Book Reviews

A guide to rights and royalties management software Mark Ware Brighton, Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, 2007, 56pp. ISBN 9780907341376, pbk Price to ALPSP members (print & PDF) £40.00/$80.00/€58.00 ALPSP non‐members (print & PDF) £70.00/$140.00/€102.00     

Elbow joint kinematics during cricket bowling using magneto-inertial sensors: A feasibility study

Magnetic and inertial measurement units (MIMUs) may provide an accessible, three-dimensional, in-field alternative to laboratory-restricted marker-based motion capture. Existing upper limb MIMU models have predominantly been validated with low-velocity motion and their suitability for use with sport-based movements remains relatively untested. We propose a MIMU system approach to enable the estimation of anatomically meaningful and participant-specific elbow kinematics with considerations for use with cricket bowling. A novel standardised elbow reference posture of 90 degrees flexion and 0 deg pronation, and functional definition of elbow joint axes of rotation calibrated the MIMU method model before it was validated across three experiments: (1) simple elbow rotations with a mechanical linkage; (2) low-velocity elbow rotations in human participants; and (3) low-medium velocity sport-based movements in human participants. The proposed MIMU method demonstrated high elbow kinematic measurement agreement when compared with a criterion measure across all three conditions. However, during experiment 3, sensor components neared their measurement capacity and the MIMU method elbow flexion measurement variability increased. We conclude that the proposed MIMU method can estimate anatomically referenced, participant-specific joint angles, however, the hardware specifications of currently available systems may limit application in high-velocity/acceleration situations, preventing the measurement of cricket bowling in-field for now.     

Increasing Knowledge Flows between the Agricultural Research and Advisory System in Italy: Combining Virtual and Non-virtual Interaction in Communities of Practice

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to analyse the use of Communities of Practice and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance knowledge sharing between researchers and advisors. The associated research question is to what extent ICT supported a virtual Community of Practice and has been effective in counteracting fragmentation between research and advisory systems in terms of knowledge sharing between these two pillars of the Italian Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS).

Design/Methodology/approach: The paper uses a mixed methods approach: a questionnaire submitted to the Community of Practice participants on their experiences, observation of interaction between Community of Practice participants and data on the use of the ICT platform.

Findings: The ICT supported Community of Practice approach appears to improve knowledge sharing between researchers and advisors, and also draws in other actors of the broader Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System in which the AKS is embedded. However, ICT based tools alone are not sufficient and need to be complemented with face-to-face (non-virtual) interactions. A clear theoretical implication of this study is that this is an iterative process in which virtual and non-virtual interaction mutually reinforce each other: ICT interaction spurs real life and face-to-face interaction, and ICT supports follow-up on real life face-to-face interaction.

Practical Implications: Communities of Practice can be a useful tool for knowledge sharing between research and advisory systems, but should have a degree of flexibility in terms of the topics they address and should accommodate new members when appropriate. ICT is supportive, but should be complemented by real life meetings.

Originality/Value: The paper connects recent frameworks of the use of Communities of Practice with literature on ICT in agriculture and adds insights on the contribution of combining virtual and non-virtual interaction in Communities of Practice aimed at knowledge sharing.     

Learning Documentations in VET Systems: An Analysis of Current Swiss Practices

Swiss vocational education and training (VET) is defined as a dual-track system where apprentices weekly alternate between vocational school and a (real) workplace. At the workplace, they have to keep a learning documentation throughout their training, in which they are expected to regularly document their professional development. The actual use of this documentation remains limited, however, and its potential for learning is clearly underexploited. The study presented in this paper sheds light on the current practices and issues related to the use of such a learning documentation in the Swiss VET system. Semi-structured interviews (N?=?29) were conducted with representatives of all the main actors of the Swiss VET system for various professional domains (Industrial & Handicraft, Commerce, and Health & Social Care). The study shows that although they all tend to see the potential of the learning documentation, the different actors of VET do not share a same conception of the aims and functions, both within and across professions. Based on their answers, possible improvements for this tool are discussed, and suggestions are made to enhance its use as a boundary object throughout the training.     

