Unauthorised e-book downloading of students in higher education

This study reveals students’ unauthorised downloading of e-books in higher education. In-person surveys were administered at four university campuses in Taiwan. The 422 valid samples were made up of both undergraduate and graduate students. Students in the more legitimate segment illegally downloaded 0.26 e-books per month on average. Shockingly, students in the less legitimate segment illegally downloaded 18.50 e-books per month on average. Respondents in the less legitimate segment would definitely search for unauthorised e-books if they could not locate those in digital libraries, and they would use software to download. This study examined unauthorised downloading of e-books by students in higher education in hopes of bringing much needed attention to this area. The contributions from this study are not merely to fill a gap in the literature, but to provide a baseline for further research.     

Aligning Olympic education with the liberal arts: a curriculum blueprint from Taiwan

Background: For some time the Olympics have enjoyed a relatively cosy, and quite unsurprising, relationship with Physical Education and its practitioners. Yet, as academics continue their critiques of all matters Olympic, this seemingly symbiotic partnership is being placed under much closer scrutiny. The debates are typically orientated around several key concerns, namely, the vagaries of Olympic discourse, the implicit assumptions that align Olympic idealism with ‘good’ moral education, the relevance of Olympic values in young peoples' lives, the Olympic industry's politicizing/colonizing of educational domains, and the utility of Olympic ideals for affecting social, cultural, and (physical) educational change. One other discussion thread, which we add to in this paper, has been the (in)congruencies between Olympic idealism and non-Western cultural contexts and educational frameworks. Combined, the scholarly voices essentially encourage theorists and practitioners to approach the relationship between education and the Olympics with care.

Context and curriculum overview: Cognizant of these contentions, this paper exhibits an Olympic education curriculum for first-year undergraduate students enrolled within a provincial Taiwanese University's Liberal Arts programme. We detail three tentative themes around which an Olympic education curriculum might be constructed: Peace, Multiculturalism, and Global sensibilities. These particular themes are concomitant with Olympic idealism, but also align with contemporary East Asian Liberal Arts frameworks. In our curriculum design, the emphasis is on developing an Olympic education that not only introduces students to broader global ideas (e.g. universality and cosmopolitan citizenry), but that respects and reflects national/localized specificities (e.g. Asian philosophical traditions and their legacies in educational institutions).

Considerations: The paper stresses the need to further Olympic debates outside the traditional domains of sport and Physical Education, and continue the challenge to Western-orientated sport pedagogies. Our intention is to create a strong cross-cultural study Olympic-inspired Liberal Arts programme that may better link tertiary students in Taiwan with key sport institutions in East Asia, and also throughout the wider communities around the world. We envision aspects of our course material may hopefully serve as a useful reference for other teachers and provide a blueprint for future curricula that might challenge Western-Olympic education orientations.     

The role of DHEA-S in the mood adjustment against negative competition outcome in golfers

Abstract

Several lines of evidence suggest that dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) is invariably consumed following different types of acute stress, implicating its role in stress coping and recovery. The role of DHEA-S in the mood adjustment against negative outcome for athletic competition has not previously been investigated. In the current study, 14 elite golfers participating in a major national golf tournament were subsequently divided into two groups according to their competition outcomes: made the cut (n = 8) and failed to make the cut (n = 8). The Profile of Mood States (POMS) inventory and plasma concentrations of DHEA-S and cortisol were measured 1 day before the beginning of competition (baseline) and 1, 3, and 5 days after the players' final competition, in the morning (08.00–08.30 h) under fasted conditions. Results showed that the total mood disturbance scores and DHEA-S were not changed for the group that made the cut throughout the entire observation period. DHEA-S concentration for the group that failed to make the cut fell significantly below baseline values on day 1 and remained lower for 5 days. The Depression subscale of the POMS for the group that failed to make the cut was increased only on day 1 post-competition, reflecting a situational reaction to the event. Cortisol concentration for the group that made the cut fell significantly below baseline values on day 1 only after competition and no change was observed for the group that failed to make the cut. In conclusion, although the overall mood state post-competition was well-maintained for those golfers who had a negative competition outcome, plasma DHEA-S concentration was reduced for 5 days, suggesting that it has a role in the coping mechanism against psychological challenge.     

