3160 research outputs found
Sort by
Interunit reliability of STATSports APEX global navigation satellite system and accelerometer-derived metrics during shuttle run protocols of varied distances and change of direction frequency
Get PDFThis study assessed the interunit reliability of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and accelerometer-derived metrics during high-intensity shuttle run protocols. Thirty-three female football players completed three shuttle run protocols (2 × 20 m, 4 × 10 m, and 8 × 5 m). Two STATSports Apex Pro units (18 Hz GPS and 10 Hz Augmented GNSS; 100 Hz accelerometer) recorded accelerometer-derived (fatigue index [FI] and dynamic stress load [DSL]) and GNSS-derived (total distance, acceleration and deceleration counts, maximum speed, speed intensity and total metabolic power) metrics. Interunit reliability and agreement were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman analysis. GNSS metrics demonstrated good to excellent reliability (ICC: 0.845–0.999), whereas accelerometer-derived metrics, FI (ICC: 0.495) and DSL (ICC: 0.484), showed poor reliability. Percentage bias in accelerometer-derived metrics ranged from -1.76% (FI) to -7.72% (DSL), and in GNSS metrics ranged from -0.1% (speed intensity) to 5.83% (decelerations), limits of agreement increased in protocols with more directional changes. Overall, interunit reliability of accelerometer-derived metrics should be considered cautiously, especially in short, high-intensity activity. ICC and Bland-Altman analysis confirmed close agreement for GNSS metrics but highlighted variability in accelerometer-derived metrics. Practitioners are advised to avoid interchanging units between athletes and sessions to maintain reliability
Mentoring languages teachers in the secondary school: a practical guide
No full textMentoring Languages Teachers in the Secondary School helps mentors of beginning languages teachers in both developing their own mentoring skills and providing the essential guidance beginning teachers need as they navigate the roller-coaster of the first years of teaching. Offering tried and tested strategies based on the best research and evidence, it covers the knowledge, skills and understanding every mentor needs and offers practical tools such as lesson plans, feedback guides, observation sheets and examples of dialogue with beginning languages teachers.
Research suggests that the role of the mentor is highly influential to the beginning teacher, and this book considers language-specific aspects as well as a focus on the holistic well-being of the beginning teacher. Together with analytical tools for self-evaluation, this book is a vital source of support and inspiration for all those involved in developing the next generation of outstanding languages teachers. Key topics explained include the following:
Roles and responsibilities of mentors
The subject knowledge and understanding required by beginning languages teachers
The lesson planning process
Guidance on teaching core skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening
Development opportunities for languages teachers
Observations and pre- and post-lesson discussions
Filled with the key tools needed for the mentor’s individual development, this new text offers an accessible guide to mentoring languages teachers with ready-to-use strategies that support, inspire and elevate both mentors and beginning teachers alike
Law and economics of price personalization: relevance of secondary-line injury cases under Article 102(c) TFEU
Get PDFThis paper examines the legal and economic implications of price personalization under EU competition law, particularly Article 102 TFEU. While evidence of price personalization's prevalence is mixed, the paper analyses whether competition law is the appropriate tool for addressing this practice. Through analysis of primary-line and secondary-line injury cases, the paper argues that Article 102(c) TFEU, although technically applicable, may not be the most suitable instrument for regulating price personalization due to its ambiguous effects on consumer welfare. The paper contributes to existing literature by separately examining primary-line and secondary-line injury cases and their relevance to price personalization. It suggests that alternative legislative frameworks, particularly consumer protection directives like the Omnibus Directive, may be more appropriate for addressing price personalization concerns. The paper emphasizes the importance of transparency and consumer trust in implementing price personalization practices and calls for further research on the redistributive effects of personalized pricing between different consumer groups
Exploration into how cricket batters make sense of situations to enhance anticipation
No full textExpert performance in time-constrained tasks like cricket batting depends on integrating multiple information sources to anticipate ball trajectories effectively (Müller et al., 2020). While previous research has examined how skilled batters perceive and update information across individual actions (e.g., Connor et al., 2020; Runswick et al., 2018), less is known about how information is managed over extended sequences of play. The concept of sense-making offers a useful framework for understanding this process, highlighting the dynamic interaction between data and mental models to anticipate outcomes (Klein et al., 2006). This study explored how experienced batters acquire and update information sources throughout a match to make sense of the situation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten semi-professional cricketers (7 male, 3 female), examining how they acquire information, what
shapes their expectations, and how these are updated. Thematic analysis, grounded in sense-making theory, identified three overarching themes: constructing an initial understanding of the game situation, monitoring its evolution, and revising it as new
information emerges. Participants reported building a stable sense of the situation from contextual cues, updating it with dynamic information, and monitoring key sources like field positioning and bowling patterns. They revised their understanding by interpreting
changes as positive or negative momentum shifts, influencing tactical risk-taking and strategic adjustments. Findings show how sense-making enables expert batters to adapt and make effective decisions in time-pressured environments
How the Francis review can solve England’s languages crisis
No full textArresting the decline and growing disparities in language uptake is within the grasp of the curriculum and assessment review. Here’s how: by celebrating multilingualism in the classroom and integrating the Common European Reference for Languages where knowledge and skills bring relevance and interconnectedness in the curriculum
Concurrent agreement and test-retest reliability of a global positioning system device for measuring maximal horizontal deceleration ability in elite youth academy soccer players
Get PDFPurpose: Investigate the concurrent agreement and test-retest reliability of 10 Hz global positioning system (GPS) device against a criterion measure (47 Hz radar device) to assess maximal horizontal deceleration ability (maximum deceleration [DECMax], average deceleration [DECAve], time to stop [TTS], and distance to stop [DTS]).
