Development and test of an international student performance taxonomy

Based on the cross-cultural adjustment, education, and job performance literatures, an international student performance taxonomy is proposed and tested with a sample of 272 business exchange students from nine Asian, European, and North American countries studying in Mexico. Results of confirmatory factor analyses provided tentative support for an eight-factor taxonomy comprised of performance dimensions labeled: engaging in academic and non-academic tasks, communicating with host nationals, writing and using the local language, helping and cooperating with other international students, demonstrating effort in an academic setting, maintaining personal discipline, developing social and personal relationships with host nationals, and adjusting to general conditions of living abroad. Issues concerning the practical implications of these findings as well as the generalizability of the confirmed performance taxonomy to other educational and work contexts are discussed.     

Relative Age Effect,Biological Maturation,and Coaches’ Efficacy Expectations in Young Male Soccer Players

Purpose: The talent identification and selection process in young male soccer players is mainly focused on anthropometrics and physical performance, but social factors are also considered in this process. The purpose of this study was to test the existence of the relative age effect and its possible influence on anthropometrics and physical performance and to analyze coaches’ efficacy expectations. Method: Data for 564 young male soccer players (M_age = 13.7 ± 1.5 years; M_weight = 53.7 ± 11.6 kg; M_height = 160.2 ± 11.6 cm) included their birth quartile, maturity status, anthropometrics, a physical test battery, and coaches’ efficacy expectations. Results: Early-born players were overrepresented (p < .05). Early-born players were not statistically taller, heavier, or better at physical performance (p > .05) when maturation and chronological age were controlled as confounding factors. However, coaches expected more from early-born players (p < .05), and the inferential analysis showed likely to very likely worthwhile differences between the coaches’ expectations for players born in the first quartile of the year and those born in the fourth quartile of the year. Conclusions: Anthropometrical and physical performance variables were not affected by birth quartile, and coaches’ efficacy expectations were related to the relative age effect.     

Studying the Impact of Technology-Infused Activities Among Low-Income Spanish-Speaking Immigrant Families

This study examines the impact of an intervention technology program—Community Learning Centers—designed to assist low-income Spanish-speaking parents in learning and using technology for family advancement. The study is based on a sample of 408 participants who completed pre- and post-surveys. Data collection was conducted across 2 years in 2008 and 2009. The findings suggest that the program is achieving its objective of providing technology literacy to parents, creating learning environments for capacity building, as well as empowering parents to become participants in the educational development of their children.     

Correlations between serum and salivary hormonal concentrations in response to resistance exercise

Abstract

The aim of present study was to examine the relationships between serum and salivary values of free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and cortisol before and after a session of resistance exercise. Twenty-eight healthy men (mean age 40 years, s = 4) participated in the present study. Serum and salivary samples were collected at rest and after a multiple-sets resistance exercise protocol, of approximately 25 minutes duration. Concentrations of free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and cortisol were measured using radioimmunoassay kits. No significant correlation was observed between serum free testosterone and salivary testosterone (r = 0.22 to 0.26, P > 0.05). Serum cortisol was significantly correlated with salivary cortisol before (r = 0.52, P = 0.005) and after (r = 0.62, P = 0.001) the exercise protocol. Serum and salivary concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone were significantly correlated before (r = 0.68, P < 0.001) and after (r = 0.7, P < 0.001) exercise. The results of the present study suggest that even under exercise conditions, the salivary values of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone can reflect the behaviour of these hormones in blood. However, further studies are necessary to verify if salivary testosterone reflects the behaviour of serum free testosterone during resistance exercise.     

Protection against muscle damage in competitive sports players: the effect of the immunomodulator AM3

