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National Society of Black Physicists XXV Annual Day of Scientific Lectures and 21st Annual Meeting - NSBP '98: The Next Generation/12th Annual National Conference of Black Physics Students - NCPBS '98: Physics/Life in Motion
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
MacKellar, Alan (ed.)
The 12th Annual National Conference of Black Physics Students (NCBPS) was held jointly with the Annual Meeting of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) March 4-8, 1998 in Lexington, Ky. The Proceedings consists of scientific talks and abstracts given by NSBP members and students attending the NCBPS meeting. One joint session of general scientific interest was held, with NCBPS students, NSBP members, and about 75 high school students from the state of Kentucky present. NCBPS session included ''How to get into Graduate School'', ''How to Survive in Graduate School'', and a Panel on ''Opportunities for Physics Graduates.'' The report by AIP: ''Survey of Participants of the 12th Annual NCBPS'' is included in the Proceedings.
Seventh annual National Conference of Black Physics students. Summary report, February 12--13, 1993
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
The 1993 conference hosted a wide variety of presentations and activities. Continuing the NCBPS tradition, we offered technical physics presentations, tours of physics research facilities, a career and educational fair, technical presentations by students, dinner speakers and a dance. New this, year were the interactive workshops (described in the section entitled ``New Features``). We included a ``celebrity`` speaker -- Col. Fred Gregory, an African-American NASA astronaut This presentation was featured on the local TV news. There were two last minute changes to the program They included: the replacement of Howard Adams and Tim Childs with Sylvia Wilson and Warren Buck, respectively. Howard Adams was ill and canceled a couple of days in advance. He recommended Sylvia Wilson, also of the GEM Program, as a replacement speaker. The substitution worked quite well, especially since our program was lacking in female speakers. Tim Childs missed his flight so Warren Buck, who attended the conference as an observer, generously filled in at the last minute. We ran a brief survey of the corporate, governmental and educational recruiters who were part of our Career/Educational Fair. Of 15 recruiters, 9 responded to the survey. All who responded said they were pleased with the conference arrangements. See Appendix C for the complete results of the Survey for Recruiters.
Black Physical Educators and Utilitarianism.
Coursey, Leon N.
The contributions of black professional personnel to the field of physical education are enumerated and described. The careers of Anita J. Turner, Edwin B. Henderson, and Albert J. Overly in particular are examined. The ability of a minority group to provide significant leadership in an educational field is discussed, and the challenge still…
Modified dispersion relations and black hole physics
Ling, Yi; Hu, Bo; Li, Xiang
A modified formulation of energy-momentum relation is proposed in the context of doubly special relativity. We investigate its impact on black hole physics. It turns out that such modification will give corrections to both the temperature and the entropy of black holes. In particular this modified dispersion relation also changes the picture of Hawking radiation greatly when the size of black holes approaching the Planck scale. It can prevent black holes from total evaporation, as a result pr...
BOOK REVIEW: Introduction to Black Hole Physics Introduction to Black Hole Physics
Tanaka, Takahiro
expected in the near future. Such hot topics are presented in Section 10: 'Black Holes and All That Jazz'. I would also consider the historical overview of the research on black holes given in Section 1 to be very interesting. Overall, I strongly recognised the intention of the authors not to go into too much detail; in this sense, I would say that the book has the aspect of a showcase of the frontiers of black hole physics. There are many topics which are very interesting but mathematically a little complicated; however, those subjects are appropriately treated so that the reader will not be overloaded with mathematical complexity. For example, in the discussion of black hole perturbation, only scalar field perturbation is discussed. The authors might have discussed gravitational wave perturbation, but this is much more complicated and the essential physics is mostly included in the simplest example of the scalar field. If I were one of the authors, I would consider adding more detailed explanations about several such advanced topics. However, the authors well know that such a challenge just presents a barrier to young students who are going to read this book, and really it is only an introduction to this interesting research field. This style might be the result of the long experience from the lectures over 30 years: the explanations of the subjects that the authors describe in detail are very carefully presented, avoiding logical gaps. In the preface, the authors state that they tried hard to answer students' questions as much as possible; I think that the authors' method in this respect is very successful.
Hagedorn temperature and physics of black holes
Mertens, Thomas G.; Verschelde, Henri(Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Krijgslaan, 281-S9, 9000, Gent, Belgium); Zakharov, Valentin I.
A mini-review devoted to some implications of the Hagedorn temperature for black hole physics. The existence of a limiting temperature is a generic feature of string models. The Hagedorn temperature was introduced first in the context of hadronic physics. Nowadays, the emphasis is shifted to fundamental strings which might be a necessary ingredient to obtain a consistent theory of black holes. The point is that, in field theory, the local temperature close to the horizon could be arbitrarily ...
Key problems in black hole physics today
Joshi, Pankaj S
We review here some of the major open issues and challenges in black hole physics today, and the current progress on the same. It is pointed out that to secure a concrete foundation for the basic theory as well as astrophysical applications for black hole physics, it is essential to gain a suitable insight into these questions. In particular, we discuss the recent results investigating the final fate of a massive star within the framework of the Einstein gravity, and the stability and genericity aspects of the gravitational collapse outcomes in terms of black holes and naked singularities. Recent developments such as spinning up a black hole by throwing matter into it, and physical effects near naked singularities are considered. It is pointed out that some of the new results obtained in recent years in the theory of gravitational collapse imply interesting possibilities and understanding for the theoretical advances in gravity as well as towards new astrophysical applications.
Hagedorn temperature and physics of black holes
Mertens, Thomas G; Zakharov, Valentin I
A mini-review devoted to some implications of the Hagedorn temperature for black hole physics. The existence of a limiting temperature is a generic feature of string models. The Hagedorn temperature was introduced first in the context of hadronic physics. Nowadays, the emphasis is shifted to fundamental strings which might be a necessary ingredient to obtain a consistent theory of black holes. The point is that, in field theory, the local temperature close to the horizon could be arbitrarily high, and this observation is difficult to reconcile with the finiteness of the entropy of black holes. After preliminary remarks, we review our recent attempt to evaluate the entropy of large black holes in terms of fundamental strings. We also speculate on implications for dynamics of large-N gauge theories arising within holographic models.
Minimum length effects in black hole physics
Casadio, Roberto; Nicolini, Piero
We review the main consequences of the possible existence of a minimum measurable length, of the order of the Planck scale, on quantum effects occurring in black hole physics. In particular, we focus on the ensuing minimum mass for black holes and how modified dispersion relations affect the Hawking decay, both in four space-time dimensions and in models with extra spatial dimensions. In the latter case, we briefly discuss possible phenomenological signatures.
The Impact of Faculty-Student Interaction on Black Doctoral Students Attending Historically Black Institutions
Fountaine, Tiffany Patrice
Data for this study emerged from a larger quantitative investigation of factors associated with the doctoral education of Black students attending selected historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This article discusses the variance within and impact of faculty-student interaction on doctoral students' positive academic and social…
Toward a Better "Big House": Black Students on Catholic Campuses.
Branch, Edward B.
Discusses problems confronting black students on Catholic college campuses; e.g., isolation of students in their departments, failure of the college to reinforce a sense of dignity and worth among black students, surrender of social life for academic success, and student reluctance to take advantage of support structures. (DMM)
Black Holes from Particle Physics Perspective (1/2)
CERN. Geneva
We review physics of black holes, both large and small, from a particle physicist's perspective, using particle physics tools for describing concepts such as entropy, temperature and quantum information processing. We also discuss microscopic picture of black hole formation in high energy particle scattering, potentially relevant for high energy accelerator experiments, and some differences and similarities with the signatures of other BSM physics.
Black Holes from Particle Physics Perspective (2/2)
CERN. Geneva
We review physics of black holes, both large and small, from a particle physicist's perspective, using particle physics tools for describing concepts such as entropy, temperature and quantum information processing. We also discuss microscopic picture of black hole formation in high energy particle scattering, potentially relevant for high energy accelerator experiments, and some differences and similarities with the signatures of other BSM physics.
Fit and Phat: Black College Women and Their Relationship with Physical Activity, Obesity and Campus Recreation Facilities
Carter-Francique, Akilah R.
The purpose of this paper was to recognize factors that contribute to Black female college students adoption of physically active behaviors. In addition, this paper acknowledges the prevalence of obesity in the United States for Black women, and examines the relationship between body mass index, physical activity and use of campus recreation…
Black hole bombs and explosions: from astrophysics to particle physics
Cardoso, Vitor
Black holes are the elementary particles of gravity, the final state of sufficiently massive stars and of energetic collisions. With a forty-year long history, black hole physics is a fully-blossomed field which promises to embrace several branches of theoretical physics. Here I review the main developments in highly dynamical black holes with an emphasis on high energy black hole collisions and probes of particle physics via superradiance. This write-up, rather than being a collection of well known results, is intended to highlight open issues and the most intriguing results.
Astronomy Education for Physics Students
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
J. H. Fan; J. S. Zhang; J. Y. Zhang; Y. Liu; H. G. Wang
Astronomy is a very interesting subject for undergraduate students studying physics. In this paper, we report astronomy education for undergraduate students in the Physics Department of Guangzhou University, and how we are teaching astronomy to the students. Astrophysics has been rapidly developing since 1994, when the center for astrophysics was founded. Now, astrophysics has become a key subject in Guangdong Province, and the Astronomy Science and Technology Research Laboratory one of the key laboratories of the Department of Education of the Guangdong Province. Many undergraduate students, working under the tutorship of faculty members completed their thesis at the Center for Astrophysics in Guangzhou.
Critical phenomena and information geometry in black hole physics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
We discuss the use of information geometry in black hole physics and present the outcomes. The type of information geometry we utilize in this approach is the thermodynamic (Ruppeiner) geometry defined on the state space of a given thermodynamic system in equilibrium. The Ruppeiner geometry can be used to analyze stability and critical phenomena in black hole physics with results consistent with those from the Poincare stability analysis for black holes and black rings. Furthermore other physical phenomena are well encoded in the Ruppeiner metric such as the sign of specific heat and the extremality of the solutions. The black hole families we discuss in particular in this manuscript are the Myers-Perry black holes.
Structure of Black Male Students Academic Achievement in Science
Rascoe, Barbara
Educational policies and practices have been largely unsuccessful in closing the achievement gap between Black and White students "Schwartz, 2001". This achievement gap is especially problematic for Black students in science "Maton, Hrabrowski, - Schmitt, 2000. Given the fact that the Black-White achievement gap is still an enigma, the purpose of this article is to address the Black female-Black male academic achievement gap in science majors. Addressing barriers that Black male students may experience as college science and engineering majors, this article presents marketing strategies relative to politics, emotional intelligence, and issues with respect to how science teaching, and Black male students' responses to it, are different. Many Black male students may need to experience a paradigm shift, which structures and enhances their science achievement. Paradigm shifts are necessary because exceptional academic ability and motivation are not enough to get Black males from their first year in a science, technology, education, and mathematics "STEM" major to a bachelor's degree in science and engineering. The conclusions focus on the balance of truth-slippery slopes concerning the confluence of science teachers' further ado and Black male students' theories, methods, and values that position their academic achievement in science and engineering majors.
Thermodynamic Metrics and Black Hole Physics
Åman, Jan; Pidokrajt, Narit
We give a brief survey of thermodynamic metrics, in particular the Hessian of the entropy function, and how they apply to black hole thermodynamics. We then provide a detailed discussion of the Gibbs surface of Kerr black holes. In particular we analyze its global properties, and extend it to take the entropy of the inner horizon into account. A brief discussion of Kerr-Newman black holes is included.
Ways optimization physical activity students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vasilij Sutula
Full Text Available Purpose: on the basis of the analysis of results of poll of students, first, to define structure and the importance of the factors influencing formation of motivation at them to sports and sports activity, secondly, to allocate possible subjects for extension of the maintenance of theoretical and methodical-practical components of sports formation of student's youth. Material and Methods: the study involved students of first and second courses of the Institute for training bodies and the Faculty of Law of the National University №9 Yaroslav the Wise and the students of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts and Zhytomyr State University named after Ivan Franko. Results: it is established that during training at national law university interests of students concerning factors which motivate them to sports and sports activity significantly change. The analyses data testify that a key factor which prevents students to be engaged in sports and sports activity, lack of free time is. It is proved that students consider necessary to receive information on the physical state. Conclusions: results of research allowed allocating the most significant factors which motivate students to be engaged in sports and sports activity. It is established subjects of theoretical and methodical and practical components of sports education which interest students of NLU and KNUCA and ZSU. It is shown that for students of Law University of importance topic of theoretical and methodological and practical components of physical education strongly depends on the year of their training.
Black hole physics: More similar than knot
Gómez, José L.
The detection of a discrete knot of particle emission from the active galaxy M81* reveals that black hole accretion is self-similar with regard to mass, producing the same knotty jets irrespective of black hole mass and accretion rate.
Black Holes and Spacetime Physics in String/M Theory
Li, Miao
In addition to briefly reviewing recent progress in studying black hole physics in string/M theory, we describe several robust features pertaining to spacetime physics that one can glean by studying quantum physics of black holes. In particular, we review 't Hooft's S-matrix ansatz which results in a noncommutative horizon. A recent construction of fuzzy AdS2 is emphasized, this is a nice toy model for fuzzy black hole horizon. We demonstrate that this model captures some nonperturbative feat...
Artificial black holes on the threshold of new physics
Thaller, M
Theorists believe that it is necessary to study black holes in order to merge the two theories of relativity and quantum physics. The next generation of accelerators, including the LHC currently under construction in Geneva, should be able to produce mini black holes on demand for scientists to study (2 pages).
Acculturative Experiences of Black-African International Students
Boafo-Arthur, Susan
There has been a significant increase in the number of international students pursuing higher education in the U.S. since 2001. Upon arrival, students are often beset with feelings of isolation and alienation, which are characteristic of adjusting to a new culture. African International students, specifically Black-African international students,…
Black Holes and Pulsars in the Introductory Physics Course
Orear, Jay; Salpeter, E. E.
Discusses the phenomenon of formation of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes from dying stars for the purpose of providing college teachers with materials usable in the introductory physics course. (CC)
Modified Wave Particle Duality and Black Hole Physics
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
LI Xiang
de Broglie relation is revisited, in consideration of a generalization of canonical commuting relation. The possible effects on particle's localization and black hole physics are also discussed, in a heuristic manner.
Lightlike Membranes in Black Hole and Wormhole Physics, and Cosmology
Guendelman, Eduardo; Nissimov, Emil; Pacheva, Svetlana
We shortly outline the principal results concerning the reparametrization-invariant world-volume Lagrangian formulation of lightlike brane dynamics and its impact as a source for gravity and (nonlinear) electromagnetism in black hole and wormhole physics.
Ethnicity as a Moderator of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Physical Activity in College Students
Blanchard, Chris M.; Kupperman, Janet; Sparling, Phil; Nehl, Eric; Rhodes, Ryan E.; Courneya, Kerry S.; Baker, Frank; Hunt, Tiffany
Most college students do not meet physical activity (PA) guidelines, and ethnic disparities exist. The present study examined the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in explaining PA intentions and behavior in black and white college students and whether any TPB relationships were moderated by ethnicity. Black (n = 170) and white (n =…
Fundamental Dynamics of Black Hole Physics
Haramein, Nassim
The dynamics of rotating, charged black holes, obeying the Kerr-Newman metric is presented. These dynamical high-density, gravitationally collapsing, black hole systems for stellar, galactic, intergalactic and cosmogenesis appear to obey similar constraints on their mass, apparent density and radius. Under these extreme conditions, the gravitational force becomes "balanced" with the larger coupling constant of the electromagnetic force. Thus, the gravitational attraction forms dynamic pseudo equilibrium with the plasma dynamics surrounding the black holes. Thermodynamic-type processes occupy a role in energy transfer between gravitational attraction and electro-dynamic repulsion. Solving the modified Einstein-Maxwell's equations under high magnetic field conditions, with additional thermodynamic conditions, leads to a good description of the processes occurring externally, near and in the event horizons of the Kerr-Newman geometry and leads to a unification possibility. Reference; N. Haramein, Bull. Amer. Phys. Soc. AB06, 1154(2001)
Teacher Education and Black Male Students in the United States
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
H. Richard Milner
Full Text Available Teacher education programs in the United States (U.S. struggle to prepare teachers to meet the complex needs of elementary and secondary students in public schools - especially those of color, those living in poverty, and those whose first language is not English. In this article, we argue for focused attention on preparing educators to teach African American male students as these students face particular institutional challenges in successfully navigating the U.S. public school system. Drawing from the significant body of research on teacher education and teacher learning for equity and social justice, four Black teacher educators discuss challenges they have faced in classes designed to prepare teachers to teach Black male students. Through an analysis of commonalities in their experiences, they propose means for teacher educators to foster greater understandings of the heterogeneity found among Black male students so that teachers can craft more responsive and responsible educational experiences for Black males.
Black holes and high energy physics
Grib, A. A.; Pavlov, Yu. V.
Three mechanisms of getting high energies in particle collisions in the ergosphere of the rotating black holes are considered. The consequences of these mechanisms for observation of ultra high energy cosmic rays particles on the Earth as result of conversion of superheavy dark matter particles into ordinary particles are discussed.
Accommodating Black Students on Traditionally White Campuses: Some Considerations.
Henry, Philip N.
This paper concerns the need for colleges to accommodate black students, especially in the area of guidance. The use of standardized tests and other means for predicting the academic success of blacks is discussed. It is suggested that admission personnel include such variables as self concept, leadership potential, ambition, and maturity as means…
Romanticism and Eroticism among Black and White College Students.
Houston, Lawrence N.
A questionnaire was administered to 1,142 Black and White university students of both sexes in an effort to determine the relationship between eroticism, romanticism and sexual identity. Results indicated that males were more erotic, females more romantic, and that the discrepancy was greater for Blacks than for Whites. (Author/CM)
Carbon black vs. black carbon and other airborne materials containing elemental carbon: Physical and chemical distinctions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Airborne particles containing elemental carbon (EC) are currently at the forefront of scientific and regulatory scrutiny, including black carbon, carbon black, and engineered carbon-based nanomaterials, e.g., carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and graphene. Scientists and regulators sometimes group these EC-containing particles together, for example, interchangeably using the terms carbon black and black carbon despite one being a manufactured product with well-controlled properties and the other being an undesired, incomplete-combustion byproduct with diverse properties. In this critical review, we synthesize information on the contrasting properties of EC-containing particles in order to highlight significant differences that can affect hazard potential. We demonstrate why carbon black should not be considered a model particle representative of either combustion soots or engineered carbon-based nanomaterials. Overall, scientific studies need to distinguish these highly different EC-containing particles with care and precision so as to forestall unwarranted extrapolation of properties, hazard potential, and study conclusions from one material to another. -- Highlights: •Major classes of elemental carbon-containing particles have distinct properties. •Despite similar names, carbon black should not be confused with black carbon. •Carbon black is distinguished by a high EC content and well-controlled properties. •Black carbon particles are characterized by their heterogenous properties. •Carbon black is not a model particle representative of engineered nanomaterials. -- This review demonstrates the significant physical and chemical distinctions between elemental carbon-containing particles e.g., carbon black, black carbon, and engineered nanomaterials
Student Lifestyles and Emotional Well-Being at a Historically Black University
Dzokoto, Vivian; Hicks, Terence; Miller, Eboni
Quality of life, physical and mental health, and lifestyle behaviors were assessed in 500 graduate and undergraduate students at a Historically Black University. 82% of the sample rated their quality of life positively. 11.3% of the sample reported mild depression, while 4.9% and 1.1% of the sample reported moderate and severe depression…
Black Holes: Physics and Astrophysics - Stellar-mass, supermassive and primordial black holes
Bekenstein, Jacob D.
I present an elementary primer of black hole physics, including its general relativity basis, all peppered with astrophysical illustrations. Following a brief review of the process stellar collapse to a black hole, I discuss the gravitational redshift, particle trajectories in gravitational fields, the Schwarzschild and Kerr solutions to Einstein's equations, orbits in Schwarzschild and in Kerr geometry, and the dragging of inertial frames. I follow with a brief review of galactic X-ray binar...
Effects of student physical attractiveness
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Krnjajić Stevan B.
Full Text Available Implicit personality theories suggest that people draw conclusions about other persons by using a relatively small number of visible features. The formation of "the first impression" is influenced by the factors, such as sex, age, appearances, race or nationality. Frequently, conclusions based on those factors lead to developing social stereotypes. Attractiveness is a good example of "the first impression" effect, because physical attractiveness entails the creation of impression about another person along a relatively great number of dimensions. Experimental paradigm, introduced in the sphere of interpersonal perception around the mid-20th century, led to a relatively great number of studies on stereotype based on physical attractiveness. One of the most often quoted conclusions of studies on physical attractiveness is summarized by the idiom "what is beautiful is good". For example, socially desirable personality traits (responsibility kindness, energy quality, modesty, more successful private and professional life, are all attributed to physically attractive persons. In addition physical attractiveness is coupled with positive expectations, peer acceptance, academic achievement etc. On the basis of studies on the "what is beautiful is good" stereotype, we have situated our analysis within the domain of roles regulating social interaction between teachers and students i.e. effects of physical attractiveness on teacher expectations, peer acceptance and academic achievement.
The physics of black hole x ray novae
Wheeler, J. C.; Kim, S.-W.; Moscoso, M. D.; Mineshige, S.
X-ray transients that are established or plausible black hole candidates have been discovered at a rate of about one per year in the galaxy for the last five years. There are now well over a dozen black hole candidates, most being in the category of X-ray novae with low-mass companions. There may be hundreds of such transient systems in the galaxy yet to be discovered. Classic black hole candidates like Cygnus X-1 with massive companions are in the minority, and their census in the galaxy and magellanic clouds is likely to be complete. The black hole X-ray novae (BHXN) do not represent only the most common environment in which to discover black holes. Their time dependence gives a major new probe with which to study the physics of accretion into black holes. The BHXN show both a soft X-ray flux from an optically thick disk and a hard power law tail that is reminiscent of AGN spectra. The result may be new insight into the classical systems like Cyg X-1 and LMC X-1 that show similar power law tails, but also to accretion into supermassive black holes and AGN.
Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics Talk: Black Hole Collisions
Pretorius, Frans
The class of spacetimes describing the merger of two black holes contain some of the most fascinating solutions to the equations of general relativity. In this talk I will review what has been learnt about the binary black hole problem over the past several years from numerical simulations of the Einstein field equations, focusing on the more ``extreme'' solutions obtained in the high velocity limit. This is of possible relevance to LHC and cosmic ray physics in certain proposed large extra dimension scenarios. Some of the interesting results include the near-Planck scale luminosity in radiated gravitational waves, recoil velocities of on the order of ten thousand kilometers per second or larger, zoom-whirl orbital motion, the formation of near-extremal Kerr black holes, and that in the ultra relativistic limit the internal nature of the colliding object, whether black holes or not, seemingly becomes irrelevant. )
HPV Knowledge and Behaviors of Black College Students at a Historically Black University
D'Urso, Jennifer; Thompson-Robinson, Melva; Chandler, Steve
College students are at high risk for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, yet their knowledge and self-protective behaviors appear inadequate. Researchers who have measured HPV-related knowledge and behaviors in evaluating college intervention efforts pay secondary attention to black college students because this group generally represents only…
Innovative technologies in physical education of students.
Sychova T.V.
The purpose of the article is a ground of efficiency of the use of technologies of the interactive and differentiated teaching in the process of physical education of students. 84 students of 1th course took part in researches. The level of physical preparedness of students is exposed by the method of indexes. The use of popular among students facilities of physical culture is offered. Interactive character of teaching, which foresees active co-operation of all of participants of educational ...
Students' Perceptions of Black-Latino Conflicts in Public Schools
Ysais, Michelle
This project provides a student perspective of the so-called Black-Brown "racial" tension in Los Angeles high schools. A theoretical foundation for examining Black and Latino tensions and their structural influences is provided along with an explanation of the racialized images seen in the media that contribute to moral panic in the surrounding community and promote school practices most comparable to the prison setting. Critical race theory, internal colonial theory and deprivation approache...
On brane-world black holes and short scale physics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
There is evidence that trans-Planckian physics does not affect the Hawking radiation in four dimensions and, consequently, deviations from the linear dispersion relation (for massless particles) at very high energies cannot be revealed using four-dimensional black holes. We study this issue in the context of models with extra-spatial dimensions and show that small black holes that could be produced in accelerators might also provide a chance of testing the high energy regime where non-linear dispersion relations are generally expected
Prospects sportization system of physical education students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vasil' Sutula
Full Text Available Purpose: to assess the status and prospects of development of sports-oriented direction in the system of physical education students. Material and Methods: the analysis of literature, which are developed the theoretical and practical aspects of the development of physical education students. Results: it is determined that the system of physical education students in groups of physical and sports education is the most common sports-oriented form of organization studies. It is noted that the traditional system of physical education is not effective enough to improve the physical health of students. Conclusions: the solution to provide the necessary level of physical health of students is formation of their personality a certain level of physical culture.
Characteristics of the General Physics student population.
Hunt, Gary L.
Are pre-medical students different than the other students in a General physics class? They often appear to be different, based on how often they seek help from the instructor or how nervous they are about 2 points on a lab report. But are these students different in a measurable characteristic? The purpose of this study is to better understand the characteristics of the students in the introductory physics classes. This is the first step toward improving the instruction. By better understanding the students the classroom, the organization and pedagogy can be adjusted to optimize student learning. The characteristics to be investigated during this study are: · student epistemological structure, · student attitudes, · science course preparation prior to this course, · study techniques used, · physics concepts gained during the class · performance in the class. The data will be analyzed to investigate differences between groups. The groups investigated will be major, gender, and traditional/nontraditional students.
Relation of Racial Identity Attitudes to Self-Actualization and Affective States of Black Students.
Parham, Thomas A.; Helms, Janet E.
The relation between identity attitudes, or Black self-ac4ualization, and various affective states were investigated in 166 Black university students. Both pro-White/anti-Black and pro-Black/anti-White attitudes were associated with greater personal distress. Awakening Black identity was positively related to self-actualization tendencies and…
Correlates of Attitudes Toward Black Militancy Among Black College Students. Research Report No. 13.
Willis, Carl T.; Goldberg, Faye J.