Optimierung einer videobasierten Lerngelegenheit im Problem Based Learning Format durch Cognitive Tools. Eine Interventionsstudie mit Lehramtsstudierenden

The following study aims to explore whether a video- and problem-based learning (PBL) environment can be improved using cognitive tools. Our hypothesis is that direct instructions in a PBL setting enhance pre-service teachers’ learning outcomes in classroom management. To answer this research question, we implemented a pre-post-design within which we assigned 237 master students to two learning environments: Classic problem-based learning (PBL), where students acquired central theoretical concepts and empirical findings on dealing with disruptions in groups (n = 113) or instructed problem-based learning (I-PBL), where students received extensive theoretical instructions (n = 124) during the first two seminar sessions. In the framework of a longitudinal self-report assessment we found that (1) teacher self-efficacy in the subscales “student engagement”, “instruction” and “classroom management competencies” increased in students of both groups. The highest increase was found in classroom management competencies. (2) In the evaluation with an objective measure students participating in the I?PBL group showed greater knowledge than students in the PBL group (multiple-choice test), and (3) regarding motivational processes students in the PBL group reported a higher degree of identification than students in the I?PBL group.     

‘SENitizing’ migrant children in inclusive settings: exploring the impact of the Salamanca Statement thinking in Italy and the United States

ABSTRACT

This paper emphasizes the aporetic nature of the Salamanca Statement on Special Needs Education (UNESCO, 1994), adopting a cross-cultural perspective. It draws on an intersectional perspective on inclusion (Connor, Ferri & Annamma, 2016; Artiles & Kozleski, 2016 Artiles, A. J., and E. B. Kozleski. 2016. “Inclusive Education’s Promises and Trajectories: Critical Notes About Future Research on a Vulnerable Idea.” Education Policy Analysis Archives 24 (43): 1–29. [Google Scholar]; Erevelles, 2014) to argue that although inclusion has been defined by such an international declaration as a transformative project to ensure access to quality education for all students, national inclusive policies are still focused on a pathological construction of student difference, slowly incorporating children from different linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. The focus on Italy and the United States is a response to examine the discourses and practices of inclusion in two countries that have been impacted by the Salamanca Statement thinking. To substantiate our argument concerned with the limitations embedded in the Salamanca Statement, data from two empirical studies conducted in Rome and in Upstate New York will be presented. The studies show how inclusion leads to overrepresentation of migrant students in Special Educational Needs. We conclude that the Salamanca Statement has been transferred into a tool to strengthen normality against difference, and that it should focus on interrupting micro-exclusions for groups sitting at the intersections of race, ability and other identity markers.     

Stirring a Secret Sauce: A Literature Review on the Conditions and Effects of Authentic Learning

Educational Psychology Review - The present conceptual literature review analyzes 50 studies that systematically examined the effects of authentic learning settings on cognitive or motivational...     

Effects of interactive teacher-generated drawings on students’ understanding of plate tectonics

Instructional Science - We investigate an interactive teacher-generated drawing strategy in which the teacher constructs a drawing with the help of the students. The students contribute their ideas...     

Evaluating the efficacy of a teacher-guided comprehension-oriented learning strategy intervention among students in Grade 4

This study examined the effects of a teacher-led learning-strategy intervention program on fourth-grade students’ reported use and perceived effectiveness of rehearsal and comprehension-oriented learning strategies. During 18 program units, teachers taught about learning and various learning strategies, including visualisation, elaboration and categorisation. Strategies were practised in math, language and science classes. Participants were comprised of 82 fourth-grade students in the intervention group and 387 fourth-grade students in the control group. Students’ reported use and perceived effectiveness of learning strategies were assessed before and at least 4 months after intervention using a web-based word-memorisation task and associated reflection questions. The intervention group tended to use more comprehension-oriented learning strategies in post-tests, and the intervention group also showed an increase in perceived effectiveness of comprehension-oriented learning strategies. Still, rehearsal was evaluated as the most effective strategy in both the control group and the intervention group. Explanations for these findings and possible future directions are discussed.

     

Home activities and cognitive skills in relation to early literacy and numeracy: testing a multifactorial model in preschoolers

The aim of the present study was to test environmental and cognitive variables as possible cross-domain predictors of early literacy and numeracy skills. One hundred forty-eight preschool children (mean age = 64.36 months ± 3.33) were enrolled in the study. The battery included a home literacy and home numeracy questionnaire, measures and phonological and visuo-spatial working memory, tasks tapping response inhibition, and predictors of literacy (vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge) and numeracy (magnitude comparison, number knowledge) skills. The structural equation model indicated that verbal working memory and, to a lesser extent, inhibition represented cross-domain predictors, whereas home numeracy activities and visuo-spatial working memory explained additional variance only for early numeracy skills. Implications for parents and educators are discussed.