Knowledge, writing, and language outcomes for a reading comprehension and writing intervention

Many students struggle with gaining knowledge and writing about content text material and therefore require effective intervention. In a randomized controlled trial study, 77 low-achieving fourth-grade students received reading comprehension instruction or reading comprehension plus writing instruction or were assigned to a no-treatment control. Knowledge outcomes were evaluated through students’ retelling and performance on a standardized reading test. Written language-based outcomes were analyzed using a computer software program for semantic and syntactic measures. Analyses indicated that students in reading comprehension instruction and reading comprehension plus writing instruction outperformed the control group on oral and written retelling, a standardized reading test, and semantic measures. Syntactic measures, however, did not show statistically significant differences by treatment or control group. Implications for including language instruction and assessments within multi-component instruction are suggested.     

‘No One Should Destroy the Forest': Using photo-based vignette interviews to understand Kenyan teachers' views of the environment

In the midst of the current environmental crisis, scientists, academics, authors, and politicians worldwide are urging citizens to create sustainable communities. However, there is little capability to build a sustainable society without an informed, active, and engaged populous. This requires more than just environmentally knowledgeable citizens. It requires a society that understands the principles of the environment and can also exemplify them in daily life. In order to create a more environmentally literate world, there has been a push for environmental education integrated into schools. This qualitative study sought to examine Kenyan teachers’ perspectives on the human–nature interaction by conducting vignette focus-group interviews. It is a subject not widely explored but vital for conservation not only in this area, but also other areas that seek to have an ecological informed populous. The vignettes were created using photographs and explanations of the photographs that the participants collected and emailed to the authors. For the focus-group vignette interviews, there were a total of 55 participants (30 females and 25 males). After InVivo analysis, we had 6 codes (resentment, pride, perils, blame, pragmatism, and self-interested) within 3 major themes. This study has implications for informing science education to combat these traditions of subjecting students to a science curriculum that demotes Kenyan cultural heritage and lifestyle. By incorporating local knowledge such as the ideas discussed in this paper into Kenyan science education, Kenyans can reach one of most challenging objectives of education, which is to produce children who are fundamentally aware of their environment.     

Pedagogy,information and communications technology and teachers' professional knowledge

In this article UK governmental policy imperatives to apply new forms of information and communications technology (ICT) to school improvement are explored, with particular reference to the National Curriculum for England and Wales. The analysis juxtaposes the piecemeal, random way in which ICT is used in National Curriculum programmes of study and schemes of work with the government rhetoric that requires coherent planning and integration of ICT within all aspects of teaching learning. The article argues that this contradiction within the policy process could be overcome if a stronger conceptualization of teachers' professional knowledge was embraced. An example of such a conceptualization is presented and this is exemplified by accounts of teachers' development of ICT within their pedagogic practice.     

Parents’ Individualist and Collectivist Strategies at the City Technology College,Kingshurst

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the attitudes to school choice and to City Technology Colleges of a sample of parents of children at the first CTC at Kingshurst, Solihull. In examining the views of these parents, wider questions about individualist and collectivist strategies towards education are raised.     

Educational change in Scotland: policy,context and biography

The poor success rate of policy for curriculum change has been widely noted in the educational change literature. Part of the problem lies in the complexity of schools, as policy-makers have proven unable to micro-manage the multifarious range of factors that impact upon the implementation of policy. This article draws upon empirical data from a local authority-led initiative to implement Scotland's new National Curriculum. It offers a set of conceptual tools derived from critical realism (particularly the work of Margaret Archer), which offer significant potential in allowing us to develop greater understanding of the complexities of educational change. Archer's social theory developed as a means of explaining change and continuity in social settings. As schools and other educational institutions are complex social organisations, critical realism offers us methodological tools for tracking the ebbs and flows of change cycles over time, presenting the means for mapping the multifarious networks and assemblages that form their basis.     

