Interest in an expository text: How does it flow from reading to writing?

This study investigated the flow of interest in a reading-to-write activity. It was hypothesized that (a) different contents in a text would stimulate different types of interest and (b) different writing tasks would impact differently students’ use of interesting text segments. Participants were 247 11th- and 12th-grade students, who were divided into 6 groups according to a 2 (interesting vs. uninteresting topic) × 3 (type of writing task) design. While reading, students rated novelty, curiosity, impressiveness, importance, and willingness to reflect on each text segment. Participants were then assigned to one of three writing tasks, namely argumentation, text designing, and composition. Results showed that concepts were regarded as important, events/activities as impressive, and evaluations as most worthy of reflection. Topic interest was explicitly expressed mainly in the argumentation condition, where increased topic interest scores after reading and writing were also found.     

An Examination of the Relationship Between Academic Discipline and Cognitive Complexity in Academic Deans’ Administrative Behavior

This study investigates Braxton and Hargens’ (1996, Variations among academic disciplines: Analytical frameworks and research. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Vol. XI, pp. 1–45) assertion of the profound and extensive effects of academic discipline as it might pertain to administrative work. Academic deans in research and doctoral institutions nationwide were surveyed to investigate the relationship between academic discipline and cognitive complexity in their administrative behavior. A bivariate regression showed that being from an applied field was a significant predictor while the influence of consensus was not significant. Discipline effects waned when other predictors were added, suggesting that when other factors are considered, the extent to which one is exposed to their particular disciplinary paradigms becomes more important than mere affiliation with a discipline. Split sample analyses demonstrated variable influence structures. Findings indicate that the effects of discipline cannot be discounted in framing studies of administrators’ perceptions of their leadership context and the behavior which necessarily flows from those perceptions.     

Will the Tide Lift All Boats? Examining the Equity Effects of Performance Funding Policies in U.S. Higher Education

Research in Higher Education - This study considers whether performance funding policies systematically tend to harm some types of institutions of higher education while helping others. Building on...     

Reliability,usefulness and construct validity of the Combined Basketball Skill Test (CBST)

This study aimed to assess the reliability, usefulness and construct validity of the newly developed Combined Basketball Skill Test (CBST). Fifteen recreational (age = 22.8 ± 4.2 y, stature = 184.8 ± 6.5 cm, body mass = 81.6 ± 9.6 kg, training experience = 9.8 ± 5.3 y) and fifteen semiprofessional (age = 18.9 ± 3.3 y, stature = 190.5 ± 8.1 cm, body mass = 84.2 ± 11.2 kg, training experience = 11.1 ± 3.5 y) players volunteered to participate in this study. Test–retest reliability and usefulness were examined for recreational players, while construct validity was evaluated comparing the two player groups. The CBST is composed of 12 trials and its outcome measures include: completion time (sum of the 12 trial times); penalty time (sum of the times from the 12 trials); performance time (completion time + penalty time) and total number of errors. Relative reliability analysis showed acceptable ICC values (i.e. ≥0.70) in all the studied variables. Absolute reliability analysis showed a CV < 5% for completion (1.6%) and performance (2.0%) time, while a CV >5% is reported for the remaining variables. The usefulness of the test was considered “Marginal” and “Good” when comparing TE values with SWC₀₂ and SWC₀₅, respectively for all the studied variables. Likely and very likely differences were shown between recreational and semiprofessional players in all investigated variables. Results showed that the CBST is reliable, useful to detect moderate changes and valid to assess basketball skills.     

