Effect of worked examples and Cognitive Tutor training on constructing equations

Algebra students studied either static-table, static-graphics, or interactive-graphics instructional worked examples that alternated with Algebra Cognitive Tutor practice problems. A control group did not study worked examples but solved both the instructional and practice problems on the Cognitive Tutor (CT). Students in the control group requested fewer hints and made fewer errors on the CT practice problems but required more learning time on the instructional examples. There was no difference among the four groups in constructing equations on a paper-and-pencil posttest or on a delayed test that included training and transfer problems. However, students who studied worked examples with a table were best at identifying the meaning of the equation components. The concept of transfer-appropriate processing (the overlap between instructional task and assessment task) aided our interpretation of the findings. Although the CT had a short-term effect on reducing errors and hint requests on CT practice problems, the worked examples were as effective on delayed paper-and-pencil tests. The subsequent construction of a new module for the Animation Tutor (Reed and Hoffman, Animation Tutor: Mixtures. Instructional software, 2011) used both the interactive-graphics and static-table worked examples to take advantage of the complementary strengths of different representations (Ainsworth, Learn Instr 16:183–198, 2006).     

Revisiting curriculum inquiry: the role of visual representations

Curriculum materials and knowledge about curricular purposes and structures are valuable tools that teachers often draw upon to organize instruction and facilitate student learning. Careful analysis of teachers’ curriculum implementation and the decision-making that undergirds their curriculum use is critical for fully understanding enactment. This paper compares how integrity analyses of implementation of curriculum materials and actor-oriented analysis of teachers’ curriculum use can help researchers, teacher educators, and curriculum designers interpret teachers’ decisions about what aspects of new materials to use and how to use such materials. Drawing on evidence from teacher interviews and observations, we compare two teachers’ enactments of a new elementary-level environmental biology unit. Our analyses of integrity point to differences in teachers’ adaptations with respect to their consistency with the purposes and structures of curriculum materials as construed by designers. By contrast, our actor-oriented analysis explain how the teachers’ different approaches to interpreting the goals and structures of the curriculum unit partly account for patterns in their enactment in ways that can inform refinements to materials and the design of professional development supports for teachers. In so doing, we show how implementation integrity and actor-oriented analyses offer complementary perspectives to inform curriculum research and development.     

One-year endurance training: Effects on lung function and airway inflammation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether endurance training in athletes induces airway inflammation and pulmonary function disorders. Respiratory pattern and function were analysed in ten healthy endurance runners at rest, during sub-maximal exercise, and during the recovery. Inflammatory cells and metabolites (histamine, interleukin-8, and leukotriene E₄) were measured in sputum at rest and after exercise. The experiments were conducted on three different occasions (basic endurance training, pre-competitive and competitive periods). In spite of the absence of post-exercise spirometric changes and respiratory symptoms, airway cells counts and inflammatory markers changed significantly. At the beginning of the experiment, athletes' induced sputum showed an abundance of macrophages compared with neutrophils. We found a high percentage of neutrophils during the pre-competitive and competitive periods of the sport season (41% and 37%), a significant increase in macrophage counts during the pre-competitive period (51%), and a significant rise in total cells, interleukin-8, leukotriene E₄, and histamine during the competitive period. In conclusion, one year's training increased markers of inflammation in the airways of endurance runners without symptoms or changes in pulmonary function, suggesting that airway inflammation is of insufficient magnitude to markedly impact lung function in healthy athletes.     

“I am” versus “we are”: Effects of distinctive variants of self-talk on efficacy beliefs and motor performance

Abstract

Before completing a team-based dart-throwing activity, 80 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three pre-performance self-talk conditions: (a) self-talk statements that focused upon one's personal capabilities, (b) self-talk statements emphasizing the group's capabilities, or (c) a control condition where neutral statements were implemented. Participants in all conditions subsequently rated their confidence in their own (i.e. self-efficacy) as well as their team's (i.e. collective efficacy) capabilities, before carrying out the task. Overall, self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and performance indicators were all greatest for individuals who practised self-talk focusing on the group's capabilities, as opposed to individual-focused and neutral conditions. Findings are considered with respect to their novel theoretical contribution to the social cognition literature and their implications for fostering efficacy perceptions and team performance.     

