NIE Data Repository (National Institute of Education)
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Related Data for: Social inclusion through attitudinal change in Singaporean teachers
No full textThe development of positive teacher attitudes towards students with disabilities is a catalyst for their social inclusion. It is therefore important that the foundations for positive teacher attitudes be laid in pre-service teacher education programmes. This article reports a pilot study that investigated the impact of a disability awareness course on the attitudes of mainstream pre-service teachers in Singapore toward disability and inclusion. A researcher constructed survey was developed to enable the pre-service teachers to report their perspectives of the changes in their awareness and attitudes at the end of the course. The results indicated that the course had a positive impact on the pre-service teachers’ knowledge, awareness and attitude towards disability and inclusion. The pre-service teachers reported greater consciousness of their own prejudices and misconceptions about people with disabilities and more positive perspectives of people with disabilities in terms of their capabilities and capacity to learn at the end of the course. They also expressed an increased realization of the difference they could make in the lives of people with disabilities, their personal agency in creating a more inclusive society as well as greater openness towards inclusion and acceptance of students with disabilities into their own classrooms
Related Data for: Examining the interaction of different factors on pointing precision when using handheld laser pointers
No full textObjective
Laser pointers are common teaching tools used during lessons. The pointing precision may influence the teaching effectiveness. In this study, we examined the effect of four external factors, namely aiming distance, target size, light condition and colour of the laser beam on the pointing precision.
Results
Thirty participants (15 males and 15 females; age = 23.2 ± 4.3) were asked to aim at the target black circles with different sizes (diameters = 4 mm, 8 mm, 12 mm and 16 mm) from five various distances (2 m, 4 m, 6 m, 8 m and 10 m) at two brightness conditions (i.e., bright and dark) using two different coloured laser pointers (red and green). Three aiming parameters, namely number of hits, duration per hit and pointing precision were measured. Results showed that the aiming parameters were the highest with the aiming distance of 2 m and the use of green laser pointer towards larger target sizes regardless of the environmental brightness. Among all factors, aiming distance was the most important external factor that could influence pointing precision.</p
Related Data for: Field-based biomechanical assessment of the snatch in Olympic weightlifting using wearable in-shoe sensors and videos: A preliminary report
No full textTraditionally, the biomechanical analysis of Olympic weightlifting movements required laboratory equipment such as force platforms and transducers, but such methods are difficult to implement in practice. This study developed a field-based method using wearable technology and videos for the biomechanical assessment of weightlifters. To demonstrate the practicality of our method, we collected kinetic and kinematic data on six Singapore National Olympic Weightlifters. The participants performed snatches at 80% to 90% of their competition one-repetition maximum, and the three best attempts were used for the analysis. They wore a pair of in-shoe force sensors loadsol® (novel, Munich, Germany) to measure the vertical ground reaction forces under each foot. Concurrently, a video camera recorded the barbell movement from the side. The kinematics (e.g., trajectories and velocities) of the barbell were extracted using a free video analysis software (Kinovea). The power–time history was calculated from the force and velocity data. The results showed differences in power, force, and barbell velocity with moderate to almost perfect reliability. Technical inconsistency in the barbell trajectories were also identified. In conclusion, this study presented a simple and practical approach to evaluating weightlifters using in-shoe wearable sensors and videos. Such information can be useful for monitoring progress, identifying errors, and guiding training plans for weightlifters
Related Data for: Foot morphology and running gait pattern between the left and right limbs in recreational runners
No full textPrevious studies generally selected one foot to classify participants into groups with different foot types and then analyzed the running or walking biomechanics for one limb. Such approach may have neglected the possible differences in foot morphology and gait between two limbs. This study aimed to compare the foot morphological characteristics and running kinematics of the lower extremities between the left and right limbs among a group of healthy, asymptomatic runners. Forty-four participants [20 females, 24 males; age 25.1 (6.5) years old; height 167.2 (7.0) cm; body mass 62.8 (8.1) kg] were recruited. Foot morphological characteristics were measured for both feet, and bilateral running kinematics were analyzed with 2D video analysis. No significant between-limb differences were found in the foot dimensions, hallux valgus (bunion) angle, or navicular drop (all p > 0.05). On the other hand, several kinematic variables were significantly different between the left and right limbs during running, including the peak foot eversion (p = 0.014), peak knee flexion (p = 0.002), and peak hip adduction (p < 0.001). The results indicate that runners with similar morphological characteristics between the left and right feet can display between-limb gait asymmetry during running. Researchers and practitioners should be aware of the potential between-limb asymmetry in running kinematics and foot morphology. Future studies should avoid arbitrarily analyzing one limb to represent a runner’s gait or foot morphology
Related Data for: `Because I'm always moving': A mobile ethnography study of adolescent girls' everyday print and digital reading practices
No full textWith increased access to technologies for reading, more understanding is needed about how adolescents engage with print and digital reading across school and out-of-school contexts. In this study, mobile ethnography was used to document the everyday print and digital reading practices of adolescent girls from one all-girls’ school. They responded to real-time researcher prompts about their reading across various timings, locations, and devices over four days, and participated in photo-elicitation interviews. Findings showed that as students moved between locations, they also transited across devices, platforms, and formats, making use of different print and digital resources for varied ways of reading. Their ability to ‘style-shift’ flexibly across the boundaries of school and personal spaces, various devices and platforms allowed them to independently optimise reading as a resource for their everyday leisure, information seeking, and learning purposes. Insights, implications, and challenges for learning in a post-pandemic digital age are discussed