A 23-item militancy scale was administered to 100 black college students. Background information and Rokeach's Terminal Value Scale were also given. Using a multiple regression analysis, several variables emerged as good predictors of militancy for the sample. The best single predictor is racial designation, militants preferring to call themselve…
Racial and Ego Identity Development in Black Caribbean College Students
Sanchez, Delida
This study explored the relationships between racial identity attitudes and ego identity statuses among 255 Black Caribbean college students in the Northeast United States. Findings indicated that racial identity attitudes were predictive of ego identity statuses. Specifically, preencounter racial identity attitudes were predictive of lower scores…
Coping, Reasons for Living, and Suicide in Black College Students
Wang, Mei-Chuan; Nyutu, Pius N.; Tran, Kimberly K.
The authors examined the roles of reasons for living and coping in protecting against suicidal behaviors among 361 Black college students. Results of a path analysis revealed that reasons for living mediated against suicidal ideation through an inverse effect on depression. Results also indicated that greater use of emotion-oriented coping may…
Report on student participants at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the National Society of Black Physicists
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Julius Dollison, Michael Neuchatz
The first meeting of African American physicists was held in 1973 at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, with around 50 Black physicists in attendance. In 1977, this organization was formally established as the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) out of a need to address many concerns of African American physicists. During the ensuing years the Conference began to grow and was hosted by different institutions at various geographic locations. This year, the 2003 Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and Black Physics Students was hosted by Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia during the weekend of February 12th-15th, 2003. This Conference brought together over 500 African American physics students and working physicists. Also attending were corporate and graduate school recruiters, administrators, professional society representatives and others concerned with the small representation of minorities in the field of physics. The organizers of the Conference contracted with the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics to conduct a formal evaluative study of the meeting, resulting in this report. The evaluation questionnaire was designed by the organizers of the NSBP conference with input from the Statistical Research Center's staff. It included questions on the students' backgrounds and demographic characteristics, physics research experience, career goals, challenges faced in their academic pursuits, and ratings of various aspects of the conference. The questionnaire was distributed at the conference when the students signed in. Of the 330 students who were registered, roughly 304 attended and were given the four-page questionnaire to complete. Responses were collected on the last night of the conference, with 172 (approximately 57%) returning completed questionnaires. This low response rate could be attributed in part to the fact that respondents were asked to provide possibly sensitive personal
Physical and psychosocial adaptation of blacks on hemodialysis.
Burns, Dorothy
Roy's Adaptation Model was used to study problems and coping strategies reported by 102 blacks on hemodialysis. Although the most frequently identified problems were fatigue, muscle soreness, and physical limitations, food and fluid restrictions were most bothersome. Participants used multiple strategies to cope with the illness and its treatment. Putting trust in God was the most frequently identified strategy. These findings can be used to enhance the physical and psychosocial assessment of these patients and facilitate the ability of clinicians to intervene effectively in helping clients cope with the problems that are associated with the illness and its treatment. PMID:15154124
Understanding What Influences Successful Black Commuter Students' Engagement in College: An Exploratory Study
Yearwood, Trina Lynn
Although Black commuter students are disadvantaged when it comes to higher education, research on the success of Black commuter students in college is very rare. Existing research on Black and commuter students primarily concentrate on negative statistics such as stagnant college completion rates, departure, and lack of engagement. The purpose of…
Feminist Physics Education: Deconstructed Physics and Students' Multiple Subjectivities
Jammula, Diane Crenshaw
Physics is one of the least diverse sciences; in the U.S. in 2010, only 21% of bachelors degrees in physics were awarded to women, 2.5% to African Americans, and 4% to Hispanic Americans (AIP, 2012). Though physics education reform efforts supporting interactive engagement have doubled students' learning gains (Hake, 1998), gender and race gaps persist (Brewe et al., 2010; Kost, Pollock, & Finkelstein, 2009). When students' subjectivities align with presentations of physics, they are more likely to develop positive physics identities (Hughes, 2001). However, both traditional and reformed physics classrooms may present physics singularly as abstract, elite, and rational (Carlone, 2004). Drawing from feminist science, I argue that binaries including abstract / concrete, elite / accessible, and rational / emotional are hierarchal and gendered, raced and classed. The words on the left define conventional physics and are associated with middle class white masculinity, while the words on the right are associated with femininity or other, and are often missing or delegitimized in physics education, as are females and minorities. To conceptualize a feminist physics education, I deconstructed these binaries by including the words on the right as part of doing physics. I do not imply that women and men think differently, but that broadening notions of physics may allow a wider range of students to connect with the discipline. I used this conceptual framework to modify a popular reformed physics curriculum called Modeling Instruction (Hestenes, 1987). I taught this curriculum at an urban public college in an introductory physics course for non-science majors. Twenty-three students of diverse gender, race, ethnic, immigrant and class backgrounds enrolled. I conducted an ethnography of the classroom to learn how students negotiate their subjectivities to affiliate with or alienate from their perceptions of physics, and to understand how classroom experiences exacerbate or
Exploring Woman University Physics Students "Doing Gender" and "Doing Physics"
Danielsson, Anna T.
This article explores what it can mean to be a woman physics student. A case study approach is used to explore how five women who are studying physics at a Swedish university simultaneously negotiate their doing of physics and their doing of gender. By conceptualising both gender and learning as aspects of identity formation, the analysis of the…
Malaysian Students' Motivation towards Physics Learning
Saleh, Salmiza
The purpose of this survey study was to examine the level of Malaysian students' motivation with regards to the learning of Physics at the secondary school level, and its influencing factors. The study was carried out on 337 Form Four students who took Physics as a subject, from six schools in a northern state of Malaysia--three from urban areas,…
Gravitation, black holes and space-time physics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
A wide range of questions relating to the general theory of relativity, the physics of gravitation and space-time are discussed, including the relations between gravitation and the other fields of physics, mainly electromagnetism and the special theory of relativity, Einstein general relativity theory - the consequences of the principle of equivalence, the physics of curved space-time, equations of the gravitation fields, properties of gravitational energy and gravitational waves, the properties are analysed of certain significant solutions of Einstein field equations, causality and the global structure of space-time, horizons, the problem of space-time singularities, etc. The physics of black holes is discussed in detail as the extreme manifestation of gravitation also the problem of the structure and development of the universe with regard to present relativistic cosmology. Finally discussed is Mach principle, the quantizing of the field of gravitation and the problems of unified theories of the field. (V.U.)
Students to delve into physics at UCR
To turn up the volume on student interest in the sciences, San Jacinto High School physics teacher Mark Bonnard went global. His efforts resulted in allowing some students to head to UC Riverside in March to learn from physicists and interact with high school students from Portugal through an international master class.
The Impact of Baseball Participation on the Educational Experiences of Black Student-Athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Gawrysiak, Edward Joseph; Cooper, Joseph N.; Hawkins, Billy
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of baseball participation on the educational experiences of black student-athletes at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the southeastern United States (US). HBCUs were selected for this study because of the limited amount of research on student-athletes at these…
AQA A level physics student book 2
England, Nick; Thomas, Nicky
Expand and challenge your students' knowledge and understanding of Physics with textbooks that build mathematical skills, provide practical assessment guidance and support for all 5 topic options. - Provides support for all 5 topic options: Astrophysics; Turning Points in Physics; Engineering Physics; Medical Physics; Electronics - Offers guidance for the mathematical requirements of the course with worked examples of calculations and a dedicated 'Maths in Physics' chapter - Measures progress and assess learning throughout the course with Test Yourself and Stretch and Ch
AQA A level physics student book 1
England, Nick; Thomas, Nicky; Davenport, Carol
Expand and challenge your students' knowledge and understanding of Physics with textbooks that build mathematical skills, provide practical assessment guidance and support for all 5 topic options. - Provides support for all 5 topic options: Astrophysics; Turning Points in Physics; Engineering Physics; Medical Physics; Electronics - Offers guidance for the mathematical requirements of the course with worked examples of calculations and a dedicated 'Maths in Physics' chapter - Measures progress and assess learning throughout the course with Test Yourself and Stretch and Ch
Selected topics in string theory and black hole physics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The aim of these lectures is to present some selected topics in the area of string theory, in particular those where string theory should provide answers where standard quantum field theory and general relativity seem to be in conflict. The first part of the lectures reviews some aspects of black hole physics, and in particular the many puzzles raised by Hawking when one studies quantized matter in the present of such space-time. The we survey some of the current ideas, especially those inspired in string theory, which provide new scenarios, where some of these problems can be adressed. These include two-dimensional dilaton balck holes and string black holes. Finally we briefly introduce some discrete symmetries (duality and mirror transformations) appearing in string theory and which have no analogue in quantum field theory
African-American College Student Attitudes toward Physics and Their Effect on Achievement
Drake, Carl Timothy
The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or…
Teaching for Student Learning in Physical Education
Silverman, Stephen
The goal of teaching is learning, and learning in physical education requires more than activity for children to achieve. This article highlights and discusses research that focuses on teaching in physical education, with a particular emphasis on motor skill learning and on student attitudes toward physical education. It presents a brief…
Physics and Initial Data for Multiple Black Hole Spacetimes
Bonning, E; Neilsen, D W; Matzner, R A; Bonning, Erin; Marronetti, Pedro; Neilsen, David; Matzner, Richard
An orbiting black hole binary will generate strong gravitational radiation signatures, making these binaries important candidates for detection in gravitational wave observatories. The gravitational radiation is characterized by the orbital parameters, including the frequency and separation at the inner-most stable circular orbit (ISCO). One approach to estimating these parameters relies on a sequence of initial data slices that attempt to capture the physics of the inspiral. Using calculations of the binding energy, several authors have estimated the ISCO parameters using initial data constructed with various algorithms. In this paper we examine this problem using conformally Kerr-Schild initial data. We present convergence results for our initial data solutions, and give data from numerical solutions of the constraint equations representing a range of physical configurations. In a first attempt to understand the physical content of the initial data, we find that the Newtonian binding energy is contained in ...
Particle physics research for first year students
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The first physics laboratory course for undergraduate students at the University of Oslo is briefly presented. The last part of the course introduces the students to currently ongoing research projects at the department of physics. An exercise in practical data analysis relating to a high energy physics experiment at the LEP accelerator at CERN is discussed in some detail. The selection of e+e-→e+e-(+nγ) events for luminosity determination is discussed. The students study event kinematics and detector performance. The entire exercise is based on real data. (author)
Mediators of Stereotype Threat among Black College Students
Massey, Douglas S.; Owens, Jayanti
We hypothesize that the manner in which stereotype threat affects college grade achievement is mediated by institutional context as well as individual characteristics. Drawing on a sample of black students from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen we find weak and inconsistent evidence that institutional characteristics influence the operation of stereotype threat. We find more consistent evidence to indicate that the effect of stereotype threat is conditioned by individual factors su...
Racial Identity and Black Students' Perceptions of Community Outreach: Implications for Bonding Social Capital
Lott, Joe L., II
This research investigates the impact of racial identity on Black students' perceptions of community outreach. Colleges and universities are steadily forming university-community partnerships. Research has not fully addressed those indicators that may influence relationship-forming between Black students and Black community members. The sample…
Lovat, Ian
Reinforce students' understanding throughout their course; clear topic summaries with sample questions and answers will improve exam technique to achieve higher grades. Written by examiners and teachers, Student Guides:. ? Help students identify what they need to know with a concise summary of the paper examined in the AS and A-level specification. ? Consolidate understanding with exam tips and knowledge check questions. ? Provide opportunities to improve exam technique with sample graded answers to exam-style questions. ? Develop independent learning and research skills. ? Provide the content
Pollard, Jeremy
Reinforce students' understanding throughout their course; clear topic summaries with sample questions and answers will improve exam technique to achieve higher grades. Written by examiners and teachers, Student Guides:. ? Help students identify what they need to know with a concise summary of the paper examined in the AS and A-level specification. ? Consolidate understanding with exam tips and knowledge check questions. ? Provide opportunities to improve exam technique with sample graded answers to exam-style questions. ? Develop independent learning and research skills. ? Provide the content
Physics Literacy for All Students
Hobson, Art
Physics teachers must broaden their focus from physics for scientists to physics for all. The reason, as the American Association for the Advancement of Science puts it, is: ``Without a scientifically literate population, the outlook for a better world is not promising.'' Physics for all (including the first course for scientists) should be conceptual, not technical. It should describe the universe as we understand it today, including special and general relativity, quantum physics, modern cosmology, the standard model, and quantum fields. Many science writers have shown this is possible. It should include physics-related social topics such as global warming and nuclear weapons, because citizens need to vote on these issues. Above all, it should emphasize the scientific process and the difference between science and nonsense. Science is based not on beliefs but rather on evidence and reason. We should constantly ask ``How do we know?'' and ``What is the evidence?''
Coordination of Mathematics and Physical Resources by Physics Graduate Students
Gupta, Ayush; Hammer, David
We investigate the dynamics of how graduate students coordinate their mathematics and physics knowledge within the context of solving a homework problem for a plasma physics survey course. Students were asked to obtain the complex dielectric function for a plasma with a specified distribution function and find the roots of that expression. While all the 16 participating students obtained the dielectric function correctly in one of two equivalent expressions, roughly half of them (7 of 16) failed to compute the roots correctly. All seven took the same initial step that led them to the incorrect answer. We note a perfect correlation between the specific expression of dielectric function obtained and the student's success in solving for the roots. We analyze student responses in terms of a resources framework and suggest routes for future research.
Reaching the Overlooked Student in Physical Education
Esslinger, Keri; Esslinger, Travis; Bagshaw, Jarad
This article describes the use of live action role-playing, or "LARPing," as a non-traditional activity that has the potential to reach students who are not interested in traditional physical education.
of students pedagogical skills to physical education
Galina Bezverkhnya; Mykola Mayevsky
Purpose: to describe the motivation to physical education of pedagogical skills girls in the context of motivation to learn and motivation to succeed. Material and Methods: 90 second-year students of pedagogical specialties were researched (30 girls from pre-school education, philological and economic faculties) Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. Results: described the motivation of students in physical education by the analysis of involvement of subject and the target set. Stud...
From students to researchers: The education of physics graduate students
Lin, Yuhfen
This dissertation aims to make two research contributions: (1) In physics education research, this work aims to advance our understanding of physics student learning at the graduate level. This work attempts to better understand how physics researchers and teachers are produced, and what factors support or encourage the process of becoming a researcher and a teacher. (2) In cognitive science research in the domain of expert/novice differences, researchers are interested in defining and understanding what expertise is. This work aims to provide some insight into some of the components of expertise that go into becoming a competent expert researcher in the domain of physics. This in turn may contribute to our general understanding of expertise across multiple domains. Physics graduate students learn in their classes as students, teach as teaching assistants, and do research with research group as apprentices. They are expected to transition from students to independent researchers and teachers. The three activities of learning, teaching, and research appear to be very different and demand very different skill-sets. In reality, these activities are interrelated and have subtle effects on each other. Understanding how students transition from students to researchers and teachers is important both to PER and physics in general. In physics, an understanding of how physics students become researchers may help us to keep on training physicists who will further advance our understanding of physics. In PER, an understanding of how graduate students learn to teach will help us to train better physics teachers for the future. In this dissertation, I examine physics graduate students' approaches to teaching, learning, and research through semi-structured interviews. The collected data is interpreted and analyzed through a framework that focuses on students' epistemological beliefs and locus of authority. The data show how students' beliefs about knowledge interact with their
Supporting Student Autonomy in Physical Education
Perlman, Dana; Webster, Collin A.
The lack of motivation among students is a common challenge in physical education. Studies drawing on the self-determination theory consistently show that perceived autonomy facilitates adaptive motivation in students, which can lead to a wide range of desired educational outcomes. However, instructional strategies designed to support student…
Vector Knowledge of Beginning Physics Students.
Knight, Randall D.
Presents the Vector Knowledge Test that was designed to see if beginning physics students possess the minimal basic knowledge of vectors that will allow them to proceed with a study of Newtonian mechanics. Concludes that only one-third of the students in a calculus-based introductory course at California Polytechnic had sufficient vector…
A mathematical physics for all students
Brekke, Stewart E.
For 23 years I have been teaching physics and other subjects in science and math in Chicago public high schools. In the 1970s, an integration consent decree issued in federal court mandated that, except for impaired learners, all students in the high school where I was teaching must take four years of science and mathematics. The students at Robeson High were poor African-American students, most of whom had weak reading and math backgrounds.
Assessing Student Understanding of Physical Hydrology
Castillo, A. J.; Marshall, J.; Cardenas, M. B.
Our objective is to characterize and assess upper division and graduate student thinking by developing and testing an assessment tool for a physical hydrology class. The class' learning goals are: (1) Quantitative process-based understanding of hydrologic processes, (2) Experience with different methods in hydrology, (3) Learning, problem solving, communication skills. These goals were translated into two measurable tasks asked of students in a questionnaire: (1) Describe the significant processes in the hydrological cycle and (2) Describe laws governing these processes. A third question below assessed the students' ability to apply their knowledge: You have been hired as a consultant by __ to (1) assess how urbanization and the current drought have affected a local spring and (2) predict what the effects will be in the future if the drought continues. What information would you need to gather? What measurements would you make? What analyses would you perform? Student and expert responses to the questions were then used to develop a rubric to score responses. Using the rubric, 3 researchers independently blind-coded the full set of pre and post artifacts, resulting in 89% inter-rater agreement on the pre-tests and 83% agreement on the post-tests. We present student scores to illustrate the use of the rubric and to characterize student thinking prior to and following a traditional course. Most students interpreted Q1 in terms of physical processes affecting the water cycle, the primary organizing framework for hydrology, as intended. On the pre-test, one student scored 0, indicating no response, on this question. Twenty students scored 1, indicating rudimentary understanding, 2 students scored a 2, indicating a basic understanding, and no student scored a 3. Student scores on this question improved on the post-test. On the 22 post-tests that were blind scored, 11 students demonstrated some recognition of concepts, 9 students showed a basic understanding, and 2
Near horizon data and physical charges of extremal AdS black holes
Astefanesei, D.; Banerjee, N.; Dutta, S.
We compute the physical charges and discuss the properties of a large class of five-dimensional extremal AdS black holes by using the near horizon data. Our examples include baryonic and electromagnetic black branes, as well as supersymmetric spinning black holes. In the presence of the gauge Chern–
A student laboratory in environmental physics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
In the framework of teaching environmental physics at the Free University of Amsterdam (VUA) six experiments in environmental physics have been developed. The experiments are incorporated in the student laboratories for physics majors. Therefore, first an overview is given of the set-up and methodology of the student laboratories in general. Next, the experiments are described. They are available on the web for anybody to copy including a typical 'example experiment' to test the equipment and experimental procedure. As an example an experiment on laser Doppler anemometry is described
Liliya Aleksandrovna Konovalova
The purpose of the study is to determine the content and technologies to improve the level of health and physical fitness of students by means of physical training.The main research method is a pedagogical experiment.The article describes the need for the implementation of innovative technologies in the educational process of students' physical education.The author proposes a fitness technology of cardio strength training and implementation of the results that have confirmed its effectiveness...
Black Faculty in Predominantly White U.S. Institutions of Higher Education: The Influence of Black Student Enrollment.
Darden, Joe T.; Kamel, Sameh M.; Jacobs, Andrew J.
Data from the 1993 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System are used to demonstrate that there is a strong positive relationship between the representation of black undergraduate students and the representation of black faculty members at institutions of higher education in the United States. Implications for the debate over affirmative…
Leaving Home: The Challenges of Black-African International Students Prior to Studying Overseas
Caldwell, Elizabeth Frances; Hyams-Ssekasi, Denis
Much of the literature on international students centres on their experiences once they arrive in their host countries. This study explores the preparations of Black-African students for leaving their home countries to study abroad. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 50 Black-African students studying at one British university. The…
Assessing student understanding of physical hydrology
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
J. A. Marshall
Full Text Available Our objective is to devise a mechanism to characterize and assess upper division and graduate student thinking in hydrology. We accomplish this through development and testing of an assessment tool for a physical hydrology class. The instrument was piloted in two sections of a physical hydrology course. Students were asked to respond to two questions that probed understanding and one question that assessed their ability to apply their knowledge, both prior to and after the course. Student and expert responses to the questions were classified into broad categories to develop a rubric to score responses. Using the rubric, three researchers independently blind-coded the full set of pre- and post-artifacts, resulting in 89% inter-rater agreement on the pre-tests and 83% agreement on the post-tests. The majority of responses made by students at the beginning of the class were characterized as showing only recognition of hydrology concepts from a non-physical perspective; post surveys indicated that the majority had moved to a basic understanding of physical processes, with some students achieving expert understanding. Our study has limitations, including the small number of participants who were all from one institution and the fact that the rubric was still under development. Nevertheless, the high inter-rater agreement from a group of experts indicates that the process we undertook is potentially useful for assessment of learning and understanding physical hydrology.
Effects of student physical attractiveness
Krnjajić Stevan B.
Implicit personality theories suggest that people draw conclusions about other persons by using a relatively small number of visible features. The formation of "the first impression" is influenced by the factors, such as sex, age, appearances, race or nationality. Frequently, conclusions based on those factors lead to developing social stereotypes. Attractiveness is a good example of "the first impression" effect, because physical attractiveness entails the creation of impression about anothe...
of students pedagogical skills to physical education
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Galina Bezverkhnya
Full Text Available Purpose: to describe the motivation to physical education of pedagogical skills girls in the context of motivation to learn and motivation to succeed. Material and Methods: 90 second-year students of pedagogical specialties were researched (30 girls from pre-school education, philological and economic faculties Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. Results: described the motivation of students in physical education by the analysis of involvement of subject and the target set. Student's motivation to learning activities and their level to success motivation were additionally investigated. Conclusions: is outlined reason of not formed internal motivation of students' physical training in general psychological orientation of the girls that sufficiently shown in context of motivation to learn and progress.
Association of Quality Physical Education Teaching with Students' Physical Fitness.
Chen, Weiyun; Mason, Steve; Hypnar, Andrew; Hammond-Bennett, Austin
This study examined the extent to which four essential dimensions of quality physical education teaching (QPET) were associated with healthy levels of physical fitness in elementary school students. Participants were nine elementary PE teachers and 1, 201 fourth- and fifth-grade students who were enrolled in nine elementary schools. The students' physical fitness were assessed using four FITNESSGRAM tests. The PE teachers' levels of QPET were assessed using the Assessing Quality Teaching Rubrics (AQTR). The AQTR consisted of four essential dimensions including Task Design, Task Presentation, Class Management, and Instructional Guidance. Codes were confirmed through inter-rater reliability (82.4% and 84.5%). Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, multiple R-squared regression models, and independent sample t-tests. The four essential teaching dimensions of QPET were significantly associated with the students' cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. However, they accounted for relatively low percentage of the total variance in PACER test, followed by Curl-up test, while explaining very low portions of the total variance in Push-up and Trunk Lift tests. This study indicated that the students who had experienced high level of QPET were more physically fit than their peers who did not have this experience in PACER and Curl-up tests, but not in Push-up and Trunk lift tests. In addition, the significant contribution of the four essential teaching dimensions to physical fitness components was gender-specific. It was concluded that the four teaching dimensions of QPET were significantly associated with students' health-enhancing physical fitness. Key pointsAlthough Task Design, Task Presentation, Class Management, and Instructional Guidance has its unique and critical teaching components, each essential teaching dimensions is intertwined and immersed in teaching practices.Four essential teaching dimensions all significantly
Students' perceptions of a physics laboratory immersion
Langie, Greet; Verelst, Fien; Van den Bossche, Johan; De Cock, Mieke
In order to facilitate flexible learning in engineering and science laboratory education, we have developed a specific laboratory course design: laboratory immersion. This concept is a combination of three other lab styles: hands-on, virtual and remote labs. The physics laboratory immersion is implemented and evaluated by students and teaching staff. This new method has some strengths such as increased flexibility and student activity, but it also needs some improvements such as teamwork and...
Uncovering student ideas in physical science
Keeley, Page
If you and your students can't get enough of a good thing, Volume 2 of Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science is just what you need. The book offers 39 new formative assessment probes, this time with a focus on electric charge, electric current, and magnets and electromagnetism. It can help you do everything from demystify electromagnetic fields to explain the real reason balloons stick to the wall after you rub them on your hair.
How physics instruction impacts students' beliefs about learning physics
Madsen, Adrian; Sayre, Eleanor C
Faculty care about their students learning to think like physicists, but often don't assess this because it is not clear how to do so. Physics education researchers have created several surveys to assess one important aspect of thinking like a physicist: what students believe that learning physics is all about. In this meta-analysis, we synthesize the results of 24 studies using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and the Maryland Physics Expectations Survey (MPEX) to answer several questions: (1) How does physics instruction impact beliefs of students? We find that in typical physics classes, these beliefs deteriorate or at best stay the same. There are a few types of interventions, including an explicit focus on model-building and/or developing expert-like beliefs that appear to lead to significant improvements in beliefs. However, because the available data oversamples certain types of classes, it is unclear whether these improvements are actually due to the interventions, or to th...
Refined Characterization of Student Perspectives on Quantum Physics
Charles Baily; Finkelstein, Noah D.
The perspectives of introductory classical physics students can often negatively influence how those students later interpret quantum phenomena when taking an introductory course in modern physics. A detailed exploration of student perspectives on the interpretation of quantum physics is needed, both to characterize student understanding of physics concepts, and to inform how we might teach traditional content. Our previous investigations of student perspectives on quantum physics have indica...
Training in Astronomy for Physics Students
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
J. H. Fan
In this paper, we describe what we have done with regard to astronomy training for physics students. More and more students are interested in astronomy, they spend their summer holidays and spare time in observations and studying the observation data. Some students are familiar with using the telescope for observations, dealing with absorption line features achieved from the observations. Astronomy was selected as the key subject in Guangzhou city and Guangdong province, the laboratory for astronomy science and technology was selected as the key laboratory of Guangzhou city and that for the education department of Guangdong Province. We also provide a master degree programme for astronomy.
Student Understanding of Some Quantum Physical Concepts
Serap Çalışkan; Gamze Sezgin Selçuk
In spite of nearly a century, quantum physics and quantum phenomena seem to be having some difficulties toinfluence the human brain and logic hence some considerable effort has recently been spending to overcome suchdifficulties. As a part of the international efforts, we composed a questionnaire named as Quantum ConceptsQuestionnaire (QCQ) to investigate student ideas about some concepts in quantum physics and quantum phenomena.In this work, the concepts of electron, wave function, wave-part...
