Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Genetics and Social Connectedness on Resilience: A Comparison Between Varsity Athletes and Non-Athletes

Resilience generally refers to an individual’s ability to overcome illness or to cope with trauma or adversity. There appears to be great variability in this regard, possibly being attributable to life events, social designations, personality traits and genetic factors. The present study was to examined the relationship between early life trauma, social connectedness and psychological well-being and to investigate the role of a NPY polymorphism (rs16147) among varsity athletes. Carleton University varsity athletes and non-varsity athlete students (N= 284) completed questionnaires and provided saliva samples for genotyping. It was found that there was a relationship between early life trauma and diminished psychological well-being which was mediated by social connectedness, which was then further moderated by NPY genotypes and athletic condition. These findings suggest that among individuals that had experienced trauma, the GG genotype might be linked to resilience and higher levels of well-being, in a highly social environmental.
Supporting the enactment of inclusive pedagogy in a primary school

ABSTRACT While inclusion has generally been accepted as orthodoxy, a knowledge – practice gap remains which indicates a need to focus on inclusive pedagogy. This paper explores how teachers in the Republic of Ireland primary school were supported to develop inclusive pedagogy to meet the needs of learners with special educational needs (SEN). It is underpinned by a conceptual framework which combines an inclusive pedagogical approach and key principles of effective professional development (PD) arising from the literature, which informed the development of a professional learning community (PLC) for inclusive practice in a primary school. The impact of the PD on teachers’ professional practice was explored using an evidence-based evaluation framework. Analysis of interview and observation data evidenced that engagement with inclusive pedagogy in a PLC, underpinned by critical dialogue and public sharing of work, positively impacted teacher attitudes, beliefs, efficacy and inclusive practice. This research offers a model of support for enacting inclusive pedagogy.
Higher Education as a Predictor of Employment: The World of Work Perspective.

The main objectives of this study were to explore the common perception of students about their education for their practical lives, investigate the relationship between higher education and employment, and the extent higher education predicts employment for students. Number of participants were 1210 which were divided into two groups i.e. current students and previous students, and were accessible as sample from public universities in Punjab. The collected data were analyzed through statistical techniques of multiple regression, correlation, t-test, and ANOVA. The results of this study revealed that most of the respondents strongly agreed with the view that higher education is for world of work. The relationship between higher education and employment found significantly positive and it was evident that higher education strongly affects and applied as predictor of employment. On the bases of these findings, it was suggested that Educational ministry must engage its strength for the expansion of higher education and encouragement of proper structural reforms in employment directions. Career guidance and services to search employment inside institutions should be provided to the students for the sake of saving their energies with long time of searching job. Students of postgraduate level should be given more opportunities for placement of work with employment experience.
Open Pedagogy for Teaching Structures

There is great potential to improve student engagement and retention by using open resources and pedagogies to teach structures. Open Educational Resources, OER, as defined by OER Commons are “. teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission”. Open Pedagogy is more difficult to define, but Wiley states that “Open pedagogy is that set of teaching and learning practices only possible in the context of the free access and 5R permissions characteristic of open educational resources. ”2 The “5R permissions” refers to the fundamental basis of sharing open content that allows anyone to Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, or Redistribute the content of the resource in question. After teaching structures for many years, using several different textbooks, with varying results in student engagement and learning outcomes, the author decided to investigate/develop open pedagogies to use in teaching fundamental structural concepts. This paper will focus on the author’s recent experiences in introducing open pedagogies into an existing, second-year, introductory structures course. The primary goal of this experiment was to improve students’ retention of course content and engage them more directly in their coursework by challenging them to find, create and share open content. Another goal was to guide students in creating documents containing pertinent structural design information that they could maintain for use in their future structures courses and design studios. Students were required to create their own websites to store and share their work in the course. This exercise exposed students to the “5R’s” of open content, at a relatively small scale. The course goals and context in which open resources and pedagogy were used will be explained and described. Future potentials for using open pedagogies to teach structures will also be discussed.
Graduate Students’ Perspectives of the Benefits and Barriers to Mentoring Preservice Teachers

