Activity profile of top-class association football referees in relation to fitness-test performance and match standard

The aim of this study was to examine the kinematic activity profiles, cardiovascular responses and physical fitness of top-class football referees (n=11) during the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005. Computerised match-analyses (n=9) were performed with a two-dimensional photogrammetric video system, and the cardiovascular demand imposed on the referees (n=12) was measured using heart rate recordings. Total distance covered was 10,218, s=643 m of which 3531, s=510 m was covered at high intensities (>3.6 m.s(-1)). Both total distance covered (r2=0.59; P=0.02) and high-intensity activities (r2=0.44; P=0.05) were related to the distance covered by the ball in the same match. The referees ran at high speed 37% further (P=0.01) in the actual tournament than during under-17 top-level officiating. After the 5-min interval during which high-speed running peaked, in the following 5 min the performance was reduced by 19% (P=0.01) in relation to the mean of the game. Mean heart rate was 161, s=9 b.min(-1) (86, s=3% of maximal heart rate (HRmax)). Mean heart rate (expressed as percentage of HRmax) was related in part (r2=0.36; P<0.01) to the number of high-intensity activities performed in the same 5-min interval. The results of this study show that: (1) kinematic activity profiles of top-class referees can be influenced by the distance covered by the ball; (2) the amount of high-speed running (>5 m.s(-1)) best describes the physical performance of referees; (3) heart rate recording can be a useful tool to determine the most intense periods of a match and (4) the new fitness tests adopted by FIFA were poor predictors of match activities.     

The implications of a connectivist learning blog model and the changing role of teaching and learning

While the use of Web 2.0 tools and specifically blogs is becoming increasingly popular within higher education (HE) and has been shown to promote learning, relatively little is known about the manner in which such tools may affect how teaching and learning may change as a result of the use of such tools. It is within this context that a connectivist learning model was created and has been further developed within this paper in order to consider the implications of how the use of blogs may change the manner in which teaching and learning occurs. Within this research, a case study of the use of collective student blogs utilized as part of a formally assessed module, undertaken within an HE institution, is utilized to explore the manner in which teaching and learning can be seen to change through a connectivist learning model of blog usage. From this case study, it appears that connectivism does provide a theoretical model for the way in which teaching and learning may change as a result of the use of blogs by learners. However, the experience of staff and students who undertook the project suggests that while a number of elements of the connectivist model can be identified, these are not seen universally among all students.     

Attenuation by contextual cues of retroactive interference of a conditional discrimination in rats

We investigated the effect of associating unique contextual cues with an interpolated learning task on retroactive interference in long-term memory. Rats were originally trained in a two-bar operant chamber with an auditory conditional discrimination stimulus. During interpolated learning, which occurred in either the original or a new context, some rats were trained on a probability learning task that did not include the auditory stimuli present during original learning. Subsequent retraining on the original conditional discrimination task in the original context showed that (1) significant retroactive interference occurs in rats, and (2) the presence of unique contextual cues during interpolated learning significantly reduces this interference. These results extend the conditions under which the susceptibility to retroactive interference can be altered by contextual cues.     

Self‐Efficacy of First‐Generation and Non‐First‐Generation College Students: The Relationship With Academic Performance and College Adjustment

The authors examined whether self‐efficacy mediated the relationship between generational status and 2 academic outcome indicators of 192 college students. A mediation effect was not found with either academic performance or college adjustment. However, high self‐efficacy at the beginning of the year predicted better college adjustment at the end of the 1st year. For college students in general, high self‐efficacy was related to better college adjustment. Recommendations for counselors are discussed.     

Research and Teacher Education: A Philippines Perspective

The foundations of teacher education in the Philippines were laid by the Spanish government during the mid-eighteenth century. It is said to have begun on August 4, 1765, when King Charles of Spain issued a Royal Decree requiring each village to have a “maestro.” On November 28, 1772, another Royal Decree specified the qualifications of teachers. However, it was not until 1863 that there was a specific attempt to systematize and update the education of Filipino teachers. That year, another Royal Decree was passed to modernize different aspects of Philippine education.