Empirical assessment of college student-athletes' persistence in e-learning courses: A case study of a U.S. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) institution

In recent years, the application of Information Technologies (IT) has fostered a tremendous growth in e-learning courses at colleges and universities in the United States. Subsequently, some colleges and universities have reported dropout rates of over 60% in e-learning courses. This research investigated persistence in e-learning courses of 187 college student-athletes. To predict the persistence of college student-athletes enrolled in e-learning courses, a conceptual model was proposed and assessed based on students' factors. The factors investigated included students' attitude toward computers, students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, students' perceived satisfaction, and students' previous academic performance measures (high school grade point average (GPA) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score). These factors have previously shown tendencies toward persistence in e-learning courses. Results of this study indicate that students' high school GPA was a significant predictor of e-learning course persistence for college student-athletes.     

Why So Many Repositories? Examining the Limitations and Possibilities of the Institutional Repositories Landscape

Academic libraries fail to take advantage of the network effect because they manage too many digital repositories locally. While this argument applies to all manner of digital repositories, this article examines the fragmented environment of institutional repositories (IR), in which effort and costs are duplicated, numerous software platforms and versions are managed simultaneously, metadata are applied inconsistently, users are served poorly, and libraries are unable to take advantage of collective data about content and users. In the meantime, commercial IR vendors and academic social networks have shown much greater success with cloud-based models. Collectively, the library profession has enough funding to create a national-level IR, but it lacks the willingness to abandon local control.     

Precollegiate international schools: Leach's “ideal-type” and today's “reality”

International schools were begun to provide precollegiate education to children whose families lived abroad. In 1969 Robert Leach outlined a conceptual framework that would insure the formation of a spirit of internationalism throughout the school. The research described in this paper compared Leach's original model with perceptions held in the 1990s by educators, administrators, and board members working in those schools. The survey involved 185 respondents from 87 international schools in 11 countries. Results indicate that the elements Leach identified continue to be integral to international schools today.

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Zusammenfassung Internationale Schulen wurden für die Schulausbildung von Schülern eingerichtet, die mit ihren Familien im Ausland leben. Robert Leach entwarf 1969 einen konzeptionellen Rahmen, der die Schaffung eines Geistes des Internationalismus innerhalb der Schule sichern sollte. Die in diesem Artikel beschriebene Forschungsarbeit vergleicht das ursprüngliche Modell von Leach mit den Beobachtungen, die Lehrer, Verwalter und Aufsichtsratsmitglieder 1990 in diesen Schulen machten. Die Studie beinhaltete 187 Beteiligte aus 87 internationalen Schulen in 11 Ländern. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die von Leach identifizierten Elemente weiterhin Bestandteil der internationalen Schulen von heute sind.

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Resumen Los colegios internacionales comenzaron a ofrecer educaión preescolar a ninos cuyas familias vivían en el extranjero. En 1969, Robert Leach creó un delineamiento conceptual que aspiraba a asegurar la formación de un espíritu de internacionalismo a través de los colegios. El estudio descrito en este trabajo compara el modelo original de Leach con las percepciones que en los años noventa tuvieron educadores, administradores y miembros de la dirección que trabajaban en esos colegios. El estudio abarcaba a 185 sujetos de estudio de 87 colegios internacionales en 11 países. Los resultados indican que los elementos que Leach había identificado siguen formando parte de los colegios internacionales hoy en día.

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Résumé Les écoles internationales ont été créées afin de dispenser des cours aux enfants de familles vivant à l'étranger. En 1969 Robert Leach esquisse un cadre de travail conceptuel qui assurerait la formation d'un esprit d'internationalisme par l'intermédiaire de l'école. La recherche évoquée dans cet article compare le modèle original de Leach avec les expériences des éducateurs, administrateurs et membres des comités directeurs de ces écoles dans les années 90. L'étude concernait 185 personnes travaillant dans 87 écoles internationales réparties dans 11 pays. Les résultats montrent que les éléments identifiés par Leach continuent d'être partie intégrante des écoles internationales d'aujourd'hui.

     

Adolescent physical activity levels: discrepancies with accelerometer data analysis

This study investigated the effects of epoch length and cut point selection on adolescent physical activity intensity quantification using vertical axis and vector magnitude (VM) measurement with the ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer. Four hundred and nine adolescents (211 males; 198 females) aged 12–16 years of age wore accelerometers during waking hours. The GT3X+ acceleration counts were reintegrated into 1, 5, 15, 30 and 60 s epoch lengths for both vertical axis and VM counts. One cut point was applied to vertical axis counts and three different cut points were applied to VM counts for each epoch length. Significant differences (P < 0.01) in mean total counts per day were observed between vertical axis and VM counts, and between epoch lengths for VM only. Differences in physical activity levels were observed between vertical and VM cut points, and between epoch lengths across all activity intensities. Our findings illustrate the magnitude of differences in physical activity outcomes that occur between axis measurement, cut points and epoch length. The magnitude of difference across epoch length must be considered in the interpretation of accelerometer data and seen as a confounding variable when comparing physical activity levels between studies.     