Hip-Hop's Influence on the Identity Development of Black Female College Students: A Literature Review
Henry, Wilma J.; West, Nicole M.; Jackson, Andrea
This article explores unique issues regarding the effects of hip-hop culture on the identity development of young Black female college students. Through the lenses of womanist and Black feminist perspectives, the intersecting impact of race and gender are reviewed within the context of the competing influences of hip-hop on Black female identity.…
Diagnosing the Black Hole Accretion Physics of Sgr A*
Fazio, Giovanni; Ashby, Matthew; Baganoff, Frederick; Becklin, Eric; Carey, Sean; Gammie, Charles; Ghez, Andrea; Glaccum, William; Gurwell, Mark; Haggard, Daryl; Hora, Joseph; Ingalls, James; Marrone, Daniel; Meyer, Leo; Morris, Mark; Smith, Howard; Willner, Steven; Witzel, Gunther
The Galactic center offers the closest opportunity for studying accretion onto supermassive black holes. The fluctuating source, Sgr A*, is detected across the electromagnetic spectrum and may originate in the accretion flow or jet. Recent general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic (GRMHD) models indicate that variability can be produced by a tilted inner disk, gravitational lensing of bright spots in the disk by the hole, or particle acceleration in reconnection events. These models produce different flare characteristics, and in particular better characterization of flares may enable us to distinguish between strong and weakly magnetized disks. Disentangling the power source and emission mechanisms of the flares is a central challenge to our understanding of the Sgr A* accretion flow. Following our successful observations of the variability of Sgr A* with IRAC in 2013 and 2014, we propose simultaneous IRAC (4.5 micron) and Chandra (2-10 keV) observations to (1) probe the accretion physics of Sgr A* on event-horizon scales and (2) detect any effect of the object G2 on Sgr A*. Specifically, we propose six additional epochs of observation, each of 24 uninterrupted hours; four in 2017 July and two in 2018 July. In this proposal we request two 24-hour (86.4 ks) Chandra periods, and are requesting another four through the Chandra TAC to have simultaneous X-ray observations in each of the six Spitzer epochs. Independent of this proposal we will also request NuSTAR (3-79 keV), SMA/ALMA/APEX (0.8 mm), and Keck/Magellan NIR (2.2 micron) observations during the IRAC/Chandra epochs. Only such long-duration, continuous, multi-wavelength observations can achieve a comprehensive view of the dominant emission process(es) and quantify the physical properties near the event horizon. Theoretical models are increasing in physical sophistication, and our study will provide essential constraints for the next generation of models.
Academic Training Lectures | Black Holes from a Particle Physics Perspective | 18-19 November
Black Holes from a Particle Physics Perspective by Georgi Dvali Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 November 2014 from 11 am to 12 noon at CERN ( 40-S2-A01 - Salle Anderson ) Description: We will review the physics of black holes, both large and small, from a particle physicist's perspective, using particle physics tools for describing concepts such as entropy, temperature and quantum information processing. We will also discuss microscopic pictures of black hole formation in high energy particle scattering, potentially relevant for high-energy accelerator experiments, and some differences and similarities with the signatures of other BSM physics. See the Indico page here.
Study of dynamics of level of physical preparedness of students.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Коvalenko Y.A.
Full Text Available The dynamics of level of physical preparedness of students is studied in the article. A tendency is marked to the decline of level of physical preparedness of students of 1-3 courses. Methodical recommendations are presented on the improvement of the system of organization of physical education of students of the Zaporizhzhya national university. The dynamics of indexes of physical preparedness of students 1, 2, 3 courses of different years of teaching is studied. Principal reasons of decline of level of physical preparedness of students are certain. There are recommendations the department of physical education in relation to physical preparedness of students.
The physical activity and health status of two generations of Black South African professional women
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Daniel J.L. Venter
Full Text Available Increased health risks associated with physical inactivity in the Black population have been reported in recent years. Black women, suffering the highest levels of inactivity, overweight and obesity, are at greatest risk of developing chronic diseases of lifestyle. This explorativedescriptive study investigated the physical activity patterns and health status of two generations of Black professional women, reflecting pre-democracy and post-democracy age groups. Quantitative measures were used, including the ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer, the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile. Sample groups comprised teachers, nurses, social workers and public sector managers. Participants aged between 35 and 45 years were allocated to the older generation group (n = 111, whilst those aged between 18 and 21 years (students in the mentioned professional fields were allocated to the younger generation group (n = 69. The results indicated that these women displayed lower levels of health-promoting behavioural practices than expected, significantly lower levels of physical activity and significantly higher levels of overweight and obesity than the South African norms. The observation that the younger group appeared to be replicating the patterns of the older women is a cause of concern. Greater compliance to health-promoting behaviours was expected in this group owing to participants' professional involvement in health, education and social development fields. Wide-ranging initiatives are necessary to promote physical activity and health amongst the Black female population in South Africa.
Gedurende die afgelope jare het navorsing onder die Swart bevolking 'n toename in gesondheidsrisiko's wat met fisieke onaktiwiteit geassosieer is, getoon. Swart vroue, wat die hoogste vlakke van onaktiwiteit, oorgewig en obesiteit toon, blyk ook die grootste risiko te loop om
Refined Characterization of Student Perspectives on Quantum Physics
Baily, Charles; Finkelstein, Noah D.
The perspectives of introductory classical physics students can often negatively influence how those students later interpret quantum phenomena when taking an introductory course in modern physics. A detailed exploration of student perspectives on the interpretation of quantum physics is needed, both to characterize student understanding of…
Diamonds in the Rough: Examining a Case of Successful Black Male Student Athletes in College Sport
Bimper, Albert Y., Jr.; Harrison, Louis, Jr.; Clark, Langston
Ailing academic performances of Black male student athletes have been an impetus for a search of recourse by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Amid the volume of these academic underperformances, particularly in revenue-generating sports, there are Black male student athletes who achieve a level of success in the classroom that rivals…
Willingness to Participate in Organ Donation among Black Seventh-Day Adventist College Students
Cort, Malcolm; Cort, David
Objective and Participants: The authors studied a group of black and white Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) college students (N = 334) to compare the power of religious socialization with racial socialization. Methods: The authors compared the levels of willingness to donate organs between black and nonblack students in an availability sample. Results:…
Defining Diversity: Ethnic Differences in Black Students' Perceptions of Racial Climate
Griffin, Kimberly A.; Cunningham, Emil L.; George Mwangi, Chrystal A.
This qualitative study addresses the potential range of perspectives within the Black student community, focusing specifically on differences by ethnicity and nativity. Narratives were collected from 43 Black students (15 native, 28 immigrants) enrolled at a predominantly White research institution, analyzing their perspectives on diversity and…
Adjustment of Black Students at a Historically White South African University.
Sennett, Justin; Finchilescu, Gillian; Gibson, Kerry; Strauss, Rosanna
Examined the adjustment of African black and white freshman students(n=335) at a white South African university. Finds that the black students reported lower levels of social adjustment and personality adjustment, but not differences in academic adjustment or institutional commitment. Includes references. (CMK)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cen Renyue, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [Princeton University Observatory, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
A new physically based model for coevolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is presented. The evolutionary track starts with an event that triggers a significant starburst in the central region of a galaxy. In this model, the main SMBH growth takes place in the post-starburst phase, fueled by recycled gas from inner bulge stars in a self-regulated fashion on a timescale that is substantially longer than 100 Myr and at a diminishing Eddington ratio with time. We argue that the SMBH cannot gorge itself during the starburst phase, despite the abundant supply of cold gas, because star formation (SF) is a preferred mode of gas consumption over accretion to the central SMBH in such an environment. We also show that feedback from SF is at least as strong as that from an active galactic nucleus (AGN); thus, if SF is in need of being quenched, AGN feedback generally does not play the primary role. The predicted relation between SMBH mass and bulge mass/velocity dispersion is consistent with observations. A clear prediction is that early-type galaxy hosts of high-Eddington-rate AGNs are expected to be light blue to green in optical color, gradually evolving to the red sequences with decreasing AGN luminosity. A suite of falsifiable predictions and implications with respect to relationships between various types of galaxies, AGNs, and others are made. For those where comparisons to extant observations are possible, the model appears to be in good standing.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
A new physically based model for coevolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is presented. The evolutionary track starts with an event that triggers a significant starburst in the central region of a galaxy. In this model, the main SMBH growth takes place in the post-starburst phase, fueled by recycled gas from inner bulge stars in a self-regulated fashion on a timescale that is substantially longer than 100 Myr and at a diminishing Eddington ratio with time. We argue that the SMBH cannot gorge itself during the starburst phase, despite the abundant supply of cold gas, because star formation (SF) is a preferred mode of gas consumption over accretion to the central SMBH in such an environment. We also show that feedback from SF is at least as strong as that from an active galactic nucleus (AGN); thus, if SF is in need of being quenched, AGN feedback generally does not play the primary role. The predicted relation between SMBH mass and bulge mass/velocity dispersion is consistent with observations. A clear prediction is that early-type galaxy hosts of high-Eddington-rate AGNs are expected to be light blue to green in optical color, gradually evolving to the red sequences with decreasing AGN luminosity. A suite of falsifiable predictions and implications with respect to relationships between various types of galaxies, AGNs, and others are made. For those where comparisons to extant observations are possible, the model appears to be in good standing.
Physics of Coevolution of Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes
Cen, Renyue
A model for coevolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBH) is presented that is physically based. The starting point is a gas-rich major merger that triggers a starburst and the endpoint is a quiescent elliptical galaxy many gigayears later. There is an approximate coevolution between starburst galaxies and elliptical galaxies, although it is not exact in several important ways. Starburst precedes the onset of main SMBH growth with a gap of time equal to ~100Myr and is responsible for shutting down its own activities; AGN has little to do with it. While starburst occurs earlier and lasts for only about 100Myrs, the AGN accretion occurs later and lasts for ~1 Gyr or longer with a diminishing Eddington ratio. The main AGN growth in post-starburst phase is fueled by recycled gas from inner bulge stars and self-regulated. The predicted relation between SMBH mass and bulge mass/velocity dispersion is consistent with observations. A suite of testable and falsifiable predictions and implications with re...
The black hole symphony: probing new physics using gravitational waves.
Gair, Jonathan R
The next decade will very likely see the birth of a new field of astronomy as we become able to directly detect gravitational waves (GWs) for the first time. The existence of GWs is one of the key predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity, but they have eluded direct detection for the last century. This will change thanks to a new generation of laser interferometers that are already in operation or which are planned for the near future. GW observations will allow us to probe some of the most exotic and energetic events in the Universe, the mergers of black holes. We will obtain information about the systems to a precision unprecedented in astronomy, and this will revolutionize our understanding of compact astrophysical systems. Moreover, if any of the assumptions of relativity theory are incorrect, this will lead to subtle, but potentially detectable, differences in the emitted GWs. Our observations will thus provide very precise verifications of the theory in an as yet untested regime. In this paper, I will discuss what GW observations could tell us about known and (potentially) unknown physics. PMID:18812300
Near-horizon physics of evaporating black holes
Emelyanov, Slava
We study massless scalar theory with a quartic self-interacting term far away from and near to evaporating, spherically symmetric black holes. Moreover, we propose a principle of how to define the physical notion of particle in curved spacetime. We compute one-loop corrections to the self-energy and the coupling constant of scalar field near the horizon in the freely-falling frame. We find that the quartic coupling constant becomes stronger near the horizon. Besides, we employ the covariant Wigner function to compute the local distribution of the outgoing modes at the distance $R \\gg r_H$, where $r_H$ is the horizon size, and discover the result which differs from the Hawking formula. We explain the essence of this discrepancy in detail as well as what this means for local observations. As a by-product we show that the effective density matrix characterising the outgoing modes vanishes in the spatial infinity as $(r_H/R)^2$.
Engaging community college students in physics research
Valentine, Megan; Napoli, Maria; Lubin, Arica; Kramer, Liu-Yen; Aguirre, Ofelia; Kuhn, Jens-Uwe; Arnold, Nicholas
Recruiting talent and fostering innovation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines demands that we attract, educate, and retain a larger and more diverse cohort of students. In this regard, Community Colleges (CC), serving a disproportionate number of underrepresented minority, female and nontraditional students, represent a pool of potential talent that, due to a misguided perception of its students as being less capable, often remains untapped. We will present our strategies to attract and support the academic advancement of CC students in the STEM fields through our NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates program entitled Internships in Nanosystems Science Engineering and Technology (INSET). For more than a decade, INSET has offered a physics research projects to CC students. The key components of INSET success are: 1) the involvement of CC faculty with a strong interest in promoting student success in all aspects of program planning and execution; 2) the design of activities that provide the level of support that students might need because of lack of confidence and/or unfamiliarity with a university environment; and 3) setting clear goals and high performance expectations.
The modernization process of physical training of students-choreographers in the physical training
Kristina Pavinskaya
The article presents an analysis of the level of physical fitness of students, choreographers and students of dance schools. The author as the innovations proposed orientation of health-physical training of future choreographers to engage in physical culture.
Interprofessional Peer Teaching of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy Students
Sadowski, Cheryl A.; Li, Johnson Ching-hong; Pasay, Darren; C. Allyson Jones
Objective. To evaluate an interprofessional peer-teaching activity during which physical therapy students instructed undergraduate pharmacy students on 3 ambulatory devices (canes, crutches, walkers).
Reflections about teaching physics for blind students
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Vitor Fabrício Machado Souza Machado Souza
Full Text Available This present study brings surveys, descriptions and alternatives to the political, pedagogical and didactical challenges tangible to the practice of Physics teaching to include visual deficient students in the formal school environment. It will be surveyed a list of situations that demands deep discussions among the teaching staff in order to structure, to the hole class, the most efficient way of learning. Communication, curriculum, didactic materials, visual acuity specifications of each student, ways of evaluation and equilibrium of different pedagogical practices will be the objects of reflection of this study.
Mediators of Stereotype Threat among Black College Students.
Massey, Douglas S; Owens, Jayanti
We hypothesize that the manner in which stereotype threat affects college grade achievement is mediated by institutional context as well as individual characteristics. Drawing on a sample of black students from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen we find weak and inconsistent evidence that institutional characteristics influence the operation of stereotype threat. We find more consistent evidence to indicate that the effect of stereotype threat is conditioned by individual factors such as skin color, multiracial origins, and an integrated upbringing. Most of the effect on grade achievement occurs through the internalization pathway, in which the internalization of negative stereotypes leads to disinvestment manifested by a reduction in academic effort. The reduction in work effort, in turn, lowers grades. We also find evidence that immigrant origin confers protection from the negative effects of stereotype threat through both internalization and externalization mechanisms, though the ultimate effect of grade achievement is rather small. PMID:24860201
Student Active Learning Methods in Physical Chemistry
Hinde, Robert J.; Kovac, Jeffrey
We describe two strategies for implementing active learning in physical chemistry. One involves supplementing a traditional lecture course with heavily computer-based active-learning exercises carried out by cooperative groups in a department computer lab. The other uses cooperative learning almost exclusively, supplemented by occasional mini-lectures. Both approaches seemed to result in better student learning and a more positive attitude toward the subject. On the basis of our respective experiences using active learning techniques, we discuss some of the strengths of these techniques and some of the challenges we encountered using the active-learning approach in teaching physical chemistry.
Medium of instruction in physical education students.
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Vaskov Urij Vadimovich
Full Text Available In the article are examined the theoretical questions of determination of facilities of studies as important component organization of process of physical education in general educational establishments. Going of different authors light up near determination of concept "facilities of studies", their functions and classification. The questions of determination of sources of facilities of studies and their composition are separately probed. As one of variants, classification of facilities of studies, which are used in the process of physical education of students and also their influence on planning of maintenance of athletic education and technology of organization of educational process, is offered.
Factors Affecting the Link between Physical Discipline and Child Externalizing Problems in Black and White Families
Lau, Anna S.; Litrownik, Alan J.; Newton, Rae R.; Black, Maureen M.; Everson, Mark D.
We examined contextual factors that may affect the impact of physical discipline on later child behavior problems among high-risk Black and White families. We examined race, parental warmth, and early child problems as potential moderators of the discipline-behavior problem link. The sample included 442 White and Black children and their…
Black Hole Physics with the Event Horizon Telescope
Ozel, Feryal
The Event Horizon Telescope is an experiment that is being performed on a large and ever-increasing array of radio telescopes that span the Earth from Hawaii to Chile and from the South Pole to Arizona. When data will be taken with the full array, it will image the event horizons of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Galaxy, Sagittarius A*, and the black hole at the center of M87, with an unprecedented 10 microarcssecond resolution. This will allow us to take the first ever pictures of black holes at 1.3 and 0.85 mm wavelengths and look for the shadow that is a direct evidence for a black hole predicted by the theory of General Relativity. In addition, the Event Horizon Telescope will also enable us to study the process by which black holes accrete matter and grow in mass. I will discuss the theoretical developments in simulating the properties of the black hole accretion flows and their expected images using state-of-the-art algorithms and high performance computing. Interpreting the upcoming observations within this theoretical framework will open new horizons in black hole astrophysics.
Successful White teachers of Black students: Teaching across racial lines in urban middle school science classrooms
Coleman, Bobbie
The majority of urban minority students, particularly Black students, continue to perform below proficiency on standardized state and national testing in all areas that seriously impact economically advanced career options, especially in areas involving science. If education is viewed as a way out of poverty, there is a need to identify pedagogical methodologies that assist Black students in achieving higher levels of success in science, and in school in general. The purpose of this study was to explore White teachers' and Black students' perceptions about the teaching strategies used in their low socioeconomic status (LSES) urban science classrooms, that led to academic success for Black students. Participants included three urban middle school White teachers thought to be the best science teachers in the school, and five randomly selected Black students from each of their classrooms. Methods of inquiry involving tenets of grounded theory were used to examine strategies teachers used to inspire Black students into academic success. Data collection included teacher and student interviews, field notes from classroom observations, group discussions, and questionaires. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The teachers' perceptions indicated that their prior belief systems, effective academic and personal communication, caring and nurturing strategies, using relevant and meaningful hands-on activities in small learner-centered groups, enhanced the learning capabilities of all students in their classrooms, especially the Black students. Black students' perceptions indicated that their academic success was attributable to what teachers personally thought about them, demonstrated that they cared, communicated with them on a personal and academic level, gave affirmative feedback, simplified, and explained content matter. Black students labeled teachers who had these attributes as "nice" teachers. The nurturing and caring behaviors of "nice" teachers
Differences in Physical Activity between Black and White Girls Living in Rural and Urban Areas.
Felton, Gwen M.; Dowda, Marsha; Ward, Dianne S.; Dishman, Rod K.; Trost, Stewart G.; Saunders, Ruth; Pate, Russell R.
Examined the relationship of race and rural/urban setting to physical, behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental factors associated with physical activity among eighth grade girls. More differences related to race than setting. Black girls were less active and more heavy than white girls. Enjoyment of physical education and family involvement in…
Pilot Study of a Faith-Based Physical Activity Program Among Sedentary Blacks
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Melicia C. Whitt-Glover, PhD
Full Text Available IntroductionPhysical activity participation is low among blacks, and strategies are needed to successfully create immediate and sustained behavior change related to physical activity. Churches can play an important role in health promotion efforts among blacks because of their central role in spiritual guidance, communication, social support, and networking. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a physical activity program for sedentary black adults in churches.MethodsWe used a preintervention/postintervention single-group design to evaluate the effect of a 3-month faith-based physical activity intervention on daily walking and moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity among sedentary blacks. Eighty-seven black adults participated in eight group sessions that included discussion of physical activity-related topics, an instructor-led physical activity session, and weekly incentives to promote physical activity. We used a questionnaire to assess moderate and vigorous physical activity in minutes per week at baseline and after 3 months. Walking was assessed weekly in steps per day by using a pedometer.ResultsParticipants (mean age, 52 yrs; mean body mass index, 35 kg/m2 reported 27 ± 54 and 10 ± 25 minutes per week in moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity physical activity, respectively, and walked 4822 ± 2351 steps per day at baseline. After 12 weeks, moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity increased by 67 ± 78 and 44 ± 66 minutes per week, respectively (P ≤ .01, and daily walking increased by 1373 ± 728 steps per day (P < .001.ConclusionThese data suggest that a faith-based physical activity intervention may be an appropriate strategy for increasing physical activity among sedentary black adults. Future research will determine the impact of this program in a randomized, controlled design.
A note on physical mass and the thermodynamics of AdS-Kerr black holes
McInnes, Brett; Ong, Yen Chin
As with any black hole, asymptotically anti-de Sitter Kerr black holes are described by a small number of parameters, including a ``mass parameter'' M that reduces to the AdS-Schwarzschild mass in the limit of vanishing angular momentum. In sharp contrast to the asymptotically flat case, the horizon area of such a black hole increases with the angular momentum parameter a if one fixes M; this appears to mean that the Penrose process in this case would violate the Second Law of black hole thermodynamics. We show that the correct procedure is to fix not M but rather the ``physical'' mass E=M/(1-a2/L2)2 this is motivated by the First Law. For then the horizon area decreases with a. We recommend that E always be used as the mass in physical processes: for example, in attempts to ``over-spin'' AdS-Kerr black holes.
The roots of physics students' motivations: Fear and integrity
Van Dusen, Ben
Too often, physics students are beset by feelings of failure and isolation rather than experiencing the creative joys of discovery that physics has to offer. This dissertation research was founded on the desire of a teacher to make physics class exciting and motivating to his students. This work explores how various aspects of learning environments interact with student motivation. This work uses qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how students are motivated to engage in physics and how they feel about themselves while engaging in physics. The collection of four studies in this dissertation culminates in a sociocultural perspective on motivation and identity. This perspective uses two extremes of how students experience physics as a lens for understanding motivation: fear and self-preservation versus integrity and self-expression. Rather than viewing motivation as a property of the student, or viewing students as inherently interested or disinterested in physics, the theoretical perspective on motivation and identity helps examine features of the learning environments that determine how students' experience themselves through physics class. This perspective highlights the importance of feeling a sense of belonging in the context of physics and the power that teachers have in shaping students' motivation through the construction of their classroom learning environments. Findings demonstrate how different ways that students experience themselves in physics class impact their performance and interest in physics. This dissertation concludes with a set of design principles that can foster integration and integrity among students in physics learning environments.
Students' Motivation, Physical Activity Levels, & Health-Related Physical Fitness in Middle School Physical Education
Gao, Zan; Newton, Maria; Carson, Russell L.
This study examines the predictive utility of students' motivation (self-efficacy and task values) to their physical activity levels and health-related physical fitness (cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength/endurance) in middle school fitness activity classes. Participants (N = 305) responded to questionnaires assessing their self-efficacy…
The physical fundamental plane of black hole activity: revisited
Liu, Xiang; Zhang, Zhen
The correlation between the jet power and accretion disk luminosity is investigated for active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) from the literature. The power-law correlation index is steep ($\\mu \\sim$ 1.0--1.4) for radio loud quasars and the `outliers' track of BHXBs, and it is flatter ($\\mu \\sim$ 0.3--0.6) for radio loud galaxies and the standard track of BHXBs. The steep-index groups are mostly at higher accretion rates (peaked at Eddington ratio $>$ 0.01) and the flatter-index groups are at relatively low accretion rates (peaked at Eddington ratio $<$ 0.01), implying that the former groups could be dominated by the inner disk accretion of black hole, while the jet in latter groups would be a hybrid production of the accretion and black hole spin. We could still have a fundamental plane of black hole activity for the BHXBs and AGNs with diverse (maybe two kinds of) correlation indices. It is noted that the fundamental plane of black hole activity should be referred to the cor...
Physics Items and Student's Performance at Enem
Gonçalves, Wanderley P
The Brazilian National Assessment of Secondary Education (ENEM, Exame Nacional do Ensino M\\'edio) has changed in 2009: from a self-assessment of competences at the end of high school to an assessment that allows access to college and student financing. From a single general exam, now there are tests in four areas: Mathematics, Language, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. A new Reference Matrix is build with components as cognitive domains, competencies, skills and knowledge objects; also, the methodological framework has changed, using now Item Response Theory to provide scores and allowing longitudinal comparison of results from different years, providing conditions for monitoring high school quality in Brazil. We present a study on the issues discussed in Natural Science Test of ENEM over the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. Qualitative variables are proposed to characterize the items, and data from students' responses in Physics items were analysed. The qualitative analysis reveals the characteristics of the ...
Refined Characterization of Student Perspectives on Quantum Physics
Baily, Charles
The perspectives of introductory classical physics students can often negatively influence how those students later interpret quantum phenomena when taking an introductory course in modern physics. A detailed exploration of student perspectives on the interpretation of quantum physics is needed, both to characterize student understanding of physics concepts, and to inform how we might teach traditional content. Our previous investigations of student perspectives on quantum physics have indicated they can be highly nuanced, and may vary both within and across contexts. In order to better understand the contextual and often seemingly contradictory stances of students on matters of interpretation, we interviewed 19 students from four introductory modern physics courses taught at the University of Colorado. We find that students have attitudes and opinions that often parallel the stances of expert physicists when arguing for their favored interpretations of quantum mechanics, allowing for more nuanced characteriz...
Features of formation of personal physical education of students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sutula V.A.
Full Text Available The peculiarities of formation of personal physical training of students from various universities. The experiment was attended by 748 students. It is shown that the most significant factor in personal physical training of students is to conduct a healthy physically active lifestyle and relationship to the body as a value. It is confirmed that for students of physical culture the main motivational factors for physical culture and sports activities is the desire to improve physical fitness, achieve sporting success. For students of non-core specialties - to optimize the weight and improve the shape. It is proved that the main obstacle to employment physical and sports activities of the students is the lack of free time. It is shown that only 21.2% of students believe their non-core specialties: motor sufficient for normal life and preservation of health.
The roots of physics students' motivations: Fear and Integrity
Van Dusen, Ben
Too often, physics students are beset by feelings of failure and isolation rather than experiencing the creative joys of discovery that physics has to offer. This dissertation research was founded on the desire of a teacher to make physics class exciting and motivating to his students. This work explores how various aspects of learning environments interact with student motivation. This work uses qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how students are motivated to engage in physics and how they feel about themselves while engaging in physics. The collection of four studies in this dissertation culminates in a sociocultural perspective on motivation and identity. This perspective uses two extremes of how students experience physics as a lens for understanding motivation: fear and self-preservation versus integrity and self-expression. Rather than viewing motivation as a property of the student, or viewing students as inherently interested or disinterested in physics, the theoretical perspective on mot...
