NIE Data Repository (National Institute of Education)
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Related Data for: Biomechanics of step-off drop landings are affected by limb dominance and lead limb in task initiation
No full textThis study examines the effects of limb dominance and lead limb in task initiation on the kinetics and kinematics of step-off drop landings. Nineteen male participants performed drop landings led by the dominant and non-dominant limbs at 45-cm and 60-cm drop heights. Ground reaction force (GRF) and lower body kinematic data were collected. Between-limb time differences at the initial ground contact were calculated to indicate temporal asymmetry. Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) was applied for waveform analysis while two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used for discrete parameters. SPM results revealed greater GRF and lesser ankle dorsiflexion in the lead limb compared to the trail limb in 3 out of 4 landing conditions. The dominant limb displayed a greater forefoot loading rate (45 cm: p=.009, ηp2 = 0.438; 60 cm: p=.035, ηp2 = 0.225) and greater ankle joint quasi-stiffness (45 cm: p < .001, ηp2 = 0.360; 60 cm: p < .001, ηp2 = 0.597) than the non-dominant limb. Not all 380 trials were lead-limb first landings, with a smaller between-limb time difference (p=.009, d = 0.60) at 60 cm (4.1 ± 2.3 ms) than 45 cm (5.6 ± 2.7 ms). In conclusion, the step-off drop landing is not an ideal protocol for examining bilateral asymmetry in lower limb biomechanics due to potential biases introduced by limb dominance and the step-off limb
Related Data for: Acquiring expertise in precision sport – What can we learn from an elite snooker player?
No full textSnooker can be an attractive life-long physical activity, given its popularity across all age groups in Asia and Europe. However, scientific research on the cueing movement is limited. This case study presented the biomechanical profiles of the cueing movement in an elite male snooker player (age 37 years old, height 173 cm, body mass 70 kg). Kinematics of the upper limb and cue stick, were examined in five selected snooker tasks (warm-up, stun, top spin, back spin, and stop shots) using the Vicon motion capture system. Ground reaction forces and centre of pressure characteristics were recorded using two Kistler force platforms. Results showed that the cueing movement was contributed primarily by elbow flexion/extension and much less wrist flexion/extension. The high degree of cue stick position overlap between the practice swing and final stroke indicated high level of cueing precision. Weight transfer between feet revealed a slight lean towards the left foot throughout the final stroke, confirming that the elite player was able to maintain high stance stability when executing the cueing movement. Results presented in the present study can serve as a reference for practitioners and scientists to detect error, enhance training, and improve performance in snooker. For practical applications, snooker players are advised to stabilise their shoulder during the cueing movement and deliver the cue stick primarily via elbow movements
Related Data for: Narrowing the coordination solution space during motor learning standardizes individual patterns of search strategy but diversifies learning rates
No full textConstraints on practice can benefit motor learning by guiding the learner towards efficient coordination patterns, but can also narrow the potential solution space of coordination and control. The aim of this paper was to investigate whether narrowing the solution space through more restrictive task constraints limits the expression of potential exploratory behaviours during the learning process, identified using Drifting Markov Models. In a breaststroke swimming task, the change in interlimb coordination of 7 learners practicing for 16 lessons over 2 months was analysed to quantify motor exploration and identify periods of metastable regimes of coordination. Results showed that the observed exploratory dynamics were highly individual both in terms of range of exploration and in the patterns of search. The more restrictive task constraints did not impair the amount of exploration but rather channelled the exploration around a few selected patterns. In addition, restraining the nature of the exploratory process increased the inter-individual differences of the learning rate. Although manipulating the task constraints during learning can help learners to escape from the behavioural consequences of their intrinsic dynamics, maintaining a broad solution space for a diversity of coordination patterns to emerge was key to fostering effective exploration of individual coordination solutions
Related Data for: Leisure nostalgia: Scale development and validation
No full textNostalgia is one of the most critical constructs influencing individuals’ future behavioral intention. However, a measurement scale for nostalgia has not been widely explored and has not been developed in the context of leisure. Therefore, the study aimed to develop a scale, based on the classification of nostalgia, to measure nostalgic leisure behavior. This study followed a rigorous scale development procedure to achieve adequate psychometric properties. The leisure nostalgia scale developed in this study contributes to a deeper understanding of nostalgia in leisure and expands extant knowledge by building a comprehensive conceptual framework in leisure research. In addition, a better understanding of leisure nostalgia allows researchers to extend this model with other leisure constructs and more effectively explain leisure participation in various populations. Drawing on the findings of this study, managers in the leisure industry can develop and implement effective strategies to appeal to leisure participants and promote business competitiveness
Related Data for: Photosynthetic gas exchange, plant water relations and osmotic adjustment of three tropical perennials during drought stress and re-watering
No full textPlanting vegetation on slopes is an effective way of improving slope stability while enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the landscape. However, plants growing on slopes are susceptible to natural drought stress (DS) conditions which commonly lead to water deficit in plant tissues that affect plant health and growth. This study investigated the photosynthetic gas exchange, plant water status and proline accumulation of three tropical perennials namely Clerodendrum paniculatum, Ipomoea pes-caprae and Melastoma malabathricum after being subjected to DS and re-watering (RW). During DS, there was a significant decrease in light-saturated photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate (Asat), stomatal conductance (gs sat), and transpiration rate (Tr) for all three plant species. Leaf relative water content, shoot water potential, and leaf, stem and root water content also declined during DS. Proline concentration increased for all three species during DS, reaching especially high levels for C. paniculatum, suggesting that it heavily relies on the accumulation of proline to cope with DS. Most of the parameters recovered almost completely to levels similar to well-watered plants after RW, apart from M. malabathricum. Strong linear correlations were found between Asat and gs sat and between gs sat and Tr. Ultimately, C. paniculatum and I. pes-caprae had better drought tolerance than M. malabathricum
Related Data for: Positive teacher language: Improving teacher-student relationships and engaging low progress students
