Exploratory Analysis of a Blended-learning Course Redesign for Developmental Writers

This quasiexperimental investigation describes the relative effects of a technology-driven course redesign on retention and achievement in a developmental writing program at a large, urban community college in the southwest United States. The new program focused on student learning and included online as well as face-to-face components that allowed students to complete the program in half the usual time in most cases. On average, students enrolled in the new program had lower placement test scores compared to students in the old program, but the gap was closed in the subsequent test and English course. Details of the redesign and challenges to conducting educational research and data analysis in community colleges are provided for other 2-year colleges considering course redesigns intended to impact student success.     

The Impact of Teacher Study Groups in Vocabulary on Teaching Practice,Teacher Knowledge,and Student Vocabulary Knowledge: A Large-Scale Replication Study

The purpose of this replication study was to examine the impact of the Teacher Study Group (TSG) professional development in vocabulary on first-grade teachers' knowledge of vocabulary instruction and observed teaching practice, and on students' vocabulary knowledge. Sixty-two schools from 16 districts in four states were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. A total of 182 first-grade teachers and their 1,811 students formed the sample. Treatment teachers received the TSG professional development from October to March. Teachers in the business-as-usual control condition received school/district professional development. A multilevel analysis was conducted to detect impacts. Significant impacts were found for teacher knowledge and observed teaching practice. No impacts were found at the student level.     

The Dynamics and Macro Strategy of Structural Reform in Higher Education in China: Case Study of Two Critical Periods (1949–1960 and 1998–2009)

The development of the higher education system in China has experienced huge changes alongside the transitions in the socio-economic milieu since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Among the major structural transformations of higher education, the reform during the 1950s and the one from 1998 to 2009 can be seen as two typical cases and manifestations of macro strategy modulation. Both reforms were driven by the need of strengthening and empowering the nation as a whole through the advancement of higher education. But the 1950s reforms featured the perpetuation of state control, highly centralized resource allocation, and authoritarian administration, while the 1998–2009 period reflected the transition from a planned to a market economy in higher education, manifested in an increased weight given to market forces, the enlarged autonomy of higher education institutions (HEIs) and expanded government guidance instead of mere state control. The paper will take the two periods as cases to show why and how the reforms were formulated and what directions they are leading towards.     

Reading for 11–13-year-old students in the digital age: New Zealand case studies

In New Zealand schools, the focus continues to be on improving the reading achievement of all students situated across a range of socio-economic groups. This is particularly so for our young adolescent students, where research investigations have indicated some concerning trends which influence reading development for this age group. This research explored 11—13-year-old students in six case-study schools in New Zealand. Year 7 and 8 teachers and the principals of the six schools were interviewed. The research found changing use of information communication technologies to engage and motivate these young adolescents in reading. In some of the case-study schools, the increased use of iPads and laptops during reading facilitated a means of high interest engagement in reading for contextual purposes. The variance of access to a reliable infrastructure impacted on some schools’ ability to effectively integrate digital technologies within their literacy programmes.     

Algebraic thinking,pattern activities and knowledge for teaching at the transition between primary and secondary school

We were interested in exploring the extent to which advanced mathematics lecturers provide students with opportunities to play a role in considering or generating course content. To do this, we examined the questioning practices of 11 lecturers who taught advanced mathematics courses at the university level. Because we are unaware of other studies examining advanced mathematics lecturers’ questioning, we first analyzed the data using an open coding scheme to categorize the types of content lecturers solicited and the opportunities they provided students to participate in generating course content. In a second round of analysis, we examined the extent to which lecturers provide students with opportunities to generate mathematical contributions and to engage in reasoning that researchers have identified as important in advanced mathematics. Our findings highlight that, although lecturers asked many questions, lecturers did not provide substantial opportunities for students to participate in generating mathematical content and reasoning. Additionally, we provide several examples of lecturers providing students with some opportunities to generate important contributions. We conclude by providing implications and areas for future research.     

Effects of roller massager on muscle recovery after exercise-induced muscle damage

Two experiments (n = 10) were conducted to determine the effects of roller massager (RM) on ankle plantar flexor muscle recovery after exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Experiment 1 examined both functional [i.e., ankle plantar flexion maximal isometric contraction and submaximal (30%) sustained force; ankle dorsiflexion maximal range of motion and resistance to stretch; and medial gastrocnemius pain pressure threshold] and morphological [cross-sectional area, thickness, fascicle length, and fascicle angle] variables, before and immediately, 1, 24, 48, and 72 h after an EIMD stimulus. Experiment 2 examined medial gastrocnemius deoxyhaemoglobin concentration kinetics before and 48 h after EIMD. Participants performed both experiments twice: with (RM) and without (no-roller massager; NRM) the application of a RM (6 × 45 s; 20-s rest between sets). RM intervention did not alter the functional impairment after EIMD, as well as the medial gastrocnemius morphology and oxygenation kinetics (P > 0.05). Although, an acute increase of ipsilateral (RM = + 19%, NRM = ?5%, P = 0.032) and a strong tendency for contralateral (P = 0.095) medial gastrocnemius pain pressure threshold were observed. The present results suggest that a RM has no effect on plantar flexors performance, morphology, and oxygenation recovery after EIMD, except for muscle pain pressure threshold (i.e., a soreness).     

