Teaching for transformative educational experience in a sport for development program

Despite the assumption that Sport for Development and Peace programs can foster social change, many fail to provide intentional educational experiences. This limits the attainment and sustainability of positive outcomes for participants and communities. The literature calls for such programs to use sport as an educational tool that shifts power to participants in a way that is responsive and respectful to the local context. In this article, we present findings from a program designed to promote youth development and social change through youth sport in a Central American nation. The teaching personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model provides the instructional framework for this program and local coach training was guided by the principles of critical pedagogy. Participants were eight youth sport coaches who became local trainers in the program. Data sources include interviews, observations and artifacts. Participants appeared to have meaningful educational experiences characterized by the following themes: reframing the coach's role; personal reflection; developing a critical perspective; and increasing feelings of agency. Findings indicate that in this program, TPSR was a relevant instructional framework that combined effectively with the principles of critical pedagogy to foster transformative learning among the participants.     

Policy for physical education and school sport in England, 2003–2010: vested interests and dominant discourses

Background: The salience of physical education and school sport (PESS) in England changed dramatically in the 2000s in terms of central government investment and political interests. The government put in place the physical education, school sport and club links strategy and the physical education and sport strategy for young people for a wide-ranging array of social objectives. Although policy research relating to PESS has centred on the sport policy-making process and the role of government or agents, including teachers, has been growing from the 2000s, this paper argues for the need to explore the social construction and constitution of school knowledge underpinned and influenced by particular dominant vested interests and their associated discourses to understand certain pedagogical implications for young people.

Method: Applying the educational policy sociology approach adapted from Basil Bernstein's work on the social construction of pedagogic discourse, the focus of this paper was to identify the main discourses which constructed and constituted policy for PESS from 2003 to 2010 in England. Qualitative content analysis on six policy documents and 467 media articles was conducted.

Findings: This paper identifies five discourses constructing and constituting policy for PESS during the period under study: sport, health, citizenship, lifelong participation and Olympic legacy. These are sources of policy for PESS that were constructed in Bernstein's re-contextualising field. This paper also seeks to show the complexity of policies and strategies for PESS in that they are anchored in a web of significations in terms of complex connections between elements of discourses. It can be argued that as a structure-in-dominance, policies for PESS reinforced competitive sport-based conceptions of physical education and, arguably, created a limited universe of possibilities, of what was thinkable, for and as PESS.

Conclusions: This paper argues that the inclusions and exclusions of discourses from policy for PESS are all politically charged, and will have an impact on the quality of young people's education and their life chances in the future. Furthermore, this paper proposes that we need to explore in further depth the processes of how to maximise the possibilities of realising quality PESS in order for young people to learn citizenship, foster health improvement and facilitate lifelong participation in physical activities.     

Extending the Television Brand: An Examination of Why Consumers Use Broadcast Network Web Sites

Framed by the technology acceptance and customer-based brand equity (CBBE) models, this study investigated how audiences intend to use broadcast television network Web sites. Drawing upon the results of a survey (N = 178), this research found that perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment significantly influence intent to use broadcast Web sites. Findings also reveal that CBBE plays a significant role as a mediator between motivations and behavioral intention to use broadcast networks' Web sites. It is concluded that as the medium of television evolves, networks' Web sites should be conduits for sustained brand allegiance and broadcasters should make more strategic use of their Web sites.     

Measurement of single leukemia cell's density and mass using optically induced electric field in a microfluidics chip

We present a method capable of rapidly (∼20 s) determining the density and mass of a single leukemic cell using an optically induced electrokinetics (OEK) platform. Our team had reported recently on a technique that combines sedimentation theory, computer vision, and micro particle manipulation techniques on an OEK microfluidic platform to determine the mass and density of micron-scale entities in a fluidic medium; the mass and density of yeast cells were accurately determined in that prior work. In the work reported in this paper, we further refined the technique by performing significantly more experiments to determine a universal correction factor to Stokes'' equation in expressing the drag force on a microparticle as it falls towards an infinite plane. Specifically, a theoretical model for micron-sized spheres settling towards an infinite plane in a microfluidic environment is presented, and which was validated experimentally using five different sizes of micro polystyrene beads. The same sedimentation process was applied to two kinds of leukemic cancer cells with similar sizes in an OEK platform, and their density and mass were determined accordingly. Our tests on mouse lymphocytic leukemia cells (L1210) and human leukemic cells (HL-60) have verified the practical viability of this method. Potentially, this new method provides a new way of measuring the volume, density, and mass of a single cell in an accurate, selective, and repeatable manner.     