No full textTeacher’s language can help create a supportive and conducive classroom environment for learning. Positive Teacher Language (PTL) is one of ten practices in the Responsive Classroom approach. PTL emphasizes the careful and conscientious use of words, voice, tone, and pacing by the teacher when talking to students, and together with effective listening skills, will nurture students to develop self-discipline, build sense of belonging, and encourage students to learn and achieve in an engaging and active way. While research has shown that a strong teacher-student relationship is critical as a firm foundation for learning for low progress students, there are few research studies in the Singapore context that look at the how-to of building teacher-student relationships. The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the impact of a teacher professional development program on PTL to improve teacher-student relationships and to engage low progress students. We utilized a single-case research design, specifically, the multiple baseline across participants design. Twelve teachers and 18 students from two primary schools participated in the study. The outcome measures were direct classroom observation of students’ classroom engagement and audio-recording of lessons to collect data on teachers’ use of PTL. Teachers completed a questionnaire and were interviewed on their views on the acceptability and effectiveness of PTL. Teachers reported high acceptability of the PTL intervention, and they perceived that PTL is effective and beneficial for their students. However, the results revealed that the task of unlearning formed teacher talk habits and learning the new PTL presented a steep learning curve for the teachers. Performance feedback to the teachers led to greater use of PTL in the classroom. However, this study did not show conclusive findings with regards to the effect of PTL on students’ classroom engagement and teacher-student relationships
Related Data for: Beginning physical education teachers’ experience of continuing professional development and school-based mentoring
No full textThe Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) introduced the Instructional Mentoring
Programme (IMP) to develop instructional mentors to support the development of
beginning teachers. Concomitantly, Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy
(PESTA) developed the Physical Education Lesson Observation Tool (PELOT) to promote PE practitioners’ pedagogical knowledge and practices. It is envisioned that PESTA could help support AST’s IMP initiative by developing its own PE-specific, school-based mentors. Currently there is no available mentoring framework customised specifically for the local PE fraternity that PESTA can adopt. The present exploratory project sought to contribute to the development of this mentoring framework with
the design, development, and implementation of effective and transformative professional development. Our fundamental idea is that the use of video-based instructional evidence and pedagogical practice exemplars can help beginning teachers and mentors focus on and improve particular aspects of their teaching and mentoring practices over time.
The objectives of this project is twofold:
• To further develop the teaching competencies of beginning physical education teachers (BPETs) through continuing professional development and school-based mentoring, with the use of PELOT, and
• To enhance the mentoring capabilities of experienced PE teachers providing the schoolbased mentoring and support for BPETs.</p
Related Data for: Where to put the decimal point? Noticing opportunities to learn through typical problems
No full textIt is challenging to design and structure lessons to maximize high-quality opportunities to learn mathematics in the classrooms. This paper presents a case study of Mary, a beginning mathematics teacher in Singapore, to illustrate how she noticed opportunities to learn during the planning and enacting of a lesson on decimal fractions for Primary 4 students. The case highlights the importance of noticing affordances of typical problems and opportunities to orchestrate productive discussions to provide quality opportunities to learn
Related Data for: Influence of combat boot types on in-shoe forces and perceived comfort during unloaded and loaded walking
No full textIntroduction Combat boots are essential protective gear for military personnel. The purposes of the present study were to examine (1) the influence of combat boot type on ground reaction force (GRF) variables and perceived comfort during unloaded and loaded walking and (2) the relationship between comfort and biomechanical measurements.
Methods Four types of combat boots with different physical features (eg, mass, thickness) and mechanical properties (eg, cushioning, rigidity) were compared across 61 male participants with experience in military marching while carrying heavy loads. In each boot type, participants completed a 10-m walk under an unloaded and a 20-kg loaded conditions at their preferred speeds. Peak force and loading rate during walking were measured using the loadsol wireless in-shoe sensor system. Comfort level was assessed using a 7-point Likert scale. Difference between loaded and unloaded walking, and across boot types were statistically compared. Correlation analyses were performed between comfort and GRF variables.
Results On average across all boot types, participants walked 2.1% slower when carrying 20-kg loads while experiencing 24.3% higher peak force and 20.8% higher loading rate. Boot D was perceived as most comfortable, followed by boots C, B and A (χ2(2)=115.4, p
Conclusions Combat boot features can influence perceived comfort ratings substantially during walking, whereas biomechanical differences among boot types are more subtle regardless of load conditions. The lack of relationship between comfort and force variables suggests that both subjective and objective measurements should be considered for comprehensive evaluation of combat boots.</p
Related Data for: It takes a village: Igniting the scientist in lower track students through partnerships
No full textThe paper presents a study on a partnership between schools, a community welfare organization, Science Centre and the National Institute of Education to design, study and implement new approaches of learning for lower track students. Singapore as an inclusive society has sought to address the diverse educational needs of children in the country. This partnership seeks to ignite students’ interest in learning Science and address the affective needs in learning, which includes developing students’ confidence, competence and social skills. Leveraging on the diverse expertise and experiences, the partners designed tinkering activities to anchor students’ learning experiences in exploring, testing and constructing Science ideas. The activities are designed and enacted with linkages to the existing Science curriculum. However, setting a partnership with stakeholders from different backgrounds and domains is challenging. We will describe the journey of setting up the partnership, developing shared goals, building capacity and knowledge, and designing for learning. Also, we will share students’ learning and affective outcomes because of the partnership and participation in the designed tinkering activities. Our goal is to highlight how meaningful partnerships can be formed to better understand and meet lower track students learning and affective needs through collective social responsibility according to the familiar proverb “It takes a village to raise a child”