Evaluating Instructor Technology Integration in Community and Technical Colleges: A Performance Evaluation Matrix

The press for implementing technology based instructional delivery systems in community and technical colleges is well documented. Yet faculty face numerous challenges in integrating technology into instruction (AL-Bataineh & Brooks, 2003 AL-Bataineh , A. & Brooks , L. ( 2003 ). Challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of instructional technology in the community college classroom . Community College Journal of Research and Practice , 27 , 473 – 484 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]; Groves & Zemel, 2000 Groves , M. & Zemel , P. ( 2000 ). Instructional technology adoption in higher education: An action research case study . International Journal of Instructional Media , 27 ( 1 ), 57 – 66 . [Google Scholar]; Khoury, 1997 Khoury , R. M. ( 1997 ). The unkept promise . Community College Week , 10 ( 1 ), 4 – 6 . [Google Scholar]). Stimulating faculty ownership in technology, diffusion of technology use throughout institutions, and linking technology use to the faculty reward system are key concerns addressed in this proposed tool for evaluating faculty technology integration performance. The tool is based on research on faculty development (Howery, 1997 Howery , C. B. ( 1997 ). Recognizing and rewarding the professional and scholarly work of sociologists . Unpublished report to the Council of the American Sociological Association . [Google Scholar]) and the technology adoption process (Hall, Loucks, Rutherford, & Newlove, 1975 Hall , G. E. , Loucks , S. F. , Rutherford , W. L. , & Newlove , B. W. ( 1975 ). Levels of use of the innovation: A framework for analyzing innovation adoption . The Journal of Teacher Education , 26 ( 1 ), 52 – 56 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Stimulating development of faculty expertise linked to technology goals is the goal of applying the tool.     

Effect of different number of players and training regimes on physiological and technical demands of ball-drills in basketball

This study aimed to analyse the effects of two factors (number of players and training regimes) on players’ physiological and technical demands in basketball ball-drills. Twenty-one young basketball players performed four different ball-drills (two levels for each factor). The number of players involved was 2vs2 and 4vs4, while ball-drill regimes were continuous and intermittent. Physiological demand was assessed using the percentage of maximal heart rate (%HR_max), Edwards’ training load and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Furthermore, the following technical actions were collected: dribbles, steals, rebounds, turnovers, passes (total, correct, wrong and % of correct pass) and shots (total, scored, missed and % of made shot). A 2 × 2 (number of players × regime) two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was applied for physiological parameters and technical actions. The 2vs2 condition showed higher %HR_max (P < 0.001), Edwards’ training load (P < 0.001), RPE (P < 0.001), number of dribbles (P < 0.001), rebounds (P < 0.001), passes [total (P = 0.005) and correct (P = 0.005)] and shots [total (P < 0.001) scored (P < 0.001) and missed (P < 0.001)] than 4vs4. Moreover, the continuous regime revealed higher %HR_max (P < 0.001), Edwards’ training load (P < 0.001), RPE (P = 0.006) and dribbles (P < 0.001) than the intermittent regime. This study showed that both number of players and regime are useful variables able to modify basketball ball-drills workload.     

Classroom discussion and individual problem-solving in the teaching of history: Do different instructional approaches affect interest in different ways?

In this study, 100 Italian eighth graders were divided into two groups to compare the effects of two instructional interventions – the first based on problem-solving through discussion, the second on individual problem-solving – on students' learning of two historical topics (World War I and the economic boom), interest and self-perception of competence in history. The intervention based on discussion produced greater situational interest and understanding of the historical inquiry. The topic of World War I turned out to be an effective source of situational interest. Structural equation models showed that situational interest elicited by the use of discussion and by World War I impacted both on students' individual interest and on self-perception of competence in history.     

Disciplinary variation in preparation for the academic dean role

This empirical study examined a sample of 210 academic deans in research and doctoral institutions in the United States to investigate the relationship between academic discipline and the preparation of deans for their leadership role. Respondents reported relying on experience in past administrative posts and past relationships with faculty leaders as the most highly valued approaches to learning what the deans’ job entails. Findings suggest that how deans understand their role is very much related to the unique experiences they have accumulated as a faculty member. Despite the low reliance overall on trial‐and‐error as a learning approach, deans in pure fields reported relying more on trial‐and‐error than deans from applied fields. This finding suggests that academic discipline cannot be discounted in considering the preparation of faculty for leadership roles.