Related Data for: Performing meaningful movement analysis from publicly available videos using free software – A case of acrobatic sports
No full textThis paper illustrates how movement analysis could be performed using publicly available videos and freeware to generate meaningful information for sports practitioners and researchers. Using acrobatic sports as a case, we performed kinematic analysis on 206 YouTube videos of high-level competitions in diving and gymnastics using Kinovea. Results revealed good to excellent inter-rater reliability of variables analysed. Significant differences in angular speed (p < .001, η²p = 0.213) and flight time (p < .001, η²p = 0.928) among eight different events. Divers had longer flight time (p < .001) and were somersaulting faster than gymnasts (p = .021). Angular speed was higher in tuck than pike somersaults (p < .001). Shorter the flight time was significantly correlated with faster angular speed (rho = -0.533, p < .001) in gymnastics events. Coaches and scientists can consider applying the proposed method to monitor the athletes’ performance and to identify errors (e.g. insufficient flight time). The kinematics measurements can also be used to guide the transition plan across different apparatus and categories (e.g. 10-m platform to 3-m springboard). In conclusion, the present study highlights the potential of using readily available information and open-source freeware to generate scientific data for sports applications. Such data analysis approach can accommodate a wide range of video qualities, is easily accessible, and not restricted by situations such as social distancing, quarantine, lockdown or other restrictive measures
Related Data for: Preliminary data of a preschool teacher-screening checklist for autism spectrum disorder in Singapore
No full textPurpose
There are limited tools developed for preschool teachers to aid them in identifying these children with possible autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aims to describe the development and present preliminary data of a checklist for ASD screening for preschool teachers (CAPT-S) in Singapore that is easy for preschool teachers to use to identify ASD in mainstream preschoolers from 3 to 6 years old.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a cross-sectional questionnaire design. The CAPT-S is a 12-item checklist based on the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition criteria and derived from a survey in a previous study that examined preschool teachers’ perceptions of challenging behaviors in preschoolers with ASD in Singapore. Participants consisted of 63 preschool teachers (mean age = 29.4 years; SD = 9.8) teaching in mainstream preschool centers located in Singapore, and they were asked to use the CAPT-S to rate their students on a four-point Likert scale on frequency of observed behavior.
Findings
Preliminary results indicated construct validity was demonstrated and high reliability in terms of internal consistency and moderate test–retest reliability of the CAPT-S. Diagnostic validity of the CAPT-S was also established, even after controlling for variables such as working experience and time spent working with that student. The optimal cutoff score of 24 produced high sensitivity and specificity.
Originality/value
The present study adds an important contribution to the literature on using preschool teachers as an additional informant in the screening process of ASD. The CAPT-S may be suitable for preschool teachers to use to identify children with possible ASD, although future studies would need to be conducted to examine its effectiveness.</p
Related Data for: Center of pressure and perceived stability in basketball shoes with soft and hard midsoles
No full textThis study aimed to investigate the effects of varying midsole hardness on center of pressure (COP) and perceived stability during basketball-specific tasks, as well as the correlation between COP and perception measurements. A total of 20 male basketball players performed 45° cutting and layup while wearing basketball shoes with soft and hard midsoles. COP trajectories were obtained from the Pedar insole system. Stability perceptions at the forefoot and rearfoot were assessed using 150-mm visual analogue scales. Results indicated greater COP mediolateral deviations in soft midsole compared with hard midsole during layup (soft: 16.6 [4.7] mm, hard: 15.8 [4.6] mm, P = .03) but not 45° cutting (soft: 15.7 [5.9] mm, hard: 15.8 [5.6] mm, P = .60). While 16 out of 20 participants preferred soft midsole, no significant difference in visual analogue scale ratings was found between shoes for both tested movements. There was no significant correlation between COP and perceived stability during layup or 45° cutting. In conclusion, midsole hardness of basketball shoes did not consistently affect mediolateral stability of the foot during 45° cutting and layup. Subjective perception alone cannot be used to indicate mediolateral deviation of the foot when executing basketball-specific maneuvers
Related Data for: Importance of leisure nostalgia on life satisfaction and leisure participation
No full textNostalgia plays a crucial role in individuals’ psychological and behavioral responses. To identify the influence of nostalgia on leisure participants’ life, this study examined how individuals’ leisure nostalgia influenced their life satisfaction, thereby reinforcing their leisure participation intention. 417 responses were collected from leisure participants and analyzed in this study. Results showed that leisure nostalgia positively affected life satisfaction and leisure participation intention. In addition, life satisfaction had a significant effect on leisure participation intention. Further analysis revealed that the indirect effects of nostalgia regarding group identity and personal identity on leisure participation intention were significantly stronger than those of nostalgia regarding leisure experience, environment, and socialization. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed
Related Data for: An approach to teach with variations: Using typical problems
No full textMathematics teachers ubiquitously use typical problems from past examination papers and textbook exercises to develop procedural skills. Can these typical problems be used otherwise? In this paper, we focus on the affordances that an experienced teacher, John, perceives in typical problems and how he uses these affordances to enhance students’ learning by harnessing the idea of teaching with variations or bianshi. Drawing on data from a larger qualitative design-based research on investigating teacher noticing, we present snapshots of John’s classroom practices to highlight what he noticed about the variations afforded by typical problems and how he used these problems with students to promote both procedural skills and conceptual understanding. Our findings suggest that it is worthwhile to support teachers in harnessing variations of typical problems, which have important implications for teacher education and professional development