Mentoring is an effective tool for the professional development of novice teachers (Eby & Lockwood 2005; Kram, 1985; Stanulis & Ames, 2009). Mentors to preservice teachers have conveyed that they receive benefits and face barriers when mentoring (Ambrosetti, 2014; Burk & Eby, 2010; Hobson, Ashby, Malderez, & Tomlinson, 2009; Iancu-Haddad & Oplatka, 2009). Graduate students who serve as mentors to undergraduates have also reported advantages and drawbacks to being a mentor (Conway, Eros, Pellegrino, Kras, Gale, & Campbell, 2009; Reddick, Griffin, & Cherwitz, 2011). This study examined the perceived benefits and barriers for graduate students serving as mentors to undergraduate, preservice teachers. It also considered the affect that graduate school had on a teacher’s decision to engage in a mentoring relationship. The participants were all PK-12 teachers who were also graduate students in the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) at the University of North Florida (UNF). The data for this qualitative case study was collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings yielded three themes (helps me, helps others, helps profession) which summarized the perceived benefits and barriers for graduate students mentoring preservice teachers. The results were connected to the Social Exchange Theory and it was determined that some graduate students will weigh rewards and costs before deciding to mentor, while others will lean more towards rewards or costs regardless. This study may have implications for undergraduate and graduate curriculum, mentor matching, and for mentor training.
Chinese university students’ multilingual learning motivation under contextual influences: a multi-case study of Japanese majors

ABSTRACT This study closely examined the motivational language selves of Chinese university students in the process of multilingual learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve Japanese specialist majors. The qualitative data revealed the complex interplay between the participants’ language selves and complicated contextual influences. The participants seemed to have strong ideal English self especially in the workplace and relatively weaker ideal Japanese self. They had strong ought-to Japanese self and their ought-to English self was suspended to some extent. Apart from their English and Japanese selves, they also constructed a multilingual self. The cultural, social and pedagogical contexts in which the participants were embedded exerted mixed influences on their self constructions. The findings suggest the neoliberal emphasis on the instrumental value of language and the negative impact of English as a global language on Japanese learning in such social discourse. This article is concluded with some pedagogical implications for language teachers.
A Method of Numerical Representation for the Amplitude-Probability Distribution of Atmospheric Radio Noise

It is well known that the amplitude-probability distribution (APD) function of atmospheric radio noise can be closely represented by a curve that one can select from a family of curves by specifying the ratio of rms to average voltage, usually expressed in decibels and denoted by Vd. This report presents a method for numerically representing the APD function of atmospheric radio noise for a specified Vd value. It also presents two computer subprograms that implement the method.
Greens or space invaders: Prominent utopian themes and effects on social change motivation

One way in which individuals can participate in changing the society they live in is through the pursuit of an ideal society or ‘utopia’; however, the content of that utopia is a likely determinant of its motivational impact. Here we examined two predominant prototypes of utopia derived from previous research and theory - the Green and Sci-Fi utopias. When participants were primed with either of these utopias, the Green utopia was perceived to entail a range of other positive characteristics (e.g. warmth, positive emotions) and - provided it was positively evaluated – tended to elicit both motivation and behaviour for social change. In contrast, the Sci-Fi utopia was associated with low motivation, even when it was positively evaluated. Furthermore, the Modern Green utopia was shown to elicit greater perceptions of collective self-efficacy, which in turn predicted the increase in social change motivation.
Effects of a Teacher Professional Development Program on Science Teachers' Views about Using Computers in Teaching and Learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine science teachers’ level of using computers in teaching and the impact of a teacher professional development program (TPDP) on their views regarding utilizing computers in science education. Forty-three in-service science teachers from different regions of Turkey attended a 5 day TPDP. The TPDP was structured in modules designed using inquiry-based interactive computer simulations (IBICS). The participants created modules on different science subjects during the TPDP. Their progression was evaluated by micro-teaching sessions. Mixed methods research was used. The data were gathered by a survey and semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that most of the science teachers initially lacked the necessary skills and knowledge for using computers in teaching. However, after the TPDP majority of them developed positive views on using computers in teaching and learning. Also, for teachers the TPDP provided ways and methods of successful integration of ICT in teaching.
Romantic attachment, dyadic coping, and parental adjustment across the transition to parenthood

This study explored the mediating role of common dyadic coping (common DC) on the longitudinal associations between attachment-related anxiety and avoidance and parental adjustment to the first year postpartum. A total of 92 Portuguese couples completed self-report questionnaires of romantic attachment, common DC, parenting stress, and parental confidence. Results showed that more avoidant parents (at mid-pregnancy) engaged less in common DC (at 6 weeks postpartum), which consequently increased their partner's parenting stress (only in mothers) and decreased their partner's parental confidence (in both parents) at 6 – 9 months postpartum. Anxious attachment did not predict parents' adjustment directly or indirectly. Interventions aimed at preventing adjustment difficulties to early parenthood in more avoidant parents should focus on enhancing their common DC strategies soon after childbirth.
The comparison of Imagery ability in elite, sub-elite and non-elite swimmers

