Is there an influence of relative age on participation in non-physical sports activities? The example of shooting sports

Abstract

The aims of this study were to test for the presence of a relative age effect among male (n = 119,715) and female (n = 12,823) members of the shooting sports federation, and to determine whether any such effect has an impact on dropout from the sport. For the boys and girls, the results show a uniform distribution of dropout. A relative age effect was not found for the girls, showing that in female shooting sports there is no such effect. For the males, a significant statistical relative age effect was not detected in the 18–20 and 13–14 year categories. However, a relative age effect was found among adults and the 11–12 and under 11 year categories. A significant “inverse” relative age effect was found for the 15–17 year group. Further qualitative research is needed to clarify which factors contribute to this asymmetric distribution of birth dates in French male shooting sports.     

Changes in swimming technique during time to exhaustion at freely chosen and controlled stroke rates

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess technical changes during constrained swimming in time-to-exhaustion tests. Ten swimmers of national standard performed a maximal 400-m front crawl and two sets of exhaustion tests at 95%, 100%, and 110% of mean 400-m speed. In the first set (free), swimmers had to maintain their speeds until exhaustion and mean stroke rate was recorded for each test. In the second set (controlled), the same speed and individual corresponding stroke rate were imposed. The durations of the exhaustion tests, relative durations of the stroke phases, and arm coordination were analysed. For each speed in the “controlled” set, the exhaustion tests were shorter. Moreover, variables were consistent, suggesting a stabilization of stroke technique. Under the free condition, stroke rate increased to compensate for the decrease in stroke length. At the same time, swimmers reduced the relative duration of their non-propulsive phases in favour of the propulsive phases. Thus, swimmers changed their arm coordination, which came close to an opposition mode. These two constraints enable swimmers both to maintain their stroking characteristics and develop compensatory mechanisms to maintain speed. Moreover, stroke rate can be seen as a useful tool for controlling arm technique during paced exercise.     

The effects of task constraints on the organization of interception movements

In the light of the intensity coupling effects reported in the literature, subjects' capacities for independently controlling the absolute velocity of their movement at the point of interception was evaluated by asking them to learn to propel orthogonally approaching balls, varying in their speed of approach, into target boxes placed at various distances from the interception point. As required for successful accomplishment of the task, movement velocity was found to be adapted to the distance to be covered, with the near target giving rise to lower velocities and the far target giving rise to higher velocities even when the conditions were presented in random order. Nevertheless, even though target distance accounted for a substantial proportion of the total variance, a small but significant effect of ball approach speed on movement velocity was found, suggesting that intensity coupling is a persistent but modulable phenomenon in interception tasks.     

European Standards in Russian Higher Education and the Role of English: a case study of the National University of Science and Technology,Moscow (MISiS)

This article considers the current changes in Russian universities, especially moves towards a more outward-looking, international approach, driven in particular by the Bologna Process. It is noted that the speed of change has been uneven, with many institutions slow to embrace reform. The situation at the National University of Science and Technology, Moscow (MISiS) is taken as an example of an institution where reform is moving ahead rapidly. The role of English teaching is examined as a driver of change. Research that informs the reforms is reported and the wider impact of English language teaching on academic quality and institutional culture is described and evaluated.     

Teaching Through Collaboration: Flexibility and Diversity in Caregiver–Child Interaction Across Cultures

Teaching supports the high-fidelity transmission of knowledge and skills. This study examined similarities and differences in caregiver teaching practices in the United States and Vanuatu (N = 125 caregiver and 3- to 8-year-old child pairs) during a collaborative problem-solving task. Caregivers used diverse verbal and nonverbal teaching practices and adjusted their behaviors in response to task difficulty and child age in both populations. U.S. caregivers used practices consistent with a direct active teaching style typical of formal education, including guiding children’s participation, frequent praise, and facilitation. In contrast, Ni-Vanuatu caregivers used practices associated with informal education and divided tasks with children based on difficulty. The implications of these findings for claims about the universality and diversity of caregiver teaching are discussed.     

