Longitudinal associations among interest,persistence, supportive parenting,and achievement in early childhood

This study investigates two facets of children's school readiness: interest in new cognitive tasks (interest) and persistence in task completion (persistence). Little attention has been paid to the early development of these learning behaviors, although they might prove susceptible to intervention even before school entry. Using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, a sample of low-income children (N = 1771) was followed to model bidirectional associations among interest and persistence and maternal supportive parenting between ages 1 and 3, and estimate associations between children's interest and persistence at age 3 and their academic skills at age 5. Results indicate that maternal supportive parenting influences children's interest and persistence more strongly and consistently than interest or persistence influences parenting, and that interest but not persistence transacts with parenting over time. Interest and persistence were equally predictive of children's early academic skills. Findings affirm that both interest and persistence during toddlerhood predict children's academic standing at school entry.     

Critical power is not attained at the end of an isokinetic 90-second all-out test in children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish whether critical power, as traditionally determined from the performance of three constant-load tests to exhaustion, is attained at the end of a 90-s all-out test in children. Sixteen healthy children (eight males and eight females; mean age 12.3 years, s_x  = 0.1; body mass 39.6 kg, s_x  = 1.8; peak [Vdot]O₂ 2.0 litres · min^?1, s_x  = 0.1) completed an incremental test to exhaustion to determine peak oxygen uptake (peak [Vdot]O₂), three separate constant-load tests to exhaustion to calculate critical power, and an isokinetic 90-s all-out test. The end power of the 90-s test averaged over the last 10 s (140 W, s_x  = 8) was significantly higher than critical power (105 W, s_x  = 6; t = 6.8; P < 0.01), yet the two parameters were strongly correlated (r = 0.74; P < 0.01). After 60 s, there were no further reductions in power output during the 90-s test (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, at the end of a 90-s all-out test, children are able to produce power outputs well above critical power. This suggests that 90 s is not long enough to completely exhaust the anaerobic work capacity in children.     

Quality Matters: New Roles for Librarians Using Standards for Online Course Design

Quality Matters? (QM) is a nationally recognized organization that certifies online courses for effective design, using an evidenced-based set of standards and a structured peer review process. In this paper, the authors demonstrate how academic librarians involved with online courses can adopt Quality Matters to build capacity for designing online courses, as well as using this expertise to evaluate newly developed online courses throughout the university, thus building new networks and relationships with campus teaching faculty and other personnel interested in quality online learning.     

Picturing Objects in Infancy

Infants’ transfer of information from pictures to objects was tested by familiarizing 9‐month‐olds (N = 31) with either a color or black‐and‐white photograph of an object and observing their preferential reaching for the real target object versus a distractor. One condition tested object recognition by keeping both objects visible, and the other tested object representation by hiding both objects. On visible trials, infants reached more for the distractor, indicating they recognized the target object from its picture. On hidden trials, infants reached more for the target object, suggesting they formed a continued representation of the object based on its picture. Photograph color had no effect. Infants thus show picture‐to‐object transfer by 9 months with preferential reaching, even with black‐and‐white pictures.     

Fundamentals of E-Resource Licensing

The licensing of electronic resources continues to challenge libraries as they acquire new resources. Claire Dygert, Assistant Director for Licensing and E-Resources, Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC), presented key components of a license agreement, including examples and sample clauses. The development of local licensing guidelines makes licensing work easier by providing more consistency in the approach to license review and by making the practice and policy of the institution the basis of the licensing review.     

Preparing teacher candidates for family–school partnerships

Previous research indicates that, while parent involvement promotes student achievement, how teacher candidates are prepared to establish family–school partnerships (FSP) is not well documented and the roles of teacher educators are often neglected. Explorative studies including curriculum analysis and focus groups of primary and secondary teacher candidates and teacher educators were conducted in three universities, one each in the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Data collection was designed to identify opinions towards FSP and perceived preparation for FSP. The programmes showed limited attention to aspects other than communication and FSP was not assessed. The findings indicate training is largely dependent upon the proclivities of individual teacher educators. Although all respondents acknowledged the importance of FSP, respondents of primary education held a more positive attitude towards parents than others. Hardly any differences were found between the views of candidates and educators, regardless of the programme they followed or taught.     

Eastern Movement Disciplines (EMDs) and Mindfulness: A New Path to Subjective Knowledge in Western Physical Education

Linda Bain (1995) argues that subjective knowledge is of central importance to her life, both personally and professionally, and that a purely objective approach to physical education should be complemented with subjective knowledge, the key to which is “mindfulness.” Following her lead, we argue that the traditional model of physical education and health, absent of mindfulness, falls into contradictions that are destructive to the person and urge instead for a holistic approach. We contend that Eastern Movement Disciplines (EMDs) are ideally suited to integrating mindfulness into Western physical education since they are, by their very nature, mindful activities, never understanding the person as “object” but always as body-mind. We discuss the historical and holistic background of mindfulness and EMDs, relate this to certain Western philosophical schools of thought, and bring out implications for physical education and health. Finally, in the spirit of holism, we touch briefly on the social significance of this East-West merger.     

Rethinking Mobile Delivery: Using Quick Response Codes to Access Information at the Point of Need

This article covers the use of Quick Response (QR) codes to provide instant mobile access to information, digital collections, educational offerings, library website, subject guides, text messages, videos, and library personnel. The array of uses and the value of using QR codes to push customized information to patrons are explained. A case is developed for using QR codes for mobile delivery of customized information to patrons. Applications in use at the Libraries of the University of Utah will be reviewed to provide readers with ideas for use in their library.