Quality Improvement of Business Education in Romanian Universities: The Student as Customer and Client

This study frames the quality transition of Romanian business education embracing the role of students as clients and customers. In the first part of the study, responses from ninety‐four fourth‐year Romanian students provided a statistically significant gap between the level of importance of business competences and their level of preparation. The second part used content analysis to establish four major improvement themes: 1) new course specification; 2) pedagogical modification using practical applications; 3) course delivery improvement; and 4) university‐directed field experiences. The findings support the notion that Romanian students provide reliable and unique assessments of their education.     

Cardiorespiratory and Perceptual Responses to Arm Crank and Wheelchair Exercise Using Various Handrims in Male Paraplegics

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of 10-in [025–m] versus 16-in [0.41-m] wheelchair handrims on cardiorespiratory and psychophysiological exercise responses during wheelchair propulsion at selected velocities. Fifteen male paraplegics (27.0 ± 5.5 yrs) performed three discontinuous exercise tests (ACE = arm crank ergometer; WERG = wheelchair roller ergometer) and two 1600-m performance-based track trials (TRACK) under simulated race conditions. There were no significant differences in HR, VO₂, V_E, HLa, or category-ratio ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) using different handrims during wheelchair propulsion at 4 km-h¹. In contrast, at 8 km-h^?1 subjects demonstrated a 13% lower steady state VO₂ (p < .05) using the 10-in handrims, coincident with a 23% lower V_E Steady state HR during WERG at 8 km-h^?1 using the 10-in (124.4 ± 39 b.min^?1) or 16-in (130.6 ± 4.6 b.min^?1) handrims were not significantly different. There were also no significant differences between ACE or WERG conditions during maximal effort for VO₂ or V_E. However, HRpeak during ACE was 7% higher than HRpeak during WERG16 (183 ± 15 b.min^?1 vs. 171 ± 12 b.min^?1, p < .05), and whole blood HLa during ACE was also significantly higher (by 2.3-2.5 mmol; p < .05) compared to WERG. There were no significant differences for HR, performance time, or RPE between trials using different handrim diameters during the 1600-m event. In contrast, HLa was significantly lower using smaller handrims (9.9 mmol) compared with larger handrims (11.3 mmol), paralleling a similar difference in the laboratory. Although these data demonstrated few significant differences of physiologic responses between trials using different handrims, there was a tendency for a lower metabolic stress using the smaller handrims.     

The bridge between the learning laboratory and the classroom: Discussion 1

This article uses theoretical concepts from self-efficacy theory, goal theory, expectancy value, and intrinsic motivation theory as a way to organize the vast and largely atheoretical literature on academic cheating. Specifically, it draws on 3 particular questions that students encounter when deciding whether to cheat: (a) What is my purpose?, (b) Can I do this task?, and (c) What are the costs associated with cheating? This article reviews both experimental and nonexperimental evidence related to each of these questions and offers suggestions for future research and instructional practices that will lessen the likelihood of cheating.     

Children's sexual play and behavior in pre-school settings: staff's perceptions, reports, and responses

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to learn about the nature, frequency, and patterns of young children's observed sexual play and behavior in pre-school settings, and staff responses to them. METHOD: Fifty eight staff in 11 pre-school settings were interviewed and data obtained about their recall of observed sexualized play and behaviors of children in their care. Responses were sought both to an open question and to 20 different hypothetical scenarios describing children's behaviors with a genital or sexual content. They were asked about the proportion of children observed and the frequency of the behaviors. They were also asked for their predicted responses to encountering each of these scenarios. RESULTS: Children's curiosity about genitalia, looking and limited touching were more commonly observed, and drawing or modeling of genitalia and simulating sexual intercourse were also reported. Children inserting anything into another child and oral-genital contact had only rarely been observed. Rare behaviors always caused concern and led to some intervention. Concern about the more common behaviors was related to additional factors such as frequency, manner and talk accompanying the behavior and to other information known about the child. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm findings from studies in other countries about the reported prevalence of more and less commonly observed sexual and genitally orientated behaviors in young children. They lend justification for concerns about children showing rarely observed behaviors or showing preoccupation with genitalia and indicate the need for a search for an explanation of these behaviors when observed.     

Review section

Multivariate Statistical Methods: A First Course. George A. Marcoulides and Scott L. Hershberger. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1997, 322 pages, $89.95 (cloth), $39.95 (paper).