Gathering the views of children and young people with ASD: a systematic literature review

According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have a right to have their views listened to, and studies have shown that doing so can improve their motivation and self‐esteem. Accordingly, this systematic literature review sought to investigate how the views of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who have difficulties with social communication, may be gathered. Searches of electronic databases yielded 20 studies which met the criteria for inclusion. Semi‐structured interviews (SSIs) were popular, but there is tentative evidence that these are better suited to older, or more academically able, participants. Some of the evidence suggests adaptations to make SSIs more accessible to young people with ASD. Initial evidence has also emerged regarding the suitability of focus groups and electronic diaries. More focused evaluation by researchers of the suitability of their chosen data‐gathering methods for participants with ASD would allow broader conclusions to be drawn.     

From sociological fictions to social fictions: some Bourdieusian reflections on the concepts of ‘institutional habitus’ and ‘family habitus’

This paper expresses serious reservations regarding the increasingly popular Bourdieu‐inspired notions of ‘institutional habitus’ and ‘family habitus’ in education research. Although sympathetic to the overall theoretical approach and persuaded of the veracity and importance of the empirical findings they are used to illuminate, it argues that, from a Bourdieusian point of view, they actually present several difficulties that threaten not only to overstretch and reduce the explanatory power of the French thinker’s concepts but to stifle analysis of the kinds of struggles and complexities that both he and, somewhat contradictorily, the researchers in question spotlight. Bourdieu had his own ways of making sense of the themes raised, and although there is indeed a need to push him further than he went, to say what he did not and to emphasise what he would not, this has to be guided by consistent logic and not simply pragmatic empiricism.     

Effects of modified-implement training on fast bowling in cricket

The effects of training with overweight and underweight cricket balls on fast-bowling speed and accuracy were investigated in senior club cricket bowlers randomly assigned to either a traditional (n = 9) or modified-implement training (n = 7) group. Both groups performed bowling training three times a week for 10 weeks. The traditional training group bowled only regulation cricket balls (156 g), whereas the modified-implement training group bowled a combination of overweight (161-181 g), underweight (151-131 g) and regulation cricket balls. A radar gun measured the speed of 18 consecutive deliveries for each bowler before, during and after the training period. Video recordings of the deliveries were also analysed to determine bowling accuracy in terms of first-bounce distance from the stumps. Bowling speed, which was initially 108 +/- 5 km h(-1) (mean +/- standard deviation), increased in the modified-implement training group by 4.0 km x h(-1) and in the traditional training group by 1.3 km x h(-1) (difference, 2.7 km x h(-1); 90% confidence limits, 1.2 to 4.2 km x h(-1)). For a minimum worthwhile change of 5 km x h(-1), the chances that the true effect on bowling speed was practically beneficial/trivial/harmful were 1.0/99/< 0.1%. For bowling accuracy, the chances were 1/48/51%. This modified-implement training programme is not a useful training strategy for club cricketers.     

Through the years: a longitudinal study of physical education teachers from a research-based preparation program

This study investigated factors that enhanced and constrained the career development of six teachers, who had graduated from the same university teacher education program, in their induction years (Woods & Earls, 1995) and again later in their career cycles. Three participants were physical education teachers (PETs), and three were former physical education teachers (FPETs). Fessler's (1985) Teacher Career Stage Model provided the theoretical framework. Data sources were: interviews with teachers and their teacher educators and direct observations of lessons. Results indicated that the PETs continued to have skill development as their primary teaching objective. The teachers maintained many of their teaching skills, and shifted between the career cycles of "competency building" and "enthusiastic and growing." All three FPETs left their physical education positions during the career frustration stage and at the time of publication were in the career exit stage.     

Pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties as Personal Target Setters

Richard Rose, Senior Lecturer at University College, Northampton, and Will Fletcher and Gaynor Goodwin, Watling View School, St Albans, argue that although many schools have attempted to enable pupils with special educational needs to play an active part in their own planning procedures and assessment, few have identified and analysed the skills required by both pupils and teachers. Theydescribe a one-year small-scale action-research project, in a school for children with severe learning difficulties, which resulted in the development of procedures for the assessment of 'pupil readiness' for full involvement in the target-setting process.     

