Learning disabilities in alcohol-dependent adults: a preliminary study

To determine if neuropsychological deficits, known to precede alcohol use in those genetically predisposed to alcoholism, were present in an alcoholic population, 25 male alcoholics (mean age 41.1) were interviewed concerning alcohol usage, educational difficulties in elementary school, and family history of alcoholism. Using a regression table, discrepancies between current IQ on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) (Wechsler, 1981) and achievement on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJB) (Woodcock & Johnson, 1977) were calculated to determine present learning status. Forty percent of the alcoholics were found to have had special education, remedial services, or repeated grade failure concurrent with a familial history of alcoholism and current discrepancies indicative of learning disability. There were no significant differences on intelligence, years of drinking, or mean grades completed in school between this group and the rest of the subjects who did not receive services in school. Conclusions were that childhood learning disorders may be related to the development of alcoholism, particularly when alcoholism is in the family, and that special educators have a role to play in the prevention and treatment of alcoholism.     

Do physical activity beliefs differ by age and gender?

Age and gender are consistently related to physical activity (PA), yet theoretical explanation for these associations is scant. The present study compared the mean values and correlations of a population sample, divided by gender and age group, with respect to theory of planned behavior beliefs (behavioral, normative, and control) and PA. Participants were a sample (N=6,739) of adults (M age=49.65, SD=16.04) who completed measures of social and health demographics, theory of planned behavior beliefs, and self-reported PA. Mean analyses identified greater perceived control over PA for seniors than for young and middle-aged adults (N>.025). Belief-behavior correlations, however, were not different across age and gender in 24 of 26 tests (q<.19). Thus, PA beliefs are invariant across age and gender with the exception of mean levels of perceived control, which are lower among younger adults than older adults. Factors such as early parenthood and career demands were considered the likely reasons for differences. Overall, the evidence suggests that adapting theoretical models for specific age groups or based on gender may not be necessary.     

The validity and reliability of a novel indoor player tracking system for use within wheelchair court sports

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to investigate the validity and reliability of a radio frequency-based system for accurately tracking athlete movement within wheelchair court sports. Four wheelchair-specific tests were devised to assess the system during (i) static measurements; (ii) incremental fixed speeds; (iii) peak speeds; and (iv) multidirectional movements. During each test, three sampling frequencies (4, 8 and 16 Hz) were compared to a criterion method for distance, mean and peak speeds. Absolute static error remained between 0.19 and 0.32 m across the session. Distance values (test (ii)) showed greatest relative error in 4 Hz tags (1.3%), with significantly lower errors seen in higher frequency tags (<1.0%). Relative peak speed errors of <2.0% (test (iii)) were revealed across all sampling frequencies in relation to the criterion (4.00 ± 0.09 m · sˉ¹). Results showed 8 and 16 Hz sampling frequencies displayed the closest-to-criterion values, whilst intra-tag reliability never exceeded 2.0% coefficient of variation (% CV) during peak speed detection. Minimal relative distance errors (<0.2%) were also seen across sampling frequencies (test (iv)). To conclude, the indoor tracking system is deemed an acceptable tool for tracking wheelchair court match play using a tag frequency of 8 or 16 Hz.     

Psychometric Properties of a Parental Questionnaire for Assessing Correlates of Toddlers’ Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior

This study examined the psychometric properties of a questionnaire developed with the guidance of the socialization model of child behaviour to understand modifiable correlates of toddlers’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Findings are based on 118 parents (33.7 ± 4.9 years; 86% female) of toddlers (19.3 ± 2.7 months; 48% female) from Edmonton, Canada in The Parents’ Role in Establishing healthy Physical activity and Sedentary behaviour habits study (PREPS). The PREPS questionnaire encompassed 21 variables across the constructs of the socialization model of child behaviour. Of the nine variables assessed for internal consistency reliability, eight had good (α ≥ 0.70) reliability. Of the 15 continuous variables assessed for 1-week test–retest reliability, 10 had moderate (intra-class correlation = 0.50–0.74) and 5 had good (intra-class correlation ≥ 0.75) reliability. Of the six categorical variables assessed for 1-week test–retest reliability, two had fair (К = 0.21–0.40), one had moderate (К = 0.41–0.60), one had substantial (К = 0.61–0.80), and two had almost perfect (К = 0.81–1.00) reliability. Of the 12 sedentary behaviour variables assessed for convergent validity, 7 were significantly correlated with children’s screen time, of which three were small (r ≤ 0.29), two were medium (r = 0.30–0.49), and two were large (r ≥ 0.50) effect sizes.     

