(Re)conceptualising student engagement: Doing education not doing time

Student engagement has been identified as an important precursor to student learning. Engagement, especially in the so-called problematic middle years, is now at the centre of mainstream education discussion and debate. Each discourse produces its own distinct understanding of what really defines student engagement. Three contesting epistemological constructions of student engagement are identified, seeking to answer three linked questions: whose conception of engagement is most worthwhile; what actually are the purposes of engagement and who benefits (and gets excluded) from these purposes; and finally how might we conceive of student engagement in order to achieve the twin goals of social justice and academic achievement?     

Muscle capacity and physical function in older women: What are the impacts of resistance training?

The number of older adults (individuals ≥65 years), particularly women, in our society is increasing and understanding the impact of exercise on muscle capacity (e.g., strength and power) and subsequently physical function is of utmost importance to prevent disability and maintain independence. Muscle capacity declines with age and this change negatively impacts physical function in older women. Exercise, specifically resistance training, is recommended to counteract these declines; however, the synergistic relationships between exercise, muscle capacity, and physical function are poorly understood. This review will summarize the literature regarding age-related changes in the aforementioned variables and review the research on the impact of resistance training interventions on muscle capacity and physical function in older women. Recommendations for future research in this area will be discussed.     

The identity work of questioning in intellectual discussion

This article examines how questioning practices in intellectual discussion do identity work. Drawing upon the discussion discourse of a Ph.D. department's weekly colloquium, as well as several other sources, three aspects of intellectual identity are identified that are routinely at stake for academic presenters in discussion periods: their knowledgeability, originality, and level of intellectual sophistication. We identify and describe questioning practices that support and challenge these desired identities. Analysis of the discussion discourse shows how use of marked and unmarked question forms implicate a question recipient's knowledgeability level, how time references and interest queries imply a person's degree of originality, and how lexical choices can problematize presenters’ intellectual frameworks, which in turn can become challenges to their intellectual sophistication. The concluding section considers how the identity—implicative discourse analysis developed and used in the paper could become a useful new methodological tool and sketches out implications for future research on questioning, politeness theory, and a current metatheoretical debate about inquiry.     

Screening of field pea （Pisum sativum） selections for their reactions to root-knot nematode （Meloidogyne incognita）

INTRODUCTION Fieldpea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the im-portant pulse crops of the world and is cultivated over 5.9 million hectares with a production of about 11.7 million tons (Singh, 1983). In India it is grown over 0.7 million hectares yielding about 0.6 million tons (Singh, 1983). Among various obstacles in cultivating this crop, root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood has been reported to cause severe yield losses of up to 20%~33% (Upadhyay and Dwiv…