The ability to generate and control mental images is present in all of us, but it differs from person to person. Therefore, it is important to understand that imagery ability can be changed through training and experimentation, it is not a fixed ability (Cumming & Williams, 2012). The aim of this study is to compare imagery ability in elite, sub-elite and non-elite athletes in a sport which involves closed and continuous motor skills, such as swimming. 79 swimmers (male N = 37; female N = 42) at an average age of 17 took part in this study. In order to assess imagery ability, the Movement Imagery Questionnaire 3 was used, Portuguese version (Mendes et al., 2016). After analysis of the results, these show that in each and every imagery modality, the scores in the three groups differ significantly. In kinesthetic and external visual imagery the elite and sub-elite groups’ scores, although not statistically different from each other, are significantly higher than those of the non-elite group. In internal visual imagery, the differences between all the compared pairs of groups are statistically significant. The elite group got the highest scores, followed by the sub-elite group average scores and finally the non-elite group average scores. According to these results, the conclusion is that athletes with better performance show greater imagery ability and that apparently the external visual imagery proved to be the best intervention method among swimming athletes.
Student Anxiety and Evaluation

The increased prevalence and severity of academic-related distress is of significant concern on college campuses. Of particular relevance to instructors is the anxiety relating to classroom teaching and evaluation practices. Sources of evaluation anxiety include student uncertainty about the nature of the expected demands as well as their ability to meet these demands. This report presents work from a pilot study investigating correlations between evaluation anxiety and perceived evaluation fidelity for different evaluation techniques across four different disciplines. We also examined the potential mediating role of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between anxiety and expected grade. Our results provide insight into methods to reduce anxiety and increase performance: should instructors focus their efforts on modifying their evaluation tools or increasing academic self-efficacy? La prévalence et la gravité accrues de la détresse liée aux études sont une préoccupation importante sur les campus universitaires. L'angoisse liée aux pratiques d'enseignement et d'évaluation en classe est particulièrement importante pour les instructeurs. Les sources d'angoisse de l'évaluation comprennent l'incertitude des étudiants quant à la nature des demandes attendues ainsi que leur capacité à répondre à ces demandes. Ce rapport présente les résultats d'une étude pilote portant sur les corrélations entre l'anxiété de l'évaluation et la fidélité à l'évaluation perçue pour différentes techniques d'évaluation dans quatre disciplines différentes. Nous avons également examiné le rôle médiateur potentiel de l'auto-efficacité académique dans la relation entre l'anxiété et le grade attendu. Nos résultats donnent un aperçu des méthodes permettant de réduire l’anxiété et d’augmenter les performances: les instructeurs devraient-ils concentrer leurs efforts sur la modification de leurs outils d’évaluation ou sur l’amélioration de leur efficacité personnelle?
Parenting styles and its impact on children – a cross cultural review with a focus on India

ABSTRACT Parenting is a dynamic process, influenced by socio-cultural factors. It is an important contributing factor to child development and childhood psychopathology. Research investigating association between parenting styles and child outcome are limited in India. This paper aims to review studies conducted in West and in India in order to study cultural differences in parenting styles and its outcome. We found that despite hypothesized cultural differences between the West and India, the effect of parenting styles on children appear to be similar across culture, and culture did not serve as a moderator for parenting style and child outcome. An Authoritative parenting styles was associated with better outcome than authoritarian and neglectful/uninvolved parenting style in both Western countries and in India. Findings on indulgent/permissive parenting style were mixed in both Western countries and in India. The article discusses cultural shift in the parenting styles, and its implications for the future.
INTERACTIVE TEACHING AS INNOVATION IN QUALITY OF DIDACTICAL METHODICAL ORGANIZATION OF ACADEMIC TEACHING