Strenuous physical exercise of the limb muscles commonly results in damage, especially when that exercise is intense, prolonged and includes eccentric contractions. Many factors contribute to exercise-induced muscle injury and the mechanism is likely to differ with the type of exercise. Competitive sports players are highly susceptible to this type of injury. AM3 is an orally administered immunomodulator that reduces the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines and normalizes defective cellular immune fractions. The ability of AM3 to prevent chronic muscle injury following strenuous exercise characterized by eccentric muscle contraction was evaluated in a double-blind and randomized pilot study. Fourteen professional male volleyball players from the First Division of the Spanish Volleyball League volunteered to take part. The participants were randomized to receive either placebo (n?=?7) or AM3 (n?=?7). The physical characteristics (mean±s) of the placebo group were as follows: age 25.7±2.1 years, body mass 87.2±4.1?kg, height 1.89±0.07?m, maximal oxygen uptake 65.3±4.2?ml?·?kg^?1?·?min^?1. Those of the AM3 group were as follows: age 26.1±1.9 years, body mass 85.8±6.1?kg, height 1.91±0.07?m, maximal oxygen uptake 64.6±4.5?ml?·?kg^?1?·?min^?1. All participants were evaluated for biochemical indices of muscle damage, including concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase (CK) and its MB fraction (CK-MB), myoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, urea, creatinine and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, both before and 30 days after treatment (over the peak of the competitive season). In the placebo group, competitive exercise (i.e. volleyball) was accompanied by significant increases in creatine kinase (494±51 to 560±53?IU?·?l^?1, P?<?0.05) and myoglobin (76.8±2.9 to 83.9±3.1?μg?·?l^?1, P?<?0.05); aspartate aminotransferase (30.8±3.0 to 31.1±2.9?IU?·?l^?1) and lactate dehydrogenase (380±31 to 376±29?IU?·?l^?1) were relatively unchanged after the 30 days maximum effort. AM3 not only inhibited these changes, it led to a decrease from baseline serum concentrations of creatine kinase (503±49 to 316±37?IU?·?l^?1, P?<?0.05) and myoglobin (80.1±3.2 to 44.1±2.6?IU?·?l^?1, P?<?0.05), as well as aspartate aminotransferase (31.1±3.3 to 26.1±2.7?IU?·?l^?1, P?<?0.05) and lactate dehydrogenase (368±34 to 310±3?IU?·?l^?1, P?<?0.05). The concentration of CK-MB was also significantly decreased from baseline with AM3 treatment (11.6±1.2 to 5.0±0.7?IU?·?l^?1, P?<?0.05), but not with placebo (11.4±1.1 to 10.8±1.4?IU?·?l^?1). In conclusion, the use of immunomodulators, such as AM3, by elite sportspersons during competition significantly reduces serum concentrations of proteins associated with muscle damage.     

Magnesium status and the physical performance of volleyball players: effects of magnesium supplementation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that magnesium supplementation influences the physical performance of volleyball players, as the efficacy of this approach remains questionable. Twenty-five professional male volleyball players were assigned randomly to experimental (350 mg Mg · d^–1, 4 weeks) and control groups (500 mg maltodextrin · d^–1, 4 weeks) maintaining inter-group homogeneity of urinary magnesium. Erythrocyte, plasma and urinary magnesium levels, plasma creatine kinase activity, lactate production, maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max) and plyometric (squat jump, countermovement jump, countermovement jump with arm swing) and isokinetic (peak torque, potency and total work) performances were evaluated before (T₀) and after (T₁) supplementation. Levels of erythrocyte and urinary magnesium and creatine kinase activity and VO₂ max remained within normal ranges in both groups. Plasma magnesium decreased significantly only within the experimental group. Significant decreases in lactate production and significant increases (of up to 3 cm) in countermovement jump and countermovement jump with arm swing values were detected in the experimental group following magnesium supplementation, but not in the control group at T₁. It is concluded that magnesium supplementation improved alactic anaerobic metabolism, even though the players were not magnesium-deficient.     

Defending Constructivism in Science Education

After an impressive development throughout the last two decades, supported by a greatamount of research and innovation, science education seemed to be becoming a newscientific domain. This transformation of Science Education into a specific field of researchand knowledge is usually associated with the establishment of what has been called anemergent consensus about constructivist positions. However, some voices have begunto question these constructivist positions and therefore the idea of an advancementtowards a coherent body of knowledge in the field of science education. The goalof this work is to analyse some of the current criticisms of the so-called constructivistorientations and to study their implications for the development of science education asa coherent body of knowledge.     

Curricular change and educational quality / Cambio de plan y calidad educativa

There is no doubt that the teaching change generated by the adaptation of the former study programme to the EHEA has led to significant shifts regarding teaching loads and the organization of subjects. This paper assesses the students’ perception of the subject, the teacher and the teaching organization according to the study programme followed. For this purpose, 226 students have been assessed who have all received teaching in the same subject, with the same teacher and with the same contents, with the only variant being their study plan. An instrument developed ad hoc was applied, which comprises 18 items and assesses the students’ perceptions of the content and the perceived organization of the teaching. On the one hand, the results show the instrument to be an adequate scale that assesses teaching and organizational aspects linked to study plans in a valid and reliable way. On the other hand, it reveals that students following the new plan show more negative perceptions of organizational quality and aspects related to learning content. Moreover, these students’ marks tend to be lower compared to those achieved by students following the former plan.