Mathematical problem posing as a measure of curricular effect on students' learning

In this study, we used problem posing as a measure of the effect of middle-school curriculum on students' learning in high school. Students who had used a standards-based curriculum in middle school performed equally well or better in high school than students who had used more traditional curricula. The findings from this study not only show evidence of strengths one might expect of students who used the standards-based reform curriculum but also bolster the feasibility and validity of problem posing as a measure of curriculum effect on student learning. In addition, the findings of this study demonstrate the usefulness of employing a qualitative rubric to assess different characteristics of students' responses to the posing tasks. Instructional and methodological implications of this study, as well as future directions for research, are discussed.     

An investigation of commitment among participants in an extended day physical activity program.

This study examined underserved youth participants' perceptions of commitment to an extended day physical activity program using Hellison's (1995) responsibility model. Seven participants ranging in age from 12 to 15 years participated in the study. Two personal interviews and a focus group interview were used to obtain participants' perceptions ofprogram commitment. Results revealed that program organization, personal characteristics, development of interpersonal relationships, and the program environment influenced their program commitment. Participants described the nature of commitment in terms of program behavior, emotional involvement, and program history. While the type of activity was cited as a positive influence on program commitment, the specific activity could also serve as a barrier to program commitment. Implications for program development andfuture research are offered.     

Distributive Justice in Education and Conflicting Interests: Not (Remotely) as Bad as you Think

The importance of education and its profound effect on people's life make it a central issue in discussions of distributive justice. However, promoting distributive justice in education comes at a price: prioritising the education of some, as is often entailed by the principles of justice, inevitably has negative effects on the education of others. As a result, all theories of distributive justice in education face the challenge of balancing their requirements with conflicting interests. This article aims to contribute to developing an account of conflicting interests by identifying a category of conflicting interests—non‐positional conflicting interests—the realisation of which does not necessarily disrupt distributive justice. Non‐positional conflicting interests include, for example, the interest in realising one's full potential and parents’ interest in familial relations. The article argues that the core dimensions of non‐positional conflicting interests can usually be realised without upsetting distributive justice, and that actions that do upset distributive justice tend to be peripheral to these interests. Either way, there is no severe friction between distributive justice and non‐positional conflicting interests: in the former cases, both are realised simultaneously. In the latter, tension exists; however, because the infringement on the conflicting interest is of relatively little weight, it is often justified, all things considered, in order to promote distributive justice. The conclusion is that while there are indeed cases in which distributive justice must retreat in the face of other interests, the friction between distributive justice and other interests is actually weaker than meets the eye.     

Educational needs of the talented

Children with specific talents have particular needs that must be recognized if that talent is to be nurtured.     

A cross‐cultural study of teacher perspectives on teacher roles and adoption of online collaborative learning in higher education

This study aims to understand teachers’ perspectives on their roles in higher education, their views about the adoption of a social‐constructivist approach to teaching and learning and the integration of online collaborative learning in blended learning environments in higher education from a cross cultural perspective. We interviewed 60 Chinese teachers from Beijing Normal University and Capital Normal University in Beijing, China and 30 Flemish teachers from Ghent University in Flanders, Belgium. The results revealed differences as well as specific similarities in perspectives between the Chinese and Flemish university teachers. The cultural and educational context is taken into consideration when discussing the results.     

Techniques and considerations for determining isoinertial upper-body power

Power is an integral aspect of many sports. Although power output of the lower body is often measured during jumping and cycling movements, much less is known about power as pertains to the upper body musculature. Recently, isoinertial methods--with constant gravitational load--of power testing have become common, but little is known of the reliability and criterion validity of these tests as they pertain to sport performance. In addition, the varied methodology makes a lucid model more evasive. The aims of this review are to examine the various methods of assessing upper body power, to establish its role in predicting athletic performance, and to assess the body of literature that has assessed power output of the upper extremities by isoinertial methods. To our knowledge, only two studies on isoinertial upper-body power have shown a direct correlation to sporting ability (Baker, 2001; Baker et al., 2001); therefore, many unanswered questions exist as to the efficacy of these tests as predictors of athletic ability or as a method to track athletes' training over time. From this review we hope to allow the sport coach to assess the overall utility of these tests in terms of availability, safety and external validity.