Selection Strategies for Univariate Loglinear Smoothing Models and Their Effect on Equating Function Accuracy

In this study, we compared 12 statistical strategies proposed for selecting loglinear models for smoothing univariate test score distributions and for enhancing the stability of equipercentile equating functions. The major focus was on evaluating the effects of the selection strategies on equating function accuracy. Selection strategies' influence on the estimation of cumulative test score distributions was also assessed. The results of this simulation study differentiate the selection strategies and define the situations where their use has the most important implications for equating function accuracy. The recommended strategy for estimating test score distributions and for equating is AIC minimization.     

Comparison of older and younger adults' attitudes towards and abilities with computers: Implications for training and learning

Computers and associated technology have become central to modern life. In a society where the population is rapidly ageing, the acceptance and utilisation of developing technologies by an older population is becoming increasingly important. This review highlights similarities and differences between the attitudes and acceptance of technology by older and younger people, leading to the conclusion that similar factors influence both age groups—hence, older people could well be taught to use technology in a similar manner to younger people. While all learners, irrespective of age, should receive sufficient time for training in a positive and supportive environment, this review suggests that due consideration ought to be given to the amount of time allowed for older users to learn new skills and the manner in which learners are treated in a positive and valued manner.     

Action research as a tool of professional development of advisers and teachers in Croatia

Whilst educational action research is not unknown in Croatia, its use is not widespread. In part, this might be because action research assumes a high level of autonomy for practitioner–researchers, and a constructivist view of knowledge, neither of which are traditional characteristics of the Croatian system. This article reports on a capacity building programme in which 18 senior advisers from the Education and Teacher Training Agency developed action research projects in Croatian schools. The article outlines the context of the programme, describes the programme itself, and presents an analysis of the advisers’ action research projects. This shows that action research was used by advisers, supporting teachers, to effect change in schools. The principles of action research were generally understood, and produced evidence of practical change, collaboration and mutual understanding. Although action research is generally understood as a ‘grassroots movement’ this article suggests that action research can lead to desirable change, even when imported from elsewhere. Thus action research holds one answer to the question, how to promote beneficial life‐long learning among education professionals.     

Sozialer Status und Spendenverhalten Ehrenamtlicher in Sportvereinen

While much research has been done to analyze whether socioeconomic status influences prosocial behavior in the form of donations, no consensus has yet emerged in the relevant literature. We contribute to this research by studying, based on a dataset from a questionnaire of volunteers of sports clubs in Palatinate (part of Rhineland–Palatinate, Germany) whether social status affects donations. We measured social status of volunteers of sports clubs along the dimensions income, vocation, education and we considered status crystallization. Results showed that social status has a positive effect on the likelihood of donations. We report similarities and differences across different categories of donations (donations to one’s own sports club, to other clubs, to aid projects, and political parties).     

Attentional Patterns Involved in Coping Strategies in a Sport Context

We investigated the relationship between coping strategies and attentional bias after a sport competition. We administered the Ways of Coping Checklist (Paulhan, Nuissier, Quintard, Cousson, & Bourgeois, 1994) to 145 athletes immediately after they had participated in a sport competition. We also assessed attentional bias using a dot probe detection task. Results revealed that emotion-focused coping strategies led athletes to orient their attention away from threat, whereas athletes who adopted problem-focused coping strategies focused their attention toward threat. More precisely, problem-focused coping strategies are related to a facilitated detection of threat, not to disengagement difficulties. The vigilance attentional bias seems to be a compensatory strategy to cope with a stressful situation, such as sport competition.     

Three-dimensional anthropometric analysis: Differences between elite Australian rowers and the general population

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the anthropometric differences between elite senior Australian rowers and the Australian adult population using three-dimensional (3D) whole-body scanning. The dimensions of senior rowers competing at the 2007–2008 Australian Rowing Championships were compared with those of an age-matched sample of Australian adults. Mass, height, and sitting height were measured before the participants underwent a 3D whole-body scan, with lengths, breadths, girths, cross-sectional and surface areas, and volumes extracted from each scan. Differences in means and variability between the two groups were expressed as standardized effect sizes and ratios of coefficients of variation. Heavyweight rowers were generally much larger than the general population in absolute size, with 3D dimensions and height and mass showing the largest effects. In contrast, lightweight rowers were generally similar or smaller in absolute and proportional size. The dimensions of rowers, especially the lightweights, were also generally less variable than those of the general population. The greatest differences between elite rowers and the general population were seen in dimensions that could not be captured without 3D scanning, such as segmental volumes and cross-sectional areas.     

Team-Referent Attributions Among Sport Performers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a team-referent attribution scale. Conducted over three studies, Study 1 modified items from McAuley, Duncan, and Russell's (1992) Causal Dimension Scale II by rewording items to reflect team attributions and adding one item per factor. This led to the development of a 16-item scale (Causal Dimension Scale-T, CDS-T). Study 2 tested competing models of attribution theory among a sample of 433 team sport players. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated strongest support for a four-factor model (robust comparative fit index = .961; root mean squared error of approximation = .054). Study 3 tested the predictive validity of the scale among a sample of 201 team players. Results indicated that winners reported more internal and stable attributions than losers. Further, performances perceived as successful were associated with stable attributions. The results of the study, therefore, suggest that the CDS-T provides a valid measure of team-referent attributions in sport.     

Aerobic exercise and type a behaviour

The Type A behaviour pattern is a well‐documented, if controversial, risk factor for coronary heart disease. Surprisingly, relatively little work has been reported on ways of modifying this behaviour pattern. Aerobic exercise, with its demonstrated benefits for both cardiovascular reactivity and psychological ‘well‐being’, is a promising treatment. The literature is reviewed and recommendations are made for practical applications and future research.     

Health-inclusive higher education: listening to students with disabilities or chronic illnesses

This paper reports on a small-scale project undertaken with tertiary students who identified as having an impairment either at enrolment or by registering with the university's Disability Support Unit (DSU). The aim of the study was to explore with these students ways in which the university was currently meeting their academic support needs and the ways in which these needs might be better met. Consistent with the definition of disability within the Australian Disability Discrimination Act, it became apparent that a significant number of students who identified with that definition, or sought help from disability services, also presented with needs arising from chronic illness. The majority of participants cited an emotional or psychological illness, rather than a physical, intellectual or sensory one, as a possible precursor to difficulties in engagement with the university. We conclude by considering whether commonly used institutional categories are apposite to an understanding of the ways in which students perceive themselves and, importantly, their engagement with the university and success within it.     

An evaluation of APT: an Animated Program Tracer for novice Prolog programmers

This paper describes an approach to evaluating the usefulness of an Animated Program Tracer (APT) in communicating run-time information to novice Prolo programmers. The method used in the evaluation consists of a set of programs which have been specially designed to elicit how novices think Prolog programs are executed, and thus to reveal how accurate their model of program execution is. Two experiments are reported. The first determines the misconceptions that novices hold about the runtime actions of the Prolog interpreter, and produces six different categories of misconception. The second experiment investigates the ability of APT to communicate run-time information to novice Prolog programmers. A scoring technique was used to interpret subjects' answers, and shows that there was a significant improvement in the scores of the group who saw programs traced by APT when compared with a control group who saw no trace.