Designing physics video hooks for science students
McHugh, M.; McCauley, V.
This paper offers an insight into the design structure of physics video hooks that were developed by the Science Education Resource design team in the school of education (SOE) in National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway). A hook, is an instructional technique used to stimulate student attention (Hunter 1994, Lemov 2010), interest (Jewett 2013) and engagement (McCrory 2011, Riendeau 2013). The physics video hooks followed a design framework that is illustrated below by breaking down the centre of gravity (COG) hook. Various design principles and elements embedded within the COG hook are presented with examples and the time they occur within the video. The intention of this article is that the design can be replicated and modified to aid teachers and designers in the development of a multitude of classroom based multimedia resources.
The Racial Identity Development of Male Student-Athletes when Blacks Are the Majority and Whites Are the Minority
Henry, Wilma J.; Closson, Rosemary B.
Focus groups were used in the present study to explore the racial identity development of Black male and White male student-athletes on a predominantly Black, Division IA football team at a predominantly White institution (PWI). Findings indicate that the Black male football players demonstrated positive indicators of Black racial identity. The…
Influence of Physical Education Academic Program on Personality Charities among Physical Education Students
Chaya.Kothe; Dr. Rajendra Tuppekar
The primary objective of the study was to Influence of physical education academic program on personality characteristics among physical education students. Total 40 physical education students treated as a experimental group were selected as a subject for the presented studies & their age ranged from 22 to 30 years. No control group had been taken. Questionnaires were given to the 40 physical education Students. The instructions were given to the students before filling these questionnaires ...
The Soul of Leadership: African American Students' Experiences in Historically Black and Predominantly White Organizations
Hotchkins, Bryan K.
This study addresses African American students' leadership experiences at predominantly White institutions. Findings indicated participants utilized servant leadership in historically Black organizations and transformational leadership in predominantly White organizations. The differences displayed showed that participants' leadership perceptions…
Effort Optimism in the Classroom: Attitudes of Black and White Students on Education, Social Structure, and Causes of Life Opportunities
Matthew, Ervin
Do black and white students hold similar beliefs about the causes of life opportunities? Disparities in academic performance between blacks and whites have been attributed, in part, to differing attitudes about the relationship between education and life opportunities. Advocates of oppositional culture theory argue that black students consider…
Students' Epistemologies about Experimental Physics: Validating the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics
Wilcox, Bethany R.; Lewandowski, H. J.
Student learning in instructional physics labs represents a growing area of research that includes investigations of students' beliefs and expectations about the nature of experimental physics. To directly probe students' epistemologies about experimental physics and support broader lab transformation efforts at the University of Colorado Boulder…
Physics of Rotating and Expanding Black Hole Universe
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Seshavatharam U. V. S.
Full Text Available Throughout its journey universe follows strong gravity. By unifying general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics a simple derivation is given for rotating black hole's temperature. It is shown that when the rotation speed approaches light speed temperature approaches Hawking's black hole temperature. Applying this idea to the cosmic black hole it is noticed that there is "no cosmic temperature" if there is "no cosmic rotation". Starting from the Planck scale it is assumed that- universe is a rotating and expanding black hole. Another key assumption is that at any time cosmic black hole rotates with light speed. For this cosmic sphere as a whole while in light speed rotation "rate of decrease" in temperature or "rate of increase" in cosmic red shift is a measure of "rate of cosmic expansion". Since 1992, measured CMBR data indicates that, present CMB is same in all directions equal to 2 : 726 K ; smooth to 1 part in 100,000 and there is no continuous decrease! This directly indicates that, at present rate of decrease in temperature is practically zero and rate of expansion is practically zero. Universe is isotropic and hence static and is rotating as a rigid sphere with light speed. At present galaxies are revolving with speeds proportional to their distances from the cosmic axis of rotation. If present CMBR temperature is 2 : 726 K, present value of obtained angular velocity is 2 : 17 10 Present cosmic mass density and cosmic time are fitted with a ln ( volume ratio parameter. Finally it can be suggested that dark matter and dark energy are ad-hoc and misleading concepts.
Physics of Rotating and Expanding Black Hole Universe
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Seshavatharam U. V. S.
Full Text Available Throughout its journey universe follows strong gravity. By unifying general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics a simple derivation is given for rotating black hole's temperature. It is shown that when the rotation speed approaches light speed temperature approaches Hawking's black hole temperature. Applying this idea to the cosmic black hole it is noticed that there is "no cosmic temperature" if there is "no cosmic rotation". Starting from the Planck scale it is assumed that universe is a rotating and expanding black hole. Another key assumption is that at any time cosmic black hole rotates with light speed. For this cosmic sphere as a whole while in light speed rotation "rate of decrease" in temperature or "rate of increase" in cosmic red shift is a measure of "rate of cosmic expansion". Since 1992, measured CMBR data indicates that, present CMB is same in all directions equal to $2.726^circ$ K, smooth to 1 part in 100,000 and there is no continuous decrease! This directly indicates that, at present rate of decrease in temperature is practically zero and rate of expansion is practically zero. Universe is isotropic and hence static and is rotating as a rigid sphere with light speed. At present galaxies are revolving with speeds proportional to their distances from the cosmic axis of rotation. If present CMBR temperature is $2.726^circ$ K, present value of obtained angular velocity is $2.17 imes 10^{-18}$ rad/sec $cong$ 67 Km/sec$imes$Mpc. Present cosmic mass density and cosmic time are fitted with a $ln (volume ratio$ parameter. Finally it can be suggested that dark matter and dark energy are ad-hoc and misleading concepts.
Socially Responsible Leadership Capacity Development: Predictors among African American/Black Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly White Institutions
Beazley, Michael Redmond
This study examined the capacity and predictors of socially responsible leadership among African American/Black college students at HBCUs and PWIs using data from the Multi-institutional Study of Leadership. An independent sample t-test was used to test the hypothesis that African American/Black students at HBCUs would have higher leadership…
A Note on Physical Mass and the Thermodynamics of AdS-Kerr Black Holes
McInnes, Brett
As with any black hole, asymptotically anti-de Sitter Kerr black holes are described by a small number of parameters, including a "mass parameter" $M$ that reduces to the AdS-Schwarzschild mass in the limit of vanishing angular momentum. In sharp contrast to the asymptotically flat case, the horizon area of such a black hole increases with the angular momentum parameter $a$ if one fixes $M$; this appears to mean that the Penrose process in this case would violate the Second Law of black hole thermodynamics. We show that the correct procedure is to fix not $M$ but rather the "physical" mass $E=M/(1-a^2/L^2)^2$; this is motivated by the First Law. For then the horizon area decreases with $a$. We recommend that $E$ always be used as the mass: for example, in attempts to "over-spin" AdS-Kerr black holes.
Characterizing student use of differential resources in physics integration problems
Hu, Dehui; Sanjay Rebello, N.
Developing the skills to set up integrals is critical for students' success in calculus-based physics courses. It requires a high level understanding of both math and physics concepts. Previous studies have shown that students encounter a lot of difficulties when setting up integrals in the context of electricity and magnetism. However, the causes of students' difficulties have not been carefully studied in the past. In order to understand students' solutions and mistakes from a resources perspective, we conducted group teaching/learning interviews with 13 engineering students enrolled in second-semester calculus-based physics. We identified mathematics and physics resources activated by students and used the resource graph representation to describe students' coordination of various resources. The findings of this study provide further insights into students' difficulties with physics problems requiring integration.
Primordial Black Holes as a Probe of Cosmology and High Energy Physics
Carr, B.J.
Recent developments in the study of primordial black holes (PBHs) will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on their formation and evaporation. PBHs could provide a unique probe of the early Universe, gravitational collapse, high energy physics and quantum gravity. Indeed their study may place interesting constraints on the physics relevant to these areas even if they never formed.
Measuring Social Provisions for Physical Activity among Adolescent Black and White Girls
Motl, Robert W.; Dishman, Rod K.; Saunders, Ruth P.; Dowda, Marsha; Pate, Russell R.
The authors evaluate the validity of the Social Provisions Scale for physical activity among adolescent Black (n = 896) and White (n = 823) girls. The girls completed the scale and measures of subjective norms and physical activity in the eighth and ninth grades. Within the sample of White girls, the Social Provisions Scale contained 24 items that…
Refined characterization of student perspectives on quantum physics
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Charles Baily
Full Text Available The perspectives of introductory classical physics students can often negatively influence how those students later interpret quantum phenomena when taking an introductory course in modern physics. A detailed exploration of student perspectives on the interpretation of quantum physics is needed, both to characterize student understanding of physics concepts, and to inform how we might teach traditional content. Our previous investigations of student perspectives on quantum physics have indicated they can be highly nuanced, and may vary both within and across contexts. In order to better understand the contextual and often seemingly contradictory stances of students on matters of interpretation, we interviewed 19 students from four introductory modern physics courses taught at the University of Colorado. We find that students have attitudes and opinions that often parallel the stances of expert physicists when arguing for their favored interpretations of quantum mechanics, allowing for more nuanced characterizations of student perspectives in terms of three key interpretive themes. We present a framework for characterizing student perspectives on quantum mechanics, and demonstrate its utility in interpreting the sometimes contradictory nature of student responses to previous surveys. We further find that students most often vacillate in their responses when what makes intuitive sense to them is not in agreement with what they consider to be a correct response, underscoring the need to distinguish between the personal and the public perspectives of introductory modern physics students.
Content of Curriculum in Physical Education Teacher Education: Expectations of Undergraduate Physical Education Students
Spittle, Michael; Spittle, Sharna
This study explored the perceptions of university physical education students of the importance of physical education curriculum content areas and how those perceptions related to the reasons for course choice and motivation. Physical education degree students (n = 188) completed measures of their perceptions of physical education content areas,…
Eliciting physics students mental models via science fiction stories
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This paper presents the results of an experiment which investigated the effects of the using science fiction stories in physics lessons. A questionnaire form containing 2 open-ended questions related to Jules Vernes story From the Earth to the Moon was used with 353, 9th and 10th grade students to determine their pre-conceptions about gravity and weightlessness. Mental models explaining students scientific and alternative views were constructed, according to students replies. After these studies, 6 students were interviewed. In this interview, researches were done about whether science fiction stories had an effect on bringing students pre-conceptions related to physics subjects out, on students inquiring their own concepts and on increasing students interest and motivation towards physics subjects. Studies in this research show that science fiction stories have an effect on arousing students interest and curiosity, have a role encouraging students to inquire their own concepts and are effective in making students alternative views come out
New Progress Achieved by NSFC Project in Basic Research of Black Hole Physics
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
@@ Supported by NSFC,Prof.Wu Shuangqing from Huazhong Normal University conducted independent research on gravitation theory,discovered the exact solutions for the five-dimensional G(o)del charged rota-ting black hole in the universe,and made important headway in the characteristic research of black hole so-lutions.Part of the research results has been published in international top journal Physical Review Letters 100,121301 (2008).
Scaffolding Vector Representations for Student Learning inside a Physics Game
D'Angelo Cynthia
Vectors and vector addition are difficult concepts for many introductory physics students and traditional instruction does not usually sufficiently address these difficulties. Vectors play a major role in most topics in introductory physics and without a complete understanding of them many students are unable to make sense of the physics topics…
Innovation in Teaching Deaf Students Physics and Astronomy in Bulgaria
Zamfirov, Milen; Saeva, Svetoslava; Popov, Tsviatko
This paper presents a new strategy to be implemented in Bulgarian schools in teaching physics and astronomy to students with impaired hearing at grades 7 (13-year-old students) and 8 (14-year-old students). The strategy provides effective education for students with hearing disabilities in mainstream schools as well as for those attending…
Harnessing Students' Interest in Physics with Their Own Video Games
Like, Christopher
Many physics teachers assign projects where students are asked to measure real-world motion. One purpose of this student-centered activity is to cultivate the relevance of physics in their lives. Typical project topics may include measuring the speed of a student's fastball and calculating how much reaction time batters are given. Another student may find the trajectory of her dive off the blocks at the pool and its effect on race time. Leaving the experimental design to the student's imagination allows for a variety of proposals ranging from stopwatches to highly technical video analysis. The past few years have shown an increase in students' eagerness to tackle the physics behind the motion of virtual characters and phenomena in their own video games. This paper puts forth a method of analyzing the physics behind bringing the games students are playing for enjoyment into the physics classroom.
Relationship of Physical Attractiveness to Students' Ratings of Teaching Effectiveness.
O'Reilly, Maria T.
A study found that the physical attractiveness of a dental school teacher affected the student's opinion of teaching effectiveness, regardless of the student's sex, with effectiveness ratings correlating with pleasing appearance. (MSE)
Underachievement in Gifted Students: A Case Study of Three College Physics Students in Taiwan
Tsai, Kuei-Fang; Fu, Guopeng
This case study provides an explanatory account on the underachievement of three gifted students studying physics in a Taiwanese university. The students' physics underachievement was diagnosed by Sato's student-problem analysis chart. These students were invited to complete a questionnaire and a follow-up interview in order to (1) understand the…
Black hole physics. Black hole lightning due to particle acceleration at subhorizon scales.
Aleksić, J; Ansoldi, S; Antonelli, L A; Antoranz, P; Babic, A; Bangale, P; Barrio, J A; Becerra González, J; Bednarek, W; Bernardini, E; Biasuzzi, B; Biland, A; Blanch, O; Bonnefoy, S; Bonnoli, G; Borracci, F; Bretz, T; Carmona, E; Carosi, A; Colin, P; Colombo, E; Contreras, J L; Cortina, J; Covino, S; Da Vela, P; Dazzi, F; De Angelis, A; De Caneva, G; De Lotto, B; de Oña Wilhelmi, E; Delgado Mendez, C; Dominis Prester, D; Dorner, D; Doro, M; Einecke, S; Eisenacher, D; Elsaesser, D; Fonseca, M V; Font, L; Frantzen, K; Fruck, C; Galindo, D; García López, R J; Garczarczyk, M; Garrido Terrats, D; Gaug, M; Godinović, N; González Muñoz, A; Gozzini, S R; Hadasch, D; Hanabata, Y; Hayashida, M; Herrera, J; Hildebrand, D; Hose, J; Hrupec, D; Idec, W; Kadenius, V; Kellermann, H; Kodani, K; Konno, Y; Krause, J; Kubo, H; Kushida, J; La Barbera, A; Lelas, D; Lewandowska, N; Lindfors, E; Lombardi, S; Longo, F; López, M; López-Coto, R; López-Oramas, A; Lorenz, E; Lozano, I; Makariev, M; Mallot, K; Maneva, G; Mankuzhiyil, N; Mannheim, K; Maraschi, L; Marcote, B; Mariotti, M; Martínez, M; Mazin, D; Menzel, U; Miranda, J M; Mirzoyan, R; Moralejo, A; Munar-Adrover, P; Nakajima, D; Niedzwiecki, A; Nilsson, K; Nishijima, K; Noda, K; Orito, R; Overkemping, A; Paiano, S; Palatiello, M; Paneque, D; Paoletti, R; Paredes, J M; Paredes-Fortuny, X; Persic, M; Poutanen, J; Prada Moroni, P G; Prandini, E; Puljak, I; Reinthal, R; Rhode, W; Ribó, M; Rico, J; Rodriguez Garcia, J; Rügamer, S; Saito, T; Saito, K; Satalecka, K; Scalzotto, V; Scapin, V; Schultz, C; Schweizer, T; Shore, S N; Sillanpää, A; Sitarek, J; Snidaric, I; Sobczynska, D; Spanier, F; Stamatescu, V; Stamerra, A; Steinbring, T; Storz, J; Strzys, M; Takalo, L; Takami, H; Tavecchio, F; Temnikov, P; Terzić, T; Tescaro, D; Teshima, M; Thaele, J; Tibolla, O; Torres, D F; Toyama, T; Treves, A; Uellenbeck, M; Vogler, P; Zanin, R; Kadler, M; Schulz, R; Ros, E; Bach, U; Krauß, F; Wilms, J
Supermassive black holes with masses of millions to billions of solar masses are commonly found in the centers of galaxies. Astronomers seek to image jet formation using radio interferometry but still suffer from insufficient angular resolution. An alternative method to resolve small structures is to measure the time variability of their emission. Here we report on gamma-ray observations of the radio galaxy IC 310 obtained with the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes, revealing variability with doubling time scales faster than 4.8 min. Causality constrains the size of the emission region to be smaller than 20% of the gravitational radius of its central black hole. We suggest that the emission is associated with pulsar-like particle acceleration by the electric field across a magnetospheric gap at the base of the radio jet. PMID:25378461
150 Student Questions on Solar Physics
Lopez, R. E.; Gross, N. A.; Knipp, D. J.
The Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM) holds a two-week Space Weather Summer School for introductory graduate students and space weather professionals to gain a system level understanding of the space environment and the effects of space weather. A typical day in the summer school consists of three morning lectures followed by an afternoon lab session. After the morning lectures, the participants are each asked to submit a question about the mornings topics on a question card. The lecturers then take the time to answer these questions prior to afternoon sessions. In the last 5 years over 1000 such question cards have been collected and cataloged. Despite detailed lectures by experts similar questions appear every year. We have analyzed over 150 questions related to the introductory lectures on solar physics and solar activity. Questions content was categorized using the AGU Index, and question sophistication was categorized using Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Specific analysis results along with lists of questions will be presented. We hope that these results can be used to improve the lecture and classroom content and allow students to move beyond low level education objectives and ask more sophisticated questions.
The Impacts of Learning Assistants on Student Learning of Physics
White, Jada-Simone S.; Van Dusen, Ben; Roualdes, Edward A.
This study investigated whether and how Learning Assistant (LA) support is linked to student outcomes in Physics courses nationwide. Paired student concept inventory scores were collected over three semesters from 3,753 students, representing 69 courses, and 40 instructors, from 17 LA Alliance member institutions. Each participating student completed an online concept inventory at the beginning (pre) and end (post) of each term. The physics concept inventories tested included the Force Concep...
Usage of innovative technologies in physical education of students
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Voronov N.P.
Full Text Available Health influence of physical drills is considered on forming correct carriage for students. 40 students of task medical force took part in an experiment. The individual programs of making healthy are presented. Application of modern technologies allows students to get the picture of level of health, about susceptibility to the risk of diseases, about basic pathological syndromes. The prospects of the use of modern computer technologies are rotined in physical education of students with violation of locomotorium.
Theoretical and methodical knowledge of students of discipline "Physical education"
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Berezka S.M.
Full Text Available Article is devoted to optimization problem of theoretical and methodical students knowledge's within the pale of sparring discipline "Physical education". Author offers to posit valeological approach in acquirement of knowledge's from discipline, accepting this as one of motivation rise methods to employments by physical education and propaganda's of healthy mode of life. It is proved that students at the age of 17-25 years old have specific anatomic physiological characteristics, so physical education must favour students' organism forming.
Assessment of students' succession in discipline "Physical education".
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Temchenko V.A.
Full Text Available The questions of working out of the criteria for assessment the results of students by subject "Physical training employment" in the context of the integration into the European education area are considered. The article focuses on variants of assessing the results physical training employment of the students under the credit and module system. It's emphasized that there is no common system of assessment the results of students; the model of sectional form of physical training is worked out not enough.
Physical active rest in education of active personality of students
Zaycev V.P.; Manucharyan S.V.; Kramskoy S.I.
Meaningfulness of physical recreation is rotined in education of active personality of students. Research material is literary sources on this issue. Factors which influence on an educate function of personality of students are considered. Application of physical recreation is grounded for education of active personality of students. It is marked that physical recreation in pedagogical process decides educate, educational, health and social tasks. It positively influences on education of acti...
Student Press at Black Colleges Faces "a New Wave of Censorship."
Reisberg, Leo
Examines the special pressures felt by student newspapers at black colleges to portray their institutions and administrations in a positive light. Some students report self-censorship of publications is necessary for publication survival; however, administrators state that although unhappy with some media, they do not condone censorship of campus…
Examination of the Link between Parental Racial Socialization Messages and Racial Ideology among Black College Students
Barr, Simone C.; Neville, Helen A.
The relations between racial socialization and color-blind racial beliefs (i.e., the denial, distortion, or minimization of racism) among 153 Black American college students, including 34 college student-parent dyads, were examined. Findings from open-ended data indicate that participants identified receiving both protective (i.e., messages about…
Black Students' Recollections of Pathways to Resilience: Lessons for School Psychologists
Theron, Linda C.
Drawing on narrative data from a multiple case study, I recount the life stories of two resilient Black South African university students to theorize about the processes that encouraged these students, familiar with penury and parental illiteracy, to resile. I aimed to uncover lessons for school psychologists about resilience, and their role in…
Racial Microaggressions among Asian American and Latino/a Students at a Historically Black University
Palmer, Robert T.; Maramba, Dina C.
Research illustrates that the enrollments of Asian American and Latino/a students are increasing at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Nevertheless, research on how these students experience the institutional climates of HBCUs is nonexistent; hence, we sought to explore the college-choice process and perceptions of campus…
Intrinsic Motivation, Self-Perception, and Their Effects on Black Urban Elementary Students.
Marchant, Gregory J.
This study examined the effects of specific motivational dimensions and self-perceptions of a group of 47 urban black fourth and fifth grade students on attendance and academic achievement. Each student's responses to a measure of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and a self-perception inventory were compared to each other and to his or her…
FUNCTIONAL TRAINING In the system of physical education students
Білецька Вікторія Вікторівна; Усачов Юрій Олександрович; Семененко В.П.
The article systematized means of functional training activities, especially their distribution in classes of different directions, and reasonably rational structure of various functional training applications lessons during physical education students to improve their physical fitness.
Physics for students of medicine and natural sciences
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This textbook deals with the physics subjects of interest to students of medicine and biology. The author endlavoured to explain the physical and chemical fundamentals and their interrelationships as clear as possible on the basis of didactically descriptive examples. (RW)
Effects of Students' Race, Physical Attractiveness, and Dialect on Teachers' Evaluations
DeMeis, Debra Kanai; Turner, Ralph R.
Based on taped samples of the students' speech, 68 white elementary school teachers rated subjects on personality, quality of response, and current and future academic abilities. Black students, Black English-speaking students and unattractive students were rated consistently lower. Academic failure may result from evaluations based on race and…
Teacher Feedback and Interactions in Physical Education: Effects of Student Gender and Physical Activities
Nicaise, Virginie; Cogerino, Genevieve; Fairclough, Stuart; Bois, Julien; Davis, Kathryn
Previous research conducted in both classroom and physical education (PE) settings has examined the impact of student gender on teacher-student interactions. The purpose of this study was to extend this line of research by analysing the influence of student gender and different types of physical activity on the frequency and nature of teacher…
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sami Yli-Piipari
Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to analyze motivational profiles based on the self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000 and how these profiles are related to physical education students' enjoyment, state anxiety, and physical activity. The participants, 429 sixth grade students (girls = 216; boys = 213 completed SMS, Sport Enjoyment Scale, PESAS, and Physical Activity Scale. Cluster analyses identified two motivational profiles: 1 the "High motivation profile", in which the students had high intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and low levels of amotivation, and 2 the "Low motivation profile", in which the students had low intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and low levels of amotivation. The students in the first cluster enjoyed physical education more and were physically more active. The results revealed that students may be motivated towards physical education lessons both intrinsically and extrinsically, and still experience enjoyment in physical education.
Enhancing Student Attitudes about Physics: A multi-university study
Gray, Kara; Otero, Valerie
Despite improvements in students' conceptual learning associated with research-based teaching techniques, studies in physics education research continue to show that student attitudes toward physics get worse over a single semester of physics instruction. Even courses that measure very high conceptual learning gains show degradation in students' attitudes. This is observed in courses designed for physics majors as well as in courses designed for non-physics majors. The Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum is designed especially for non-science majors, particularly prospective and practicing elementary teachers. In addition to the foundational content in physics, the PET curriculum explicitly helps students think about what it means to learn physics as well as introducing them to broader issues about the nature and practice of science. Because the curriculum explicitly addresses issues about learning physics and the nature of science, we hypothesized that PET students' attitudes about physics would improve over one semester. We studied students from seven different universities and found small to large positive shifts in attitudes about physics among students enrolled in PET courses. We will discuss these unusually high shifts and compare them to pre/post measurements using the same attitude instruments and different curricula.
Physical activity as a component of students' life quality.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pavlova Iu.A.
Full Text Available The model of students' life quality and its basic components were described. Among this components are: objective (level of physical fitness and daily physical activity, financial status, opportunities to improve professional skills or obtain a certain academic level, etc. and subjective (health, satisfaction with own lives, optimism, feeling of happiness, tasks and results, relationships with others, etc.. The positive influence of physical training on physical and mental capacity of students were investigated.
South African black generation Y students' perceptions of local black celebrity endorsers' credibility / Boitumelo Vincent Molelekeng
Molelekeng, Boitumelo Vincent
The use of celebrity endorsers is a popular marketing strategy in many countries. Typically, many marketers believe that using celebrities is a viable marketing strategy for attracting customers, increasing market share and improving sales for their market offerings. The celebrity endorsement strategy using local celebrities is increasing in South Africa. Many South African marketers are now using popular local black celebrities in an attempt to attract the prosperous black emerging middle cl...
BlackHoleCam: fundamental physics of the Galactic center
Goddi, C; Kramer, M; Rezzolla, L; Brinkerink, C; Bronzwaer, T; Deane, R; De Laurentis, M; Desvignes, G; Davelaar, J R J; Eisenhauer, F; Eatough, R; Fraga-Encinas, R; Fromm, C M; Gillessen, S; Grenzebach, A; Issaoun, S; Janßen, M; Konoplya, R; Krichbaum, T P; Laing, R; Liu, K; Lu, R -S; Mizuno, Y; Moscibrodzka, M; Müller, C; Olivares, H; Porth, O; Pfuhl, O; Ros, E; Roelofs, F; Schuster, K; Tilanus, R; Torne, P; van Bemmel, I; van Langevelde, H J; Wex, N; Younsi, Z; Zhidenko, A
Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (GR) successfully describes gravity. The most fundamental predictions of GR are black holes (BHs), but in spite of many convincing BH candidates in the Universe, there is no conclusive experimental proof of their existence using astronomical observations. Are BHs real astrophysical objects? Does GR hold in its most extreme limit or are alternatives needed? The prime target to address these fundamental questions is in the center of our own Galaxy, which hosts the closest and best-constrained supermassive BH candidate in the Universe, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Three different types of experiments hold the promise to test GR in a strong-field regime using observations of Sgr A* with new-generation instruments. The first experiment aims to image the relativistic plasma emission which surrounds the event horizon and forms a "shadow" cast against the background, whose predicted size (~50 microarcseconds) can now be resolved by upcoming VLBI experiments at mm-waves such as the ...