Methods: Thirty-two male elite youth academy soccer players (18.1 ± 1.6 yrs; 76.6 ± 7.9 kg) completed the acceleration-deceleration ability test with sixteen completing a second test to assess test-retest reliability. Maximal horizontal deceleration ability was measured concurrently using GPSRaw (10 Hz data), GPSExport (STATSports software), and a radar device. Bland-Altman method and Pearson correlations assessed concurrent agreement and intra-class correlations (ICC) with coefficient of variation (CV%) was used to assess test-retest reliability.
Results: Large to very large correlations (r = 0.51 to 0.78) were observed between radar and GPSRaw and GPSExport derived values of DECMax and DECAve. GPSRaw and GPSExport derived values of DECMax showed good overall (ICC = 0.84 to 0.86, CV% = 4.50 to 5.48) test-retest reliability.
Conclusion: Practitioners can consider using GPS as a cost-effective, valid, and reliable alternative to radar technology to assess maximal horizontal deceleration ability in team sports players
Call to Action: Recognising Lived Experience as Expertise: Inclusion in Research on Movement and Exploitation
Get PDFExploring the efficacy of a Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy intervention on football referees: A single case study approach.
Get PDFThis study presents a single case study that assessed the effectiveness of a rational-emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) intervention in reducing irrational beliefs, decreasing negative, unhealthy emotions, and improving performance with a sports official. Following initial assessment, a 43-year-old male football referee participated in a 5-week REBT intervention programme. Irrational beliefs and anxiety were measured using the Irrational Beliefs Scale for Sports Officials and the Sport Anxiety Scale respectively. Following the 5-week intervention, measures of irrational beliefs and anxiety were collected at three follow-up points, taken every 6-weeks, throughout the 2023/24 football season, and again eight weeks after the conclusion of the season. Performance was assessed using observer marks from Football Association Referee Observers, and Club Marks, collected from representatives of teams refereed by the participant. Results showed a medium (d = 2.34) decrease (-43.28%) in irrational beliefs between pre- and post-intervention stages, and a small (d = 0.67) decrease (21.97%) in irrational beliefs between the post-intervention and retention stages. A large (d = 5.36) decrease (-31.12%) in anxiety was reported between pre- and post-intervention stages, and a small (d = 0.18) increase (2.19%) in anxiety was also reported between the post-intervention and retention stage. Performance enhancement was seen via a small (d = 0.26) increase (1.18%) in Club Marks, and a medium (d = 2.09) increase (1.05%) in observer marks. Alongside social validation interviews held with the participant, referee coach and observer, the study provides evidence to inform applied practice and supports the potential value of REBT with sports officials
Fire in the Dance Studio: Paulo Freire, Critical Pedagogy and Dance in Schools
No full textThis chapter explores the application of Freire’s critical pedagogy a secondary school dance department in Poplar, East London. Drawing on concepts such as humanisation, liberation, banking education and problem-posing, the chapter examines using dance to challenge hierarchies in education. Set against the cultural backdrop of grime music and a working-class, multicultural student population, the chapter highlights the transformative potential of Critical Dance Pedagogy. We discuss incorporating popular culture, such as grime, into dance lessons created a relatable and inclusive learning environment that addressed issues of identity, class and race. We focus heavily on how these genres engaged the multicultural working-class student’s she taught. The department’s approach resisted neoliberal educational pressures and redefined success as artistic expression and collective empowerment. By engaging with themes of oppression and agency, this chapter underscores the importance of integrating students’ cultural and social contexts into pedagogy to create meaningful educational experiences. Ultimately, it advocates for expanding Freirean principles beyond dance and into broader educational and community initiatives to achieve greater social transformation
Early warning system for player recovery? A series of case studies illustrating the application of individualised adaptive reference ranges in the longitudinal blood monitoring of English Premier League soccer players.
No full textBlood biomarkers can provide objective insight into a player’s physiological state of recovery. In the context of elite football, the utilisation of a point-of-care (POC) test for measuring inflammation via capillary sampling, facilitates frequent data acquisition in order to assess recovery status within game-to-game micro-cycles. The smaller within-subject variability compared to the variability between subjects limits the practical use of population-based reference ranges. Individualised approaches to biomarker monitoring may therefore be of higher potential value in assessing player health and recovery. We aimed to explore the application of individualised adaptive reference ranges (IARR) in English Premier League (EPL) soccer players using a POC biomarker for C-Reactive Protein (CRP) as a marker of inflammation. Using historical data collected from players' CRP values during the 2019-2020 season, we evaluated the effectiveness of static and IARR in identifying abnormal values and reported sensitivity and specificity at a 5% significance level. Our analysis confirmed that individualised monitoring with personalised adaptive reference ranges is more effective in identifying true abnormalities compared to PBRR (87.8% vs 86.2% for pre-match CRPs and 85.2% vs 81.5% for post-match CRPs), particularly when the intra-individual variability is considerably lower than inter-individual variability. The application of IARR for blood monitoring data could assist the practitioner in identifying periods where a player may require performance (e.g. workload management and recovery practices) or medical support from the multi-disciplinary team. However, IARR serve more as an early warning system than a diagnostic tool. Thus, significant care is needed to prevent misuse and misinterpretation when implementing this strategy in real-world settings