IQ and neuropsychological predictors of academic achievement

Word reading and math computation scores were predicted from Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence Full Scale IQ, 10 neuropsychological tests, and parent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ratings in 214 general population elementary school children. IQ was the best single predictor of achievement. In addition, Digit Span contributed significantly to reading prediction, and the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) and Coding contributed to math prediction. The remaining neuropsychological test scores did not significantly improve achievement prediction. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a general ability factor (comprising the four IQ subtests, Digit Span, VMI, reading, and math), five factors made up solely of subtests from single measures (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Color and Word Test, Gordon Diagnostic System, California Verbal Learning Test, and ADHD ratings), a factor consisting of Grooved Pegboard Test and Coding, and a factor consisting of Symbol Search and Animal Naming Test.     

Assessing levels of student understanding in pre-service teachers using a two-cycle SOLO model

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study concerning the development of higher-order conceptual understanding of Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) among physical education pre-service teachers. The development of such understandings has been seen as problematic among pre-service teachers (Randall, 2003 Randall, L. 2003. Preservice teachers' understanding of teaching games for understanding approach to content delivery. Avante, 9(1): 49–61.  [Google Scholar]). An analysis of the responses given in a high- stakes examination of 165 pre-service physical education teachers was used to investigate varying levels of understanding in TGfU pedagogy. This paper reports specific examples of student responses in a written high-stakes examination and justifies how a two-cycle structure of the observed learning outcome (SOLO) model can discriminate between the demonstrations of surface and deep conceptual understandings.     

Writing and Reading Subjects: Fixing and Unfixing Identity through Close Literary Practices

For a number of years, Rebecca Luce‐Kapler and Dennis Sumara have been investigating the ways in which literary practices of close reading can help change how we think and how we remember. They have also considered how such practices might help make us more critical of normative representations of remembered experience. More recently, they have been joined by Claire Robson, who works with and investigates memoir writing. In 2009, Robson and Sumara were joined by their six older lesbian research participants at a conference held at the University of British Columbia entitled ‘Queerly Canadian: Changing Narratives’. The six women performed extracts from memoirs they had written as part of the research data and joined the researchers in offering theories and insights about the writing processes in which the group had engaged. That presentation and this paper represent the evolution of a two‐year collaboration between these researchers and the six women, who are listed as co‐authors on both the presentation and this paper.     

The effective teaching of comparing Orff music method with traditional music approach for music reading and melodic patterns singing for 3rd grade elementary students in Taiwan

The Orff music method has been internationally practiced and recognized as one of the leading music methods in the past fifty years. The success of this approach is that this method encourages all students participating in the designed music activities in the music class to interact with the teacher and other classmates using the Orff approach rather than the traditional one-way music learning approach in the traditional music classroom in Asia. While the children are situated within an environment where music activities and bodily movements are stimulated, the children＇s aesthetic music knowledge can be influenced significantly （Carlson, 1990）. In this study, there were a total number of 180 3rd graders from three elementary schools in Taiwan who participated in this research. The control group which consisted of three classes with a total number of 90 students was the class using the traditional music method taught by a regular classroom teacher, while the experimental group, which consisted of another three classes with a total number of 90 students, was the class taught using the Orff music method by the researcher. The study was controlled in the sense that the six music classes were ascertained to be of equal ability in their understanding of music before the experimental factor was applied. As well, there were no significant differences in age or mental capacity, while the difference in genders was only minimal. The results of this research revealed that not only did the students who had the Orff music method training perform better than the traditional music method on both melodic patterns dictation and music reading tests, but the Orff training also helped the experimental students to have a solid understanding of rhythmic structures and basic music knowledge.     

Quantitative and qualitative changes in teaching histology by means of virtual microscopy in an introductory course in human anatomy

This study compares overall laboratory averages and individual test scores along with a student survey to determine the effects of using virtual microscopy in place of optical microscopes in a large undergraduate human anatomy course. T‐tests revealed that the first two laboratory examinations (of four) and the overall laboratory averages were significantly increased compared with the previous year. We hypothesize that this is due to students' ability to use and understand the technology quickly as opposed to learning how to maneuver an optical microscope. Students also responded positively in a survey about the virtual microscope, indicating that increased accessibility, ease of use, and the ability to understand the material were important components of the virtual microscope. In addition, an increase in student collaboration was noted because multiple students were able to view the image at a time. This level of acceptance of virtual microscopy has been reported in previous studies, though this level of increased examination scores is rare. We attribute this to differences between the medical students, with whom this technology has been researched in the past, and undergraduate introductory students. Anat Sci Educ 2:218–226, 2009. © 2009 American Association of Anatomists.     

