Effects of Visual and Phonological Distinctness on Visual–verbal Paired Associate Learning in Dutch Dyslexic and Normal Readers

In three studies, the effects of visual and phonological distinctness on the visual–verbal paired associate learning of dyslexic and normal readers at the age of 10–12 were examined. We hypothesized that both groups would be equally affected by the visual distinctness of the pictures, whereas the learning performance of the dyslexic children would be more susceptible to the phonological distinctness of the verbal stimuli (words). As expected, in Study 1 we found that the visual distinctness of pictures had a similar effect on both groups. However, the results of Studies 2 and 3 on the effect of phonological distinctness did not support the hypothesis. Both reader groups were equally affected by the phonological distinctness of the words. In addition, we found that, although not consistently, dyslexic children tended to be worse in verbal learning, which could to a large extent be explained by their problems with phonological processing.     

‘Discipline Your Ladies … So They Become Independent’: A Discourse on the Beginnings of Women’s Skiing in the Black Forest,Germany

Abstract

The Black Forest is considered to be the cradle of skiing in Germany. In 2016, the 125th anniversary of the beginning of skiing in the Black Forest is being celebrated. Over the decades, skiing developed into a very popular sport for men and women in Germany and spread to the Alps. Presently, the German Ski Federation (Deutscher Skiverband, DSV) has over 500,000 members, about 40% being women. This paper will concentrate on the first decades of women’s skiing in the Black Forest until the First World War. To present a wider picture, in some sections, it will be necessary to relate to other parts of Germany. A special focus will be put on competitive skiing, skiing as a social event and the discourse about women’s ski clothes.     

The ‘Nature of Science’ and the Perils of Epistemic Relativism

Research in Science Education - There is an increasing demand in the field of science education for the incorporation of philosophical and sociological aspects that are related to the scientific...     

“How do you feel about math?”: relationships between competence and value appraisals,achievement emotions and academic achievement

This study analyzes the relationships between cognitive appraisals, classroom and test emotions, and math achievement in a sample of 1219 Portuguese students from the 6th and 8th grades. Participants completed measures of perceived value, perceived competence, and seven math achievement emotions (boredom, hopelessness, anger, anxiety, enjoyment, pride, and relief) experienced in two different settings: classroom and tests. Math achievement was obtained from school records. Results showed significant associations between student competence and value appraisals, their emotional experiences in test and classroom situations, and their math achievement. However, when emotions were considered simultaneously in structural equation modeling, only anger in test situations and hopelessness were significant negative predictors of students’ math achievement. Hopelessness appears to play a particular role in the interplay between cognitive appraisals, emotions, and academic achievement as it is the only emotion that relates to math achievement both in test and classroom situations. Furthermore, findings also support the existence of differences in the relationships between cognitive appraisals and the achievement emotions students experience in these two settings.     

Information and Digital Literacies in a Kindergarten Classroom: An I-LEARN Case Study

This case study, part of a larger qualitative research project, involved 24 kindergarteners and their teacher in the design, development, and evaluation of a research project built around the I-LEARN model (Neuman, Learning in information-rich environments: I-LEARN and the construction of knowledge in the 21st Century. Springer, New York, 2011b). I-LEARN is a six-step learning model (Identify, Locate, Evaluate, Apply, Reflect and kNow) designed to guide research for twenty first-century learning. The objectives of the study were both to improve the digital and information literacies of the participants and to validate the I-LEARN model for use in an early childhood classroom. The findings have implications for information literacy, digital literacy, and developmentally appropriate practices.     

Benjamin Franklin and the glass Armonica

Benjamin Franklin was a man of remarkable versatility, especially well-known as a scientist, writer and politician. Less well-known are his activities as a musician. This article describes his invention of the glass Armonica, on which he played and for which he also composed music. In recent years there has been a revival of interest in instruments of this kind and an acoustical analysis has been made of the vibrating glasses in an attempt to explain their curiously haunting melody.     