Planning of process of physical education of students.
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Pylypey L.P.
Full Text Available Going is considered near the personality oriented system professionally-applied physical training of students. In an experiment 500 students of 1-3 courses took part in age from 17 to 23 years. In research of motivation to employments 52 students took part 3 courses. The results of cross-correlation analysis of computer-integrated indexes of level of physical training are resulted. Aims, functions of structure, typology and principles of physical education, are certain. Progress of professional training trends are exposed. The organizational and methodical aspects of construction of the system of physical education are recommended. Directions of planning of educational process are offered on physical education on the basis of professionally-applied physical training of students. Attention is accented on the necessity of exposure of terms for realization of creative capabilities of teacher, leaders and students.
Artificial black holes: on the threshold of new physics
For several decades now, there has been a fundamental problem with modern physics: we have two systems that describe the universe remarkably well. Scientists realized that we've to make these two systems work together (1 page)
Prevalence of Physical Disability and Accommodation Needs among Students in Physical Therapy Education Programs
Hinman, Martha R.; Peterson, Cathryn A.; Gibbs, Karen A.
Most research on graduate students with disabilities (SWDs) has focused on medical education. The purposes of this study were to: (1) estimate the prevalence of students with physical disabilities (SWPDs) in physical therapy programs, (2) identify common types of physical disabilities, (3) document the types of accommodations requested by SWPDs,…
Black Male Students' Perceptions of Effective Teachers: A Qualitative Study of Compton Middle Schools
Lozier, Francis Vladimir
This study investigated the characteristics of effective teachers of African-American male middle school students. Black males are underserved throughout all levels of the educational pipeline and experience an achievement gap. Researchers have posited several causes of the achievement gap: teachers' beliefs, students' cultural capital, and teachers' pedagogical skills. Moreover, the transition from student-centered elementary school settings to curriculum-centered secondary school setting...
High School Students' Approaches to Learning Physics with Relationship to Epistemic Views on Physics and Conceptions of Learning Physics
Chiou, Guo-Li; Lee, Min-Hsien; Tsai, Chin-Chung
Background and purpose: Knowing how students learn physics is a central goal of physics education. The major purpose of this study is to examine the strength of the predictive power of students' epistemic views and conceptions of learning in terms of their approaches to learning in physics. Sample, design and method: A total of 279 Taiwanese high…
A comparative study of middle school and high school students' views about physics and learning physics
Ding, Lin
Previous studies of student epistemological beliefs about physics and learning physics focused on college and post-college students in Western countries. However, little is known about early-grade students in Asian countries. This paper reports Chinese middle and high school students' views about the nature of physics and learning physics, measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes Survey about Science (CLASS). Two variables—school level and gender—are examined for a series of comparative analyses. Results show that although middle school students received fewer years of education in physics, they demonstrated more expert-like conceptions about this subject matter than high school students. Also, male students in general exhibited more expert-like views than their female counterparts. While such a gender difference remained constant across both middle and high schools, for the most part it was a small-size difference.
Everyday Racism in Colombian Universities: The Experience of Black Students in Bogotá
Oscar A. Quintero Ramírez
This paper presents the results of a sociological research on racial discrimination in Colombian universities. Racism is understood as a social process and based on an empirical qualitative work from in-depth interviews, the article approaches the everyday racism experienced by students in universities in Bogotá who are racialized as black men or black women according to the constructions of racial otherness in Colombia. The main mechanisms of manifestation of racism and discrimination identi...
Relationship between self–esteem and facebook usage amongst black Generation Y students
A L Bevan-Dye
The purpose of this study was to determine the link between number of Facebook friends, time spent on Facebook, the perceived benefits of Facebook-facilitated friendship and self-esteem amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. In South Africa, the black Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) represents an important but under researched market segment in that it makes up 33 percent of the country's population. As one of the major new recreational activities to...
Instructors' Support of Student Autonomy in an Introductory Physics Course
Hall, Nicholas; Webb, David
The role of autonomy in the student experience in a large-enrollment undergraduate introductory physics course was studied from a self-determination theory perspective. A correlational study investigated whether certain aspects of the student experience correlated with how autonomy supportive (versus controlling) students perceived their instructors to be. An autonomy-supportive instructor acknowledges students' perspectives and feelings and provides students with information and opportunities for choice while minimizing external pressures (e.g., incentives or deadlines). It was found that the degree to which students perceived their instructors as autonomy supportive was positively correlated with student interest and enjoyment in learning physics (β =0.31***) and negatively correlated with student anxiety about taking physics (β =-0.23**). It was also positively correlated with how autonomous (versus controlled) students' reasons for studying physics became over the duration of the course (i.e., studying physics more because they wanted to versus had to; β =0.24***). This change in autonomous reasons for studying physics was in turn positively correlated with student performance in the course (β =0.17*). Additionally, the degree to which students perceived their instructors as autonomy supportive was directly correlated with performance for those students entering the course with relatively autonomous reasons for studying physics (β =0.25**). In summary, students who perceived their instructors as more autonomy supportive tended to have a more favorable motivational, affective, and performance experience in the course. The findings of the present study are consistent with experimental studies in other contexts that argue for autonomy-supportive instructor behaviors as the cause of a more favorable student experience.
University Students' Attitudes toward Physical Education Teaching
Li, Fengjuan; Chen, Junjun; Baker, Miles
While there have been many studies into students' attitudes toward Physical Education at the school level, far fewer studies have been conducted at the university level, especially in China. This study explored 949 students' attitudes toward their university Physical Education experiences in four Chinese universities. An intercorrelated…
Phenomenographic Study of Students' Problem Solving Approaches in Physics
Walsh, Laura N.; Howard, Robert G.; Bowe, Brian
This paper describes ongoing research investigating student approaches to quantitative and qualitative problem solving in physics. This empirical study was conducted using a phenomenographic approach to analyze data from individual semistructured problem solving interviews with 22 introductory college physics students. The main result of the study…
Possibilities: A Framework for Modeling Students' Deductive Reasoning in Physics
Gaffney, Jonathan David Housley
Students often make errors when trying to solve qualitative or conceptual physics problems, and while many successful instructional interventions have been generated to prevent such errors, the process of deduction that students use when solving physics problems has not been thoroughly studied. In an effort to better understand that reasoning…
The relationships of lung function to physical characteristics in young adults have not been adequately described for different gender-race groups in the United States. s part of a study of the effects of ozone exposure upon Black and White men and women, we measured lung volumes...
Self-Motivation and Physical Activity among Black and White Adolescent Girls.
Motl, Robert W.; Dishman, Rod K.; Felton, Gwen; Pate, Russell R.
Established the psychometric properties of the Self-Motivation Inventory for Children (SMI-C) using tests of factorial validity, factorial invariance, latent mean structure, and predictive validity. Two cohorts of black and white adolescent girls completed the SMI-C and various physical activity measures. The single-factor, positively worded,…
Correlating students' beliefs about experimental physics with lab course success
Wilcox, Bethany R
Student learning in instructional physics labs is a growing area of research that includes studies exploring students' beliefs and expectations about experimental physics. To directly probe students' epistemologies about experimental physics and support broader lab transformation efforts both at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) and nationally, we developed the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). Previous work focused on establishing the accuracy and clarity of the instrument through student interviews and preliminary testing. Ongoing validation efforts include establishing the extent to which student epistemologies as measured by E-CLASS align with other measures of student learning outcomes (e.g., course grades). Here, we report on correlations between final course grades and E-CLASS scores from two semesters of introductory and upper-division lab courses at CU and discuss implications of our findings for the validity of the E-CLASS instrument.
Study level of physical fitness and adaptability of foreign students
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Оlga Yushkovskaya
Full Text Available Purpose: to study the problems of adaptation of foreign students. Materials and Methods: the study involved 33 students from Israel, 25 students from India. All surveyed foreign students men, studying at the Odessa national medical university. Survey was conducted using a multi-level personality questionnaire "Adaptability" (MLQ-AM, developed by A. G. Maklakov and S. V. Chermyanin, and testing physical fitness. Results: found that majority students from Israel and India had a medium and low level of physical fitness and adaptability. Conclusions: in connection with violations of adaptability and physical preparedness of foreign students, particularly acute issue is the organization of physical culture and sports-mass work, as a means of improving adaptation to conditions of life and learning.
Measuring Students' Beliefs about Physics in Saudi Arabia
Alhadlaq, H.; Alshaya, F.; Alabdulkareem, S.; Perkins, K. K.; Adams, W. K.; Wieman, C. E.
Over the last decade, science education researchers in the US have studied students' beliefs about science and learning science and measured how these beliefs change in response to classroom instruction in science. In this paper, we present an Arabic version of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) which was developed to measure students' beliefs about physics at King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We describe the translation process, which included review by four experts in physics and science education and ten student interviews to ensure that the statements remained valid after translation. We have administered the Arabic CLASS to over 300 students in introductory physics courses at KSU's men's and women's campuses. We present a summary of students' beliefs about physics at KSU and compare these results to similar students in the US.
The algorithm of individualization in physical education students
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Barybina L.N.
Full Text Available The algorithm of individualization of process of physical education is offered in higher educational establishment. Basis of algorithm is made by the physical, functional and psychophysiological features of students. In research took part 413 students (177 girls and 236 youths. The stages of algorithm of the author system of individualization of physical education of students are presented. It is set that youths (a type of sport is basketball and volleyball have a similar structure of indexes of psycho-physiological possibilities, physical preparedness and progress. High meaningfulness of the computer programs which are instrumental in perfection of the system of physical education is set. Also the programs allow quickly and effectively to determine the psycho-physiological features of students. It is recommended to distribute students on sporting specializations in obedience to their individual features.
Identity statuses in upper-division physics students
Irving, Paul W.; Sayre, Eleanor C.
We use the theories of identity statuses and communities of practice to describe three different case studies of students finding their paths through undergraduate physics and developing a physics subject-specific identity. Each case study demonstrates a unique path that reinforces the link between the theories of communities of practice and identity statuses. The case studies also illustrate how students progress and regress in their commitment to their subject-specific identities and their professional identities. The progression/regression is dependent on their willingness to explore different aspects of a physics professional identity and their availability to carry out such exploration. Identity status and future identity crises can manifest in students' behavior in the classroom. Allowing students to engage in more legitimate practices of the physics community, especially in the form of undergraduate research, helps students to explore their opportunities and inform the level of commitment they wish to make to physics.
Physical improvement and its impact on the health of students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Konova L.A.
Full Text Available The directions of physical improvement in personal and individual approach and its impact on the health of students. The definitions of the concept of physical perfection and its main components: strength, speed, endurance, agility, flexibility. Special attention is paid to the importance of physical perfection as part of positive self-identity. Outlines the theory of the acquisition of physical improvement in the availability of a clear human motivation. It is noted that physical perfection is in need of motivation on the part of the student, the proper selection of a complex exercise and may be based only on a personal and individual approach based on the physical abilities of each student. Show the direction of their own physical fitness improvement during the self-study. It is shown that promoting the harmonious development of all-round, avoiding harmful habits, improve mental and physical performance and confidence in their own ability to significantly change the person's self esteem.
Assessment and analysis components of physical fitness of students
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Kashuba V.A.
Full Text Available It is assessed components of a physical fitness of students. It is analyzed the internal and external factors affecting the quality of life for students. The study involved more than 200 students. Found that students represent a category of people with elevated risk factors, which include the nervous and mental tension, constant violations of the food, work and leisure, in their way of life there is a lack of care about their health. It is noted that the existing approaches to promoting physical fitness of students are inefficient and require the development and implementation of brand new contemporary theoretical foundations and practical approaches to the problem of increasing the activity of students. It is proved that sold today in the practice of higher education forms, methods, learning tools do not allow to fully ensure the implementation of approaches to promoting physical fitness of students do not meet the requirements for the preparation of the modern health professional.
Physics Education for Blind Students: The Teachers' Perspective
Ferreira, Amauri; Dickman, Adriana
We discuss the challenge high school teachers face when teaching physics to the blind. Using the oral history method, we interview physics teachers who have dealt with the inclusion of blind students in regular classrooms. Based on our study, we find that the performance of these students varies, depending on the studied subject. The narrative makes clear the teachers' lack of preparation to deal with inclusion, and their search for alternative methods to improve blind students' learning.
Selected physical characteristics of medical students
Dr. Lajos Ángyán
The purpose of this study was to measure selected anthropometrical characteris-tics, motor abilities and cardiorespiratory functions of medical students. Eighty-seven students were involved in this investigation. The students were categorized into five groups: (1) recreational, doing sport activities irregularly, (2) basketball and (3) handball players, having training at least two times per week, as well as men (4) and women (5) students entering medical school. In all groups the mean body m...
Edexcel A level physics student book 1
Benn, Mike; Braithwaite, Emma
Help students to build and develop the essential knowledge and skills needed, provide practical assessment guidance and plenty of support for the new mathematical requirements with this Edexcel Year 1 Student Book. - Supports practical assessment with Practical Skill summaries throughout - Provides support for all 16 required practicals with detailed explanations, data and exam style questions for students to answer - Builds understanding and knowledge with a variety of questions to engage and challenge students throughout the course: prior knowledge, worked examples, Tes
Edexcel A level physics student book 2
Akrill, Tim; Braithwaite, Emma
Help students to build and develop the essential knowledge and skills needed, provide practical assessment guidance and plenty of support for the new mathematical requirements with this Edexcel Year 2 Student Book. - Supports practical assessment with Practical Skill summaries throughout - Provides support for all 16 required practicals with detailed explanations, data and exam style questions for students to answer - Builds understanding and knowledge with a variety of questions to engage and challenge students throughout the course: prior knowledge, worked examples, Tes
Effect of in-class student-student interaction on the learning of physics in a college physics course
Samiullah, Mohammad
The effectiveness of in-class student-student interaction on the learning of physics in an algebra-based college physics course is investigated. The student-student interaction leads to an improvement of attitudes of the students toward the course, improves the academic environment of the class, and makes students feel better about the material they are learning. However, it is also found that these qualitative improvements in the class do not lead to a significant change in the test scores on either the classroom tests or the Halloun-Hestenes's mechanics diagnostics test. The correlation between the performances of students on the classroom tests with the performance on the Halloun-Hestenes test used as a pretest is also investigated and it is found that this correlation is less for students with cooperative learning than for students without cooperative learning.
Students' epistemologies about experimental physics: Validating the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics
Wilcox, Bethany R
Student learning in instructional physics labs represents a growing area of research that includes investigations of students' beliefs and expectations about the nature of experimental physics. To directly probe students' epistemologies about experimental physics and support broader lab transformation efforts at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) and elsewhere, we developed the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). Previous work with this assessment has included establishing the accuracy and clarity of the instrument through student interviews and preliminary testing. Several years of data collection at multiple institutions has resulted in a growing national data set of student responses. Here, we report on results of the analysis of these data to investigate the statistical validity and reliability of the E-CLASS as a measure of students' epistemologies for a broad student population. We find that the E-CLASS demonstrates an acceptable level of both validi...
Examining issues of underrepresented minority students in introductory physics
Watkins, Jessica Ellen
In this dissertation we examine several issues related to the retention of under-represented minority students in physics and science. In the first section, we show that in calculus-based introductory physics courses, the gender gap on the FCI is diminished through the use of interactive techniques, but in lower-level introductory courses, the gap persists, similar to reports published at other institutions. We find that under-represented racial minorities perform similar to their peers with comparable academic preparation on conceptual surveys, but their average exam grades and course grades are lower. We also examine student persistence in science majors; finding a significant relationship between pedagogy in an introductory physics course and persistence in science. In the second section, we look at student end-of-semester evaluations and find that female students rate interactive teaching methods a full point lower than their male peers. Looking more deeply at student interview data, we find that female students report more social issues related to the discussions in class and both male and female students cite feeling pressure to obtain the correct answer to clicker questions. Finally, we take a look an often-cited claim for gender differences in STEM participation: cognitive differences explain achievement differences in physics. We examine specifically the role of mental rotations in physics achievement and problem-solving, viewing mental rotations as a tool that students can use on physics problems. We first look at student survey results for lower-level introductory students, finding a low, but significant correlation between performance on a mental rotations test and performance in introductory physics courses. In contrast, we did not find a significant relationship for students in the upper-level introductory course. We also examine student problem-solving interviews to investigate the role of mental rotations on introductory problems.
English Learner (EL) Students Who Are Black. Fast Facts
Office of English Language Acquisition, US Department of Education, 2016
The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into two-page PDF sheets, by topic, with graphics, plus key contacts. This Fast Facts covers data in the following categories: (1) States, Including D.C., with the Highest Concentration of ELs Who Are Black; (2) States, Including D.C., with the…
The Initial State of Students Taking an Introductory Physics MOOC
Aiken, John M; Schatz, Michael F; Caballero, Marcos D
As part of a larger research project into massively open online courses (MOOCs), we have investigated student background, as well as student participation in a physics MOOC with a laboratory component. Students completed a demographic survey and the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation at the beginning of the course. While the course is still actively running, we have tracked student participation over the first five weeks of the eleven-week course.
A comprehensive program to develop correlations for physical properties of kraft black liquor. Final report
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Fricke, A.L.; Zaman, A.A.
The overall objective of the program was to develop correlations to predict physical properties within requirements of engineering precision from a knowledge of pulping conditions and of kraft black liquor composition, if possible. These correlations were to include those relating thermodynamic properties to pulping conditions and liquor composition. The basic premise upon which the research was based is the premise that black liquor behaves as a polymer solution. This premise has proven to be true, and has been used successfully in developing data reduction methods and in interpreting results. A three phase effort involving pulping, analysis of liquor composition, and measurement of liquor properties was conducted.
Characterizing Student Experiences in Physics Competitions: The Power of Emotions
Moll, Rachel F.; Nashon, S.; Anderson, D.
Low enrolment and motivation are key issues in physics education and recently the affective dimension of learning is being studied for evidence of its influence on student attitudes towards physics. Physics Olympics competitions are a novel context for stimulating intense emotional experiences. In this study, one team of students and their teacher were interviewed and observed prior to and during the event to characterize their emotions and determine the connections between their experiences and learning and attitudes/motivation towards physics. Results showed that certain types of events stimulated strong emotions of frustration and ownership, and that students' attitudes were that physics is fun, diverse and relevant. Analysis of these themes indicated that the nature of emotions generated was connected to their attitudes towards physics. This finding points to the potential and value of informal and novel contexts in creating strong positive emotions, which have a strong influence on student attitudes towards physics.
A Black Hole in Our Galactic Center
Ruiz, Michael J.
An introductory approach to black holes is presented along with astronomical observational data pertaining to the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Concepts of conservation of energy and Kepler's third law are employed so students can apply formulas from their physics class to determine the mass of the black hole…
Physical Activity & Sport for the Secondary School Student. Fifth Edition.
Dougherty, Neil J., Ed.
This collection of papers offers a comprehensive text about contemporary physical activities and sports forms. It provides students with an overview of the various physical activities, skill technique required, safety, scoring, rules and etiquette, strategies, equipment, and related terminology. The 26 papers are: (1) "Physical Fitness" (Carolyn…
Identity statuses in upper-division physics students
Irving, Paul W
We use the theories of identity statuses and communities of practice to describe three different case studies of students finding their paths through undergraduate physics and developing a physics subject-specific identity. Each case study demonstrates a unique path that reinforces the link between the theories of communities of practice and identity statuses. The case studies also illustrate how students progress and regress in their commitment to their subject-specific identities and their professional identities. The progression/regression is dependent on their willingness to explore different aspects of a physics professional identity and their availability to carry out such exploration. Identity status and future identity crises can manifest in students' behavior in the classroom. Allowing students to engage in more legitimate practices of the physics community, especially in the form of undergraduate research, helps students to explore their opportunities and inform the level of commitment they wish to ...
Introductory physics in biological context: An approach to improve introductory physics for life science students
Crouch, Catherine H.; Heller, Kenneth
We describe restructuring the introductory physics for life science students (IPLS) course to better support these students in using physics to understand their chosen fields. Our courses teach physics using biologically rich contexts. Specifically, we use examples in which fundamental physics contributes significantly to understanding a biological system to make explicit the value of physics to the life sciences. This requires selecting the course content to reflect the topics most relevant to biology while maintaining the fundamental disciplinary structure of physics. In addition to stressing the importance of the fundamental principles of physics, an important goal is developing students' quantitative and problem solving skills. Our guiding pedagogical framework is the cognitive apprenticeship model, in which learning occurs most effectively when students can articulate why what they are learning matters to them. In this article, we describe our courses, summarize initial assessment data, and identify needs for future research.
Graduate Student Academic Achievement and Learning Style Preferences: A Case Study Comparison of Graduate Students with Undergraduate Degrees from Predominantly White and Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Rovai, Alfred P.; Gallien, Louis B., Jr.; Wighting, Mervyn J.
This case study examines academic achievement and learning style preferences among Black and white graduate students attending a predominantly white university. Results provide evidence that Black students at this graduate school possess a stronger generalized preference for the dependent learning style, a less significant preference for the…
The physics of the relativistic counter-streaming instability that drives mass inflation inside black holes
Hamilton, Andrew J S
If you fall into a real astronomical black hole (choosing a supermassive black hole, to make sure that the tidal forces don't get you first), then you will probably meet your fate not at a central singularity, but rather in the exponentially growing, relativistic counter-streaming instability at the inner horizon first pointed out by Poisson & Israel (1990), who called it mass inflation. The purpose of this paper is to present a clear exposition of the physical cause and consequence of inflation in spherical, charged black holes. Inflation acts like a particle accelerator in that it accelerates cold ingoing and outgoing streams through each other to prodigiously high energies. Inflation feeds on itself: the acceleration is powered by the gravity produced by the streaming energy.
Improving Student Learning and Views of Physics in a Large Enrollment Introductory Physics Class
Shan, Kathy
Interactive engagement (IE) strategies can be helpful for students learning introductory physics with small group recitations. Less is known about their impact for large lecture-based courses. This study examined student learning and views of physics in a large enrollment course that included IE but no small-group recitation. The questions addressed were: (a) What do students learn about physics and how does this compare to reports for traditional courses?, (b) How do students' views of physics change and how does this compare to reports for traditional courses?, and (c) Which instructional strategies contribute to student outcomes? Data included pre-post FCI scores, classroom examinations during the term, pre-post CLASS scores, and student work, interviews, and open-ended surveys. Findings include a FCI average normalized gain of 0.32, which is high for students with low pre-test score (30% for this group) and instructors new to IE methods. Students' views of physics remained relatively unchanged, which is promising given the typical decline for student views. And instructional strategies as a set, not individual strategies, impacted student outcomes. Findings support the recommendation to adopt IE methods in introductory physics classes, particularly when pre-tests are low.
Representational Format, Student Choice, and Problem Solving in Physics
Kohl, P. B.; Finkelstein, N. D.
Student problem-solving ability appears to be tied to the representational format of the problem (math, pictorial, graphical, verbal). In a study of a 367-student algebra-based physics class, we examine student problem solving ability on homework problems given in four different representational formats, with problems as close to isomorphic as possible. In addition, we examine students' capacity for assessing their own representational competence by giving follow-up quizzes in which the students can choose between various problem formats. We report student performance and consider factors that may influence their ability or choices. As a control, part of the class was assigned a random-format follow-up quiz where students received quiz formats at random. We find that there are statistically significant performance differences between isomorphic problems. We also find that allowing students to choose which representational format they use improves student performance under some circumstances and degrades it in others.
Secondary School Students' Physical Activity Participation across Physical Education Classes: The Expectancy-Value Theory Approach
Gråstén, Arto; Watt, Anthony; Hagger, Martin; Jaakkola, Timo; Liukkonen, Jarmo
The primary purpose of this study was to analyze the link between students' expectancy beliefs, subjective task values, out-of-school activity, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) participation across secondary school physical education (PE) classes. The sample comprised 96 students (58 girls, 38 boys; Mage = 15.03, SD = 0.94) from…
Influencing Student Relationships With Physics Through Culturally Relevant Tools
Van Dusen, Ben
This study investigates how an urban, high school physics class responded to the inclusion of a classroom set of iPads and associated applications, such as screencasting. The participatory roles of students and the expressions of their relationships to physics were examined. Findings suggest that iPad technology altered classroom norms and student relationships to include increased student agency and use of evidence. Findings also suggest that the iPad provided a connection between physics, social status, and play. Videos, observations, interviews, and survey responses were analyzed to provide insight into the nature of these changes.
Research on aerobics classes influence on physical prepareduess of students.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Krasulia M. А.
Full Text Available Physical skills of female students doing aerobics have been studied. 165 female students aged 17-18 divided into three groups of 55 each have taken part in the experiment. Groups have been trained according to different methods conventionally called 'power aerobics', 'dance aerobics' and 'jump aerobics'. Level of female students' physical skills has been determined by the results of seven tests in the beginning of an academic year and after six-months term. Mathematical treatment of the results has been carried out. The most preferable as to improving physical skills level method has been discovered to be the one aimed on power abilities development method.
Students' Help Seeking during Physical Education
Nye, Susan B.
Seeking help with academic tasks has been regarded as an important strategy to enhance student learning (Newman, 1994; Ryan, Gheen, & Midgley, 1998; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1986). Seeking help is conceptualized as student-initiated efforts to secure task information or solicit advice when a deficiency in their understanding of the content…
Engaging Students In Modeling Instruction for Introductory Physics
Brewe, Eric
Teaching introductory physics is arguably one of the most important things that a physics department does. It is the primary way that students from other science disciplines engage with physics and it is the introduction to physics for majors. Modeling instruction is an active learning strategy for introductory physics built on the premise that science proceeds through the iterative process of model construction, development, deployment, and revision. We describe the role that participating in authentic modeling has in learning and then explore how students engage in this process in the classroom. In this presentation, we provide a theoretical background on models and modeling and describe how these theoretical elements are enacted in the introductory university physics classroom. We provide both quantitative and video data to link the development of a conceptual model to the design of the learning environment and to student outcomes. This work is supported in part by DUE #1140706.
