Performance strategies of US Olympians in practice and competition

Until recently, no self‐report instruments have examined psychological skills use in both practice and competition. In light of the significant role of practice in sport performance outcomes, a need exists to measure these skills in both domains. This study was designed to investigate differences in performance strategies of US Olympians in both practice and competition. The Test of Performance Strategies was administered to 176 US participants in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Summer Games. Discriminant function analyses demonstrated significant differences between medalists and nonmedalists in both the competition and practice performance strategies. Furthermore, significant gender and age differences were identified for competition strategies only. The 16 subscales of the TOPS, with two exceptions, create an internally stable instrument with moderate predictive ability relative to quality of sport performance, gender, and age in this elite sample of athletes.     

Regarding Class Quizzes: a Meta-analytic Synthesis of Studies on the Relationship Between Frequent Low-Stakes Testing and Class Performance

Educational Psychology Review - We present the results of a meta-analytic synthesis of the literature on the association between the use of frequent low-stakes quizzes in real classes and...     

Learning for an unknown context: a comparative case study on some Swedish and Polish Political Science students' experiences of the transition from university to working life

This comparative small‐scale (Swedish and Polish sample) longitudinal qualitative study investigates political science students' conceptions of their studies, their future profession and their workplace learning. The students (10 in Sweden and 11 in Poland) were interviewed twice, first when they were at the end of their studies and a second time when they had worked for approximately one year. The questions asked were designed to try to understand the transition from higher education to work life. The results indicate that they bring with them a set of academic generic skills from their education when they enter working life. Furthermore, the students in the two countries have very different perceptions of the subject Political Science, and the expectations they have regarding their studies and future working life also differ considerably.     

前西班牙时代那哇特尔文化的口头性与书面性

在西班牙占领本地之前,口头文学和图画文字是那哇特尔人表现、保留和传承其文化传统的有效工具.任何一篇文字的内容,都可以通过口述或者看图说话的方式来表达.这两种方式的表现力都远远地超过了言语本身,因为词语的"文本"在口头演出当中通过声音、手势、舞蹈、音乐、节奏、多彩的象形文字、特定的时空氛围而被"具体化"了.同样,书写的文本也因文字画、意符、音符以及颜色、形状、大小、位置、间隔关系、笔势以及图纹的双层影像等而被"具像化"了.尽管古抄本中的图画主要是被设计来"看"而不是(西方人观念中的)读的,很可能有与之相配的口述文本同时存在,它们从图像中生发而出,或者作为图本的补充存在.文章将涉及以下一些问题:第一,在前西班牙时代.人们是如何来"阅读"、也就是符号性地解释一个图画文本的?第二,图形比喻怎样触发口头表演?第三,口头演出如何"扎根"于图画?第四,言语的独白或对话在看图说话时如何得以运用或被参照?全部分析以那哇特尔(nahuatl)印地安人的手抄本和由西班牙人及其印地安助手们(根据当地土著的口述)所搜集和记录下的那哇特语文献为基础.     

NEGOTIATING POLITICIANS’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN NEWS INTERVIEWS

News interviews are contexts in which political responsibilities are articulated and negotiated. Although the accountability interview is recognized as a commonsense practice in journalism, and the research on political interviews is substantial, it partly remains to explore how responsibilities are negotiated in different forms of questioning in journalism. This study investigates three generic forms of questioning: accountability questioning, the clarifying of promises, and the principal assessments. Key features of the different forms are specified. The empirical study investigates how the questionings are performed in news on industrial crises in Sweden, in the different political regimes in the 1970s and the 2000s. The data consist of 27 news interviews with the formally responsible Ministers. The method is based on Conversation Analysis and includes detailed analyses of questions and answers. The study shows (1) how the forms of questioning differ when it comes to the action agenda and in how responsibilities are invoked and negotiated; (2) how the questionings tend to reproduce particular expectations of Governmental interventions; (3) how increased assertiveness and adversarialness in interviewing coincide with reduced expectations of political responsibilities.     

The Global/Local Book Publishing (R)evolution

In the decades since the Second World War, interest in Western-style children’s books has expanded in tandem with the growth of a literacy-minded global middle class. Now, as publishing for young people takes root for the first time in nations as economically and culturally diverse as Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and China, the opportunities for rights exchanges, co-editions, and other forms of industry cooperation across national and cultural borders are greater than ever.     

Effectiveness of an Intensive Learning Skills Course for University Students on Restricted Enrolment

Prior to the commencement of the 1994 academic year, University of Auckland students who had failed one‐half or more of their papers in the previous year were invited to attend a four‐day intensive learning skills course conducted by the Student Learning Centre of the University. The course covered various topics such as effective time management and study organisation, preparing for and taking tests and exams, memory and concentration, and writing skills. A total of 74 students attended the course. After final examinations, the results of these students were analysed. As a group these students significantly improved on their previous year's pass rates. Furthermore, their pass rates were significantly better than those of a randomly selected group of students who were in a similar situation with regard to their previous year's academic performance, but who did not attend the course.