The AGTR2 rs11091046 (A>C) polymorphism and power athletic status in top-level Brazilian athletes

The main purpose of this study was to investigate if the rs11091046 (A>C) polymorphism in AGTR2 gene is associated with athletic status in top-level athletes from Brazil. Since the AGTR2 gene is located on the X chromosome, the case-control association study was done separately for women and men. The female cohort was composed of 205 athletes and 241 non-athletes, and the male cohort was composed of 419 athletes and 490 non-athletes. We did not identify an association between the C-allele and the endurance phenotype. However, power athletes had a higher frequency of the A-allele. In women, A/A genotype was overrepresented in international-level power group compared with non-athletes or international-level endurance athletes (23.2% vs. 16.6% or 8.8%, respectively; p < 0.05). In men, the A-allele frequency observed in power athletes or international-level power athletes was statistically different from that observed in non-athletes (51.6% or 57.8% vs. 40.4%; p < 0.009). Furthermore, men sprinters with the A-allele showed significantly faster personal best times for the 100 m than those with the C-allele (10.56 ± 0.32 s vs. 10.93 ± 0.49 s; p < 0.02). In conclusion, it was found that the AGTR2 A-allele is a candidate genetic marker for top-level power athletes.     

Can a teacher-led RCT improve adolescent girls’ physical self-perception and perceived motor competence?

Perceived and actual motor competence (MC) influence physical activity (PA) behaviour. Notably, both are lower in girls than in boys. This study aimed to investigate (i) whether a 12-week, teacher-led intervention that improves actual MC (Lander, N., Morgan, P. J., Salmon, J., & Barnett, L. M. (2017). Improving early-adolescent girls’ motor skill: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 49(12), 2498–2505) could also improve adolescent girls’ physical self-perception and perceived MC, and (ii) whether change in actual MC is associated with post-intervention perceptions A randomized controlled trial with 171 girls (mean age 12.48 ± 0.34 years), measured perception (i.e., physical self-perception profile (PSPP) and pictorial scale of perceived movement skill competence (PMSC)) and actual MC (i.e., Victorian FMS Teachers’ Assessment Manual). Mixed models with post-intervention perception as the outcome, adjusting for baseline perception, group, and change in actual MC, as well as clustering, were performed. An interaction term between change in MC and intervention status was included to test the secondary aim. There were significant intervention effects on girls’ physical self-perception as well as their perceived MC. However, there was no association between change in actual MC across the intervention and post intervention perception. While the intervention improved both actual MC and perceived MC, they were not associated.     

Injury rates and characteristics in recreational,elite student and professional dancers: A systematic review

The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature and synthesise the evidence on injury rates and characteristics in recreational, elite student, and professional dancers. Five online databases were searched from inception to January 2018 and screened by two independent reviewers. Primary research studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported injury rates in recreational, elite student, and/or professional dancers of any genre and measured individual dance exposure at the hour, event, or day level. Sixteen studies were included, with only three studies incorporating recreational dancers. Reported injury incidence rates were less than 5 injuries per 1,000 dance hours, however substantially different definitions and methods for measuring injury and dance exposure were used. Based on the current evidence there is not an identifiable difference in injury rate or characteristics between recreational, elite student, and professional dancers. However, there remains a lack of high quality comprehensive data available across levels and genres of dance participation, and greater focus on consistency and completeness of reporting in dance injury research is still required.     

Day-level sedentary pattern estimates derived from hip-worn accelerometer cut-points in 8–12-year-olds: Do they reflect postural transitions?

Improving sedentary measurement is critical to understanding sedentary-health associations in youth. This study assessed agreement between the thigh-worn activPAL and commonly used hip-worn ActiGraph accelerometer methods for assessing sedentary patterns in children. Both devices were worn by 8–12-year-olds (N = 195) for 4.6 ± 1.9 days. Two ActiGraph cut-points were applied to two epoch durations: ≤25 counts (c)/15 s, ≤75c/15s, ≤100c/60s, and ≤300c/60s. Bias, mean absolute deviation (MAD), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) tested agreement between devices for total sedentary time and 11 sedentary pattern variables (usual bout duration, sedentary time accumulated in various bout durations, breaks/day, break rate, and alpha). For most sedentary pattern variables, ActiGraph 25c/15s, 75c/15s, and 100c/60s had poor ICCs, with bias and MAD >20%. ActiGraph 300c/60s had a better agreement than the other cut-points, but all ICCs were <0.587. ActiGraph underestimated sedentary time in longer bouts and usual bout duration, and overestimated sedentary time in shorter bouts, breaks/day, and alpha. For total sedentary time, ActiGraph 25c/15s, 300c/60s, and 75c/15s had good/fair ICCs, with bias and MAD <20%. Sedentary patterns derived from two commonly used ActiGraph cut-points did not appear to reflect postural changes. These differences between measurement devices should be considered when interpreting findings from sedentary pattern studies.