A comparison of physical self-concept between physical education and non-physical education university students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hamid ARAZI
Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to compare physical self-concept between physical education and non-physical education university students. The target population of this study was all male and female physical education and non-physical education university students in Rasht city of Iran. After translating the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ and adjusting some of the questions, the questionnaire was evaluated by the specialists in the context of validity and the reliability achieved by test-retest (Cronbach Alpha value of 0.84. We then, according to the Odineski table selected 180 physical education and non-physical education males and 190 physical education and non-physical education females opportunistically. The collected data was analyzed by 2×2 MANOVA for determine differences between genders and major. The results showed mean vector scores of physical education in the following scales: physical activity; global physical; competence; sports; strength; endurance and flexibility were significantly (p<0.05 higher than that of non-physical education major students. Also, the results shows that mean vector scores of male in the following scales: health; coordination; physical activity; body fat; global physical; competence; sports; global physical self-concept and global esteem were significantly (p<0.05 higher than female. Based on the result of our study the physical self-concept non-physical education and female is lower, than that physical education and male. The results may reflect that male and physical major education students, who usually spend more time on physical activity and sport training to have better fitness and skill oriented self concept than their counterparts.
Education services and resilience processes: Resilient Black South African students' experiences
Linda C. Theron; Adam M.C. Theron
The resilience literature is increasingly drawing attention to formal service provision as a means for social ecologies to support children's and youths' positive adjustment to challenging life circumstances. This article interrogates the universality and simplicity of this argument. Using a secondary data analysis of the life stories of 16 resilient, Black South African students from impoverished families, we show that education services predominated students' childhood and youth experie...
Resource Letter BH-2: Black Holes
Gallo, Elena
This resource letter is designed to guide students, educators, and researchers through (some of) the literature on black holes. Both the physics and astrophysics of black holes are discussed. Breadth has been emphasized over depth, and review articles over primary sources. We include resources ranging from non-technical discussions appropriate for broad audiences to technical reviews of current research. Topics addressed include classification of stationary solutions, perturbations and stability of black holes, numerical simulations, collisions, the production of gravity waves, black hole thermodynamics and Hawking radiation, quantum treatments of black holes, black holes in both higher and lower dimensions, and connections to nuclear and condensed matter physics. On the astronomical end, we also cover the physics of gas accretion onto black holes, relativistic jets, gravitationally red-shifted emission lines, evidence for stellar-mass black holes in binary systems and super-massive black holes at the centers...
Everyday Racism in Colombian Universities: The Experience of Black Students in Bogotá
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Oscar A. Quintero Ramírez
Full Text Available This paper presents the results of a sociological research on racial discrimination in Colombian universities. Racism is understood as a social process and based on an empirical qualitative work from in-depth interviews, the article approaches the everyday racism experienced by students in universities in Bogotá who are racialized as black men or black women according to the constructions of racial otherness in Colombia. The main mechanisms of manifestation of racism and discrimination identified in the research are expressed subtly or from euphemisms and they tend to generate and reproduce a supposed inferiority and subordination of black students at universities in Bogotá, paradoxically to the core values and principles of universality and meritocracy present in the very origins of university ethos in the country.
Determining the Approaches of High School Students to Learning Physics
Gamze Sezgin Selcuk; Gülbin Özkan
The primary objective of this research was to adapt the Approaches to Learning Scale developed for the university level by Ellez & Sezgin (2000) to a high school level physics (Approaches to Learning Physics Scale). The secondary objective was to use the adapted scale to examine the approaches of high school students to learning physics and explore how this variable changes according to gender and level of achievement in physics. The adapted scale was applied to a total of 329...
Understanding How Students Use Physical Ideas in Introductory Biology Courses
Watkins, Jessica; Hall, Kristi; Redish, Edward; Cooke, Todd
The University of Maryland (UMD) Biology Education and Physics Education Research Groups are investigating students' views on the role of physics in introductory biology courses. This paper presents data from an introductory course that addresses the fundamental principles of organismal biology and that incorporates several topics directly related to physics, including thermodynamics, diffusion, and fluid flow. We examine how the instructors use mathematics and physics in this introductory bi...
Improving student learning and views of physics in a large enrollment introductory physics class
Salehzadeh Einabad, Omid
Introductory physics courses often serve as gatekeepers for many scientific and engineering programs and, increasingly, colleges are relying on large, lecture formats for these courses. Many students, however, leave having learned very little physics and with poor views of the subject. In interactive engagement (IE), classroom activities encourage students to engage with each other and with physics concepts and to be actively involved in their own learning. These methods have been shown to be effective in introductory physics classes with small group recitations. This study examined student learning and views of physics in a large enrollment course that included IE methods with no separate, small-group recitations. In this study, a large, lecture-based course included activities that had students explaining their reasoning both verbally and in writing, revise their ideas about physics concepts, and apply their reasoning to various problems. The questions addressed were: (a) What do students learn about physics concepts and how does student learning in this course compare to that reported in the literature for students in a traditional course?, (b) Do students' views of physics change and how do students' views of physics compare to that reported in the literature for students in a traditional course?, and (c) Which of the instructional strategies contribute to student learning in this course? Data included: pre-post administration of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), classroom exams during the term, pre-post administration of the Colorado Learning Attitudes About Science Survey (CLASS), and student work, interviews, and open-ended surveys. The average normalized gain (=0.32) on the FCI falls within the medium-gain range as reported in the physics education literature, even though the average pre-test score was very low (30%) and this was the instructor's first implementation of IE methods. Students' views of physics remained relatively unchanged by instruction
The Effect of a Female Physical Educator's Physical Appearance on Physical Fitness Knowledge and Attitudes of Junior High Students
Dean, Melony Blair; Adams, Thomas M., II; Comeau, Matthew J.
This study was designed to determine if a female physical educator's appearance of body fatness affects 1) the cognitive performance of junior high school students on a test of health-related fitness knowledge, and 2) student attitudes toward the instructor. Ninety-three seventh through ninth grade students from two schools, participated in a…
The Effects of Chess Instruction on the Mathematics Achievement of Southern, Rural, Black Secondary Students.
Smith, James P.; Cage. Bob N.
Studied the effects of 120 hours of chess instruction on the mathematics achievement of southern, rural, black secondary students. Analysis of covariance results show the treatment group (11 females, 9 males) scored significantly higher than the control group (10 females, 10 males) in mathematics achievement. Discusses results in terms of altering…
The Persistent Pledging of Black Greeks: A Student Development Approach for Understanding and Challenging the Culture.
Kimbrough, Walter M.; Sutton, E. Michael
The development of the Greek system on college campuses as brought about an evolution of a unique student culture within higher education. Most of the research on the Greek experience does not acknowledge the presence of Black fraternities and sororities although these organizations have over 90 years experience on campuses. This paper describes…
Participation in School Sports: Risk or Protective Factor for Drug Use among Black and White Students?
Dawkins, Marvin P.; Williams, Mary M.; Guilbault, Michael
This study examined the relationship between participation in school-based sports and drug use among Black and White high school students, using data from participants in the National Educational Longitudinal Survey of 1988 (NELS, NCES, 1988) and follow-up surveys in 1990 and 1992. While previous research produced inconsistent results, the present…
Academic Attitudes and Psychological Well-Being of Black American Psychology Graduate Students
Uqdah, Aesha L.; Tyler, Kenneth M.; DeLoach, Chante
The goal of this study is to explore the relationships between academic self-concept, perception of competency in related domains, and academic motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation), and reported anxiety and depression among Black American psychology graduate students. The major research question asks whether there is a relationship…
A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Academic Motivation Scale with Black College Students
Cokley, Kevin
The factor structure of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) was examined with a sample of 578 Black college students. A confirmatory factor analysis of the AMS was conducted. Results indicated that the hypothesized seven-factor model did not fit the data. Implications for future research with the AMS are discussed.
White Students at the Historically Black University: Toward Developing a Critical Consciousness
Henry, Wilma J.; Closson, Rosemary B.
The purpose of this article is to examine the potential of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to facilitate the development of a critical consciousness among their White students. It discusses philosophical views regarding the process of unveiling "Whiteness," including White critical studies and White identity development…
Selected physical characteristics of medical students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dr. Lajos Ángyán
Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to measure selected anthropometrical characteris-tics, motor abilities and cardiorespiratory functions of medical students. Eighty-seven students were involved in this investigation. The students were categorized into five groups: (1 recreational, doing sport activities irregularly, (2 basketball and (3 handball players, having training at least two times per week, as well as men (4 and women (5 students entering medical school. In all groups the mean body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were at the upper level of the normal range, while body fat percentage was similar to standards for sedentary subjects. Better motor per-formances were obtained from the basketball and handball players than from the other groups. Static strength for the sample was somewhat above the normal sedentary level. The resting blood pressure and heart rate for most subjects were in the normal. Cardiovascular risk factors were found in six students. Their systolic blood pressure was above 140 mm Hg. There were no sub-jects identified with low blood pressure. The heart rate was elevated for three students from the recreational group, and in the women. Bradycardia did not occur. The vital capacity and the ability to hold ones breath was at the upper level of the normal range. The present results emphasis the need to improve the students` prevention oriented life style through participation in exercising.
Blogging in the physics classroom: A research-based approach to shaping students' attitudes towards physics
Duda, Gintaras
Even though there has been a tremendous amount of research done in how to help students learn physics, students are still coming away missing a crucial piece of the puzzle: why bother with physics? Students learn fundamental laws and how to calculate, but come out of a general physics course without a deep understanding of how physics has transformed the world around them. In other words, they get the "how" but not the "why". Studies have shown that students leave introductory physics courses almost universally less excited about the topic than when they came in. This paper will detail an experiment to address this problem: a course weblog or "blog" which discusses real-world applications of physics and engages students in discussion and thinking outside of class. Student attitudes towards the value of physics were probed using a 26-question Likert scale survey over the course of four semesters in an introductory physics course at a comprehensive Jesuit university. We found that students who did not participa...
African-American college student attitudes toward physics and their effect on achievement
Drake, Carl Timothy
The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern United States. Nine of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales, modified for physics, were used to analyze the attitudes of the 135 participants enrolled in an introductory college physics class. The nine scales used to measure the students' attitudes were Attitude Toward Success in Physics Scale (AS), The Physics as a Male Domain Scale (MD), The Mother Scale (M), The Father Scale (F), The Teacher Scale (T), The Confidence in Learning Physics Scale (C), The Physics Anxiety Scale (A), The Effectance Motivation Scale in Physics (E), and The Physics Usefulness Scale (U). Hypothesis I states that there is a significant difference in the domain scores of African-American college students in the Fennema-Sherman Math Attitudes Scales adapted for physics. It was found using a repeated measures ANOVA that there was a significant difference between the attitudes of African-Americans on the nine attitude scales of the Fennema-Sherman Math Attitude Scales, F(8,992) = 43.09, p males and African-American females in the Fennema-Sherman Attitude Scales. It was found using a MANOVA that there was not a significant difference between the domain scores of African-American males and African-American females, F(8, 116) = .38, p > .05. Hypothesis III states that there is a statistically significant relationship between attitude towards physics and achievement for African-American students. The students with good attitudes toward physics would have a higher level of achievement. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between a good attitude toward
The Impacts of Learning Assistants on Student Learning of Physics
White, Jada-Simone S; Roualdes, Edward A
This study investigated whether and how Learning Assistant (LA) support is linked to student outcomes in Physics courses nationwide. Paired student concept inventory scores were collected over three semesters from 3,753 students, representing 69 courses, and 40 instructors, from 17 LA Alliance member institutions. Each participating student completed an online concept inventory at the beginning (pre) and end (post) of each term. The physics concept inventories tested included the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), Force and Motion Concept Evaluation (FMCE) and the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA). Across instruments, Cohen's d effect sizes were 1.4 times higher, on average, for courses supported by LAs compared to courses without LA support. Preliminary findings indicate that physics students' outcomes may be most effective when LA support is utilized in laboratory settings (1.9 times higher than no LA support) in comparison to lecture (1.4 t...
Physical culture in the life of students with disabilities
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Adyrkhaev S.G.
Full Text Available Consider the ratio of students with disabilities to physical education for learning. Justified starting conceptual tenets of the theory and methodology of physical education students with different nosology. Are proven theoretical knowledge of motor activity with students nosology: vision, hearing, musculoskeletal and cerebral palsy, diabetes mellitus and with somatic diseases. It is noted that in the formation of the modern system of physical education of young people with disabilities to the forefront should be nominated by the humanistic ideas of respect for the individual, taking care of his health and development. Accentuated the need to generate dynamic system of physical education students, which gives a person a deep knowledge of his body, his motor capabilities, effective means of exposure to psychophysical conditions and methods of their use, maintain and improve health.
How can we help students appreciate physics education?
Lin, Jia-Ling; Zaki, Eman; Schmidt, Jason; Woolston, Don
Helping students appreciate physics education is a formidable task, considering that many students struggle to pass introductory physics courses. Numerous efforts have been made for this undertaking because it is an important step leading to successful learning. In an out-of-classroom academic program, the Supplemental Instruction (SI) Program, we have used the approach, INSPIRE (inquiry, network, skillfulness, perseverance, intuition, reasoning, and effort), to help more students value their experiences in these courses. The method basically includes key elements outlined by experts in physics education [1]. Student responses have been encouraging. Having undergraduates as facilitators in the program is advantageous in promoting principles of physics education. Their training emphasizes tenacity, resourcefulness, understanding, support, and teamwork, i.e. TRUST. We present the organization and focus of the SI Program, and discuss how these improve learning atmosphere and facilitate learning. [1] Edward F. Redish et al, Am J. Phys. 66(3), March 1998.
University and High School Partnership: Challenging Physics II Students
Mackin, Joan; Sokol, Paul E.
A partnership between Penn State University and a suburban high school allowed high school students to complete a calculus-based high school physics II course in mechanics and electricity/magnetism. This course was not an AP course or a traditional high school second-level course but was modeled on the dynamic physics course at Penn State. This article describes the strategies and technology tools used, data on student outcomes and achievement, and the development and implementation of the course.
Identity statuses in upper-division physics students
Irving, Paul W.; Sayre, Eleanor C.
We use the theories of identity statuses and communities of practice to describe three different case studies of students finding their paths through undergraduate physics and developing a physics subject-specific identity. Each case study demonstrates a unique path that reinforces the link between the theories of communities of practice and identity statuses. The case studies also illustrate how students progress and regress in their commitment to their subject-specific identities and their ...
Black-body laws derived from a minimum knowledge of Physics
A. G. AgneseINFN; La Camera, M.; E. Recami(INFN)
Starting from the knowledge of the four fundamental quantities length L, mass M, time T, absolute temperature $\\theta$ and accepting the validity of Gauss's law in all dimensions, we generalize, by the theory of physical dimensions, the expression of the Stephan-Boltzmann law and of the Planck's formula for the black-body radiation to a spacetime with one time and n spatial coordinates. In the particular case n=3 we shall recover the known results.
Black and minority ethnic trainees' experiences of physical education initial teacher training
Flintoff, A; Chappell, A.; Gower, C; Keyworth, S; Lawrence, J.; Money, J; Squires, S; Webb, L.
The official published version can be accessed at the link below. This report draws together the findings of research that aimed to explore black and minority ethnic (BME) trainees' experiences of Physical Education (PE) initial teacher training (ITT). Although the numbers of BME trainees opting to enter teaching have improved considerably over the last few years, PE remains one of three specific subject areas where they remain significantly under-represented. Current figures suggest that ...
Learning and Living While Black: Black Students, White Universities, and the Age of Post-Affirmative Action and Post-Racialism
Reaves, Rosalind
With Critical Race Theory (CRT) and social justice serving as complementary conceptual frames, this ethnographic study investigates the learning and living experiences of ten African American students of a predominantly White university in the Midwest. While several studies have investigated Black students' experiences at PWIs, most notably…
I was poor physics student - Blair
Wilkinson, T
Prime Minister Tony Blair opened Durham University's Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics. The building, part-funded by a private donation from millionaire Internet entrepreneur Dr Peter Ogden, houses the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology and the Institute for Computational Cosmology (1/3 page).
Quantum Mechanics for Beginning Physics Students
Schneider, Mark B.
The past two decades of attention to introductory physics education has emphasized enhanced development of conceptual understanding to accompany calculational ability. Given this, it is surprising that current texts continue to rely on the Bohr model to develop a flawed intuition, and introduce correct atomic physics on an ad hoc basis. For…
Designing an Introductory Physics Course for Biological Science Students
Heller, Kenneth
For the past four years the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota has been revising its Introductory Physics Course specifically targeted to biological science and pre-medical students. The course design process includes determining the reasons that introductory physics is required by the biology faculty and determining how or if to satisfy their goals. The resulting course must substantially satisfy the goals of the biology faculty, be an introductory physics course that stresses the application of fundamental principles and relates them to complex situations typical in biology, be of interest to beginning biology students, and be teachable by ordinary physics professors. The design process for the content and the pedagogy of the course will be described as will the resulting course structure. Student performance measures for the revised course will also be given.
High School Student Physics Research Experience Yields Positive Results
Podolak, K. R.; Walters, M. J.
All high school students that wish to continue onto college are seeking opportunities to be competitive in the college market. They participate in extra-curricular activities which are seen to foster creativity and the skills necessary to do well in the college environment. In the case of students with an interest in physics, participating in a…
How to Stimulate Students' Interest in Nuclear Physics?
Elbanowska-Ciemuchowska, Stefania; Giembicka, Magdalena Anna
Teaching nuclear physics in secondary schools offers us a unique possibility to increase our students' awareness of the influence that modern science and its achievements have on the everyday life of contemporary people. Students gain an opportunity to learn in what ways the outcome of laboratory research is put to use in such fields as medicine,…
Student Use of Energy Concepts from Physics in Chemistry Courses
Nagel, Megan L.; Lindsey, Beth A.
This paper describes an interdisciplinary investigation of students' usage of ideas about energy from physics in the context of introductory chemistry. We focus on student understanding of the idea that potential energy is a function of distance between interacting objects, a concept relevant to understanding potential energy in both physical…
Using Physical Education to Improve Literacy Skills in Struggling Students
Wachob, David A.
Literacy skills are an essential part of academic performance. When physical educators collaborate with classroom teachers to address these skills, student engagement in the learning process can greatly improve. This article begins by reviewing the growing issues surrounding student literacy and its impact on academic performance. The discussion…
Scaffolding vector representations for student learning inside a physics game
D'Angelo, Cynthia
Vectors and vector addition are difficult concepts for many introductory physics students and traditional instruction does not usually sufficiently address these difficulties. Vectors play a major role in most topics in introductory physics and without a complete understanding of them many students are unable to make sense of the physics topics covered in their classes. Video games present a unique opportunity to help students develop an intuitive understanding of motion, forces, and vectors while immersed in an enjoyable and interactive environment. This study examines two dimensions of design decisions to help students learn while playing a physics-based game. The representational complexity dimension looked at two ways of presenting dynamic information about the velocity of the game object on the screen. The scaffolding context dimension looked at two different contexts for presenting vector addition problems that were related to the game. While all students made significant learning games from the pre to the post test, there were virtually no differences between students along the representational complexity dimension and small differences between students along the scaffolding context dimension. A context that directly connects to students' game playing experience was in most cases more productive to learning than an abstract context.
Multiple Intelligence Levels of Physical Education and Sports School Students
Ekici, Summani
The purpose of this research is to analyze the multiple intelligence levels of academies of physical education and sports students according to some demographic factors. To obtain data about multiple intelligence levels in the research, the multiple intelligence inventory, developed by Ozden (2003), was applied to a total of 1.199 students, of…
Reaction Time of a Group of Physics Students
Saxena, Charu; Arun, P
The reaction time of a group of students majoring in Physics is reported here. Strong co-relation between fatigue, reaction time and performance have been seen and may be useful for academicians and administrators responsible of working out time-tables, course structures, students counsellings etc.
Upper-Level Physics Students' Perceptions of Physicists
Irving, Paul W
As part of a longitudinal study into identity development in upper-level physics students, we used a phenomenographic research method to examine students' perceptions of what it means to be a physicist. The results revealed four different categories. We find a clear distinction in the exclusivity students associate with being a physicist and the differences in the importance of research and its association with being a physicist. A relationship between perceptions of physicists and goal orientation is indicated.
Factors associated with leisure time physical inactivity in black individuals: hierarchical model
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Francisco José Gondim Pitanga
Full Text Available Background. A number of studies have shown that the black population exhibits higher levels of leisure-time physical inactivity (LTPI, but few have investigated the factors associated with this behavior. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze associated factors and the explanatory model proposed for LTPI in black adults. Methods. The design was cross-sectional with a sample of 2,305 adults from 20–96 years of age, 902 (39.1% men, living in the city of Salvador, Brazil. LTPI was analyzed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ. A hierarchical model was built with the possible factors associated with LTPI, distributed in distal (age and sex, intermediate 1 (socioeconomic status, educational level and marital status, intermediate 2 (perception of safety/violence in the neighborhood, racial discrimination in private settings and physical activity at work and proximal blocks (smoking and participation in Carnival block rehearsals. We estimated crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR using logistic regression. Results. The variables inversely associated with LTPI were male gender, socioeconomic status and secondary/university education, although the proposed model explains only 4.2% of LTPI. Conclusions. We conclude that male gender, higher education and socioeconomic status can reduce LTPI in black adults.
Performance of Graduate Students at Identifying Introductory Physics Students' Difficulties Related to Kinematics Graphs
Maries, Alexandru
The Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics (TUG-K) is a multiple choice test developed by Beichner to assess students' understanding of kinematics graphs. Many of the items on the TUG-K have strong distractor choices which correspond to introductory students' common difficulties with kinematics graphs. Instruction is unlikely to be effective if instructors do not know these common difficulties and take them into account in their instructional design. We evaluate the performance of first year physics graduate students at identifying introductory students' common difficulties related to kinematics graphs. In particular, for each item on the TUG-K, the graduate students were asked to identify which incorrect answer choice they thought would be most commonly selected by introductory physics students if they did not know the correct answer after instruction in relevant concepts. We used the introductory student data from Beichner's original paper to assess graduate students' knowledge of introductory students'...
Students' Views About Potentially Offering Physics Courses Online
Ramlo, Susan E.
Nationally, many public universities have started to move into the online course and program market that is most often associated with for-profit institutions of higher education. Administrators in public universities make statements regarding benefits to students' desire for flexibility and profit margins related to online courses. But do students attending a large public university want to take courses online especially science courses perceived to be difficult such as freshmen-level physics courses? This study took place at a large, public, Midwestern university and involved students enrolled in the first semester of a face-to-face, flipped physics course for engineering technology majors. Statements were collected from comments about online courses made by the university's administration and students in the course. Twenty students sorted 45 statements. Two student views emerged with one rejecting online courses in general and the other primarily rejecting online math, science, and technology courses, including physics. Students' descriptions of their previous online course experiences were used to inform the analyses and to assist in describing the two views that emerged in conjunction with the distinguishing statements. Consensus among the two views is also discussed. Overall, the results indicate a potential divergence between student views and what university administrators believe students want.
Students' Views About Potentially Offering Physics Courses Online
Ramlo, Susan E.
Nationally, many public universities have started to move into the online course and program market that is most often associated with for-profit institutions of higher education. Administrators in public universities make statements regarding benefits to students' desire for flexibility and profit margins related to online courses. But do students attending a large public university want to take courses online especially science courses perceived to be difficult such as freshmen-level physics courses? This study took place at a large, public, Midwestern university and involved students enrolled in the first semester of a face-to-face, flipped physics course for engineering technology majors. Statements were collected from comments about online courses made by the university's administration and students in the course. Twenty students sorted 45 statements. Two student views emerged with one rejecting online courses in general and the other primarily rejecting online math, science, and technology courses, including physics. Students' descriptions of their previous online course experiences were used to inform the analyses and to assist in describing the two views that emerged in conjunction with the distinguishing statements. Consensus among the two views is also discussed. Overall, the results indicate a potential divergence between student views and what university administrators believe students want.
The influence of physics teacher gender on college students' pursuit of careers in the physical sciences
Lung, Florin; Potvin, Geoff; Sadler, Philip M.; Sonnert, Gerhard
In science disciplines, students develop career goals based in part on their high school experiences. Science teachers and their personal characteristics are a part of this experience. In the case of physics, teacher gender is believed to modulate the interplay between student's own gender and their gender-related perceptions of physics. Using national data from college students (PRiSE Project, N=7505), we analyze the physics teacher gender effects on the choice of a career in the physical sciences by both male and female students. We examine three sub-samples of the data: students who have not taken any high school physics courses (about 60 percent of the total), those who have taken one physics course (teacher female or male), and those who have taken two physics courses (two female, two male, or one female and one male teacher). A correspondence analysis reveals an exploratory picture of the association between primary and confounding factors. Subsequently, a linear regression on students' physical science career choices is used as a confirmatory analysis of this picture.
CCEA physics AS student unit guide
Greer, Caroline
Perfect for revision, these guides explain the unit requirements, summarise the content and include specimen questions with graded answers. Each full-colour New Edition Student Unit Guide provides ideal preparation for your unit exam:.; Feel confident you understand the unit: each guide comprehensively covers the unit content and includes topic summaries, knowledge check questions and a reference index.; Get to grips with the exam requirements: the specific skills on which you will be tested are explored and explained.; Analyse exam-style questions: graded student responses will help you focus
Edexcel Physics ASA2 student unit guide
Bridgeman, Keith
Perfect for revision, these guides explain the unit requirements, summarise the content and include specimen questions with graded answers. Each full-colour New Edition Student Unit Guide provides ideal preparation for your unit exam:.; Feel confident you understand the unit: each guide comprehensively covers the unit content and includes topic summaries, knowledge check questions and a reference index.; Get to grips with the exam requirements: the specific skills on which you will be tested are explored and explained.; Analyse exam-style questions: graded student responses will help you focus
Photography & Physics: A Way to Enhance Student Learning
Meyers, Fred
A teaching/learning strategy that I have developed over the years for high school students involves the use of photographic images of ordinary objects or scenes to help engage students in the intrigue and beauty of physics. The images help focus classroom discussions, raise curiosity levels among students, and promote creativity of thinking. The photographs can be used in a variety of ways, including assessment, framing discussions, homework assignment, and constructive classroom games. This presentation will describe the various ways photography can be used and will model some techniques. Dozens of ``physics images'' will be shown.
