Bone mineral density in triathletes over a competitive season

There is evidence from previous cross-sectional studies that high volumes of certain sports, including running, swimming and cycling, may have a negative impact on bone mineral density. The aim of the present study was to evaluate prospectively the effects of high athletic training in individuals who engage in high volumes of all three of these activities (triathletes). Bone mineral density for the total body, arms and legs was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 21 competitive triathletes (9 men, 12 women) at the beginning of the training season and 24 weeks later. Age, body mass index, calcium intake and training volume were also recorded to examine potential mediators of bone mineral density change. Men had greater bone mineral density at all sites than women. No significant changes were observed over the 24 weeks for either total body or leg bone mineral density. Bone mineral density in both arms increased by approximately 2% in men ( P ? 0.03), but no change was observed for women. Change in bone mineral density at all sites was unrelated to age, body mass index, calcium intake and training volume. The results suggest that adverse changes in bone mineral density do not occur over the course of 6 months of training in competitive triathletes.     

The Role of Content Knowledge in Conceptions of Teaching Effectiveness in Physical Education

Physical education teachers and the programs that prepare them find themselves in the early part of the 21st century in a public policy environment that differs significantly from that of the 20th century. This policy environment is grounded in an ideology that postulates that schools and teachers, rather than social forces, should be held responsible for academic outcomes, and in turn, economic success. For the first time, physical education teachers are being held accountable for student learning in the same way as their classroom peers. Improving the effectiveness of teachers is seen as the primary mechanism for improving student learning. In discussing how teaching effectiveness has evolved, I describe a relationship among the process–product paradigm, the ecological paradigm, and a neo-ecological paradigm called the instructional core. The latter paradigm extends our understanding of teaching effectiveness in new ways by describing the dynamic and interdependent relationship among teacher, student, and content in the gymnasium. It has significant implications for the professional development of teachers and the conduct of teaching effectiveness research. I conclude by discussing why content is so critical to conceptions of teaching effectiveness.     

Visual Search and Biological Motion Perception in Tennis

Purpose

The purposes of this study were to: (a) examine the effect of experience and goal constraints (speed, accuracy) on kicking patterns; (b) determine if effective striking mass was independent of ankle velocity at impact; and (c) determine the accuracy of kicks relative to independent factors.

Method

Twenty participants were recruited to kick at 3 different velocities with and without an accuracy requirement. Multivariate analysis of variance determined if relative timing of joint angular velocities changed during the kick. Chi-square analysis determined if calculated effective mass was independent of ankle velocity at impact. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine differences in absolute constant error and variable error according to independent factors.

Results

Results indicated that experience and speed affect absolute timing of joint velocities with no changes in the relative timing of peak joint velocity across independent factors. Chi-square analysis indicated that calculated effective mass is not independent of ankle velocity. ANOVA indicated that experienced performers displayed less variability error than did inexperienced performers.

Conclusion

It was concluded that: (a) Experience, velocity, and accuracy do not affect the relative timing of kicks; (b) kickers trade ankle velocity at impact for greater effective striking mass and ball velocity; and (c) variability in ball placement is affected by experience.     

Faculty learning communities: improving teaching in higher education

Faculty learning communities (FLCs) are collaborative collegial groups of faculty and other teaching staff who are interested in and committed to the improvement of their teaching to accommodate a diverse student population through group discourse, reflection and goal setting. In this article, we describe our FLC experiences that were supported by a federal grant to ensure accessible learning environments on our campus. The project, Ensuring Access through Collaboration and Technology (EnACT), sought to introduce faculty at a medium‐sized state university to a pedagogical framework to provide universal access to the curriculum for all students and to encourage faculty to adopt accessible technologies. We describe the recruitment process, the FLC meeting structure, our intended outcomes and the challenges we faced in meeting them.     

CATHOLIC ACTION IN RELIGIOUS AND NATIONAL WELFARE

The purpose of this column is to keep religious educators abreast of relevant significant research in the general field of psychology. Each section describes a group of findings which have been reported in PSYCHOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS together with titles of these works so that those who wish may go to the original source. This column is written as a service to religious educators by the Union College Character Research Project. All abstracts are used with permission of the periodical, PSYCHOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS. The abstract numbers are Volume 38, Numbers 1‐3, 1964.     

Building next generation video game collections in academic libraries

Most academic libraries do not yet have gaming collections, let alone gaming services and facilities that support the unique and growing teaching and research needs of campus environments. Academic libraries in particular need to start thinking about developing the next generation of gaming collections and services. This article examines the experiences in developing an academic library gaming initiative at a large research university, and works towards identifying the questions academic libraries need to be asking and the issues that need investigating in order to map out a path for developing next generation gaming collections that will meet the needs of academic instructors and researchers in the coming decade, and take advantage of the unique opportunities gaming and gaming technology provide.     

Assessment matters: The strength of mixed research methods for the assessment of learning communities

At Georgia State, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques provides greater insight than using either method alone.     

Acceptable Masculinities: Working-Class Young Men and Vocational Education and Training Courses

Since the 1970s, the process of deindustrialisation, accompanied by social, cultural and political changes, has altered youth transitions from school to work. This paper is drawn from an Economic and Social Research Council-funded study that explored the diversity of white, working-class young men (aged between 16 and 18) in a post-industrial community. The study focused on how young men performed their masculinities through different post-16 educational pathways and within the limits of place and a disadvantaged social class position. In this paper, I explore the way three of these young men who were enrolled on different vocational education and training courses learned how to display acceptable masculinities within these settings. Drawing on the work of Goffman, I argue that these vocational courses can ‘frame’ traditional forms of working-class masculinity, but also have the potential to enable alternative performances of masculinity to come through. However, the role of a locale’s industrial heritage on gendered and classed expectations is important, and the impact this has on successful futures needs to be recognised.     

‘This is my new normal’: teachers’ accounts of evaluation policy at local school board meetings

In this study, we seek to illuminate teachers’ constructions of US teacher evaluation policies through close analysis of the way teachers in one district describe these policies. We conducted a thematic discursive analysis of 60 teachers’ speeches, recorded during local school board meetings in a Tennessee school district. Using discursive psychology as a lens, analysis focuses on the teachers’ constructions of teacher accountability policies and their own positioning within the policies. We also attend to the linguistic resources teachers used in justifying their decision to speak during the meetings. Findings showed that while drawing upon repertoires of human capital and one-size-fits-all education, the teachers’ patterned participation involved the contestation of status quo practices of teacher evaluation and effectiveness by contrasting them with imagined possibilities of what evaluation could be instead. Implications for developing teacher evaluation are discussed.