Establishing a Center to Support Faculty Research

This article describes the establishment in fall 2002 of a School of Education Research Center designed to support faculty in increasing productivity and quality in research. Details are provided about center goals, services, staffing, space, resources, and logistics during the first year of operation. In addition, data are shared about faculty usage of the Center, the level of faculty satisfaction with center services in the first year, and initial increases in faculty productivity. The article concludes with plans for continued data collection to monitor the impact of the Center, a discussion of lessons learned at this point in the Center's development, and possibilities for the evolution of the Center. All authors are at the University of Colorado, Denver. Laura Goodwin, Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder, is Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs and continues to serve as a Faculty Research Associate. Elizabeth Kozleski, Ed.D., University of Northern Colorado, is the Associate Dean for Research in the School of Education. Lynn Rhodes, Ed.D., Indiana University, is the Dean of the School of Education. Rodney Muth, Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School, is a professor of Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies in the school and chaired the Research Center Advisory Board. Kim Kennedy White, M.A., University of Oregon, was the original School of Education Research Center Coordinator and was responsible for collecting most of the data included in this study.     

The assessment of teaching in higher education: A critical retrospect and a proposal

Evaluation of college and university teaching is considered in the context of growing demands for accountability of educational institutions and particular roles of faculty in achieving goals for which these institutions are believed to be accountable. In the first of two papers,^* three contemporary aprroaches to evaluation of teaching in higher education are critically reviewed. All three of these approaches-assessment of learning outcomes, assessment of teacher characteristics and analysis of pedagogical behaviors-are found to be defective on logical, theoretical and empirical grounds. A common thread of deficiency is the absence of a coherent theoretical framework for analysis of teaching and phenomena associated with teaching. Specific defecs are analyzed in each of the three approaches as well as in the ubiquitous methodology of rating of teaching performance. In analysis of evaluation by assessment of learning outcomes, teaching is shown to be neither necessary nor sufficient to subsequent learning outcomes. Assessment of teacher characteristics fails to identify those characteristics peculiarly indigenous to teaching as a generic activity. Analysis of pedagogical behaviors fails to distinguish critical teaching acts from more general teacher characteristics interpretable in terms of teacher personality. Furthermore, no adequate basis is provided for normative interpretation of data pertaining to pedagogical behaviors. The use of rating scales to provide data about teacher characteristics or pedagogical behavior rests on assumed rather than demonstrated validity of results. Evidence of validity or meaningfulness is replaced by evidence of consistency which is often spurious. The first paper concludes with an outline of requirements for a more constructive approach to the task of teacher evaluation. In a second paper, an outline of a theory of teaching is sketched which conforms to these requirements. Realization of this theoretical structure in teaching assessment report forms is described. Tentative conclusions from trial use of forms-in-development and recommendations for additional data sources are discussed in terms of their potential contribution to improvement in teaching.     