The impacts of a web-aided instructional simulation on science learning

This research investigated the effects of selected characteristics of a web-aided instructional simulation on students' conceptual change, problem solving and transfer. A two-pronged research study was conducted using 117 students enrolled in a beginning meteorology course at Iowa State University. For the experimental design, the performances of three groups (the with-log group, the without-log group and the control group) were compared on post-test scores and a weather forecasting activity. No statistically significant differences ( p < 0.05) were found among the groups on these measures. However, follow-up interview data obtained from five diverse students in the treatment group showed that the simulation with authentic situations, multiple representations and the capability of reviewing previous actions supported science learning. For the student who was able to readily take advantage of the information contained in the log and graphs, the simulation exercises were quickly completed and a sufficient understanding of the concept was developed to transfer the newly-gained knowledge to new situations, weather forecast exercises. For others, the simulation was less effective. Only one interviewee showed all three stages of Goos and Galbraith's model of problem solving. This student also demonstrated a better understanding of how to transfer newly-gained knowledge to weather forecast exercises. The other four interviewees, who did not show the features of all the stages, needed the teachers' facilitation to develop their problem-solving skills in order to achieve optimal learning when using the instructional simulation.     

A Novice-Expert Study of Modeling Skills and Knowledge Structures about Air Quality

This study compared modeling skills and knowledge structures of four groups as seen in their understanding of air quality. The four groups were: experts (atmospheric scientists), intermediates (upper-level graduate students in a different field), advanced novices (talented 11th and 12th graders), and novices (10th graders). It was found that when the levels of modeling skills were measured, for most skills there was a gradual increase across the spectrum from the novices to the advanced novices to the intermediates to the experts. The study found the experts used model-based reasoning, the intermediates and advanced novices used relation-based reasoning, and the novices used phenomena-based reasoning to anticipate conclusions. The experts and intermediates used more bi-variable relationships in experimental design and anticipated conclusions, but used more multiple-variable relationships in identifying relationships. By contrast, the advanced novices and novices mostly used bi-variable relationships in all modeling skills. Based on these findings, we suggest design principles for model-based teaching and learning such as designing learning activities to encourage model-based reasoning, scaffolding one??s modeling with multiple representations, testing models in authentic situations, and nurturing domain-specific knowledge during modeling.     

Peer mentoring among doctoral students of science and engineering in Taiwan

This study describes the peer mentoring experience from doctoral student mentors?? point of view. Twelve science and engineering doctoral students participated in this phenomenology study. The findings suggest doctoral peer mentors served instrumental, psychosocial, buffering, and liaison roles; they passed on their social, professional, and academic knowledge to their mentees and tried to assist them in adapting to the culture of the lab and academia. The study identified a variety of factors that influenced their attitudes and behaviors as peer mentors and concluded this system would be beneficial to the learning and development of both individual students and lab teams. The aims of this study were threefold: first, to identify the importance and necessity of peer mentoring systems as part of the experience of working in labs in graduate school; second, to ascertain which interactions and factors in the peer mentoring relationship benefitted both peer mentors and peer mentees; and third, to explore what might constitute best practices in the peer mentoring relationship.     

To be or not to be? Discursive resources for (Dis‐)identifying with science‐related careers

One of the main objectives of many science educators is to enroll students into science majors and careers. Researchers have investigated students' views of science in terms of factors and influences that guide students to choose science as a career. However, few investigations exist that have studied the forms of language culture makes available for articulating possible careers generally or the ways of grounding (justifying) these possibilities particularly. The purpose of this study is to investigate ways of using language for supporting justifications of career choices in an interview situation. Thirteen high school biology students were interviewed about their career choices. Drawing on discursive psychology as theory and method, we identify four interpretative repertoires that are deployed during the interviews: the (a) formative, (b) performative, (c) consequent, and (d) potential repertoires. These interpretative repertoires do not merely characterize the discourse about different science‐related professions but in fact co‐articulate different science‐related identities. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 1114–1136, 2009     

Older adults’ physical exercise and health-related quality of life: The mediating role of physical self-concept

Building on previous self-concept and current physical self-concept (PSC) theories, this paper presents empirical results demonstrating the triad relationship among physical exercise, PSC, and quality of life (QoL) in older adults. Specifically, the results show how PSC mediates the relationship between physical exercise and health-related quality of life (HQoL). A total of 152 older adults participated in this study, completing the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire, Physical Self-Concept Scale for Older Adults, and 12-Item Short-Form Survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the mediating effects. Older adults’ physical exercise, PSC, and QoL were all correlated. The components of older adults’ PSC (strength, flexibility, and independent functioning) fully mediated the relationship between physical exercise and the physical as well as mental aspects of HQoL. This study thus suggests that PSC plays an important explanatory role in the effect of older adults’ physical exercise on their QoL. Health-care professionals may use various strategies to enhance older adults’ self-perception during physical exercise in order to promote their global well-being.