Students' Individual and Social Behaviors with Physical Education Teachers' Personality
Arbabisarjou, Azizollah; Sourki, Mehdi Sadeghian; Bonjar, Seyedeh Elaham Hashemi
The main objective for this survey is to assess the relationship between physical education teachers' personality and students' individual with social behaviors. The statistical population of the study was all the teachers of physical education working at high schools in the academic year 2012-2013. The sample consisted of sixty teachers that were…
Physical Education for the Learning Disabled Student: An Update.
Reid, Greg
All physical activities incorporate perceptual motor coordination, and physical activities for learning disabled children should provide from among three types of movement outcomes--movement control, movement behavior, or movement experience. Instruction should focus on task analysis, the student's strengths, and success with an appropriate amount…
Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sedentary Behavior in College Students.
Buckworth, Janet; Nigg, Claudio
The authors examined the relationship between physical activity, exercise, and sedentary behaviors in 493 college students who were enrolled in 10 conditioning activity classes and had completed questionnaires at the beginning of the course. They analyzed sedentary activities and indicators of participation in exercise and physical activity by…
Teaching Physical Education to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Menear, Kristi Sayers; Smith, Shannon C.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007) estimates that one in every 110 children is affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prevalence of ASDs makes it very likely that every physical education teacher is teaching at least one student with an ASD. This article will provide physical educators with a brief overview of…
Recommendations for Teaching Physical Education to Students with EBDs
Young, Shawna
A college professor who trains preservice physical education teachers was asked to design, develop, and implement a pilot physical education program at a nonpublic school primarily serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs). The teacher/researcher conducted an action research study to maximize the effectiveness of teaching and…
Setting the Stage for Physical Activity for Secondary Students
Ciccomascolo, Lori; Riebe, Deborah
Despite the positive long-term physiological and psychological effects of exercise, many young adults between the ages of 12 and 21 years do not participate in regular physical activity. With the time constraints and other challenges in teaching and assessing students, physical educators need realistic strategies that will help in their efforts to…
Textbook Images: How Do They Invite Students into Physics?
Bungum, Berit
This paper presents a study of images in Norwegian physics textbooks for upper secondary school, and how they invite students into physics by means of visual communication. The concept of "framing" is used to investigate how the perspective in the image provides a sense of participation. It is found that older textbooks, where objects…
Physics education research: Resources for graduate student instructors
Krusberg, Zosia A. C.
This resource letter intends to provide physics instructors - particularly graduate student teaching assistants - at the introductory university level with a small but representative collection of resources to acquire a familiarity with research in physics education for guidance in everyday instruction. The resources are in the form of books, articles, websites, journals, and organizations.
Toward understanding writing to learn in physics: Investigating student writing
Demaree, Dedra
It is received wisdom that writing in a discipline helps students learn the discipline, and millions of dollars have been committed at many universities to supporting such writing. We show that evidence for effectiveness is anecdotal, and that little data-based material informs these prejudices. This thesis begins the process of scientific study of writing in the discipline, in specific, in physics, and creates means to judge whether such writing is effective. The studies culminating in this thesis are an aggressive start to addressing these complex questions. Writing is often promoted as an activity that, when put into classrooms in specific disciplines, not only helps students learn to write in the methods of that discipline but also helps students learn content knowledge. Students at the Ohio State University are being asked to write more in introductory courses, and the Engineering schools want their students to have more writing skills for the job market. Combined with the desire of many educators to have students be able to explain the course content knowledge clearly, it would seem that writing activities would be important and useful in physics courses. However, the question of whether writing helps learning or whether students learn writing within a non-English classroom helps learning in the discipline are open to debate, and data are needed before such claims can be made. This thesis presents several studies aimed at understanding the correlation of writing and content, and tracking and characterizing student writing behaviors to see how they are impacted by writing in physics courses. It consists of four parts: summer and autumn 2005 focus on writing in introductory physics labs with and without explicit instruction, while winter and spring 2006 focus on tracking and analyzing student writing and revising behavior in Physics by Inquiry (PbI). With these related projects, we establish three main results. First, there is a need for quantitative studies of
Physical therapist student interest in full-time faculty positions.
Mac Kinnon, Joyce L; Leighton, R Dennis
A strong demand exists for allied health faculty in institutions of higher education. This study focused on physical therapists for the purposes of: 1) determining student physical therapist interest in full-time faculty positions at some point in their professional careers, 2) identifying factors that might influence student interest in full-time faculty positions at some point in their careers, and 3) being able to suggest ways in which students might be encouraged to consider academic careers in the future. Twenty-nine accredited professional physical therapist programs gave permission for their graduating students to be surveyed; 1,160 surveys were sent out, and 1,037 usable surveys were returned (89% return rate). Of the 1,037 respondents, 569 students (59%) expressed an interest in pursuing a full-time faculty position at some point in their career. Demographic data were reported, and chi 2 was used to analyze survey results statistically. The items that were statistically significant with regard to interest in a full-time faculty position were: 1) a physical therapist instructor had encouraged a student to pursue a full-time faculty position, 2) the student had a learning experience in which a faculty position was discussed as a career option, and 3) the student had a parent who was employed in education. Physical therapist faculty members were identified by students as the group with the greatest influence on a student's decision to choose an academic career. Students identified the following factors as negatives for pursuing full-time faculty positions: 1) having to be engaged in research projects, 2) being restricted to treating patients only occasionally, and 3) being required to speak before groups. The results of this study suggested methods that physical therapist faculty might employ to recruit students to academia, such as providing individual encouragement, discussing faculty positions as a career option, providing opportunity for students to
The Effect of Using Video on Developing Physical Fitness of Physical Education Students at the Hashemite University
Mahmoud. A. Al-Haliq; Moeen. A. Oudat; Mohammad. Abu Al-Taieb
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of video on developing physical fitness to physical education students at the Hashemite University. The study sample consisted of (20) Physical education students They were divided into two groups, the control group (10) students went through traditional physical practice method, and the experimental group (10) students went through physical practice using video, Pre and post-tests were carried out to measure student's development in physi...
Moving High School Students toward Physical Literacy
MacDonald, Lynn Couturier
This article addresses teaching for skill and knowledge competency in high school based on the National Standards and grade-level outcomes. The outcomes guide teachers away from a curriculum that emphasizes competition through team sports, which appeals to just the highly-skilled and competitive students, toward one that is inclusive of all skill…
Fostering Critical Thinking in Physical Education Students
Lodewyk, Ken R.
Critical thinking is essentially "better thinking." When students think critically they consider complex information from numerous sources and perspectives in order to make a reasonable judgment that they can justify. It has been associated with academic qualities such as decision-making, creativity, reasoning, problem-solving, debating,…
The basic physics of the binary black hole merger GW150914
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Granata, M; Grant, A; Gras, S; Gray, C; Greco, G; Green, A C; Groot, P; Grote, H; Grunewald, S; Guidi, G M; Guo, X; Gupta, A; Gupta, M K; Gushwa, K E; Gustafson, E K; Gustafson, R; Hacker, J J; Hall, B R; Hall, E D; Hammond, G; Haney, M; Hanke, M M; Hanks, J; Hanna, C; Hannam, M D; Hanson, J; Hardwick, T; Harms, J; Harry, G M; Harry, I W; Hart, M J; Hartman, M T; Haster, C -J; Haughian, K; Heidmann, A; Heintze, M C; Heitmann, H; Hello, P; Hemming, G; Hendry, M; Heng, I S; Hennig, J; Henry, J; Heptonstall, A W; Heurs, M; Hild, S; Hoak, D; Hofman, D; Holt, K; Holz, D E; Hopkins, P; Hough, J; Houston, E A; Howell, E J; Hu, Y M; Huang, S; Huerta, E A; Huet, D; Hughey, B; Husa, S; Huttner, S H; Huynh-Dinh, T; Indik, N; Ingram, D R; Inta, R; Isa, H N; Isac, J -M; Isi, M; Isogai, T; Iyer, B R; Izumi, K; Jacqmin, T; Jang, H; Jani, K; Jaranowski, P; Jawahar, S; Jian, L; Jim'enez-Forteza, F; Johnson, W W; Jones, D I; Jones, R; Jonker, R J G; Ju, L; K, Haris; Kalaghatgi, C V; Kalogera, V; Kandhasamy, S; Kang, G; Kanner, J B; Kapadia, S J; Karki, S; Karvinen, K S; Kasprzack, M; Katsavounidis, E; Katzman, W; Kaufer, S; Kaur, T; Kawabe, K; K'ef'elian, F; Kehl, M S; Keitel, D; Kelley, D B; Kells, W; Kennedy, R; Key, J S; Khalili, F Y; Khan, I; Khan, S; Khan, Z; Khazanov, E A; Kijbunchoo, N; Kim, Chi-Woong; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J; Kim, K; Kim, N; Kim, W; Kim, Y -M; Kimbrell, S J; King, E J; King, P J; Kissel, J S; Klein, B; Kleybolte, L; Klimenko, S; Koehlenbeck, S M; Koley, S; Kondrashov, V; Kontos, A; Korobko, M; Korth, W Z; Kowalska, I; Kozak, D B; Kringel, V; Krishnan, B; Kr'olak, A; Krueger, C; Kuehn, G; Kumar, P; Kumar, R; Kuo, L; Kutynia, A; Lackey, B D; Landry, M; Lange, J; Lantz, B; Lasky, P D; Laxen, M; Lazzarini, A; Lazzaro, C; Leaci, P; Leavey, S; Lebigot, E O; Lee, C H; Lee, H K; Lee, H M; Lee, K; Lenon, A; Leonardi, M; Leong, J R; Leroy, N; Letendre, N; Levin, Y; Lewis, J B; Li, T G F; Libson, A; Littenberg, T B; Lockerbie, N A; Lombardi, A L; London, L T; Lord, J E; Lorenzini, M; Loriette, V; Lormand, M; Losurdo, G; Lough, J D; L"uck, H; Lundgren, A P; Lynch, R; Ma, Y; Machenschalk, B; MacInnis, M; Macleod, D M; Magana-Sandoval, F; Zertuche, L Magana; Magee, R M; Majorana, E; Maksimovic, I; Malvezzi, V; Man, N; Mandic, V; Mangano, V; Mansell, G L; Manske, M; Mantovani, M; Marchesoni, F; Marion, F; M'arka, S; M'arka, Z; Markosyan, A S; Maros, E; Martelli, F; Martellini, L; Martin, I W; Martynov, D V; Marx, J N; Mason, K; Masserot, A; Massinger, T J; Masso-Reid, M; Mastrogiovanni, S; Matichard, F; Matone, L; Mavalvala, N; Mazumder, N; McCarthy, R; McClelland, D E; McCormick, S; McGuire, S C; McIntyre, G; McIver, J; McManus, D J; McRae, T; Meacher, D; Meadors, G D; Meidam, J; Melatos, A; Mendell, G; Mercer, R A; Merilh, E L; Merzougui, M; Meshkov, S; Messenger, C; Messick, C; Metzdorff, R; Meyers, P M; Mezzani, F; Miao, H; Michel, C; Middleton, H; Mikhailov, E E; Milano, L; Miller, A L; Miller, A; Miller, B B; Miller, J; Millhouse, M; Minenkov, Y; Ming, J; Mirshekari, S; Mishra, C; Mitra, S; Mitrofanov, V P; Mitselmakher, G; Mittleman, R; Moggi, A; Mohan, M; Mohapatra, S R P; Montani, M; Moore, B C; Moore, C J; Moraru, D; Moreno, G; Morriss, S R; Mossavi, K; Mours, B; Mow-Lowry, C M; Mueller, G; Muir, A W; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D; Mukherjee, S; Mukund, N; Mullavey, A; Munch, J; Murphy, D J; Murray, P G; Mytidis, A; Nardecchia, I; Naticchioni, L; Nayak, R K; Nedkova, K; Nelemans, G; Nelson, T J N; Neri, M; Neunzert, A; Newton, G; Nguyen, T T; Nielsen, A B; Nissanke, S; Nitz, A; Nocera, F; Nolting, D; Normandin, M E N; Nuttall, L K; Oberling, J; Ochsner, E; O'Dell, J; Oelker, E; Ogin, G H; Oh, J J; Oh, S H; Ohme, F; Oliver, M; Oppermann, P; Oram, Richard J; O'Reilly, B; O'Shaughnessy, R; Ottaway, D J; Overmier, H; Owen, B J; Pai, A; Pai, S A; Palamos, J R; Palashov, O; Palomba, C; Pal-Singh, A; Pan, H; Pankow, C; Pannarale, F; Pant, B C; Paoletti, F; Paoli, A; Papa, M A; Paris, H R; Parker, W; Pascucci, D; Pasqualetti, A; Passaquieti, R; Passuello, D; Patricelli, B; Patrick, Z; Pearlstone, B L; Pedraza, M; Pedurand, R; Pekowsky, L; Pele, A; Penn, S; Perreca, A; Perri, L M; Phelps, M; Piccinni, O J; Pichot, M; Piergiovanni, F; Pierro, V; Pillant, G; Pinard, L; Pinto, I M; Pitkin, M; Poe, M; Poggiani, R; Popolizio, P; Post, A; Powell, J; Prasad, J; Pratt, J; Predoi, V; Prestegard, T; Price, L R; Prijatelj, M; Principe, M; Privitera, S; Prix, R; Prodi, G A; Prokhorov, L; Puncken, O; Punturo, M; Puppo, P; P"urrer, M; Qi, H; Qin, J; Qiu, S; Quetschke, V; Quintero, E A; Quitzow-James, R; Raab, F J; Rabeling, D S; Radkins, H; Raffai, P; Raja, S; Rajan, C; Rakhmanov, M; Rapagnani, P; Raymond, V; Razzano, M; Re, V; Read, J; Reed, C M; Regimbau, T; Rei, L; Reid, S; Rew, H; Reyes, S D; Ricci, F; Riles, K; Rizzo, M; Robertson, N A; Robie, R; Robinet, F; Rocchi, A; Rolland, L; Rollins, J G; Roma, V J; Romano, J D; Romano, R; Romanov, G; Romie, J H; Rosi'nska, D; Rowan, S; R"udiger, A; Ruggi, P; Ryan, K; Sachdev, S; Sadecki, T; Sadeghian, L; Sakellariadou, M; Salconi, L; Saleem, M; Salemi, F; Samajdar, A; Sammut, L; Sanchez, E J; Sandberg, V; Sandeen, B; Sanders, J R; Sassolas, B; Saulson, P R; Sauter, O E S; Savage, R L; Sawadsky, A; Schale, P; Schilling, R; Schmidt, J; Schmidt, P; Schnabel, R; Schofield, R M S; Sch"onbeck, A; Schreiber, E; Schuette, D; Schutz, B F; Scott, J; Scott, S M; Sellers, D; Sengupta, A S; Sentenac, D; Sequino, V; Sergeev, A; Setyawati, Y; Shaddock, D A; Shaffer, T; Shahriar, M S; Shaltev, M; Shapiro, B; Sheperd, A; Shoemaker, D H; Shoemaker, D M; Siellez, K; Siemens, X; Sieniawska, M; Sigg, D; Silva, A D; Singer, A; Singer, L P; Singh, A; Singh, R; Singhal, A; Sintes, A M; Slagmolen, B J J; Smith, J R; Smith, N D; Smith, R J E; Son, E J; Sorazu, B; Sorrentino, F; Souradeep, T; Srivastava, A K; Staley, A; Steinke, M; Steinlechner, J; Steinlechner, S; Steinmeyer, D; Stephens, B C; Stone, R; Strain, K A; Straniero, N; Stratta, G; Strauss, N A; Strigin, S; Sturani, R; Stuver, A L; Summerscales, T Z; Sun, L; Sunil, S; Sutton, P J; Swinkels, B L; Szczepa'nczyk, M J; Tacca, M; Talukder, D; Tanner, D B; T'apai, M; Tarabrin, S P; Taracchini, A; Taylor, R; Theeg, T; Thirugnanasambandam, M P; Thomas, E G; Thomas, M; Thomas, P; Thorne, K A; Thrane, E; Tiwari, S; Tiwari, V; Tokmakov, K V; Toland, K; Tomlinson, C; Tonelli, M; Tornasi, Z; Torres, C V; Torrie, C I; T"oyr"a, D; Travasso, F; Traylor, G; Trifir`o, D; Tringali, M C; Trozzo, L; Tse, M; Turconi, M; Tuyenbayev, D; Ugolini, D; Unnikrishnan, C S; Urban, A L; Usman, S A; Vahlbruch, H; Vajente, G; Valdes, G; van Bakel, N; van Beuzekom, M; Brand, J F J van den; Broeck, C Van Den; Vander-Hyde, D C; van der Schaaf, L; van Heijningen, J V; van Veggel, A A; Vardaro, M; Vass, S; Vas'uth, M; Vaulin, R; Vecchio, A; Vedovato, G; Veitch, J; Veitch, P J; Venkateswara, K; Verkindt, D; Vetrano, F; Vicer'e, A; Vinciguerra, S; Vine, D J; Vinet, J -Y; Vitale, S; Vo, T; Vocca, H; Vorvick, C; Voss, D V; Vousden, W D; Vyatchanin, S P; Wade, A R; Wade, L E; Wade, M; Walker, M; Wallace, L; Walsh, S; Wang, G; Wang, H; Wang, M; Wang, X; Wang, Y; Ward, R L; Warner, J; Was, M; Weaver, B; Wei, L -W; Weinert, M; Weinstein, A J; Weiss, R; Wen, L; Wessels, P; Westphal, T; Wette, K; Whelan, J T; Whiting, B F; Williams, R D; Williamson, A R; Willis, J L; Willke, B; Wimmer, M H; Winkler, W; Wipf, C C; Wiseman, A G; Wittel, H; Woan, G; Woehler, J; Worden, J; Wright, J L; Wu, D S; Wu, G; Yablon, J; Yam, W; Yamamoto, H; Yancey, C C; Yu, H; Yvert, M; zny, A Zadro; Zangrando, L; Zanolin, M; Zendri, J -P; Zevin, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, M; Zhang, Y; Zhao, C; Zhou, M; Zhou, Z; Zhu, X J; Zucker, M E; Zuraw, S E; Zweizig, J
The first direct gravitational-wave detection was made by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory on September 14, 2015. The GW150914 signal was strong enough to be apparent, without using any waveform model, in the filtered detector strain data. Here those features of the signal visible in these data are used, along with only such concepts from Newtonian and General Relativity as are accessible to anyone with a general physics background. The simple analysis presented here is consistent with the fully general-relativistic analyses published elsewhere, in showing that the signal was produced by the inspiral and subsequent merger of two black holes. The black holes were each of approximately 35 Msun, still orbited each other as close as 350 km apart and subsequently merged to form a single black hole. Similar reasoning, directly from the data, is used to roughly estimate how far these black holes were from the Earth, and the energy that they radiated in gravitational waves.
Experimental study of individuation in physical education of students
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Kozina Zh.L.
Full Text Available Purpose of work - experimentally ground application of the system of individualization in physical education of students. The students of 1 course of technical higher educational establishment took part in research, which parted on control (48 girls and 56 youths and experimental (42 girls and 58 youths groups. Distributing of freshmen on sporting specializations with the use of the author programs of the психофизиологического testing was conducted. Influence of individual approach at distributing of students on sporting specializations is considered. Directions of application of the system of individualization on employments on physical education are shown. The ways of improvement of indexes of functional preparedness and physical qualities of students are offered.
Autonomy and the Student Experience in Introductory Physics
Hall, Nicholas Ron
The role of autonomy in the student experience in a large-enrollment undergraduate introductory physics course was studied from a Self-Determination Theory perspective with two studies. Study I, a correlational study, investigated whether certain aspects of the student experience correlated with how autonomy supportive (vs. controlling) students perceived their instructors to be. An autonomy supportive instructor acknowledges students' perspectives, feelings, and perceptions and provides students with information and opportunities for choice, while minimizing external pressures. It was found that the degree to which students perceived their instructors as autonomy supportive was positively correlated with student interest and enjoyment in learning physics (beta=0.31***) and negatively correlated with student anxiety about taking physics (beta=-0.23**). It was also positively correlated with how autonomous (vs. controlled) students' reasons for studying physics became over the duration of the course (i.e., studying physics more because they wanted to vs. had to; beta=0.24***). This change in autonomous reasons for studying physics was in turn positively correlated with student performance in the course (beta=0.17*). Additionally, the degree to which students perceived their instructors as autonomy supportive was directly correlated with performance for those students entering the course with relatively autonomous reasons for studying physics (beta=0.25**). In summary, students who perceived their instructors as more autonomy supportive tended to have a more favorable experience in the course. If greater autonomy support was in fact the cause of a more favorable student experience, as suggested by Self-determination Theory and experimental studies in other contexts, these results would have implications for instruction and instructor professional development in similar contexts. I discuss these implications. Study II, an experimental study, investigated the effect
Students' opinions about physical education in primary and secondary school
Hočevar, Barbara
The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate the students' opinions on physical education in primary and secondary schools in Slovenia. In the theoretical part we presented motor development of children in primary and secondary schools, the importance of physical activities for children and young people and consequences of lack of physical activity. We detaily examined the curriculums for primary and secondary schools, the importance of contents in curriculum, assessment, excusing f...
Students' Overuse of Linearity: An Exploration in Physics
de Bock, Dirk; van Dooren, Wim; Verschaffel, Lieven
In mathematics education, a vast amount of research has shown that students of different ages have a strong tendency to apply linear or proportional models anywhere, even in situations where they are not applicable. For example, in geometry it is known that many students believe that if the sides of a figure are doubled, the area is doubled too. However, also history of science provides several cases of thinkers who inadequately postulated linear relations to describe situations. This article focuses on secondary school students' over-reliance on linearity in physics. Now and then, science educators report students' tendency to assume and impose linear relations in physics, but—as far as we know—no substantial efforts were undertaken to study this phenomenon systematically. We conducted an empirical investigation aimed at identifying the competence of 8th- and 11th-graders—before and after being taught the relevant physical topics—to qualitatively grasp various situations in physics, as well as their tendency to quantify that qualitative insight linearly. The results provide an ambivalent picture of students' overuse of linearity in physics: Although linear reasoning is sometimes used as a default strategy, even after instruction that addresses the relevant physical contents, this study also indicates that context is taken into account more often than is suggested by research on mathematical problem solving.
Applied problems of physical education students of economic specialties
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Dubinskaya O.Y.
Full Text Available Purpose : to analyze the problems of physical education students of economics in the context of professionally applied physical training. Material : analysis of Ukrainian and foreign publications on species means of improving professional-applied physical training of students in higher education. Results : It was found that the state system of physical education students is ineffective. It does not provide psychophysical and professional readiness of graduates for productive activities and later life. The system also needs constant improvement. A new approach to solving the problem of training to learn the adoption of practical importance of physical education. Also the formation of motivation by demonstrating a real need and usefulness of the proposed exercise. Such exercises should be differentiated, taking into account the health status and subsequent career expectations. Conclusion: it is proved that for an efficient system of training is necessary to use popular among students sports. It is also necessary to take into account the interests of students when choosing tools professionally applied physical training.
South African Generation Y students' motives for engaging in physical activity : physical activity and health
Meyer, N; A.L. Bevan-Dye
The purpose of this study was to determine Generation Y students' level of physical activity and the motivation for participating in physical activity. Despite there being a great deal of published literature that provides evidence of the benefits of engaging in physical activity and its influence on reducing certain dreaded illnesses, physical activity amongst the Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) is declining worldwide. In South Africa, the Generation Y cohort con...
Physical preparedness as reflection of formed of physical culture of students
Baka R.
By questionnaire method it was agreed that students are unable to objectively estimate the level of their physical development. Somatic health, physical development and fitness were systematically rated with quantity and quality indicators during the three-years cycle of College teaching. On the basis of this a positive view to the physical culture and motive activity was formed. The systematic use of complex control of physical preparedness in an educational process was instrumental in the i...
Partially specified physics problems: university students' attitudes and performance
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
In this research we asked the fourth year students (N = 50) of a technical faculty of the University of Split (Republic of Croatia) to solve a partially specified physics problem related to gravitational force. The task for the students was to decide whether the situation described in the problem is feasible or not. Nevertheless, the formulation of the problem is such that it does not give students any explicit advice regarding what to calculate or how to judge the feasibility of the given situation in the real world. The research was carried out using a structured written exam method. The worksheet was structured in order to assess explicitly a few elements of the students' problem-solving performance. Based on their results, the examinees were classified into four categories, depending on what they could or could not accomplish during problem solving. A majority of students were not able to solve the given physical problem completely. A selection of students' and professors' observations is also included. Our results show that traditionally formulated numerical exercises, which are mostly used in physics teaching, do not develop students' abilities in higher-order thinking (i.e. planning, decision making or result evaluation) to a desirable extent. We suggest that partially specified problems should be given to students, both in problem-solving sessions and exams, in order to prepare them for dealing with ill-structured tasks in real life.
Probing physics students' conceptual knowledge structures through term association
Beatty, I D; Beatty, Ian D.; Gerace, William J.
Traditional tests are not effective tools for diagnosing the content and structure of students' knowledge of physics. As a possible alternative, a set of term-association tasks (the "ConMap" tasks) was developed to probe the interconnections within students' store of conceptual knowledge. The tasks have students respond spontaneously to a term or problem or topic area with a sequence of associated terms; the response terms and timeof- entry data are captured. The tasks were tried on introductory physics students, and preliminary investigations show that the tasks are capable of eliciting information about the stucture of their knowledge. Specifically, data gathered through the tasks is similar to that produced by a hand-drawn concept map task, has measures that correlate with inclass exam performance, and is sensitive to learning produced by topic coverage in class. Although the results are preliminary and only suggestive, the tasks warrant further study as student-knowledge assessment instruments and sources...
Students "At Risk": Stereotypes and the Schooling of Black Boys
James, Carl E.
This article examines how stereotypes operate in the social construction of African Canadian males as "at risk" students. Cultural analysis and critical race theory are used to explain how the stereotypes of the youth as immigrant, fatherless, troublemaker, athlete, and underachiever contribute to their racialization and marginalization that in…
Gorini, Vittorio; Moschella, Ugo; Treves, Aldo; Colpi, Monica
Based on graduate school lectures in contemporary relativity and gravitational physics, this book gives a complete and unified picture of the present status of theoretical and observational properties of astrophysical black holes. The chapters are written by internationally recognized specialists. They cover general theoretical aspects of black hole astrophysics, the theory of accretion and ejection of gas and jets, stellar-sized black holes observed in the Milky Way, the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes in galactic centers and quasars as well as their influence on the dynamics in galactic nuclei. The final chapter addresses analytical relativity of black holes supporting theoretical understanding of the coalescence of black holes as well as being of great relevance in identifying gravitational wave signals. With its introductory chapters the book is aimed at advanced graduate and post-graduate students, but it will also be useful for specialists.
