Criteria for granting research training awards to graduate students

Survey data from 458 former health science graduate students were examined for correlations between variables that might be used in selecting research training award recipients and successful training outcome defined as a highly productive research career. Scores on six research outcome variables were used to cluster respondents into two groups: active and less-active researchers. After exploring factors underlying thirteen predictor variables, discriminant analysis was employed to identify predictive strength. There were no significant direct or indirect correlations between posttraining research activity and either the overall undergraduate academic grade of respondents or the amount of encouragement they received from the sponsors of their graduate award applications. An additional seven variables also showed no significant correlation with research career outcome. They were science hobbies as a child; undergraduate prizes and awards; summers spent in research; undergraduate publications; prestige and research orientation of undergraduate environment; and prestige of graduate institution. Four variables that showed promise as useful indicators of posttraining research activity were investigative personality; research orientation of the graduate environment; focused energy personality; and, to a lesser extent, preuniversity interest in science.     

Newton’s Path to Universal Gravitation: The Role of the Pendulum

Much attention has been given to Newton’s argument for Universal Gravitation in Book III of the Principia. Newton brings an impressive array of phenomena, along with the three laws of motion, and his rules for reasoning to deduce Universal Gravitation. At the centre of this argument is the famous ‘moon test’. Here it is the empirical evidence supplied by the pendulum and Huygens’ results which drive Newton’s argument. This paper explores Newton’s argument while paying close attention to the role the pendulum plays in the argument.     

Sharing a place-based indigenous methodology and learnings

Abstract

Building on a methodology of Cooperative Inquiry, the outcomes of five interconnected place-based learning projects from Australia are synthesised and elaborated in this paper. The methodology can facilitate the everyday living and sharing of an Earth-based consciousness: one that enriches Transformative Sustainability Education (TSE) through recognising meanings and stories in landscape, and celebrates Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Indigenous-led environmental education is shown to link with one of the longest continuous environmental education systems in the world and it is contended that because of its ongoing history, environmental education carries a cultural obligation. In Australia, every landscape is Indigenous and storied, and all Australians have an inherent right to learn that joy in place, along with the responsibility to care for it. Teaching and learning a relationship with place as family, is one way that environmental education can lead that campaign. This place-based methodology is a lifetime commitment involving everyday actions for change, a whole-of-education dedication.     

Undergraduate teaching of ideal and real fluid flows: the value of real-world experimental projects

This paper describes the pedagogical impact of real-world experimental projects undertaken as part of an advanced undergraduate fluid mechanics subject at an Australian university. The projects have been organized to complement traditional lectures and introduce students to the challenges of professional design, physical modelling, data collection and analysis. An overview of two projects is presented: wind tunnel testing of buildings and wave loading on piles. Both studies are undertaken as group work within the undergraduate subject. The pedagogy of the projects is discussed in terms of the classical educational psychology literature concerning project-based learning, collaborative and guided learning and reflection. In terms of learning outcomes, the primary aim is to enable students to deliver a professional report as the final product, where physical model data are compared to ideal-fluid flow calculations and real-fluid flow analyses. Thus the students are exposed to a professional design approach involving a high level of expertise in fluid mechanics, with sufficient academic guidance to achieve carefully defined learning goals, while retaining sufficient flexibility for students to construct their own learning goals. The overall pedagogy is a blend of problem-based and project-based learning, which reflects academic research and professional practice. The assessment is a mix of peer-assessed oral presentations and written reports that aims to maximize student reflection and development. Student feedback indicated a strong motivation for courses that include a well-designed project component.     

Orthographic learning during reading: the role of whole‐word visual processing

The self‐teaching hypothesis suggests that knowledge about the orthographic structure of words is acquired incidentally during reading through phonological recoding. The current study assessed whether visual processing skills during reading further contribute to orthographic learning. French children were asked to read pseudowords. The whole pseudoword letter string was available at once for half of the targets while the pseudoword's sub‐lexical units were discovered in turn for the other half. Then memorisation of the targets’ orthographic form was assessed. Although most pseudowords were accurately decoded, target orthographic forms were recognised more often when the pseudowords entire orthographic sequence was available at once during the learning phase. The whole‐word presentation effect was significant and stable from third to fifth grades. This effect was affected neither by target reading accuracy nor by target reading speed during the learning phase. Results suggest that beyond recoding skills, the ability to process the entire orthographic letter string at once during reading contributes to efficient orthographic learning.     

Exploring coaching actions based on developed values: a case study of a female hockey coach

There are few empirical studies that demonstrate how values are developed and how they are linked to coaching actions. There can be a discrepancy between the statement of coaches’ values and their actual coaching actions. In order to examine how coaching actions are influenced by values that are developed over a lifetime, the purpose of this article is to first describe a female hockey coach’s approach to coaching using five key coaching actions, then identify the underlying values that influenced those actions, and then explore how these values were developed in different experiences throughout her life. A time-oriented network analysis was conducted based on four semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the coach. The results present five key coaching actions: (a) organizing coach education programmes for athletes, (b) creating groups to help athletes bond, (c) bringing in experts from various domains, (d) asking athletes to reflect on attitudes and goals, and (e) giving athletes playing time based on hard work and effort. We identify the core values guiding these actions as: (a) equity, (b) connectedness, (c) holistic development, (d) respect, and (e) effort. Finally, we present a number of the coach’s experiences that demonstrate the complexity of developing these values throughout her life. The importance of reflecting on and discussing coaching actions, experiences, and the underlying learned values may help coaches develop coaching actions that are guided more explicitly by those values.     

如何成为思考型教练员

为扮演好各种角色,不同级别的教练员都必须掌握和使用越来越复杂的专业化知识。因此,世界上许多国家都提供大型的综合项目,来帮助教练员实现这一目标,教练员教育得到迅猛发展,教练员教育国际委员会应运而生。然而,在教练员看来,与正式的教育相比,他们在训练指导实践中所获得的知识更有利于其职业发展。研究显示,美国高校的教练员用于教练员培训机构的平均时间为每年25h,