Body dissatisfaction in normal weight children – sports activities and motives for engaging in sports

Body dissatisfaction is a phenomenon that may already occur in childhood and is linked to a variety of psychosocial risks. As the role of physical activity in the context of body dissatisfaction is still ambivalent, a cross-sectional study with 602 normal weight children (50.2% girls; M_age?=?9.23 years; SD?=?0.79) was conducted. The children filled in the MoMo-Questionnaire, including items about their physical activities and motives for being physically active, as well as Bender’s Body Esteem and Muscularity Concern Scale with the three subscales “body satisfaction”, “weight and shape concerns”, and “muscularity concerns”. Independent t-tests revealed that girls were less worried about muscularity than boys (M_girls?=?1.94, SD_girls?=?1.11 vs. M_boys?=?3.12, SD_boys?=?1.43; t(560)?=?11.33, p?d?=?0.92), whereas girls showed greater weight and shape concerns than boys (M_girls?=?2.24, SD_girls?=?0.97 vs. M_boys?=?2.05, SD_boys?=?0.92; t(549)?=?2.32, p?=?.02, d?=?0.20). In boys, physical activity is associated with less muscularity, weight, and shape concerns. Body satisfaction increases with health and fitness motives. In girls, the role of physical activity is ambivalent: girls who engage in sports do not differ in body dissatisfaction from non-active girls. In sportive girls, weight and shape concerns increased with more health and fitness motives. Finally, the study provides first insights into body dissatisfaction and the different role of physical activity in boys and girls in childhood.     

Rolling Back Zero Tolerance: The Effect of Discipline Policy Reform on Suspension Usage and Student Outcomes

Beginning in the early 1990s, states and districts enacted zero-tolerance discipline policies that relied heavily on out-of-school suspensions. Recently, districts nationwide have revised these policies in favor of more tempered disciplinary responses. In 2012–2013, Philadelphia reformed its discipline policy to limit suspensions for nonviolent student misconduct and granted principals greater discretion in responding to more serious occurrences of student misconduct. Employing a difference-in-differences approach, we find that Philadelphia's reform resulted in a modest decline in suspensions for nonviolent infractions in the year of reform; however, total suspensions remained unchanged while serious incidents of student misconduct increased. Further, the truancy rate increased and district math and English language arts achievement declined following the policy reform. These findings should inform policymakers and practitioners on the implications of district-level reforms for suspension usage and the potential consequences for student outcomes.     

The self-efficacy of primary teachers in supporting the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder

In the context of a trend towards inclusive practice in Irish primary schools, many teachers feel ill-equipped to cope with this new challenge. Scope exists within the Irish education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) friendly environments. Research into teacher perceptions of inclusion has found that teachers’ views impact on how inclusionary practices are implemented. This study utilised semi-structured interviews with six primary school teachers. The data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings from this study suggest that the majority of teachers were apprehensive and lacked confidence at the initial prospect of teaching a child with ASD. The majority of the teachers interviewed also described feelings of uncertainty in managing the behaviour of a child with ASD. These findings were analysed in the context of teachers’ perceptions of systemic issues such as lack of access to resources, support and training in ASD-specific approaches.     

Adverse events and placebo effects: African scientists, HIV, and ethics in the 'global health sciences'

This paper builds on the growing literature in 'postcolonial technoscience' by examining how science and ethics travel in transnational HIV research. I use examples of two controversial US-funded studies of mother-to-child transmission in Africa as case studies through which to explore quandaries of difference and inequality in global health research. My aim is not to adjudicate the debates over these studies, but rather to raise some questions about transnational research, science, and ethics that often get lost in public controversies over the moral status of such trials. Using interviews conducted with American and Ugandan HIV researchers as well as relevant material published in the popular and medical press, I argue that debates over research practice and the conditions under which practices are deemed ethically legitimate or questionable reflect the challenges faced by African researchers seeking to participate in global health science. In doing so, I show how questions of scientific legitimacy and authority are played out in debates over who decides what constitutes 'the normal' in human biological research and who can legitimately 'speak for Africa' regarding the ethics of research design and practice. I conclude that researchers from'resource-poor settings' must often walk a tightrope between claims of difference from the global North and assertions of sameness, in which a claim too forceful in either direction can undermine the ethical--and thus scientific--legitimacy of their research.     

Integrating competency-based education with a case-based or problem-based learning approach in online health sciences

Asia Pacific Education Review - In the current competitive and globalized economy, employers and professional organizations call for higher education institutions to deliver graduates with relevant...     

The influence of biological maturity on motor performance among habitually barefoot versus habitually shod adolescents

Biological maturation is associated with physiological changes which in turn affect motor performance. No study has assessed the association between growing up habitually shod versus habitually barefoot and motor performance in the context of maturation, so this approach is unique. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of biological maturity on motor performance dependent on the participants’ footwear habits. Sixty-five German habitually shod (mean age 13.28?±?0.83 years) and fifty-five South African habitually barefoot (mean age 13.38?±?0.87 years) participants were included. Dynamic postural control was determined via backward balancing, explosive strength by standing long jump and sprinting performance based on a 20-m sprinting test. All tests were performed barefoot and shod. Biological maturation was calculated by using the maturity offset value. Linear mixed models were used to analyse interactions between the maturity offset value, footwear habits and motor performance. Throughout maturation, there was a significant difference between habitually barefoot and habitually shod balance performance (P?=?0.001). Maturation led to balance improvements in habitually barefoot adolescents, but not in habitually shod adolescents. No such differences could be observed for standing long jump and 20-m sprint performance. Maturity offset was a significant predictor for jumping and sprinting performances (P?相似文献   

International academic knowledge creation and ba. A case study from Finland

Knowledge is created through discourse in ba that is the physical, mental and/or virtual arena of knowledge creation. This article studies ba in international humanist (H-group), technical (T-group) and scientific (S-group) research groups. These international groups consist of members originating from many countries. The empirical evidence is derived from interviews and discourse analysis of three research groups from the University of Oulu which, by staff, is the most international large university in Finland. The article advances understanding of ba by considering the theory of ba in relation to the discourse and exploratory case study. In the case groups, ba is formed in relation to the knowledge type created, suitable characteristics of a group member and structural factors related to administrative responsibilities. Humanist knowledge, with abstract concepts and philosophical discussions, is created with deeper attention to language and social bonds inside the H-group than the more accurate scientific and technical knowledge in the S- and T-groups.     

The SENCO role in post-primary schools in Ireland: victims or agents of change?

This paper considers the role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) in mainstream post-primary schools (12–18 years) in Ireland. Little is known of the role in the Irish context and it is hoped that this research will inform policy. The Irish educational landscape has witnessed seismic change recently with further transformation imminent. The SENCO role is a recent phenomenon in Irish schools and while much is known of the role internationally, Irish SENCOs tend to operate in a policy vacuum. This paper draws on research with a purposive sample of twenty-seven SENCOs. A lengthy postal questionnaire served as the method of data collection, where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Findings reveal the complexity of the role in an evolving education system. SENCOs continue to fulfil largely operational roles and are limited in their capacity to effect change in inclusive practice from a whole-school perspective. Lack of formal recognition of the SENCO role has led to its ad-hoc development. This research makes the case for the formalisation of the role at policy level and recognition of the need to develop the SENCO as strategic leader, firmly situated within school management. Otherwise, Irish SENCOs risk being victims rather than agents of change.