A test of competing models of the influence of social support on school engagement in the presence of neighborhood danger

This study compared self‐reports of speech preparation activities of students exposed to visualization with the self‐reports of the preparation activities of those in placebo and control groups. Interestingly, these three groups did not differ in overall preparation time, but they did apportion that time in somewhat different ways. Those exposed to visualization reported spending less time preparing speaking notes, more audience analyses time, more time rehearsing in front of an audience, and received slightly higher grades than did those in the placebo and control groups. As is to be expected, students exposed to visualization also reported less trait and state communication apprehension (CA) than those in the placebo and control groups. These findings and their implications are discussed at the conclusion of this report.     

Current Trends in Research Resources from Russia,Eastern Europe,and Eurasia: Implications for Reference Services and Resource Sharing

ABSTRACT

In the last 20 years, national, regional, and academic libraries and other cultural institutions in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia have introduced subject portals, research databases, journal repositories, digital collections, research guides, and indexing resources, which scholarly communities outside these regions rely on to advance their research portfolios. In order to address the significant developments in scholarly communication and the proliferation of academic content, this article discusses recent trends in online research resources and strategies for incorporating these resources into research consultations. In addition, as these extensive networks of online resources continue to proliferate, possible models for collaboration with national and regional libraries are needed to strengthen existing partnerships with Slavic librarians outside these regions.     

Format Preferences of Performing Arts Students

This research examines performing art students' preferences for accessing various types of information, factors in their selection process, and their opinions on what the library should purchase. A Performing Arts Library at a large public university created a two-page paper survey, which was completed by 182 students studying music, dance, and/or theater. Results indicated that these students preferred print books and scores, as well as electronic access to journals and audio. There was an approximate split for physical and virtual reference and video materials. The data also suggests that, while students support the trend of more electronic access, they want librarians to continue to acquire a mixture of electronic and traditional resources.     

The Effect of Head Position on Sit and Reach Performance

Abstract

This paper compares the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse among 660 Norwegian elite female athletes and an age-matched control sample of non athletes. It also explores differences in the prevalence of harassment and abuse in sport and work or school settings and compares harassment and abuse perpetrated by male authority figures and peers in these different contexts. No differences were found between the athletes and controls in overall prevalence of sexual harassment or abuse. However, the athletes experienced significantly more harassment from male authority figures than did the controls. Based on these results, the article considers whether or not sport offers women any particular immunity from sexual harassment and abuse. The implications of the findings for structural and cultural change in sport are discussed.     

De-Mystifying the U.S. News Rankings: How to Understand What Matters,What Doesn't and What You can Actually Do About It

College rankings present challenges and opportunities for higher education marketers. Statistical analysis of data on the national universities reveals which measures are associated with peer assessment scores, whether it is possible to influence the score, and what underlying factors are present. Marketers can use the findings to counsel senior leaders and position their institutions more effectively with key constituencies.     

Project team: First‐year analysis at a regional campus site

Abstract

The Project Transformative Educational Achievement Model (TEAM) is an instructional initiative designed to increase the number of students at university campuses from underrepresented minority and diverse urban backgrounds who enter teacher education programs. The goal is to support and encourage these students to complete a baccalaureate degree and to obtain a teaching license with the intent of eventually teaching in diverse urban environments. This project documents the recruitment and 1st‐year experiences of participants in the Project TEAM program on a regional campus in the Midwest region of the United States. A brief review of the literature is included, along with an exploration of issues of recruitment of the 1st‐year cohort group and the design of the initial Project TEAM seminars. Comments from the 1st‐year Project TEAM students are also included.     

Views From the Field: Conservation Educators’ and Practitioners’ Perceptions of Education as a Strategy for Achieving Conservation Outcomes

This article presents data from a mixed-methods study that collected data through surveys (n = 656), interviews (n = 15), and discussion groups (n = 75) to explore the use of social strategies such as education and outreach by non-governmental organizations and government agencies to reach outcomes related to biodiversity conservation and resource management. We examine and juxtapose perceptions of conservation practitioners with those of conservation educators regarding the efficacy of education to reach conservation or resource management goals. We explore how to facilitate integration among policy, science, and education efforts, and we suggest theoretical augmentations for conceptions of education and social strategies within conservation organizations.     

Making training more cognitively effective: Making videos interactive

The cost of health and safety (H&S) failures to the UK industry is currently estimated at up to £6.5 billion per annum, with the construction sector suffering unacceptably high levels of work-related incidents. Better H&S education across all skill levels in the industry is seen as an integral part of any solution. Traditional lecture-based courses often fail to recreate the dynamic realities of managing H&S on site and therefore do not sufficiently create deeper cognitive learning (which results in remembering and using what was learned). The use of videos is a move forward, but passively observing a video is not cognitively engaging and challenging, and therefore learning is not as effective as it can be. This paper describes the development of an interactive video in which learners take an active role. While observing the video, they are required to engage, participate, respond and be actively involved. The potential for this approach to be used in conjunction with more traditional approaches to H&S was explored using a group of 2nd-year undergraduate civil engineering students. The formative results suggested that the learning experience could be enhanced using interactive videos. Nevertheless, most of the learners believed that a blended approach would be most effective.     

Why Roger Federer is a GOAT: an account of sporting genius

Why is Roger Federer a GOAT (‘Greatest of All Time’) of tennis? I argue that the correct response goes beyond statistics and style of play; instead, it is due to the fact that Federer embodies the qualities that typify sporting genius. More than merely being a developed or refined form of expertise, sporting genius relies on the notion of performative fit; that is, the capacity to express viable ways of succeeding within a given sport in virtue of one’s cultivated history of biological and socio-cultural existence. In other words, a genius such as Federer perfectly fits the requirements of his sport and, moreover, is able to safeguard and shape this fit through his unique disposition to perform in certain ways. Performative fit provides the foundations for received traits of genius such as creativity, self-belief and risk-taking.     

提高账单和报表可持续性

想必大家都有收到银行账单或者电信局电话清单的经历。这些信件,有些我们会打开,有些很有可能未被拆开就被直接丢弃。这件事看起来很小,但是实际上对环境造成了巨大的影响。为避免纸质邮件所带来的环境问题,有人转向电子邮件,认为通过电子邮件不会有这样的环境问题。但是,事实真是如此吗？