Attributions in a mastery instructional system: Is an emphasis on effort harmful?

Self-worth theorists have claimed that students of lower ability may reduce effort in likely failure situations to avoid the attribution of poor performance to their own incompetence. The likely success of mastery learning, an instructional technique stressing student persistence, has been questioned because of this phenomenon. Several studies which examined the hypothesized relationship between achievement, effort, and perceived ability within a mastery context were conducted. In none of the studies did it appear that students reduced effort because of the threat of failure or that expending effort led to lower estimates of ability. In fact, students expending effort rated their ability as having a more positive influence on performance than less persistent students. It is argued that mastery learning, like some achievement change programs, encourages students to attribute their performance to their level of effort.     

The diffusion of moisture in sorbent solids part II. activated alumina

Ordinary and thermal diffusion of moisture in activated alumina are investigated using a new diffusion cell design and scheme of analysis reported earlier. The specific form of the mass flux equation has a pronounced effect on the magnitude of the associated thermal diffusion ratio. In the case of activated alumina-moist air, if a partial pressure gradient is used, then the thermal diffusion term is small if not zero.Free, Knudsen and surface diffusion all play a part in the diffusion through activated alumina. However, surface diffusion makes the major contribution and for this reason the model in this case can be simplified to a two parameter surface model.The activation energy for surface diffusion is constant and is approximately equal to the mean isosteric heat of absorption. In addition, mean pore radius, turtuosity, and other physical constants are computed from the least square fit of experimental data. Furthermore, the model is theoretically consistent over the entire concentration range (0≦ C_A ≦ C_Asat).A new fact about activated alumina (Grade F1) it that it does not transfer moisture in a nonisothermal condition so long as the partial pressures of moisture on the two sides of the pellet are the same. There appears to be no previous report of this fact in the periodical literature.     

The relationship between shoulder alignment and elbow joint angle in cricket fast-medium bowlers

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between shoulder alignment and elbow angle during the delivery action of fast-medium bowlers. The elbow and upper trunk alignment were recorded for 13 high-performance bowlers (mean age 20 years) using a 12-camera Vicon motion analysis system operating at 250 Hz. The three highest velocity trials for "good" and "short" length deliveries were analysed. Results showed that bowlers with a more front-on shoulder alignment at back-foot impact and when the upper arm was horizontal to the ground experienced a significantly greater elbow flexion--extension range when compared with those who had a more side-on orientation at the same point in the delivery action. Bowlers with greater shoulder counter-rotation also recorded higher elbow flexion and subsequently extension during the period from upper arm horizontal to ball release. Shoulder alignment and elbow angles were similar for "short" and "good" length deliveries. It was concluded that bowlers with a more front-on shoulder orientation at back-foot impact demonstrated a higher elbow extension from upper arm horizontal to ball release and are therefore more likely to infringe International Cricket Council elbow tolerance levels, compared with those who adopt a more side-on shoulder orientation at back-foot impact.     

Demonstration of Classroom Survival Skills in Kindergarten: A five-year transition study of children with intellectual disabilities

Thirty-three children with a range of intellectual disabilities who participated in a transition program embedded within a model inclusive preschool program were enrolled in mainstream kindergarten classes from 1995 to 1999. In the second of four kindergarten terms the classroom survival skills, on-task behaviour across a range of activities and following teacher directions, were measured by observing the children with intellectual disabilities and a typical peer, nominated by each classroom teacher. While the teacher-nominated peers outperformed the students with intellectual disabilities in total time-on-task, the level achieved by the children with intellectual disabilities was still at the lower end of what is regarded as average. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in on-task behaviour during independent activities but the difference between the groups during whole class instruction was highly significant. This may have implications for the selection of strategies for preparing children for transition and the adaptation of teaching practices. On-task behaviour did not vary a great deal across level of intellectual disability but gender may have been a contributing factor. There appeared to be a greater difference between students with and without disabilities in responding to teacher directions. The results of the present study suggest that successful demonstration of these critical skills requires more appropriate teacher preparation and intervention at the kindergarten level.     

Maximum temperature in fixed-bed sorption columns and isosteric heats of adsorption

Heat effects in fixed-bed sorption columns are often quite large and have a pronounced effect on the sorption kinetics. Proper design of such systems must include consideration of these effects.A method is developed for computing the maximum possible bed temperature. The model is tested on two systems: (1) the Linde molecular sieve 4 A/water system and (2) the Alcoa activated alumina F-1/water system. Since the predicted temperatures appeared to be low for the latter system, the model was refined by the inclusion of the isosteric integral heat of adsorption. Tests on the activated alumina show considerable improvement.The isosteres of two sorption therm correlations are investigated. The results show that the heat of adsorption of water on the alumina varies logarithmically with sorbate concentration—approaching high values at low concentrations and approaching the heat of vaporization of water at high concentrations. The results also suggest that the isosteric heat of adsorption behavior may be of use in assessing the “goodness of fit” of sorption therm correlations.     

The role of effort in moderating the anxiety-performance relationship: Testing the prediction of processing efficiency theory in simulated rally driving

We tested some of the key predictions of processing efficiency theory using a simulated rally driving task. Two groups of participants were classified as either dispositionally high or low anxious based on trait anxiety scores and trained on a simulated driving task. Participants then raced individually on two similar courses under counterbalanced experimental conditions designed to manipulate the level of anxiety experienced. The effort exerted on the driving tasks was assessed though self-report (RSME), psychophysiological measures (pupil dilation) and visual gaze data. Efficiency was measured in terms of efficiency of visual processing (search rate) and driving control (variability of wheel and accelerator pedal) indices. Driving performance was measured as the time taken to complete the course. As predicted, increased anxiety had a negative effect on processing efficiency as indexed by the self-report, pupillary response and variability of gaze data. Predicted differences due to dispositional levels of anxiety were also found in the driving control and effort data. Although both groups of drivers performed worse under the threatening condition, the performance of the high trait anxious individuals was affected to a greater extent by the anxiety manipulation than the performance of the low trait anxious drivers. The findings suggest that processing efficiency theory holds promise as a theoretical framework for examining the relationship between anxiety and performance in sport.