A test-retest assessment of the effects of mental load on ratings of affect,arousal and perceived exertion during submaximal cycling

This study aimed to test the effects of mental (i.e. executive) load during a dual physical-mental task on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), affective valence, and arousal. The protocol included two dual tasks with matched physical demands but different executive demands (2-back and oddball), carried out on different days. The procedure was run twice to assess the sensitivity and stability of RPE, valence and arousal across the two trials. Linear mixed-effects analyses showed less positive valence (?0.44 points on average in a 1–9 scale; R_β² = 0.074 [CI90%, 0.052–0.098]), and heightened arousal (+0.13 points on average in a 1–9 scale; R_β² = 0.006 [CI90%, 0.001–0.015]), for the high executive load condition, but showed no effect of mental load on RPE. Separated analyses for the two task trials yielded best-fitting models that were identical across trials for RPE and valence, but not for arousal. Model fitting was improved by assuming a 1-level autoregressive covariance structure for all analyses. In conclusion, executive load during a dual physical-mental task modulates the emotional response to effort, but not RPE. The autoregressive covariance suggests that people tend to anchor estimates on prior ones, which imposes certain limits on scales' usability.     

Scaling Constraints in Junior Tennis: The Influence of Net Height on Skilled Players’ Match-Play Performance

Purpose: The net height in tennis (0.91 m) is approximately 50% of a professional tennis player’s height. Children are also expected to play with this net height, even though it is approximately 70% of the average 10-year-old’s height. This study examined the immediate effect of lowering net height on the performance characteristics of skilled junior tennis players aged 10 years and younger. Method: Sixteen players were matched in 8 pairs of even tennis ability and same sex. Each pair played 25-min singles matches in 4 conditions that varied in net height (0.91 m, 0.78 m, 0.65 m, and 0.52 m). Match-play characteristics were analyzed via video replay. Results: Results showed that lowering the net height to 0.65 m and 0.52 m led to players adopting a more attacking style of play, as evidenced by a significant increase in the number of winners without a commensurate increase in errors and more shots struck inside the baseline. Lower nets also led to a greater percentage of successful first serves. The lowest net (0.52 m), however, reduced rally length significantly and therefore decreased hitting opportunities. Conclusion: These results offer support for equipment scaling to enhance match-play performance for skilled junior tennis players. We propose that current net height recommendations for junior tennis should be revised.     

Integrating moving average control procedures into the risk-based quality control plan in small-volume medical laboratories

IntroductionThe modern approach to quality control (QC) in medical laboratories implies the development of a risk-based control plan. This paper aims to develop a risk-based QC plan for a laboratory with a small daily testing volume and to integrate the already optimized moving average (MA) control procedures into this plan.Materials and methodsA multistage bracketed QC plan for ten clinical chemistry analytes was made using a Westgard QC frequency calculator. Previously, MA procedures were optimized by the bias detection simulation method.ResultsAspartate aminotransferase, HDL-cholesterol and potassium had patient-risk sigma metrics greater than 6, albumin and cholesterol greater than 5, creatinine, chlorides, calcium and total proteins between 4 and 5, and sodium less than 4. Based on the calculated run sizes and characteristics of optimized MA procedures, for 6 tests, it was possible to replace the monitoring QC procedure with an MA procedure. For the remaining 4 tests, it was necessary to keep the monitoring QC procedure and introduce MA control for added security.ConclusionThis study showed that even in a laboratory with a small volume of daily testing, it is possible to make a risk-based QC plan and integrate MA control procedures into that plan.     

Exploring neglected narratives: understanding vulnerability in narrative inquiry

Framed by a question around vulnerability in narrative inquiries, we show the multiple ways that vulnerability is evident in narrative inquiry. We take up the concerns around vulnerability to show how, as narrative inquirers, we are searching to find ways to think with vulnerability and with what others have called neglected narratives. Drawing on one study with Aboriginal youth and their families, we make visible how questions of vulnerability need to be considered in framing of research puzzles, selecting participants, and moving from field to field texts to interim and final research texts. In composing final research texts, we struggled with the notions of vulnerability that are placed on Aboriginal youth by labels and single stories. These assigned vulnerabilities lead to interpretations that could create experiences of judgment. We returned again to the importance of making experiences visible, in order to shift understandings of who Aboriginal youth are, and are becoming, in a complex world that will not write over or ‘erase their Indianness’ nor their or our vulnerabilities. We showed the ways questions of vulnerability are inextricably interwoven into narrative inquiry.