Comparison of physical activity estimates using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and accelerometry in fibromyalgia patients: The Al-Andalus study

Abstract

The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) has been widely used to assess physical activity in healthy populations. The present study compared physical activity assessed by the long, self-administrated version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire with physical activity assessed by accelerometry in patients with fibromyalgia. A total of 99 (five men) participants with fibromyalgia completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and wore an accelerometer for nine consecutive days. We analysed the correlations of physical activity expressed as min · day^?1 of light, moderate, vigorous, and moderate to vigorous (MVPA) intensity, as well as time spent sitting, by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and accelerometry by Spearman correlations. Bland and Altman plots were performed to verify the agreements between both instruments. The results showed weak yet significant correlations (Rs = 0.15–0.39, all P < 0.05) in all physical activity intensities between the two instruments, except for sedentary time. The highest correlations were observed for physical activity at home or in garden (Rs = 0.297, P < 0.01). The results suggest that the long self-administrated International Physical Activity Questionnaire is a questionable instrument to assess physical activity in patients with fibromyalgia. Therefore, physical activity measurement in fibromyalgia patients should not be limited solely to self-reported measures.     

The Reliability and Validity of Protocols for the Assessment of Endurance Sports Performance: An Updated Review

Sports performance testing is one of the most common and important measures used in sport science. Performance testing protocols must have high reliability to ensure any changes are not due to measurement error or inter-individual differences. High validity is also important to ensure test performance reflects true performance. Time-trial protocols commonly have a coefficient of variation (CV) of <5%, however, familiarization, well-trained subjects and/or conducting the trial outdoors in the athlete’s most familiar environment can lead to CVs of < 1%. Long duration time-trials or the inclusion of sprints within a time-trial appears to not negatively influence reliability. Few studies have assessed the validity of endurance performance tests, and as such more research should evaluate different ways of simulating outdoor performances in the laboratory. The use of warm-up, simulation of convection load, and implementation of race specific hydration practices are important considerations for researchers regarding test validity.     

Opportunities and challenges facing NGOs using sport as a vehicle for development in post-apartheid South Africa

Post-apartheid South Africa manifests poor social indicators with over half the population living below the poverty line and the worst levels of inequality in the world, with much work needed to overcome the skewed legacy of apartheid. Sport suffered in this system resulting in unequal access to sporting facilities and opportunities, meaning many South Africans cannot exercise their right to play. Despite this legacy, sport can fulfil a vital developmental role in alleviating some of these issues. The state has a major role to play but it must be supported by civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who have the ability to deliver in situations where government has struggled. This article researches the opportunities and challenges NGOs encounter when using sport for development within the education system, in post-apartheid South Africa. This study used a qualitative approach to collect data on the opportunities and challenges encountered by two NGOs based in Cape Town that use sport as a means of development, but in markedly different ways. The study suggests that NGOs face a variety of conceptual, technical, logistical and organisational challenges using sport in schools and should enact certain measures to reduce resistance from educators and ensure successful programmes. The interaction between NGOs, schools and the state Department of Education is a complicated process that presents obstacles and opportunities. Nevertheless, despite these challenges it is clear NGOs can support schools in South Africa to optimise their physical activity programmes in the backdrop of a stagnating education system and a lack of sporting support from the government. NGOs in an educational setting such as schools operate in what Houlihan has identified as a crowded policy space. Yet, the observations in this study suggest that, particularly in the context of education, a partnership policy model of NGO work is preferred.     

A comparative survey of Personalised Information Retrieval and Adaptive Hypermedia techniques

A key driver for next generation web information retrieval systems is becoming the degree to which a user’s search and presentation experience is adapted to individual user properties and contexts of use. Over the past decades, two parallel threads of personalisation research have emerged, one originating in the document space in the area of Personalised Information Retrieval (PIR) and the other arising from the hypertext space in the field of Adaptive Hypermedia (AH).