Developing a measurement tool for assessing physiotherapy students’ self-efficacy: a pilot study

The aim of this research was to determine if self-efficacy can be correlated with prior academic achievement and whether self-efficacy can be an outcome measure of education. A self-efficacy instrument was developed and administered to physiotherapy students following completion of their pre-clinical theory experience. The questionnaire results completed by students regarding their self-efficacy were compared with their pre-clinical theory performance prior to clinical placement. Sixteen third-year physiotherapy students completed and returned the self-efficacy questionnaire. Correlation of the self-efficacy questionnaire results with the students’ pre-clinical grade was undertaken with a statistical correlation of 0.55 found between pre-clinical grade and students’ total self-efficacy score. This indicates that self-efficacy measurement is a possible outcome for educational interventions.     

Crafting an Education Reform Agenda Through Economic Stimulus Policy

The economic stimulus enacted during President Obama's initial weeks included a down payment on his ambitious education reform agenda. By combining short-term policy with reform, the strategy gained his administration three advantages: a discretionary funding source with little Congressional scrutiny; flexibility in pursuing education reform goals without crowding out other policies on his agenda; and the ability to shape the national reform discussion for more than a year, without being constrained by negotiations over a specific piece of legislation. This article details the strategy and discusses whether the Obama administration's political dexterity can be matched by skill in fashioning institutional arrangements to ensure the long-term sustainability of these reforms.     

Intraseason changes in the body composition of collegiate female gymnasts

Body composition measures were collected pre‐, mid‐ and post‐season on a team of eight national‐calibre collegiate women gymnasts to examine intraseason changes. Also analysed were interseason changes using pre‐ and post‐season data on five of the eight subjects during the current and previous year, according to a 2 x 2 (years x tests) analysis of variance repeated‐measures design. Skinfold, circumference and diameter measures were collected with percentage body fat, lean body mass and body density determined by regression equations developed specifically for collegiate female gymnasts.

Intraseason body weight decreased significantly from pre‐ to mid‐season (x = 55.0 and 53.6 kg respectively); but the difference between mid‐ and post‐season (53.9 kg) values was not significant (P>0.05). The majority of the 1.4 kg weight loss occurred during intense pre‐season conditioning and not during the actual season. Percentage body fat, on the other hand, decreased significantly from pre‐to mid‐season and mid‐ to post‐season (x = 21.4%, 17.4% and 13.45% respectively; P<0.0005). Body density increased significantly from pre‐ to mid‐season and mid‐ to post‐season (x = 1.0476, 1.0584 and 1.0681 respectively; P<0.0005). Of the circumference and skinfold values used in calculating percentage body fat and body density, only the skinfold values displayed significant decreases throughout the season.

Interseason analyses revealed no significant changes in any of the dependent measures between seasons, despite consistent trends. There were no significant years x tests interactions and all intraseason changes for two seasons (n = 5) were the same as those found in more detailed analysis of a single season (n = 8) except in the case of weight loss, which was marginally significant (P < 0.046) in the single‐season and not in the dual‐season analysis (P>0.05).

Body composition of these gymnasts changed in many ways within competitive seasons. The most pronounced changes observed were decreases in subcutaneous fat and increases in body density. This study reinforces the need for administrators, coaches and athletes to be concerned with percentage body fat and skinfold measures rather than weight alone when determining if a person is ‘fat’.     

Training Tech Services’ Student Employees Well: Evidence-based Training Techniques in Conjunction with Coaching and Mentoring Strategies

Librarians in higher education who work in technical services must frequently rely on student employees to accomplish tasks previously assigned to professional staff. Hiring, training, managing, and mentoring student workers for the performance of high-level library functions can prove challenging. However, working side-by-side with student employees can be a positive experience when evidence-based training techniques and effective coaching and mentoring strategies are utilized. This article focuses on training techniques integrated with ongoing coaching and mentoring strategies to promote a positive work environment and motivated, successful student employees.     

Primary school websites in Ireland: how are they used to inform and involve parents?

Online sources are increasingly the most likely starting place when seeking information about any topic. Parents of prospective students may access school websites in advance of enrolling their child. Parents of current students are likely to access a school’s website for information about the school’s current activities or to learn more about the teaching and learning taking place in their child’s classroom. With a few notable exceptions, there is limited research on the quality of school websites internationally, particularly at primary level. For this paper, the online presence of 100 Irish primary schools was examined. Of the 90 schools for whom some web presence was established, information provided to parents of current students and parents of prospective students was examined. Findings show that primary school websites do not comprehensively address the information needs of either group of parents and highlight areas of potential improvement.     

Ego Integrity of Older People with Physical Disability and Therapeutic Recreation

Ego integrity, the last developmental task in Erikson's psychological theory, develops naturally among older people. However, the presence of loss–like physical disability–can considerably affect the quality of life, interactions, and well being of older adults. Hence, older people with physical disabilities need more assistance in accomplishing tasks of ego integrity. This study aimed to utilize traditional Filipino art to capture the essence of the lived experiences of a select group of older people with physical disabilities in relation to their ego integrity. Four Filipino elderly with physical disabilities were purposely selected for this study. Picture prompting and doodling sessions were held as pretest and posttest to ascertain the effectiveness of puni-making in facilitating ego integrity of participants. A series of interviews were pursued to elicit experiences and feelings of participants regarding their disability and old age. From the analysis of the triangulated set of data, two findings emerged. First, four activators of ego integrity, namely: work, family, belief in self and belief in God, were identified as essentials in the formation of the participants' ego-integrity. Second, shifts related to the activators were identified indicating ego integrity's source, meaning and connection elements have become more grounded, certain and integrated. The influence of puni-making in understanding the ego integrity of older people with disabilities was found to be a sound and novel recreational therapy. It can stimulate a select group of Filipino elderly for openness to share their subjective and yet illuminating life experiences.     

Biting the Hand

This column considers a wide range of issues concerning publishers, librarians, and academic authors from a personal perspective. It particularly focuses on the existence of marketing strategies when it comes to journal content, and considers what the role of all parties should be in the climate of publishing change.