Comment on ‘Ventilation and blood lactate increase exponentially during incremental exercise’ : A reply

Oar force and oar angle data resulting from a 6‐min maximal rowing ergometer test undertaken by novice (n = 9), good (n ‐ 23) and national (n = 9) level male rowers, were used to identify biomechanical performance variables which accurately discriminated between rowers of differing ability levels. The variables included two work capacity measures, mean propulsive power output per kilogram of body mass (W kg^‐1) and propulsive work consistency (%), and two skill variables, stroke‐to‐stroke consistency (%) and stroke smoothness (%). Discriminant function analysis indicated the presence of two functions, both of which clearly indicated the importance of mean propulsive power output per kilogram of body mass as a discriminating variable. Function 2 gave greater weight to stroke‐to‐stroke consistency and stroke smoothness than function 1; however, function 1 was the most powerful discriminator. Classification procedures were used to predict the ability level to which a rower most likely belonged and involved defining the ‘distance’ between each rower and each ability level centroid, with the rower being classified into the ‘nearest’ ability level. These procedures indicated that 100% of the elite, 73.9% of the good, 88.9% of the novice and 82.9% of all rowers were correctly classified into their respective skill levels. Stepwise discriminant analysis included the variables in the following order: mean propulsive power output per kilogram of body mass, stroke‐to‐stroke consistency, stroke smoothness and propulsive work consistency (P < 0.001). The results of this study indicate that biomechanical performance variables related to rowing capacity and skill may be identified and used to discriminate accurately between rowers of differing skill levels, and that, of these variables, propulsive work consistency is the least effective discriminator.     

Cardiac Structure and Function in Women Basketball Athletes: Seasonal Variation and Comparisons with Nonathletic Controls

Abstract

To characterize hypertrophy and quantify seasonal changes in cardiac structure and function of women collegiate basketball (BB) athletes (n = 15), echocardiography (echo) measurements were made in the fall (FALL₁), winter (WIN), and spring (SPR), then again during the subsequent fall (FALL₂; n = 10). Comparisons were made to age-matched nonathletes (NA) measured during FALL₁ (n = 22) and SPR (n = 5). Left ventricular (LV) internal dimension–diastole (LVIDd), LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), stroke volume (SV), LV mass (LVM), septal thickness (IVS), LV posterior wall thickness (LVPW), right ventricular (RV) internal dimension-diastole (RVIDd), and aortic root diameter (AOD) were significantly larger (12–70%) in the athletes; RVIDd-, LVEDV-, SV-, and LVM-index were also significantly greater (8–46%). From FALL₁ to SPR measurement periods, LVWd, RVWd, LVEDV, SV, IVS, and LVM-index increased significantly (7–18%) in the athletes. Over the same period of time, LVIDd, LAD, AOD, LVEDV, and SV measured in the five NA subjects increased significantly. In the athletes, LVIDs, RVIDd, IVS, LVPW, and LVM decreased significantly (5–30%) from the SPR to FALL₂ measurement period. These data characterize the general nature of the cardiac hypertrophy noted in women BB athletes compared to NA controls and show that distinct changes in heart structure corresponding to different periods of the competitive season can occur in these athletes.     

Nutritional strategies for promoting fat utilization and delaying the onset of fatigue during prolonged exercise

Carbohydrate ingestion before and during endurance exercise delays the onset of fatigue (reduced power output). Therefore, endurance athletes are recommended to ingest diets high in carbohydrate (70% of total energy) during competition and training. However, increasing the availability of plasma free fatty acids has been shown to slow the rate of muscle and liver glycogen depletion by promoting the utilization of fat. Ingested fat, in the form of long-chain (C 16-22 ) triacylglycerols, is largely unavailable during acute exercise, but medium-chain (C 8-10 ) triacylglycerols are rapidly absorbed and oxidized. We have shown that the ingestion of medium-chain triacylglycerols in combination with carbohydrate spares muscle carbohydrate stores during 2 h of submaximal (< 70% VO 2 peak) cycling exercise, and improves 40 km time-trial performance. These data suggest that by combining carbohydrate and medium-chain triacylglycerols as a pre-exercise supplement and as a nutritional supplement during exercise, fat oxidation will be enhanced, and endogenous carbohydrate will be spared. We have also examined the chronic metabolic adaptations and effects on substrate utilization and endurance performance when athletes ingest a diet that is high in fat (> 70% by energy). Dietary fat adaptation for a period of at least 2-4 weeks has resulted in a nearly two-fold increase in resistance to fatigue during prolonged, low- to moderate-intensity cycling (< 70% VO 2 peak). Moreover, preliminary studies suggest that mean cycling 20 km time-trial performance following prolonged submaximal exercise is enhanced by 80 s after dietary fat adaptation and 3 days of carbohydrate loading. Thus the relative contribution of fuel substrate to prolonged endurance activity may be modified by training, pre-exercise feeding, habitual diet, or by artificially altering the hormonal milieu or the availability of circulating fuels. The time course and dose-response of these effects on maximizing the oxidative contribution of fat for exercise metabolism and in exercise performance have not been systematically studied during moderate- to high-intensity exercise in humans.