Social understanding in the first years of school

This study focused on the nature of interpersonal understanding in 4- and 5-year-olds. Early childhood constitutes a critical transition period during which children become able to understand their own and others’ “inner world” as it relates to actions. A neo-Piagetian theoretical and analytic framework was used to study children’s understandings of interpersonal dynamics in the classroom context and their conceptions of roles and intentions of peers and teachers. Forty-two children responded to eight tasks that were designed to elicit their conceptions of peer and teacher intentions. These tasks were in the form of picture stories focused on nurturance, care, protection, and teaching events, followed by a semi-structured interview. Children also engaged in the “classroom model activity”; this activity focused on children’s understandings of their own and others’ social relationships and activities in the classroom. Hierarchical regression analyses showed level of understanding of others’ intentions to be a significant predictor of ability to analyze classroom experiences, and increased prediction with the addition of an interaction term for intentional understanding and use of verbs of intention.     

GPA,GMAT, and SCALE: A method for quantification of admissions criteria

Multiple regression analysis is used to establish a scale, measuring involvement in campus activities, work experience, technical background, references, and goals. This scale is then tested to see whether it improves the prediction of success in school. For graduate business students, previous studies have shown a coefficient of determination .14 when both GMAT score and grade point average are used. Introduction of the scale raises the coefficient to .19 for the 1976–1977 graduate class. Appropriate predictive cross-validation techniques indicate that the regression is validated on data from the 1980–1981 academic year. Using standard statistical computer software, any school can choose variables, experimentally build a scale, and test its predictive value. This type of scale helps to integrate much of the miscellaneous information collected on the standard college and graduate school application.     

Classroom and School Predictors of Civic Engagement Among Black and Latino Middle School Youth

This study used short‐term longitudinal data to examine the contributions of democratic teaching practices (e.g., the Developmental Designs approach) and equitable school climate to civic engagement attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors among 515 Black and Latino middle school students (47.9% male). Concurrent experiences of democratic homeroom and classroom practices, and equitable school climate were associated with higher scores on each civic engagement component. The relation between classroom practices and civic attitudes was more robust when school climate was seen as more equitable. Longitudinally, homeroom practices and equitable school climate predicted higher civic attitudes 1 year later. Discussion focuses on civic attitudes and future research on school experiences that support civic engagement among youth of color.     

Curriculum response to the crisis

PROSPECTS - Education is going through a period of crisis related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that most probably will follow a continuum organized into distinct phases: emergency, recovery,...     

不同水肥优化模式下冬小麦叶片生长及群体光分布研究

试验结果表明,与传统水肥相比较,传统灌溉-优化施肥冬小麦主茎上四叶叶片短小叶面积减少,叶片相对较厚,叶倾角大,株型紧凑,消光系数小,冠层各层透光率较高;优化灌溉-传统施肥冬小麦主茎上四叶叶片变长叶面积增加,叶片相对较薄,叶倾角小,株型较为披散,消光系数大,冠层各层透光率较低;优化水肥及秸秆还田优化水肥冬小麦主茎上四叶叶面积略微减少,叶片厚度、叶倾角、消光系数及各层透光率与传统水肥差异很小,株型较好;各处理间经济产量无显著性差异.     

Faster V̇O2 kinetics after priming exercises of different duration but same fatigue

This study compared the responses of two priming exercises of similar fatigue on the adjustment of the oxygen uptake time constant (τV?O₂) in cycling. Ten healthy young adults (25 ± 3 yr) performed: three step transitions from a 20-W baseline to the power output (PO) below the gas exchange threshold (MOD, MOD_PRE); a 3-min bout (P_3MIN) at 90% of peak PO (PO_peak), followed by MOD (MOD_3MIN); and a 6-min bout (P_6MIN) at 80% of PO_peak, followed by MOD (MOD_6MIN). The O₂ supply-to-O₂ demand ([HHb]/V?O₂) ratio was calculated for MOD_PRE, MOD_3MIN, and MOD_6MIN. Neuromuscular fatigue was measured isometrically pre- and post-priming exercise. Reductions in maximal voluntary contraction (?29 ± 6 vs ?34 ± 7%) and high-frequency doublet amplitude (?48 ± 13 vs ?43 ± 11%) were not significantly different between P_3MIN vs P_6MIN, suggesting similar fatigue. τV?O₂ for MOD_3MIN and MOD_6MIN were similar, being ~25% smaller than MOD_PRE. The [HHb]/V?O₂ ratio was significantly greater in MOD_PRE (1.13 ± 0.12) compared to MOD_3MIN (1.02 ± 0.04) and MOD_6MIN (1.02 ± 0.04). This study showed that priming exercise of shorter duration and higher intensity, was sufficient to accelerate V?O₂ kinetics similarly to that observed subsequent to P_6MIN when the muscle fatigue was similar.     

Modelling performance and skeletal muscle adaptations with exponential growth functions during resistance training

System theory is classically applied to describe and to predict the effects of training load on performance. The classic models are structured by impulse-type transfer functions, nevertheless, most biological adaptations display exponential growth kinetics. The aim of this study was to propose an extension of the model structure taking into account the exponential nature of skeletal muscle adaptations by using a genetic algorithm. Thus, the conventional impulse-type model was applied in 15 resistance trained rodents and compared with exponential growth-type models. Even if we obtained a significant correlation between actual and modelled performances for all the models, our data indicated that an exponential model is associated with more suitable parameters values, especially the time constants that correspond to the positive response to training. Moreover, positive adaptations predicted with an exponential component showed a strong correlation with the main structural adaptations examined in skeletal muscles, i.e. hypertrophy (R² = 0.87, 0.96 and 0.99, for type 1, 2A and 2X cross-sectional area fibers, respectively) and changes in fiber-type composition (R² = 0.81 and 0.79, for type 1 and 2A fibers, respectively). Thus, an exponential model succeeds to describe both performance variations with relevant time constants and physiological adaptations that take place during resistance training.