An Evaluation of Foreign HR Consulting Company Effectiveness in China

With vast amounts of foreign capital entering China yearly, there is a strong need to build its human capital to Western accepted levels. A plethora of external vendors offering training and consulting interventions to develop this labor force have quickly followed this investment. An evaluation of what these vendors are actually offering based on Donald Kirkpatrick's widely accepted “Four Levels of T&D Evaluation” is put forward. The findings are that while Chinese management does acknowledge the strong knowledge pool these companies can offer, they find that the high ethnocentric delivery of the skills content is an impediment to learning. They are also unhappy with the high costs, over usage of part‐time consultants, and a lingering perception of vendors using “outdated” training and consulting methods. The researcher proposes communication and delivery of a polycentric training mechanism, where stakeholders (local Chinese) directly contribute to what they are learning under a rubric of Chinese cultural and societal norms in order to incorporate more soft measures in the learning evaluation.     

Deciding to provide a 'reader' in examinations for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE): questions about validity and 'inclusion'

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) was designed as an 'inclusive' qualification, access to which has been supported by providing a 'reader' to some candidates during examinations. A candidate reading age criterion of ten years has been employed by the GCSE awarding bodies to determine eligibility for this provision. In this paper, Kevin Woods, a member of the Educational Support and Inclusion Research and Teaching Group in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manchester, examines the rationale and evidence for adopting this criterion and describes an investigation of the reading needs of a cross-sectional sample of 38 GCSE examination candidates in trial examinations. The investigation found a low level of candidate need for a reader, with candidate reading age and self-prediction being unreliable indicators of this need. Kevin Woods highlights the implications for the assessment process used to determine eligibility for a reader in GCSE examinations and pays particular attention to the feasibility and validity of including all students as eligible.     

Collaborative Approaches to the Management of Geospatial Data Collections in Canadian Academic Libraries: A Historical Case Study

The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is a consortium of the twenty-one university libraries in Ontario, Canada. Since 1967, OCUL member institutions have worked together to share costs and workload through collective purchasing and licensing of information resources and more recently through the establishment of a shared digital infrastructure known as Scholars Portal. Under the auspices of OCUL, Ontario's university map librarians formed the OCUL Map Group in 1973 to seek opportunities to communicate and collaborate to improve the collections and services they offer their users. The opportunities provided by collaboration have ensured a greater capacity to manage evolving collections of geospatial data. The group has served as a community of practice, which has provided educational opportunities and facilitated collaborative problem solving through a listserv, conference calls, and face-to-face meetings. This collegial environment has also led to the completion of a number of projects, which have resulted in the creation of new technical infrastructures and strategies for sharing the workload of data management tasks. This paper discusses the role of collaboration in OCUL projects and offers some suggestions for others considering embarking on collaborations of their own.     

The use of player physical and technical skill match activity profiles to predict position in the Australian Football League draft

This study investigated the extent to which position in the Australian Football League (AFL) national draft is associated with individual game performance metrics. Physical/technical skill performance metrics were collated from all participants in the 2014 national under 18 (U18) championships (18 games) drafted into the AFL (n = 65; 17.8 ± 0.5 y); 232 observations. Players were subdivided into draft position (ranked 1–65) and then draft round (1–4). Here, earlier draft selection (i.e., closer to 1) reflects a more desirable player. Microtechnology and a commercial provider facilitated the quantification of individual game performance metrics (n = 16). Linear mixed models were fitted to data, modelling the extent to which draft position was associated with these metrics. Draft position in the first/second round was negatively associated with “contested possessions” and “contested marks”, respectively. Physical performance metrics were positively associated with draft position in these rounds. Correlations weakened for the third/fourth rounds. Contested possessions/marks were associated with an earlier draft selection. Physical performance metrics were associated with a later draft selection. Recruiters change the type of U18 player they draft as the selection pool reduces. juniors with contested skill appear prioritised.