Motivation to Learn: The pedagogical nexus in the Russian school: Some implications for transnational research and policy borrowing

Earlier research had shown that in some Russian schools, pupils were significantly more highly motivated to learn in school than in some American and English schools. Further inquiry was conducted to ascertain to what extent such high motivation might be attributed to schooling-related factors. It is suggested that Russian schools exhibit a 'pedagogical nexus' - a set of linked, interactive and mutually reinforcing influences on pupils' motivation to learn within and because of the schooling process- in which continuity of school, class and teacher - inter-generational continuity; closeness of home-school relations; readiness and preparation for schooling; the articulation of a national curriculum in school texts and in a critical pedagogics; the extent and character of inter-relation between lesson, textbook, homework and assessment; and the role of memorisation in learning - play highly inter-related and mutually attuned roles. It is argued that the terms of explanation of an unfamiliar education system cannot be reliably used for the identification of isolable practices for transnational export to other systems. Explanations of unfamiliar systems can, however, raise powerful and pointed evaluative questions of general interest.     

Coordination and variability in the elite female tennis serve

Enhancing the understanding of coordination and variability in the tennis serve may be of interest to coaches as they work with players to improve performance. The current study examined coordinated joint rotations and variability in the lower limbs, trunk, serving arm and ball location in the elite female tennis serve. Pre-pubescent, pubescent and adult players performed maximal effort flat serves while a 22-camera 500 Hz motion analysis system captured three-dimensional body kinematics. Coordinated joint rotations in the lower limbs and trunk appeared most consistent at the time players left the ground, suggesting that they coordinate the proximal elements of the kinematic chain to ensure that they leave the ground at a consistent time, in a consistent posture. Variability in the two degrees of freedom at the elbow became significantly greater closer to impact in adults, possibly illustrating the mechanical adjustments (compensation) these players employed to manage the changing impact location from serve to serve. Despite the variable ball toss, the temporal composition of the serve was highly consistent and supports previous assertions that players use the location of the ball to regulate their movement. Future work should consider these associations in other populations, while coaches may use the current findings to improve female serve performance.     

Serving to different locations: set-up, toss, and racket kinematics of the professional tennis serve

The serve, as the most important stroke in tennis, has attracted considerable biomechanical interest. Of its component parts, the swing has received disproportionate research attention and consequently, little is known regarding toss kinematics. Indeed, the age-old question of whether players serve to different parts of the court from the same toss remains unanswered. Six right-handed professionally ranked players hit first serves (FSs) and second serves (SSs) to three 2 x 1 m target areas reflecting the landing locations of T, body and wide serves, respectively, on the deuce court. A 22 camera, 250 Hz VICON MX motion analysis system captured racket, ball, foot, and h and kinematics. Repeated measures ANOVAs assessed within-player differences in foot, racket, and ball kinematics within the FS and SS as a function of landing location. The positions of the front foot, ball zenith, and ball impact were significantly different in the FS, while kinematics across all SS were consistent. Front foot position was closer to the centre mark in the T FS and players impacted the ball further left in the wide FS compared to the T FS. This study discusses the findings in the context of the development of the serve as well as potential implications for the return.     

Poles apart: foreign players,Polish football and Euro 2012

The 14th running of the UEFA European Championships represented a watershed moment for football, and sport more broadly, in Eastern Europe. Whilst the competition itself might have been restricted to Europe’s elite national teams, world football’s gaze was drawn towards the joint hosts, Poland and the Ukraine, for the duration of the tournament. At this juncture, therefore, this paper seeks to consider the ‘place’ of football in Eastern Europe, and in this case, Poland specifically, by conducting an analysis of the economic value of Poland’s top division – the Ekstraklasa, and by examining the factors that influence foreign players’ decisions to migrate to that particular league. The paper identifies that whilst the Ekstraklasa might sit outside of Europe’s core football economies, it still offers much as a migration destination for certain sorts of players. However, the paper also shows that whilst the 2012 UEFA European Championships provided significant exposure for Poland in the football context, it is less clear if hosting the event will have a lasting effect on the development of Poland’s top league and its desirability to foreign players.     

The role of ethnicity in choosing and leaving science in highly selective institutions

This study sought to assess the role of ethnicity in both initial choice of, and persistence in, science majors. Standardized test scores, high school records, initial concentration preference, college grades, and final majors of all the white, Asian, black, and Hispanic students who enrolled in 1988 at four highly selective institutions provided the database. Despite relative deficits in scores on measures of preparation and developed ability, blacks entered college with a strong interest in majoring in science. Black students interested in science also suffered the highest attrition from it; Asians were lowest, with whites and Hispanics near the average attrition of 40%. Ethnicity did not add significantly to ability and achievement variables in predicting attrition from science. The results are discussed in terms of two main issues: first, the effect of different standards of selection for the various groups on their success in science curricula; and second, the relevance of various well-known intervention strategies to the problems of minority attrition in science in highly selective institutions.