Relationship between laboratory-measured variables and heart rate during an ultra-endurance triathlon

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between the performance heart rate during an ultra-endurance triathlon and the heart rate corresponding to several demarcation points measured during laboratory-based progressive cycle ergometry and treadmill running. Less than one month before an ultra-endurance triathlon, 21 well-trained ultra-endurance triathletes (mean +/- s: age 35 +/- 6 years, height 1.77 +/- 0.05 m, mass 74.0 +/- 6.9 kg, = 4.75 +/- 0.42 l x min(-1)) performed progressive exercise tests of cycle ergometry and treadmill running for the determination of peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), heart rate corresponding to the first and second ventilatory thresholds, as well as the heart rate deflection point. Portable telemetry units recorded heart rate at 60 s increments throughout the ultra-endurance triathlon. Heart rate during the cycle and run phases of the ultra-endurance triathlon (148 +/- 9 and 143 +/- 13 beats x min(-1) respectively) were significantly (P < 0.05) less than the second ventilatory thresholds (160 +/- 13 and 165 +/- 14 beats x min(-1) respectively) and heart rate deflection points (170 +/- 13 and 179 +/- 9 beats x min(-1) respectively). However, mean heart rate during the cycle and run phases of the ultra-endurance triathlon were significantly related to (r = 0.76 and 0.66; P < 0.01), and not significantly different from, the first ventilatory thresholds (146 +/- 12 and 148 +/- 15 beats x min(-1) respectively). Furthermore, the difference between heart rate during the cycle phase of the ultra-endurance triathlon and heart rate at the first ventilatory threshold was related to marathon run time (r = 0.61; P < 0.01) and overall ultra-endurance triathlon time (r = 0.45; P < 0.05). The results suggest that triathletes perform the cycle and run phases of the ultra-endurance triathlon at an exercise intensity near their first ventilatory threshold.     

Learning on the go: voices of highly mobile urban students

Highly mobile students experience schools and learning in different ways than their more stable peers. Repeated transfers result in discontinuity of instruction and relationships with teachers and peers. Interviews with transient urban students in grades 9–12 reveal the issues they face upon their arrival and afterward. Mobile students give insight into perceptions of teacher practice, peer-group induction, receptivity to classroom instruction, and classroom and administrative practices. Findings include fear, loneliness, embarrassment, and anxiety in new settings or when faced with another school change. While students expressed achievement concerns, peer social and emotional concerns were primary immediately following enrollment in a new school. Students found themselves unable to focus on academic studies until they could secure a peer group with which to interact. Implications for high-mobility schools include the need for structures providing transitional services and community-building environments to counteract the negative academic and developmental effects of frequent mobility.     

Revisiting disposition assessment in teacher education: broadening the focus

Today's teacher education programmes across the world strive to equip future teachers with the high‐quality knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to teach students. The assessment of teacher dispositions has thus become essential to cultivate those qualities. However, the current approach to disposition assessment in the United States focuses on personal characteristics and character‐related dispositions and is frequently used as a sorting device to identify those who appear to be inadequately disposed to teaching. Expanding on earlier work by the author and colleagues, this paper examines the issue of whether more efforts should be made to incorporate elements to assess competence‐related dispositions in conjunction with the character‐related dispositions across assessment tools and, if so, how this could be accomplished. In addition, this paper will clarify some dispositional concepts and terms used interchangeably that actually differ from one another and can confuse the consistency of disposition assessment. Finally, a framework for assessing technology disposition as an example of competence‐related disposition and for broadening the focus of disposition assessment is suggested.     

Training for content teachers of English Language Learners: using experiential learning to improve instruction*

Abstract

Experiential learning theory places experience at the center of learning. Kolb’s four-stage cycle of experiential learning suggests that effective learners must engage fully in each stage of the cycle – feeling, reflection, thinking, and action. This research assesses the alignment of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle with the week-long Summer Institute of Assisting, Collaborating, and Training ESL Secondary Content Teachers (ACT-ESL), the first stage of a professional development model designed to train content teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs). Qualitative and quantitative data analysis from pre- and post-surveys determined positive changes in participants’ understanding of key ELL concepts, knowledge, and understanding of instructional strategies and practices. Analysis indicated that the Summer Institute had a large effect (d > 2.00 for each scale), regardless of previous training in ELL instructional strategies. Findings show that the Summer Institute incorporated the cycle of learning and tenets of Kolb’s experiential learning theory and evidenced teacher learning.