The readiness is all The degree level qualifications and preparedness of initial teacher trainees in English

This article is the first of two reporting research concerned with the profile of degree level qualifications of initial teacher trainees who start Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) Secondary English courses. In a context where there is no existing database of such information, the researchers sought to establish the patterns in this profile and collate a summary of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) tutors’ perceptions about the level of subject knowledge preparedness of students with different degree level qualifications. Following from this, the enquiry was also interested in the ways that PGCE institutions support students with different subject knowledge development needs. The article that follows below treats the issue of degree qualifications and the PGCE selection process in the context of recent changes to subject English. The evidence suggests patterned but divergent practices with an overall trend of preference for prior qualifications in English Literature despite significant alterations in the study of English since 1980. PGCE courses surveyed attract many more applicants than there were places and tutors exercise considerable discretion in admissions practices which are not always made transparent by published policies and rationales, including those made available to prospective applicants. The review of the literature showed little published discourse on this topic to date.     

Differences in competencies between doctoral students on‐campus and at a distance

Abstract

This article describes differences between on‐campus and distance learners by knowledge, skills, and abilities. On‐campus doctoral students at Texas A&M University were compared with doctoral students enrolled in a distance education program offered jointly with Texas Tech University. Student perceptions of their competency levels were gathered using a mixed mailed/Internet questionnaire. On‐campus and distance education students had different levels of competence. Competency models can serve faculty and administrators as an assessment tool for strategic decision making and development of courses and curricula. This study provides a model for benchmarking competencies and provides baseline data for making such changes.     

Coping with writing apprehension

Students with high writing apprehension (WA) were exposed or not exposed to visualization (a procedure designed to encourage positive thinking). Those exposed to visualization reported enjoying writing more than those who were not trained to visualize, both immediately and over time. The paper ends with a discussion of these and other results.     

Performance tolerance and boat set-up in elite sprint kayaking

The aim of this study was to examine the inter-relationship between athlete morphology, equipment set-up and performance in elite sprint kayaking. Correlations applied to data from the 2000 Olympics were used to select the most important links between morphology and boat set-up--paddle grip width and foot-bar distance. Associations between body size and the above selected equipment set-ups were calculated using a Pearson correlation matrix, to facilitate the logical selection of independent variables as input for regression analyses. Significant (p < 0.01) regression equations were developed for the prediction of foot-bar distance (r2 = 0.589: standard error of estimate (SEE) = 4.48) and paddle grip width (r2 = 0.541: SEE = 3.08). Three national-standard sprint kayakers used their preferred set-up together with modifications of their predicted set-up, derived from Olympic data, to test performance tolerance in sprint kayaking. Mean coefficients of multiple determination over three trials for the three paddlers of 0.91, 0.91 and 0.92 for left paddle force, right paddle force, and paddle angle at water entry, respectively, were recorded when using their preferred set-up. These data showed that the paddlers produce consistent patterns of motion. The intervention of altering the boat set-up resulted in varying changes to boat speed. The mean preferred speed for the three paddlers of 4.47 m/s was reduced by 0.07 and 0.10 m/s when the above boat set-up was modified to a predicted and 'predicted plus one standard deviation'respectively. These changes in boat speed were the result of alterations in the mechanics of paddling technique.