Coming to America: challenges and difficulties faced by African student athletes

There is a considerable lack of literature on international student athletes despite the extent to which colleges and universities are increasingly relying on them to heighten the winning reputation of their sports programs. This research focuses on international student athletes from Africa. Based on interviews of 16 student athletes from seven different African countries, the range of their experiences upon entering universities in the United States, particularly their challenges, were identified. Many of the serious issues affecting the student athletes were matters related to the host environment's underestimations about the African student athletes’ desires to learn, misunderstandings about their culture and religions and other negative assumptions that undermined their academic success. We also found that the vast majority of these student athletes experienced negative stereotypes and discrimination based on their race and their region of origin.     

Height,mass and skeletal maturity of elite Portuguese soccer players aged 11–16 years

Height, mass and skeletal maturity (Fels method) were assessed in 135 elite youth soccer players aged 10.7-16.5 years (only two boys were ?11.0 years). Sample sizes, years of training and current weekly training volume by two-year age groups were: 11-12 years ( n = 63), 2.6 - 1.0 years and 4.1 - 1.7 h; 13-14 years ( n = 29), 3.1 - 1.6 years and 4.5 - 1.7 h; 15-16 years ( n = 43), 4.7 - 2.4 years and 6.1 - 2.0 h. The oldest age group included membersof the national youth team.Heights and masses were compared to US reference values,and skeletal age and chronological age were contrasted. The players were also classified as late, average ('on time') and early maturers on the basis of differences between skeletal and chronological age, with the average category including boys with skeletal ages within - 1 year of chronological age. The mean heights and masses of 11- to 12-year-old soccer players equalled the US reference values, while those of players aged 13-14 and 15-16 years were slightly above the reference values. The mean skeletal age approximated mean chronological age in players aged 11-12 years (12.4 - 1.3 and 12.3 - 0.5 years, respectively), while mean skeletal age was in advance of mean chronological age in the two older groups (14.3 - 1.2 and 13.6 - 0.7 years, respectively, in 13- to 14-year-olds; 16.7 - 1.0 and 15.8 - 0.4 years, respectively, in 15- to 16-year-olds). Seven boys in the oldest age group were already skeletally mature and were not included when calculating differences between skeletal and chronological age. The proportion of late maturing boys in this sample of elite soccer players decreased with increasing chronological age. Among 11- to 12-year-old players, the percentages of late and early maturing boys were equal at 21% ( n = 13). Among 13- to 14-year-old players, the percentages of late and early maturing boys were 7% ( n = 2) and 38% ( n = 11) respectively, while among players aged 15-16 years the percentages of late and early maturing boys were 2% ( n = 1) and 65% ( n = 28) respectively. The results of this comparative analysis suggest that the sport of soccer systematically excludes late maturing boys and favours average and early maturing boys as chronological age and sport specialization increase. It is also possible that late maturing boys selectively drop-out of soccer as age and sport specialization increase.     

The effects of protease supplementation on skeletal muscle function and DOMS following downhill running

Protease supplementation has been shown to attenuate soft tissue injury resulting from intense exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of protease supplementation on muscle soreness and contractile performance after downhill running. Ten matched pairs of male participants ran at a ?10% grade for 30?min at 80% of their predicted maximal heart rate. The participants consumed two protease tablets (325?mg pancreatic enzymes, 75?mg trypsin, 50?mg papain, 50?mg bromelain, 10?mg amylase, 10?mg lipase, 10?mg lysozyme, 2?mg chymotrypisn) or a placebo four times a day beginning 1 day before exercise and lasting a total of 4 days. The participants were evaluated for perceived muscle soreness of the front and back of the dominant leg, pressure pain threshold by dolorimetry of the anterior medial, anterior lateral, posterior medial and posterior lateral quadrants of the thigh, and knee extension/flexion torque and power. The experimental group demonstrated superior recovery of contractile function and diminished effects of delayed-onset muscle soreness after downhill running when compared with the placebo group. Our results indicate that protease supplementation may attenuate muscle soreness after downhill running. Protease supplementation may also facilitate muscle healing and allow for faster restoration of contractile function after intense exercise.