Discussions on quality of university teaching are numerous and under the public eye. At contemporary market conditions where responsibility and evaluation of academic institutions is accentuated there is a need for innovations of methodical organizations of teaching work for the purpose of development and promotion of quality of academic teaching and higher education. The accent is on pleasure and requirements of students, competencies of teachers and labor market expectation as well as the community. The purpose of this paper is to present characteristics of interactive teaching in relation to quality of academic teaching and establish whether university teaching through interactive learning and teaching emphasizes cooperative and partner relations through position and role of students and teachers. In terms of methodology, the method applied is one of meta-analysis for research studies that dealt with studying of characteristics of academic teaching (innovations in learning and teaching, project-co-relation approach realized through connecting of teaching contents and differences in teaching organization, and the like) based on which it could be said that problems of contemporary researches in the area of academic didactics mainly encompassed micro organizational structure of teaching work. Analytic-descriptive method was used with the procedure for content analysis. The basis was the assumption that didactical methodical structure of teaching work according to the model of interactive teaching contributes to creation of co operational and partner relations through positions and role of students and teachers which is reflected to higher quality of academic education. The results of this research indicated that interactive teaching with suitable methodical-didactical structure of organization of teaching work contributes to development of cooperative relations that were neglected in the concept of traditional paradigm of academic education which contributes to quality of academic
Effect of sexual abstinence on physical performance in combat sports: A pilot study

Sexual activity is often associated with a negative influence on physical performance. Likewise, sexual abstinence before a sport activity is not only a recent trend. Although scientific data points to none or small effect. On the other hand, testosterone levels could be positive affected by sexual restraint. This pilot study aims to test a complex research approach to measuring effect of sexual abstinence on sport performance in combative sports. Sample consists of two athletes aged 26 years. The length of the relationships with their partners was 4±1.4 years. Both were tested three times in the ten days. Testing protocol included blood sample (testosterone level), hand dynamometry, Wingate test, YMCA bench press test, reactometry and determination test. Supplementing qualitative data was collected through daily record form and closing interview. Period of sexual restraint lasted one week. Although there is no united trend, results show some changes in physical and psychical abilities in both cases. Also changes in sexual fantasy, spontaneous arousal and appetence, moods or concentration were reported by participants. This pilot study uses a comprehensive design and suggest new ways for future research, which is needed due to lack of empirical data in this issue.
Equity and Montessori magnet schools : an historical study of Bennett Park Montessori Center, Buffalo, New York.

EQUITY AND MONTESSORI MAGNET SCHOOLS: AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF BENNETT PARK MONTESSORI CENTER, BUFFALO, NEW YORK FEBRUARY 1994 MAGGIE M. FULLER, B.A., MUNDELEIN COLLEGE M.Ed., XAVIER UNIVERSITY Ed.D. , UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Patricia Anthony The study was designed to explore three principle equity factors at Bennett Park Montessori Center (BPMC), Buffalo, New York. The three factors, access/selection, program processes, and outcomes, were used as a conceptual framework. This framework guided the data gathering process as well as the analysis and presentation of the school’s relationship to equity through its first 15 years. The data gathering techniques employed in the design of the study were documents gathering, interviews, and on-site observations. Data analysis, a continuous process occurring within all phases of the study, was guided by the research questions. With respect to access/selection data has shown that BPMC consistently has enrolled approximately 50% majority and 50% minority students through the annual lottery. The district adopted a controlled lottery which gave preference to students from racially identifiable schools. Unique to BPMC is the early entrance age of its students, two years, nine months. Age eligibility is the only requirement for BPMC.
A prospective model for aligning educational quality and student experience in international higher education

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to develop a model that addresses and bridges the gap between quality management and student experience. The model incorporates the most commonly occurring systems, namely: quality control; quality assurance; quality audit; quality assessment; quality enhancement; and quality management. The paper highlights the key elements of these approaches and constructs a model that provides a more comprehensive tool for accurately implementing and measuring quality in international higher education. The model, as a proposed conceptual framework, can be used by managers in Transnational Education (TNE), both at home and host institutions, to facilitate improvements in the TNE student experience while at the same time meet wider institutional objectives about educational quality.
Global Anisotropic Quad-Dominant Remeshing

This paper proposes an anisotropic quad-dominant remeshing algorithm suitable for meshes of arbitrary topology.It takes an approach to the challenging problem of obtaining an anisotropic quad-dominant mesh.The method consists of operations that sample surface geometry by dense principle curvature lines and sort curvature-lines by variations of surface normal and volume related to them.The anisotropic sampling of curvature lines is then obtained by implementing a prioritization scheme of curvature lines elimination.The strategy is simple and straightforward to implement.It is flexible to produce anisotropic quad-dominant meshes ranging from dense to coarse too.The resulting meshes exhibit better anisotropic distribution than comparable methods while maintaining high geometric fidelity.