Remapping French higher education: towards a multi-tiered higher education system?

Tertiary Education and Management - The global trend of increasing participation rates, coupled with regional goals to increase participation in higher education, such as the...     

Arm coordination in elite backstroke swimmers

In this study, we assessed arm coordination in the backstroke over increasing speeds by adapting the index of coordination originally used in the front crawl. Fourteen elite male backstroke swimmers swam four trials of 25 m at the speeds corresponding to the 400-m, 200-m, 100-m, and 50-m events. The six phases of the arm stroke were identified by video analysis and then used to calculate the index of coordination, which corresponded to the time between the propulsive phases of the two arms. With increases in speed, the elite swimmers increased the stroke rate, the relative duration of their arm pull, and their index of coordination, and decreased the distance per stroke (P < 0.05). Arm coordination was always in catch-up (index of coordination of -12.9%) because the alternating body-roll and the small shoulder flexibility did not allow the opposition or superposition coordination seen in the front crawl. This new method also quantified the relative duration of the hand's lag time at the thigh, which did not change ( approximately 2%) with increasing speed for the elite swimmers. The index of coordination enables coaches to assess mistakes in backstroke coordination, particularly in the hand's lag time at the thigh.     

Arm coordination and performance level in the 400-m front crawl

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Index of Coordination (IdC) and the propulsive phase durations can differentiate performance level during a maximal 400-m front crawl swim trial. Sixteen male swimmers constituted two groups based on performance level (G1: experts; G2: recreational). All participants swam the 400-m front crawl at maximal speed. Video analysis determined the stroke (swimming speed, stroke length, stroke rate) and coordination (IdC) parameters for every 50 m. Both stroke and coordination parameters discriminated performance level. The expert group had significantly higher values for speed and stroke length and lower values for the relative propulsive phase duration and IdC (p < .05). However there was no significant change in coordination parameters for either group throughout the trial. This suggests that, when associated with greater stroke length, catch-up coordination can be an efficient coordination mode that reflects optimal drag/propulsion adaptation. This finding provides new insight into swimmers' adaptations in a middle-distance event.     

Coordination profiles of the expert field hockey drive according to field roles

The aim of this study was to determine coordination profiles for the field hockey drive. Nine elite female players performed five drives each. They were asked to primarily maximize ball placement accuracy, and secondly to drive with high velocity. An optical motion capture system recorded the displacement of six markers on the joints of the players' arms as they performed the drives, and a radar gun measured the ball velocity after impact. Spatial, temporal, and velocity variables were then established. Discrete relative phases were also established at ball impact to examine medio-lateral and proximo-distal upper-arms coordination. The high standard deviation values in joint kinematics were indicative of inter-individual variability, i.e. several drive solutions. Cluster analysis was thus used and two profiles among the players were identified. For the two profiles, the global coordination pattern of movement (upper-arm coordination) was in-phase for the right arm, and out-of-phase for the left lead arm, suggesting a segmental sequencing. However, differences were noted on local kinematic parameters which led to the following categorization: the 'strong group' for defenders and the 'temporal-effectiveness group' for midfielders and forwards. The results support the value of individual analysis to better interpret and contrast the distinct roles of expert players.     

Methodological Options and their Implications: An Example Using Secondary Data to Analyze Latino Educational Expectations

A number of studies over decades have examined determinants of educational expectations. However, even among the subset of quantitative studies, there is considerable variation in the methods used to operationally define and analyze expectations. Using a systematic literature review and several regression methods to analyze Latino students’ educational expectations, this study presents significantly different results based on important, but often overlooked, methodological choices. Broad implications of these findings are discussed for individual higher education research projects, for a body of literature as a whole, and for multiple stakeholders in various phases of the research process.     

Examining the Impact of Interdisciplinary Programs on Student Learning

We investigated how learning outcomes of students majoring in interdisciplinary fields differ from those of students in discipline-based majors. We found that students in interdisciplinary majors report less change in Critical Thinking and Need For Cognition than their peers in disciplinary majors, but no difference in change in Positive Attitude Toward Literacy. Students’ gains in Critical Thinking and Need For Cognition do not vary by the characteristics of the interdisciplinary major, but some program characteristics influence modest changes in Positive Attitudes Toward Literacy. Future research should address selection effects, develop measures of interdisciplinary learning, and further explore curricular and instructional patterns in interdisciplinary programs.     

The Comparison of Physiological Responses from Cycling on Friction-Braked and Electromagnetic Ergometers

Despite the apparent benefits of Title IX, the implementation of the law remains controversial, and there are divergent beliefs regarding its impact on collegiate sport. The purpose of this study was to examine how members of a university community, whose intercollegiate sport programs have changed, perceive and make sense of Title IX and the changes it incurred. Using a gendered lens (Birrell, 2000) and qualitative interviews with 13 individuals connected to the university community, insight was gained into their perceptions of Title IX and women's and men's athletic opportunities. The theme of opportunity gained and lost was central to how these individuals perceive Title IX and resonates with the liberal (feminist) concerns out of which Title IX was born.     

Understanding Christian privilege: Managing the tensions of spiritual plurality

Bucolic chapels, Sundays off, and breaks atChristmas are regular reminders that much of American higher education was founded by Christians who transferred their faith's traditions from the church to the campus.As colleges and universities become increasinglydiverse, inclusiveness means making room for the spiritual practices of all.     

Teaching and learning in a multilingual Europe: findings from a cross-European study

School classrooms within the EU are multilingual learning environments. The diversity of pupils in classrooms raises significant challenges for teachers, but to date, there are no data from large-scale surveys that compare views within and across European countries. A bespoke questionnaire was designed to examine views of current classroom learning environments with respect to the multilingualism. The questionnaire was piloted and subsequently completed by 2792 teachers across different European countries. Eleven countries provided sufficient data for analyses. Results from structural equation modelling showed that teachers’ attitudes could be reliably measured across Europe with the use of carefully devised questionnaire, whose loading and factor structure remained invariant across countries. Teachers’ views about multilingualism were most challenged by the numbers of children in their classes, not the percentage of multilingual pupils in the class. Countries differed in how they perceived multilingualism, with their differences leading to distinctive country clusters. Gender and education level (elementary vs. secondary) differences were also observed irrespective of country. These findings enhance our understanding of the role that the characteristics of teachers and their classrooms play in a multilingual setting across diverse European settings. The practical relevance of the results and new opportunities for teacher training are discussed.