The relationship between implicit theories of intelligence,attainment and socio-demographic factors in a UK sample of primary school children

Research emerging from the USA suggests that holding an incremental theory of intelligence (growth mindset) has a positive impact on academic success. However, limited empirical work has explored this relationship in a UK sample, and there has been a lack of research into the antecedents which might influence the development of certain intelligence beliefs. This study aimed to explore these gaps in the existing literature. Data was collected from 710 9-year-old pupils (UK Year 5). Participants completed attainment tests in Maths and English, and a questionnaire to assess their implicit theories of intelligence (mindset). Socio-demographic information—including gender, ethnicity, free school meal (FSM) status and special educational needs (SEN) status—was also collected. Results showed that pupils eligible for FSM or SEN endorsed more of an entity theory of intelligence than pupils not eligible for either. Analysis of the whole sample showed that attainment significantly correlated with implicit theories of intelligence, however, this relationship did not exist for children with FSM or SEN status. These findings help to elucidate the relationship between implicit theories of intelligence and attainment in the UK, but also suggest the importance of external support in potentially facilitating pupils’ belief systems. Results are discussed in relation to avenues for targeted intervention.     

The multi-stage fitness test as a predictor of endurance fitness in wheelchair athletes

The aims of this study were two-fold: (1) to consider the criterion-related validity of the multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) by comparing the predicted maximal oxygen uptake (.VO(2max)) and distance travelled with peak oxygen uptake (VO(2peak)) measured using a wheelchair ergometer (n = 24); and (2) to assess the reliability of the MSFT in a sub-sample of wheelchair athletes (n = 10) measured on two occasions. Twenty-four trained male wheelchair basketball players (mean age 29 years, s = 6) took part in the study. All participants performed a continuous incremental wheelchair ergometer test to volitional exhaustion to determine .VO(2peak), and the MSFT on an indoor wooden basketball court. Mean ergometer .VO(2peak) was 2.66 litres . min(-1) (s = 0.49) and peak heart rate was 188 beats . min(-1) (s = 10). The group mean MSFT distance travelled was 2056 m (s = 272) and mean peak heart rate was 186 beats . min(-1) (s = 11). Low to moderate correlations (rho = 0.39 to 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.02 to 0.69 and 0.23 to 0.80) were found between distance travelled in the MSFT and different expressions of wheelchair ergometer .VO(2peak). There was a mean bias of -1.9 beats . min(-1) (95% CI: -5.9 to 2.0) and standard error of measurement of 6.6 beats . min(-1) (95% CI: 5.4 to 8.8) between the ergometer and MSFT peak heart rates. A similar comparison of ergometer and predicted MSFT .VO(2peak) values revealed a large mean systematic bias of 15.3 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1) (95% CI: 13.2 to 17.4) and standard error of measurement of 3.5 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1) (95% CI: 2.8 to 4.6). Small standard errors of measurement for MSFT distance travelled (86 m; 95% CI: 59 to 157) and MSFT peak heart rate (2.4 beats . min(-1); 95% CI: 1.7 to 4.5) suggest that these variables can be measured reliably. The results suggest that the multi-stage fitness test provides reliable data with this population, but does not fully reflect the aerobic capacity of wheelchair athletes directly.     

Physical principles and efficiency of salt extraction by poulticing

The crystallization of soluble salts plays a significant role in the deterioration of porous cultural property. A common response to salt damage problems is to undertake treatments aimed at reducing the salt content of the affected object, most typically through the application of poultices. The process of poulticing is in theory relatively simple: the wet poultice material is applied to the surface of the object to be treated, and is kept in place for some period of time before being removed. However, in practice, the efficiency of the salt extraction, or even the location of salt accumulation post treatment is more difficult to predict. This paper examines the physical principles of salt ion and moisture transport by which poultices function, and shows how depending on the application methodology, these treatments can be divided into diffusion and advection-based methods. The maximum salt extraction efficiency, the depth to which this can be achieved, and the time scale required is estimated for each type of poulticing system, to gain a better understanding of their working properties and performance. Finally, the pros, cons and limitations of desalination treatments are discussed.     

Perceptions of national identity and attitudes toward immigrants and immigration in Canada and Germany

In the current research, we examined whether promoting an inclusive national ingroup that includes both immigrants and nonimmigrants would improve attitudes toward immigrants and immigration among members of receiving societies. We also determined whether one's nation of citizenship and individual differences in social dominance orientation would moderate the effects. Participants were 126 Canadian students and 282 German students, who completed a measure of social dominance orientation and were then asked to respond to a series of questions designed to heighten the salience of national identity (national identity), promote a national ingroup that includes immigrants (common national ingroup), or irrelevant questions (control). The dependent measures included attitudes toward immigrants and immigration, and subtle prejudice toward immigrants. Results revealed that the manipulation of a common national ingroup successfully promoted more positive attitudes toward immigrants and immigration among higher social dominance oriented Canadian participants, but tended to have detrimental effects on the attitudes of higher social dominance oriented German participants. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering the context in which groups are situated, as well as implications for developing strategies to promote harmony between immigrants and members of receiving societies.     

"Beyond the pale of ordinary criticism": eccentricity and the fossil books of Thomas Hawkins

Thomas Hawkins wrote two books about his extraordinary collection of fossil reptiles: Memoirs of Ichthyosauri and Plesiosauri (1834) and The Book of the Great Sea-Dragons (1840). When contemporary readers explicitly labeled these books "eccentric," they were making use of a new discourse that aimed to make sense of phenomena that appeared to transgress the boundaries of an increasingly ordered and structured world. Some modern-day commentators have dismissed Hawkins's books because of their perceived eccentricities. This essay, by contrast, uses techniques of close reading and reception analysis to investigate them precisely as specimens of "eccentric" literature. It argues that, like other eccentric phenomena, the books were perceived to be liminal--they were felt to undermine the generic boundaries that governed the production and interpretation of the different kinds of literary work. Eccentricity as a social and cultural phenomenon has received surprisingly little attention from scholars until very recently. Through analyzing and contextualizing Hawkins's books, and the varied responses they provoked, this essay aims to contribute to our understanding both of eccentricity and of the generic conventions shaping varieties of scientific writing in the nineteenth century and beyond.