of the major national ski and footwear industries for which international competitions were seen as both a place to improve their products and a way to promote their image. The Pool helped both the national team and the French ski industry to become world leaders within 10 years. This success, however, was fragile. On one hand, the constitution of the Pool resulted in a system that was a cartel, a monopoly, and a tool for economic patriotism. On the other hand, it surfed at the border of amateurism at a time when skiing was still an amateur sport at the Olympic Games. Soon after the Games of Grenoble these two limits led to a deterioration of the relationships between the Pool and the ski federation, which incidentally resulted in a major crisis for French skiing in 1973. The Pool then opened its doors to foreign companies in the late 1970s, replacing sport patriotism with economic nationalism.