Electronic Learning Delivery Systems: A Selection Model

Electronic learning delivery systems discussed include satellite networks, teleconferencing, Internet/Intranet networks, desktop multimedia, electronic performance support systems (EPSS), transportable audio/video (i.e., systems relying primarily on physically transportable audio-and videotaped materials), and the electronically enhanced classroom. Selecting one of these systems can be a daunting task when all relevant issues are considered. The selection model described in this article narrows the choices to the system most likely to be instructionally, economically, and technologically appropriate. After establishing working definitions, the model suggests four stages of user activity: 1) Assessing several important overall factors, including outcomes and conditions of learning, economics, synchronicity and location, and organizational culture; 2) Rating the importance of several learning system attributes to the training project; 3) Selecting the system that most ideally supports the attributes which the user has rated as important; and finally, 4) Validating the selection by reviewing the final choice in light of first stage overall factors.     

Does exercise have a protective effect on cognitive function under hypoxia? A systematic review with meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine (1) the independent effects of hypoxia on cognitive function and (2) the effects of exercise on cognition while under hypoxia.MethodsDesign: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsychInfo, and SPORTDiscus were searched. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized controlled studies that investigated the effects of chronic or acute exercise on cognition under hypoxia were considered (Aim 2), as were studies investigating the effects of hypoxia on cognition (Aim 1).ResultsIn total, 18 studies met our inclusionary criteria for the systematic review, and 12 studies were meta-analyzed. Exposure to hypoxia impaired attentional ability (standardized mean difference (SMD) = –0.4), executive function (SMD = –0.18), and memory function (SMD = –0.26), but not information processing (SMD = 0.27). Aggregated results indicated that performing exercise under a hypoxia setting had a significant effect on cognitive improvement (SMD = 0.3, 95% confidence interval: 0.14 – 0.45, I² = 54%, p < 0.001). Various characteristics (e.g., age, cognitive task type, exercise type, exercise intensity, training type, and hypoxia level) moderated the effects of hypoxia and exercise on cognitive function.ConclusionExercise during exposure to hypoxia improves cognitive function. This association appears to be moderated by individual and exercise/hypoxia-related characteristics.     

传播与变迁:太极拳在英国的发展历程与传播动力

通过分析与太极拳在英国传播相关的书籍、期刊、报纸以及网站等介质的文本内容,结合实地调研对太极拳在英国的传播历程以及传播与变迁的动力学因素进行研究。认为:太极拳在英国的传播过程可划分为“道教文化”启蒙阶段、“杨式太极”主导阶段、“多家流派”发展阶段;其传播变迁的动力学因素主要包括太极拳的健康和技击动力因素、中国香港的交流枢纽因素、“功夫热潮”的宣传动力因素、海外华人移民的传播动力因素、“改革开放”与“文化走出去”战略的政治动力因素等。     

The usefulness for psychoeducational evaluation of preassessment screening for sensory-motor and perceptual encoding deficits

Information-processing theory and research suggest that a careful examination of the input levels of processing is an essential prerequisite to the accurate assessment of higher levels of cognition. This paper describes a preassessment screening procedure to evaluate sensory-motor and perceptual encoding processes of children referred for psychoeducational assessment. In addition, an investigation of the diagnostic utility of the screening procedure is presented. Assessment procedures and outcomes for 18 children screened for encoding deficits were compared with those of a comparison group of 23 children whose psychoeducational evaluation at the same clinic did not include the screening procedure. Results demonstrate the potential usefulness of preassessment screening for encoding deficits to inform and supplement traditional psychometric measures of intellectual functioning.     

Standardization of a scale for the study of children's learning styles: Structure,stability, and criterion validity

Conventional approaches to early assessment and intervention for young school children focus primarily upon notions of general intelligence, academic readiness, personality, and perceptual integrity. However, such concepts are grounded largely in hypothetical constructs that provide little information to those carrying out enrichment and remediation programs. Alternatively, the concept of learning style focuses upon the phenomenology of potentially changeable or teachable behaviors manifested in common learning situations. The 16-item Study of Children's Learning Styles rating scale was completed by teachers for 1,513 kindergarten children from diverse community, racial, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation revealed three distinct styles of learning-related behavior; i.e., Avoidant, Inattentive, and Overly Independent. These dimensions were found to retain substantial internal consistency, as well as retest and interobserver reliability. Learning styles were validated against the criteria of teacher-assigned grades and standardized achievement scores gathered one year later, and were compared to a concurrent measure of general intelligence. Each style was related to other behavioral dimensions not devoted exclusively to the learning process.