Self‐regulation strategies improve self‐discipline in adolescents: benefits of mental contrasting and implementation intentions

Adolescents struggle with setting and striving for goals that require sustained self‐discipline. Research on adults indicates that goal commitment is enhanced by mental contrasting (MC), a strategy involving the cognitive elaboration of a desired future with relevant obstacles of present reality. Implementation intentions (II), which identify the action one will take when a goal‐relevant opportunity arises, represent a strategy shown to increase goal attainment when commitment is high. This study tests the effect of mental contrasting combined with implementation intentions (MCII) on successful goal implementation in adolescents. Sixty‐six 2nd‐year high school students preparing to take a high‐stakes exam in the fall of their third year were randomly assigned to complete either a 30‐minute written mental contrasting with implementation intentions intervention or a placebo control writing exercise. Students in the intervention condition completed more than 60% more practice questions than did students in the control condition. These findings point to the utility of directly teaching to adolescents mental contrasting with implementation intentions as a self‐regulatory strategy of successful goal pursuit.     

Representational Classroom Practices that Contribute to Students’ Conceptual and Representational Understanding of Chemical Bonding

Understanding bonding is fundamental to success in chemistry. A number of alternative conceptions related to chemical bonding have been reported in the literature. Research suggests that many alternative conceptions held by chemistry students result from previous teaching; if teachers are explicit in the use of representations and explain their content-specific forms and functions, this might be avoided. The development of an understanding of and ability to use multiple representations is crucial to students’ understanding of chemical bonding. This paper draws on data from a larger study involving two Year 11 chemistry classes (n = 27, n = 22). It explores the contribution of explicit instruction about multiple representations to students’ understanding and representation of chemical bonding. The instructional strategies were documented using audio-recordings and the teacher-researcher’s reflection journal. Pre-test–post-test comparisons showed an improvement in conceptual understanding and representational competence. Analysis of the students’ texts provided further evidence of the students’ ability to use multiple representations to explain macroscopic phenomena on the molecular level. The findings suggest that explicit instruction about representational form and function contributes to the enhancement of representational competence and conceptual understanding of bonding in chemistry. However, the scaffolding strategies employed by the teacher play an important role in the learning process. This research has implications for professional development enhancing teachers’ approaches to these aspects of instruction around chemical bonding.     

Effect of suspension systems on the physiological and psychological responses to sub-maximal biking on simulated smoothand bumpy tracks

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the physiological and psychological responses of cyclists riding on a hard tail bicycle and on a full suspension bicycle. Twenty males participated in two series of tests. A test rig held the front axle of the bicycle steady while the rear wheel rotated against a heavy roller with bumps (or no bumps) on its surface. In the first series of tests, eight participants (age 19 – 27 years, body mass 65 – 82 kg) were tested on both the full suspension and hard tail bicycles with and without bumps fitted to the roller. The second series of test repeated the bump tests with a further six participants (age 22 – 31 years, body mass 74 – 94 kg) and also involved an investigation of familiarization effects with the final six participants (age 21 – 30 years, body mass 64 – 80 kg). Heart rate, oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O₂), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and comfort were recorded during 10 min sub-maximal tests. Combined data for the bumps tests show that the full suspension bicycle was significantly different (P < 0.001) from the hard tail bicycle on all four measures. Oxygen consumption, heart rate and RPE were lower on average by 8.7 (s = 3.6) ml · kg^?1 · min^?1, 32.1 (s = 12.1) beats · min^?1 and 2.6 (s = 2.0) units, respectively. Comfort scores were higher (better) on average by 1.9 (s = 0.8) units. For the no bumps tests, the only statistically significant difference (P = 0.008) was in [Vdot]O₂, which was lower for the hard tail bicycle by 2.2 (s = 1.7) ml · kg^?1 · min^?1. The results indicate that the full suspension bicycle provides a physiological and psychological advantage over the hard tail bicycle during simulated sub-maximal exercise on bumps.     

Institutional Mergers in Australian Higher Educaiton since 1960

For the past forty years, institutional mergers have been a major and controversial theme in Australian higher education. Three main phases of major mergers are reviewed with particular attention being paid to reasons for merger, success factors, and longer term results. While merger experiences have often been traumatic for participants and participating institutions, on balance the longer term results have been positive, producing a university system today comprising relatively large and comprehensive institutions, well suited to compete in the new internationally competitive environment.     

Australian science and technology academics and university-industry research links

Australian science and technology academics see advantages in closer research links with industry but at the same time are aware of potential dangers. Academics in these areas with industry research funding tend to be older and more senior than those without such funding, and a higher proportion of them hold national competitive grants. These industry-funded academics tend to spend longer hours at work and more time on postgraduate teaching, administration, committee work and interaction with colleagues. They also have better publication records.     

Young children’s impressionable use of teleology: the influence of question wording and questioned topic on teleological explanations for natural phenomena

There is a significant body of research on children’s preconceptions concerning scientific concepts and the impact this has upon their science education. One active issue concerns the extent to which young children’s explanations for the existence of natural kinds rely on a teleological rationale: for example, rain is for watering the grass, or tigers’ stripes are for camouflage. It has been argued that this teleological tendency hampers children’s ability to learn about causality in the natural world. This paper investigates two factors (question wording and topic) which it is argued have led to a misestimation of children’s teleological tendencies within the area natural phenomena: i.e. those that are time-constrained, natural events or process such as snow, clouds or night. Sixty-six (5–8 years old) children took part in a repeated-measures experiment, answering both open and leading questions across 10 topics of natural phenomena. The findings indicate that children’s teleological reasoning may have been overestimated as open-question forms significantly reduced their tendency to answer teleologically. Moreover, the concept of teleology is more nuanced than often suggested. Consequently, young children may be more able to learn about causal explanations for the existence of natural phenomena than the literature implies.