Sociopolitical ideology as a determinant of students' perceptions of the university

The effect of ideological self-identification on students' perceptions and evaluations of three academic stimulus objects is investigated. Sociopolitical ideologies do structure perceptions of the academic milieu; conservative and liberal students view academic objects differently and do not use the same dimensions when describing academic objects. In predicting students' political identifications stimulus objects as well as perceptual dimensions must be taken into account.The research reported here was partially supported by the Illinois Public Interest Research Group. The assistance of IPIRG members and of SIU-C students on this project is gratefully acknowledged. Additional support was provided by the Yale University Political Science Department and the Yale University Computer Center.     

The validity and reliability of the GymAware linear position transducer for measuring counter-movement jump performance in female athletes

The current study aimed to assess the validity and test–retest reliability of a linear position transducer when compared to a force plate through a counter-movement jump in female participants. Twenty-seven female recreational athletes (19 ± 2 years) performed three counter-movement jumps simultaneously using the linear position transducer and force plate for validity. In addition, 11 elite female athletes (23 ± 6 years) performed 3 counter-movement jumps with the linear position transducer on three separate days for test–retest reliability. Pearson correlations for jump height between the devices were at a high level (r = .90), with the linear position transducer overestimating jump height by 7.0 ± 2.8 cm. The reliability measured by the linear position transducer resulted in a mean intraclass correlation of .70 for jump height, .90 for peak velocity, and .91 for mean velocity. The linear position transducer was reliable for measuring counter-movement jumps in elite female athletes; however, caution should be taken for one-off jump measures as it may over-estimate jump height.     

Informing in-season tactical periodisation in team sport: development of a match difficulty index for Super Rugby

In team sports, tactical periodisation refers to the planned manipulation of training loads with the aim of prioritising athlete readiness for matches of greatest importance. Although monitoring of athletes’ physical condition is often used to inform this planning, the direct influence of external factors on match difficulty has not been well quantified. In this study, a ‘match difficulty index’ (MDI) for use in Super Rugby was developed, based on the influence imparted by five external factors on previous match outcomes. Specifically, information relating to match location, days break between matches, time-zone change and opposition ladder position (both current and previous year) were collected for matches played during the 2011–2013 Super Rugby seasons. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the importance of each of these factors with respect to match outcome (win/loss), with opposition ladder position and match location (home, domestic away or international) exerting the greatest influence on match difficulty. Three separate cross-validated models were constructed, with match outcome classification performance reported as 66.2%, 65.5% and 63.7% respectively. The three MDI models emanating from this study can each be used to inform tactical periodisation program design both prior to and during the regular season.     

Relations Among Cultural Learning Beliefs,Self‐Regulated Learning,and Academic Achievement for Low‐Income Chinese American Adolescents

This mixed‐methods study of urban low‐income, English‐proficient Chinese American, second‐generation 15‐year‐olds (conducted in 2004; N = 32) examined the relation among the virtue model of learning communicated by parents and adolescents’ learning beliefs, self‐regulated learning (SRL) behaviors, and academic achievement. Analysis of in‐depth individual interviews revealed that for these adolescents, perceptions of family educational socialization predicted students’ endorsement of their culture's virtue‐oriented learning beliefs and that adolescents’ endorsement of these learning beliefs predicted their academic achievement. Importantly, adolescents’ reported that use of SRL strategies mediated the relationship between their endorsement of virtue‐oriented learning beliefs and their academic achievement. Findings are discussed in the context of further research linking cultural learning beliefs, SRL, and children's academic achievement.     

An evaluation of the special needs referral process for low-income preschool children with emotional and behavioral problems

The present study is an evaluation of the special needs referral system in a large urban Head Start program. To assess the validity of this system, two assessments were conducted. The first examined a representative sample of 105 children who were formally referred for special needs services. The Early Intervention Screening Profile (EISP) was used to indicate the distribution of problem behaviors of these special needs children. Two independent raters evaluated all cases. Reliable evaluations revealed that all of the referred children displayed speech and language problems, with 70% showing only speech problems and 30% showing speech plus emotional and behavioral problems. The second assessment examined reports of teachers’ concerns about children program-wide by obtaining a representative sample of 203 children nominated by teachers as most likely to be identified as having special needs. Teachers completed a modified EISP. Results indicated that over 70% of the children evidenced emotional and behavioral problems with no accompanying speech difficulties and 30% displayed emotional and behavioral problems plus speech problems. Implications of referral biases were discussed.