Skills for Life: insights from the new ‘professionals’

This article originates in a networking project that facilitated the coming together of a group of Skills for Life (SfL) teachers from different Further Education (FE) contexts across the West Midlands region of England. The original impetus was to explore and develop a model of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that was shaped by the needs of SfL teachers. The project created a forum in which the participants were empowered to share their experiences outside their college settings. Through this discursive process a textured picture emerged of similar experiences and common concerns. The congruence of these experiences suggested that, in certain respects, there was a degree of commonality across the various FE institutions the participants were working in, at least in the way that SfL provision was taking place. Furthermore, the data yielded specific insights into the meaning of professionalism for SfL practitioners. Foremost amongst these findings was the sense that the participants felt marginalised and perceived their professional identity as situated on the bottom rung in a hierarchy of subject specialisms. Another important outcome that related to CPD was that through participation in the network project, these teachers reported feeling that despite the managerialised nature of their workplaces, their agency was re‐energised and their sense of themselves as teachers affirmed.     

Why do children not play in nearby nature? Results from a Norwegian survey

Based on a nationwide Norwegian survey among 3160 parents of children aged 6–12 years, this article identifies and discusses barriers for children’s engagement with nearby nature. A set of social factors related to time pressure are evaluated as more significant barriers than environmental factors such as accessibility, safety and landscape quality. Children’s free play in nearby nature does not seem to be an alternative to a target-orientated and time-scheduled everyday life. Instead, parents give themselves, other adults and public institutions more responsibility to stimulate increased nature contact. Despite strong traditions in outdoor life and good accessibility to nearby nature, social and cultural trends seem to influence children’s engagement with nature in the same way in ‘Green Norway’ as it does in many other European countries. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of policy and promotion according to nature management and adults’ roles.     

A scoping review of individual differences in information seeking behavior and retrieval research between 2000 and 2015

Individual differences have long been of interest in information science as they bear on the design of information systems and services for specific populations. Yet little is known as to which individual differences make a difference to search outcomes, both across applications and for diverse user groups. A scoping study of information seeking and retrieval research from 2000 to 2015 was conducted. Over 2100 articles retrieved from eight scholarly databases were screened based on title, abstract, and full-text (using specified inclusion criteria), resulting in 223 papers for analysis. Data were extracted to provide an overview of the literature, including types of individual differences studied, publication volume over time, measures, samples, and study outcomes. Findings are inconclusiveness regarding how individual differences affect search outcomes, and raise issues around measurement and generalizability. This study represents an essential first step to developing a more systematic investigation of individual differences research and connecting individual research studies to anchor and guide future work.     

Canada

THE INTRODUCTION OF PAY-TV IN CANADA: ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS edited by R. Brien Woodrow and Kenneth B. Woodside (Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy/Brookfield, Vt.: Renouf USA, 1982---$14.95, paper)

Two recent publications from the CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, Ottawa Ont. K1A ONZ---free on request)

Ministry of Communications (two publications)

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION INDUSTRY CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (Canadian Busi.-less Equipment Manufacturers Association, 1 Yorkdale Rd., Suite 212, Toronto, Ontario M6A 3A1---$50.00, paper)     

Unpredictable shoe midsole perturbations provide an instability stimulus to train ankle posture and motion during forward and lateral gym lunges

ABSTRACT

Unstable footwear may enhance training effects to the lower-limb musculature and sensorimotor system during dynamic gym movements. This study compared the instability of an unstable shoe with irregular midsole deformations (IM) and a control shoe (CS) during forward and lateral lunges. Seventeen female gym class participants completed two sets of ten forward and lateral lunges in CS and IM. Ground reaction forces, lower-limb kinematics and ankle muscle activations were recorded. Variables around initial ground contact, toe-off, descending and ascending lunge phases were compared statistically (p < .05). Responses to IM compared to CS were similar across lunge directions. The IM induced instability by increasing the vertical loading rate (p < .001, p = .009) and variability of frontal ankle motion during descending (p = .001, p < .001) and ascending phases (p = .150, p = .003), in forward and lateral lunges, respectively. At initial ground contact, ankle adjustments enhanced postural stability in IM. Across muscles, there were no activation increases, although results indicate peroneus longus activations increased in IM during the ascending phase. As expected, IM provided a more demanding training stimulus during lunge exercises and has potential to reduce ankle injuries by training ankle positioning for unpredictable instability.     

Promoting active lifestyles in schools

ABSTRACT

Effective and sustainable strategies for physical activity promotion during childhood are of considerable importance to physical education, sport, and health organisations. Multi-component physical activity intervention approaches for children and young people are firmly rooted within the literature; however, there is a dearth of research evidence pertaining to healthy lifestyle promotion within and beyond the school environment. ‘Promoting active lifestyles in schools’ represents a valuable resource for teachers seeking to integrate health-related learning and encourage physically active students. The essential ingredients within this book are the active pedagogies and the health-related learning strategies for children from the ages of 5 to 16 years. Through a consistent formula, this book positions the longitudinal process of health-related learning at the centre of its practice, by providing age-appropriate learning outcomes, activities and assessment strategies within and beyond the school environment. This review seeks to examine the focus of the book and consider its contribution to the existing empirical evidence base within the fields of physical education, health education and physical activity promotion.