Disposition assessment in teacher education: A framework and instrument for assessing technology disposition

Abstract

This study proposes and verifies the concept of a technology disposition in teacher education, which is comprised of predisposition and competence. It examines the reliability and validity of a measure of the technology disposition of teacher education students, the Technology Disposition Scale for Teacher Education Students (TDS‐T). The TDS‐T is comprised of two subscales: technology predisposition and technology competence. In this study, the TDS‐T was completed by 656 teacher education students. Results showed the proposed disposition model of predisposition and competence had significant relationships with gender and class year. Male students had significantly higher overall technology disposition scores than did female students, but these differences were due to the male students' strong self‐concept, especially self‐confidence. Students technology competence level was significantly higher for seniors than for sophomores, and the overall technology disposition scores significantly increased from students' junior to senior years. The TDS‐T demonstrated content validity through factor analysis and convergent and discriminate validity through item analysis. The value for Cronbach's alpha was .93, indicating highly satisfactory reliability.     

Acute effects of Kinesio taping on muscle function and self-perceived fatigue level in healthy adults

This study investigated the acute effects of Kinesio taping (KT) on muscular power, strength, endurance, and self-perceived fatigue level. This is a randomized, partial double-blind, crossover trial. Eighteen healthy adults (7 males [23.86?±?1.68 years] and 11 females [24.82?±?3.71 years]) were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent three different trials which included no tap (NT), placebo tap (PT), and KT. Idividuals were assessed for peak and mean power, muscular strength and endurance, and self-perceived fatigue after each condition. The results revealed no significant differences in all variables (p?>?0.05) except muscular endurance (F?=?5.775, p?=?0.007). Muscular endurance in the NT (58.28?±?12.18?reps/min) condition was significantly higher than that in the KT (52.83?±?11.76?reps/min) condition. These results suggest that KT on rectus femoris and the patella of the lower limb does not improve muscular function and self-perceived fatigue level. KT is unlikely to enhance exercise performance capacity in healthy adults.     

Focusing on the Whole Student: An Evaluation of Massachusetts's Wraparound Zone Initiative

We used a comparative interrupted time series design to examine the impact of the Massachusetts' Wraparound Zone Initiative on student achievement, attendance, retention, and suspension. This initiative was designed to create coordinated district systems that allow schools to proactively and systematically address students' nonacademic needs. The state education agency awarded grants to seven high-need districts, each of which used the funds to support a select group of schools in implementing strategies that focused on school climate and culture, family engagement, systems to identify and address student needs, and community partnerships. Results from this study showed that students in Wraparound Zone schools performed better on state academic assessments than students in comparison schools, when considering prior achievement trends. Effects were statistically significant in the 3rd year of implementation. The impact on academic achievement was greatest for third- and fourth-grade students, and was particularly strong for English learners. There was no statistically significant overall impact on attendance, retention, or suspension.     

Students’ perception of EdD and PhD programmes in Hong Kong

The aim of this study is to explore the learning experiences of students enrolled on a Doctorate in Education programme in Hong Kong. The main questions are as follows. How do EdD students position themselves as doctoral candidates? How do EdD students experience their education in terms of scholarly expertise and scholarly identity? How do EdD students characterise their relationships with their supervisors? What perceptions do PhD students hold of the field of knowledge of EdD students and the value of an EdD degree? The data obtained from 10 semi-structured interviews in one selected institution are discussed with reference to the four main themes; distinction between EdD and PhD degrees: ‘co-existent’ vs. ‘separate’; positioning of EdD programme: title of doctor as ‘unfair’ vs. ‘deserved’; scholarly value: ‘insightful’ vs. ‘non-academic’; and relationship with supervisor: ‘independent and self-managed’ vs. ‘never equal, unlike the relationship between PhD student and supervisor’.