Evaluation of Food Protection and Defense Outreach Education Programs

ABSTRACT: This analysis documents the outcomes and impacts from a series of food protection and defense educational programs conducted over a 3‐y period for private and public sector food system professionals. Several measures were used to determine the professions of participants; their improvements in skills and abilities that resulted from workshops; the audiences' most valued program content; practice changes resulting from educational program participation; abilities to recognize and change food system vulnerabilities; and changes in knowledge levels. Findings indicate that the knowledge level and interest within the target audience progressed over the 3‐y period from basic awareness level through more complex and higher order skills and competencies such as being able to walk through a food production, processing, distribution, or retail facility and identify specific vulnerabilities and make specific risk control recommendations. Pre‐ and posttest scores from the 3rd y of educational activities indicate that baseline awareness levels of core content on food protection and defense is now high among those most likely to attend these types of events, and that participants need to be challenged with additional higher‐level education to promote specific skills. This program series proved successful in building important relationships among food industry and regulatory partners. Analysis of the food security investigation (FSI) series will be useful in the development and delivery of new education and outreach efforts. It is hoped that the analysis and discussion will provide the motivation to further develop a set of competencies that can be used to ground educational efforts that focus on securing and defending our food system.     

The involvement of school teachers in research‐related activities: Extent,quality and predictors

In view of the need to develop school teachers as research‐oriented professionals and the reported complexities of this endeavour internationally, this article explores teacher involvement in research‐related‐activities in Cyprus. It aims to measure the extent and quality of such involvement and explore possible predictors. Data were collected from a sample of 420 public primary and secondary school teachers. Most respondents reported involvement in activities for the consumption of research, which was found to be related to teachers' background in research methods courses and work context (primary/secondary school). Teachers' involvement in activities for the production of research was less extensive, whilst statistical associations with the specific background variables were not traced. On the basis of the findings, recommendations for the transition towards research‐oriented teachers are discussed in terms of developing research knowledge, skills and attitudes and providing supportive measures to schools.     

Genetic evidence for bidirectional effects of early lexical and grammatical development

This article addresses the autonomy hypothesis of vocabulary and grammar and bootstrapping mechanisms in early language development. Two birth cohorts of 1,505 and 1,049 same-sex twin pairs from the UK were assessed at 2 and 3 years on grammar and vocabulary, using adapted versions of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory. Vocabulary and grammar correlate strongly at both 2 and 3 years in both cohorts. Multivariate genetic modeling reveals a consistently high genetic correlation between vocabulary and grammar at 2 and 3 years. This finding suggests the same genetic influences operate for both vocabulary and grammar, a finding incompatible with traditional autonomy hypothesis, at least in early acquisition. Crosslagged longitudinal genetic models indicate both lexical and syntactical bootstrapping operate from 2 to 3 years.     

The Effectiveness of Teaching Geometry to Enhance Mathematical Understanding in Children with Down Syndrome

ABSTRACT

It is widely known that people with Down syndrome have difficulties transitioning from a basic understanding of counting and cardinality to more advanced arithmetic skills. This is commonly addressed by resorting to the mechanical use of algorithms, which hinders the acquisition of mathematical concepts. For this reason some authors have recently proposed a shift in the focus of learning from arithmetic to more fertile fields, in terms of understanding. In this paper we claim geometry fits this profile, especially suited for initiating children with Down syndrome into mathematics. To support this we resort to historical, epistemological, and cognitive reasons: the work of Séguin and his intuition on the central role of geometry in the development of abstract thinking in the so-called idiot children, the ideas of René Thom about the role of continuum intuition in the emergence of conscious thinking, and finally the two strengths people with Down syndrome display: visual learning abilities and interest in abstract symbols. To support these ideas we present the main findings of qualitative research on elementary mathematics teaching to a group of seven children (3–8) with Down syndrome in Spain. The didactic method used, naturally enhance their naïve geometrical conceptions.     

Checking the possibility of equating a mathematics assessment between Russia,Scotland and England for children starting school

Is it possible to compare the results in assessments of mathematics across countries with different curricula, traditions and age of starting school? As part of the iPIPS project, a Russian version of the iPIPS baseline assessment was developed and trial data were available from about 300 Russian children at the start and end of their first year at school. These were matched with parallel data from representative samples of equal numbers of children from England and Scotland. The equating of the scales was explored using Rasch measurement. A unified scale was easiest to create for England and Scotland at the start and end of their first year at school when children only differ by a half a year in age, and live in adjacent countries with a common language. Although fewer items showed invariance across the three countries, it was possible to link iPIPS scores in mathematics from the start and end of the first year at school across Scotland, England and Russia. The findings of this study suggest that, despite the apparent difficulties, meaningful comparisons of mathematics attainment and development can be made. These will allow for substantive interpretations with policy implications.