Women in Physics in Egypt: The Status and Needs of Female Physics Students
El-Sayed, Karimat; Hosny, Hala; Mohsen, Mona; Gadalla, Afaf
Information is provided on a number of issues: the percentage of female students enrolled in physics in higher education, the percentage of women who earned BSc degrees in physics from Egyptian universities, and the percentage of women academic staff members in different universities and institutions relative to staff members in other fields of science. The results of a survey that features the ideas of female physics students are presented. The Africa and the Middle East Regional Conference on Women in Physics held in Egypt in 2007 is discussed.
Gender, Ethnicity, and Physics Education: Understanding How Black Women Build Their Identities as Scientists
Rosa, Katemari Diogo da
This research focuses on the underrepresentation of minoritized groups in scientific careers. The study is an analysis of the relationships between race, gender, and those with careers in the sciences, focusing on the lived experiences of Black women physicists, as viewed through the lens of women scientists in the United States. Although the research is geographically localized, the base-line question is clear and mirrors in the researcher's own intellectual development: "How do Black women physicists describe their experiences towards the construction of a scientific identity and the pursuit of a career in physics?" Grounded on a critical race theory perspective, the study uses storytelling to analyze how these women build their identities as scientists and how they have negotiate their multiple identities within different communities in society. Findings show that social integration is a key element for Black women physicists to enter study groups, which enables access to important resources for academic success in STEM. The study has implications for physics education and policymakers. The study reveals the role of the different communities that these women are part of, and the importance of public policies targeted to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science, especially through after-school programs and financial support through higher education.
Physics Items and Student's Performance at Enem
Gonçalves Jr, Wanderley P.; Barroso, Marta F.
The Brazilian National Assessment of Secondary Education (ENEM, Exame Nacional do Ensino M\\'edio) has changed in 2009: from a self-assessment of competences at the end of high school to an assessment that allows access to college and student financing. From a single general exam, now there are tests in four areas: Mathematics, Language, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. A new Reference Matrix is build with components as cognitive domains, competencies, skills and knowledge objects; also, ...
Effect of exercise on specific indicators of physical fitness and physical development of military student artilleryman
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Klimovich V.B.
Full Text Available The features of professional roles ground artillery ground forces in peacetime. Presented educational experiment on the application of special physical exercises to improve performance standards for the combat work of students. In the experiment were involved 52 students. Students also performed the test - bringing gun D - 30 from traveling to combat. Found that special training exercise significant influence on the performance of physical fitness of students. It is noted that the physical exercises for strength and power endurance develop gunners in precisely those physical qualities that are necessary for the performance of their direct duties. It is noted that the exercises for strength and strength endurance is necessary to give priority to the preparation of artillery of the Army.
Physics, Dyslexia and Learning: A Collaboration for Disabled Students
Moskal, Barbara M.; Wright, Lyndsey; Taylor, P. C.
Researchers have found that children with dyslexia reason differently with respect to language from those who do not have dyslexia. Dyslexic students' brains work differently than do students without dyslexia. Some researchers speculate that these differences provide dyslexic students with an advantage in science. The presentation will describe an outreach activity which developed and delivered instructional modules in physics to students in grades kindergarten through sixth. These modules were tested on thirty students who attended a summer camp designed for students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Eighty percent of students who have learning disabilities have dyslexia. Many of the students who attended this camp have experienced repeated failure in the traditional school system, which emphasizes literacy with little attention to science. A number of science and engineering professors collaborated with this camp to build instructional modules that were delivered one hour per day, during two weeks of this five week summer camp (ten hours of hands-on physics instruction). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected with respect to the impact that this camp had on students' understanding and interests in science. The results of these efforts will be presented.
Fundamentals of physics student solutions manual
Liao, Sen-Ben
This book arms engineers with the tools to apply key physics concepts in the field. A number of the key figures in the new edition are revised to provide a more inviting and informative treatment. The figures are broken into component parts with supporting commentary so that they can more readily see the key ideas.
A Study on school experiences of physics department students
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bringing up the young people who are seen as the guaranty of the future depends on a better education. One of the best ways of forming a high in quality education is connected to developing the quality in teacher training. Most of the developed countries have been carrying on studies in order to develop teacher training. School experience classes are the ones which are planned for the candidate teachers to observe the school in learning and teaching period and to practice in classrooms. Beginning from candidate teachers first years at school, this class should be thought to be beneficial for identifying their future school atmosphere, and it should be run effectively. For this purpose, it has been identified what difficulties the physics undergraduate and physics (with no thesis) master students, who took part in School Experience classes at the practice schools of Konya at which faculty-school cooperation is applied, had during activities, and their success at overcoming these difficulties, and their ideas about the practice school and its teachers. The research was done by making a survey to the physics undergraduate and physics(with no thesis) master students in 2003 Spring semester. The results of the research were analyzed for both girls and boys separately. After analyzed, the results showed that the most striking activity which both the undergraduate physics and physics(with no thesis) master students had difficulty was group activities. Moreover, it showed that 90 percent of the two groups had the idea that school experience activities would be beneficial for being a good physics teacher. It has been also recognized that the physics undergraduate students had a more positive view than physics(with no thesis) master students on the matter of meeting lack of interest from practice teachers, and taking the same course from the same teacher
Retinal thickness in black and Indian myopic students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
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Chanel Murugan
Full Text Available Background: It has been suggested that retinal thickness varies with demographic variables. Understanding the influence of demographic variables on retinal thickness could improve our knowledge of risk factors for retinal pathologies. Previous studies have focused exclusively on white and African-American populations, with limited attention to black and Indian populations.Aim: To compare retinal thickness in black and Indian myopic students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN.Methods: A cross-sectional comparative research design was used. The study was conducted at UKZN, Westville campus. Retinal thickness was measured in 80 healthy myopic students using the Fourier/spectral domain iVue 100 optical coherence tomographer. Retinal thickness measurements of the right and left eyes showed significant correlations, therefore data from only the right eyes were analysed. Racial and gender variations in retinal thickness of the nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS segments were assessed.Results: The mean central foveal thickness in black participants was 238 μm compared with 243 μm in Indian participants (p = 0.06. Indian participants had thicker parafoveal thickness measurements whilst black participants had thicker perifoveal thickness measurements. Male participants had thicker retinal thickness measurements in all nine ETDRS segments than female participants. Central foveal thickness showed no significant correlation with spherical equivalent (r = -0.14, p > 0.05 or axial length (r = 0.09, p > 0.05.Conclusion: The average central foveal thickness was slightly thinner in black and female participants than in Indian and male participants. Optometrists and ophthalmologists should consider these differences when evaluating black and Indian individuals with foveal retinal diseases.
Physical and chemical study of the influence of oxidation on the structure of carbon black
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This research thesis reports the study of the influence of an oxidising attack on carbon black particles by using chemical, physical and electrochemical methods to highlight the oxidation process. The carbon black particle is a spherical set essentially made of amorphous and crystalline carbon. It appears that the oxidising attack mainly occurs against the amorphous parts which surround the crystallites. If the attack is strong enough, crystallites are freed and the particle collapses. This process has been observed by using electronic microscopy, X rays, the BET nitrogen absorption method, and infra-reds. Chemical analysis revealed the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl and quinone functional groups on the oxidised particle surface. These groups have been dosed by different methods (methylation, calcium acetate dosing, polarography and potassium borohydride reduction)
An exploration of university physics students' epistemological mindsets towards the understanding of physics equations
Daniel Domert; John Airey; Cedric Linder; Rebecca Lippmann Kung
Students' attitudes and beliefs about learning have been shown to affect learning outcomes. This study explores how university physics students think about what it means to understand physics equations. The data comes from semi-structured interviews with students from three Swedish universities. The analysis follows a data-based, inductive approach to characterise students' descriptions of what it means to understand equations in terms of epistemological mindsets (perceived critical attribute...
Prusik, Katarzyna; Zaporozhanov, Vadym; Gцrner, Karol; Prusik, Krzysztof
Based on the results of the analysis reached different conclusions. In a separate research problem with the physical activity mandatory time off, it was found that the vast majority of students spend their time actively, mostly a form of physical activity should be aerobic / fitness and gym. In the next issue, that associates the active leisure tourism, it was found that tourism is not unknown more than half of foreign students, in addition were taken hiking, biking and skiing. In the next is...
Physical properties of black carbon aerosol emitted by a series of laboratory biomass fires
McMeeking, Gavin; Flynn, Michael; Wold, Cyle; Hao, Wei Min; Fortner, Ed; Onasch, Tim; Carrico, Christian; Kreidenweis, Sonia; Coe, Hugh
Black carbon aerosols have major impacts on the transfer of radiation in the atmosphere and affect climate and air quality on regional and global scales. Globally averaged, biomass burning represents roughly 40% of the total BC emissions to the atmosphere. The amount and physical properties of BC emitted by fires is highly uncertain as is our knowledge regarding the processing/transformation of BC once emitted to the atmosphere. To address these areas, we measured emissions of black carbon (BC) aerosol emitted by a series of controlled laboratory-scale burns involving a range of biomass fuels commonly consumed during prescribed and wildfires in North America. Black carbon aerosol physical properties including size distribution and mixing state were determined using a Droplet Measurement Technologies single particle soot photometer (SP2). The SP2 uses a laser induced incandescence technique to determine the mass of individual BC particles. Unlike filter-based methods previously used to quantify BC emitted from fires, the SP2 does not suffer from artefacts related to the presence of non-BC material co-sampled with BC particles. The SP2 also allows for simultaneous measurement of light scattered by BC particles to diagnose the presence of non-BC material associated with the BC particles (i.e., coatings). We also compare the BC physical property measurements to simultaneous light absorption and scattering measurements made by a DMT photoacoustic spectrometer at multiple wavelengths (405, 532, and 870 nm). Both BC physical and optical properties are linked to fuel properties and combustion conditions. The SP2 and photoacoustic spectrometer sampled downstream of a thermal denuder and three-stage dilution system throughout the study to examine the volatility of aerosol emitted by the fires. This allowed for the examination of the role of non-BC material on aerosol optical properties and BC coatings as measured by the SP2 and has implications for BC atmospheric aging
Are My Grades a Reflection of Me?: Black College Students' Attributions and Interpretations of Grades Received in the Classroom
Edwards, Diana Nicole
In the school achievement and motivation literature of African American students, one major theme of the literature is a supposed inconsistency or discrepancy in African American students' value and expectations for their academic achievement and their actual levels of achievement. The discrepancy between Black students' achievement ideologies and…
Determining the Approaches of High School Students to Learning Physics
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gamze Sezgin Selcuk
Full Text Available The primary objective of this research was to adapt the Approaches to Learning Scale developed for the university level by Ellez & Sezgin (2000 to a high school level physics (Approaches to Learning Physics Scale. The secondary objective was to use the adapted scale to examine the approaches of high school students to learning physics and explore how this variable changes according to gender and level of achievement in physics. The adapted scale was applied to a total of 329 high school students in the province of İzmir, Turkey for the purpose of testing the scale's validity and reliability. The reliability coefficient for the whole of the scale was found to be 0.86. The data related to the secondary objective of the research were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation, two-way multivariate analysis (two-way MANOVA, and follow-up tests. It was determined from the results of the analysis that the students' preference for both a deep and a surface approach to learning physics was slightly above average. It was found the students did not display a significant difference in their approaches to learning according to the gender variable but that there were significant differences between the students' approaches to learning according to the variable of achievement.
Students' epistemologies about experimental physics: Validating the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for experimental physics
Wilcox, Bethany R.; Lewandowski, H. J.
Student learning in instructional physics labs represents a growing area of research that includes investigations of students' beliefs and expectations about the nature of experimental physics. To directly probe students' epistemologies about experimental physics and support broader lab transformation efforts at the University of Colorado Boulder and elsewhere, we developed the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for experimental physics (E-CLASS). Previous work with this assessment has included establishing the accuracy and clarity of the instrument through student interviews and preliminary testing. Several years of data collection at multiple institutions has resulted in a growing national data set of student responses. Here, we report on results of the analysis of these data to investigate the statistical validity and reliability of the E-CLASS as a measure of students' epistemologies for a broad student population. We find that the E-CLASS demonstrates an acceptable level of both validity and reliability on measures of item and test discrimination, test-retest reliability, partial-sample reliability, internal consistency, concurrent validity, and convergent validity. We also examine students' responses using principal component analysis and find that, as expected, the E-CLASS does not exhibit strong factors (a.k.a. categories).
Physics Identity Development: A Snapshot of the Stages of Development of Upper-Level Physics Students
Irving, Paul W.; Sayre, Eleanor C.
As part of a longitudinal study into identity development in upper-level physics students a phenomenographic research method is employed to assess the stages of identity development of a group of upper-level students. Three categories of description were discovered which indicate the three different stages of identity development for this group…
How physics instruction impacts students' beliefs about learning physics: A meta-analysis of 24 studies
Madsen, Adrian; McKagan, Sarah B.; Sayre, Eleanor C.
In this meta-analysis, we synthesize the results of 24 studies using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and the Maryland Physics Expectations Survey (MPEX) to answer several questions: (1) How does physics instruction impact students' beliefs? (2) When do physics majors develop expert-like beliefs? and (3) How do students' beliefs impact their learning of physics? We report that in typical physics classes, students' beliefs deteriorate or at best stay the same. There are a few types of interventions, including an explicit focus on model-building and (or) developing expertlike beliefs that lead to significant improvements in beliefs. Further, small courses and those for elementary education and nonscience majors also result in improved beliefs. However, because the available data oversamples certain types of classes, it is unclear whether these improvements are actually due to the interventions, or due to the small class size, or student populations typical of the kinds of classes in which these interventions are most often used. Physics majors tend to enter their undergraduate education with more expertlike beliefs than nonmajors and these beliefs remain relatively stable throughout their undergraduate careers. Thus, typical physics courses appear to be selecting students who already have strong beliefs, rather than supporting students in developing strong beliefs. There is a small correlation between students' incoming beliefs about physics and their gains on conceptual mechanics surveys. This suggests that students with more expertlike incoming beliefs may learn more in their physics courses, but this finding should be further explored and replicated. Some unanswered questions remain. To answer these questions, we advocate several specific types of future studies: measuring students' beliefs in courses with a wider range of class sizes, student populations, and teaching methods, especially large classes with very innovative pedagogy and
Niggers No More: A Critical Race Counternarrative on Black Male Student Achievement at Predominantly White Colleges and Universities
Harper, Shaun R.
A methodological approach popularized by critical race theorists is used in this article to oppose dominant discourse concerning the social and educational status of Black men in America. Specifically, this counternarrative on student achievement was derived from face-to-face individual interviews with 143 Black male undergraduates at 30…
Students' Perceptions of a Highly Controversial yet Keystone Species, the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog: A Case Study
Fox-Parrish, Lynne; Jurin, Richard R.
The authors used a case-study methodology to explore the perceptions of 30 9th-grade biology students relative to black-tailed prairie dogs. The case study, which involved classroom- and field-based experiences that focused on black-tailed prairie dogs, revealed 3 major themes: apathy, egocentrism, and naive conceptions. The authors had hoped that…
Engineering students' experiences from physics group work in learning labs
Strøm Mellingsæter, Magnus
Background: This paper presents a case study from a physics course at a Norwegian university college, investigating key aspects of a group-work project, so-called learning labs, from the participating students' perspective. Purpose: In order to develop these learning labs further, the students' perspective is important. Which aspects are essential for how the students experience the learning labs, and how do these aspects relate to the emergence of occurrences termed joint workspace, i.e. the maintenance of content-related dialogues within the group? Programme description: First year mechanical engineering students attended the learning labs as a compulsory part of the physics course. The student groups were instructed to solve physics problems using the interactive whiteboard and then submit their work as whiteboard files. Sample: One group of five male students was followed during their work in these learning labs through one term. Design and methods: Data were collected as video recordings and fieldwork observation. In this paper, a focus group interview with the students was the main source of analysis. The interpretations of the interview data were compared with the video material and the fieldwork observations. Results: The results show that the students' overall experience with the learning labs was positive. They did, however, point to internal aspects of conflicting common and personal goals, which led to a group-work dynamics that seemed to inhibit elaborate discussions and collaboration. The students also pointed to external aspects, such as a close temporal proximity between lectures and exercises, which also seemed to inhibit occurrences termed joint workspace. Conclusions: In order to increase the likelihood of a joint workspace throughout the term in the learning labs, careful considerations have to be made with regard to timing between lectures and exercises, but also with regard to raising the students' awareness about shared and personal goals.
"Without handicap": issues of medical schools and physically disabled students.
Reichgott, M J
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that access to education not be denied simply on the basis of disability. The law requires definition of "basic qualifications" required of all applicants, "essential elements" of the curriculum, and whether accommodation would alter the "fundamental nature" of the learning experience or impose "undue burden." Medical schools have a very low proportion of physically disabled students, which the author argues is largely a result of schools' conception of the "undifferentiated graduate" as being capable of performing the history, physical examination, and any medical procedure without an intermediary. But the author maintains that medical students need not be unblemished physically; medical educators' obligation is to educate those students who are qualified to become physicians by virtue of intelligence, professional attitude, and ability to effectively interact and communicate. With respect to clinical training, it is important to consider whether personal, hands-on experience is required for adequate learning to occur. Because most physicians limit the scopes of their practices and do not perform all procedures, because those physicians who develop physical disabilities are not precluded from continuing in some forms of medical practice, and because technologic advances allow for the substitution of imaging and diagnostic testing for the more conventional approach to the physical examination, the requirement for hands-on capability becomes less compelling. Yet not every physically disabled applicant should be admitted to medical school, and those admitted require coaching, guidance, and career advice in order to succeed with their physical limitations. The author suggests that one of the seminal concepts of medical education, "without handicap," should be seen not as referring to the pre-existing physical status of students but instead as the obligation of educators to provide all their students with the
Students' epistemological beliefs, expectations, and learning physics: An international comparison
Sharma, Sapna; Ahluwalia, P. K.; Sharma, S. K.
It has been established by physics education researchers that there is a correlation between the learner's behavior, their epistemological beliefs with which they come to the classrooms, and their success in a course. This study of Indian students and teachers explores expectations and beliefs in learning physics at the secondary and tertiary levels by making use of the Maryland Physics Expectation (MPEX) survey, which has been tested for both its validity and its reliability. The MPEX was administered to a sample of 265 Indian students at three different levels of study: (i) XII standard (high school), (ii) undergraduate (Bachelor of Science), and (iii) master's degree (Master of Science in Physics, MS). In India, a pre-post instruction difference between the attitudes of class XII, undergraduate, and master's students is observed with favorable improvement in master's students as compared to deterioration in both class XII and undergraduate students. A comparison of these results with those reported in similar studies conducted in four other countries (U.S., Turkey, Philippines, and Thailand) indicates that there is a difference between the U.S. students and those of the other three countries and also between U.S. experts and Indian teachers. In all countries (U.S., India, Turkey, Thailand, and Philippines) the basic trend of expectation from pre to post test remained the same—there was a deterioration observed in all levels of students. Indian MS students were an exception. A significant difference was observed in the expectations of U.S. experts and Indian teachers. The score of favorable views of Indian class XII and undergraduate students was observed to be less than U.S. students in many clusters. No significant difference was found between Indian male and female students' expectations at any level of study. This study shows that most Indian students have nowhere near an expert's expectations even after instruction, which might affect their
Mentoring Graduate Students in Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University
Cizewski, Jolie A.
The Graduate Program in Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University involves about 100 graduate students and over 70 faculty members. Research opportunities include experimental and theoretical activities in astronomy, condensed matter, high-energy, and nuclear physics, as well as new initiatives in biological and nano physics and physics education research. Faculty and peer mentors, as well as an academic advisor, are identified for each graduate student upon arrival at Rutgers. All first-year graduate students, without regard to background, are required to participate in the Seminar in Physics, which introduces the graduate students to the breadth of research opportunities, as well as advising students about the academic requirements and preparing for the broad spectrum of future career opportunities. Annual activities in this seminar include sessions at which recent graduates of the program discuss their careers outside of academia or basic research. The course requirements for the Ph.D. in Physics include 2 courses outside of the area of research, one of which can be a course outside of the departmental offerings. Since most students have the option to register for many courses after completing the formal requirements, most students take courses in computer science, engineering, or finance as part of their education. Within one year of advancement to Ph.D. candidacy, students are expected to have the first meeting with their research committee, at which the results of a trial project are presented both orally and in a short written report, and which also serves as a test of the student's aptitude for study in the chosen area and with the chosen advisor. Subsequently, every student is required to meet at least annually with this committee. As a result of these mentoring activities, the time to Ph.D. is now less than 6 years on average. Although about 1/2 of the students assume post-doctoral positions upon completion of the Ph.D., our alumni obtain careers in a
Undergraduate Studies in Physical Education in Students' Opinion
Buchta Krystyna; Lisicki Tomasz
Introduction. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the undergraduate studies in physical education at the Academy of Physical Education and Sport (APE&S) in Gdańsk and Faculty of Physical Education and Sport (FPE&S) in Biała Podlaska of the Warsaw University of Physical Education (UPE). Material and methods. The study included a total of 247 last semester students of full-time education course. The paper uses a method of diagnostic survey with auditorium questionnaire technique....
The nature of student affairs work at historically black colleges and universities
Hirt, J. B.; Strayhorn, T. L.; Amelink, C. T.; Bennett, B. R.
This qualitative study examined the nature of work for 70 administrators (67% female, 33 male) who provide services to students at historically Black colleges and universities. Data were collected by administering the National Professional Life Survey (NPLS) that asked respondents about their work, relationships with others on campus, and the rewards they valued in their work. Survey data were supplemented through in-depth one-on-one and group interviews. The nature of work was defined by thr...
The State of Black Education: The Politics of Educating African American Students at Colleges and Universities
Earnest N. Bracey, Ph.D.
In terms of higher education for African American students, the "school-to-prison pipeline" or Prison Industrial Complex must be totally dismantled in order to focus entirely on academic performance at colleges and universities and HBCUs. Additionally, mentors should be identified to tutor and guide and help black youngsters overcome their fear of learning and going to school, so that our whole society can benefit and improve academically. Finally, in this respect, we-the-people can move our ...
High energy astroparticle physics for high school students
Krause, Maria; Classen, Lew; Holler, Markus; Hütten, Moritz; Raab, Susanne; Rautenberg, Julian; Schulz, Anneli
The questions about the origin and type of cosmic particles are not only fascinating for scientists in astrophysics, but also for young enthusiastic high school students. To familiarize them with research in astroparticle physics, the Pierre Auger Collaboration agreed to make 1% of its data publicly available. The Pierre Auger Observatory investigates cosmic rays at the highest energies and consists of more than 1600 water Cherenkov detectors, located near Malarg\\"{u}e, Argentina. With publicly available data from the experiment, students can perform their own hands-on analysis. In the framework of a so-called Astroparticle Masterclass organized alongside the context of the German outreach network Netzwerk Teilchenwelt, students get a valuable insight into cosmic ray physics and scientific research concepts. We present the project and experiences with students.
Impacting university physics students through participation in informal science
Hinko, Kathleen; Finkelstein, Noah D.
Informal education programs organized by university physics departments are a popular means of reaching out to communities and satisfying grant requirements. The outcomes of these programs are often described in terms of broader impacts on the community. Comparatively little attention, however, has been paid to the influence of such programs on those students facilitating the informal science programs. Through Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) at the University of Colorado Boulder, undergraduate and graduate physics students coach elementary and middle school children during an inquiry-based science afterschool program. As part of their participation in PISEC, university students complete preparation in pedagogy, communication and diversity, engage with children on a weekly basis and provide regular feedback about the program. We present findings that indicate these experiences improve the ability of university students to communicate in everyday language and positively influence their perspectives on teaching and learning.
Inclusion of students with special education needs in physical education
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Martin Kudláček
Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to present phenomena of inclusive physical education from the point of view of needs of students with SEN, teachers from the point of view of support and university PE teacher preparation programs (PETE.Inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN in physical education is in Czech Republic still marginal topic, although issues related to inclusive physical education are among key challenges of students with SEN, their teachers, parents and university departments preparing prospective teachers. In the area of support in inclusive PE we present the model of support in inclusive PE (Sherrill, 2004; Kudláček & Ješina, 2008 and in the area of PETE we present of key outcomes of project EIPET (Theoretical knowledge, competence and skills framework.
Radiation oncology physics: A handbook for teachers and students
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Radiotherapy, also referred to as radiation therapy, radiation oncology or therapeutic radiology, is one of the three principal modalities used in the treatment of malignant disease (cancer), the other two being surgery and chemotherapy. In contrast to other medical specialties that rely mainly on the clinical knowledge and experience of medical specialists, radiotherapy, with its use of ionizing radiation in the treatment of cancer, relies heavily on modern technology and the collaborative efforts of several professionals whose coordinated team approach greatly influences the outcome of the treatment. The radiotherapy team consists of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists and radiation therapy technologists: all professionals characterized by widely differing educational backgrounds and one common link - the need to understand the basic elements of radiation physics, and the interaction of ionizing radiation with human tissue in particular. This specialized area of physics is referred to as radiation oncology physics, and proficiency in this branch of physics is an absolute necessity for anyone who aspires to achieve excellence in any of the four professions constituting the radiotherapy team. Current advances in radiation oncology are driven mainly by technological development of equipment for radiotherapy procedures and imaging; however, as in the past, these advances rely heavily on the underlying physics. This book is dedicated to students and teachers involved in programmes that train professionals for work in radiation oncology. It provides a compilation of facts on the physics as applied to radiation oncology and as such will be useful to graduate students and residents in medical physics programmes, to residents in radiation oncology, and to students in dosimetry and radiotherapy technology programmes. The level of understanding of the material covered will, of course, be different for the various student groups; however, the basic
Increasing Student Physical Activity during the School Day: Opportunities for the Physical Educator
Brewer, Joan D.; Luebbers, Paul E.; Shane, Shawna D.
America is facing an obesity epidemic--one that is difficult to ignore. In order to combat the nation's obesity crisis, it is imperative that schools find ways to increase the physical activity levels of students during the school day, as well as encourage additional activity outside of school. By teaching youth to incorporate physical activity…
A Physics Show Performed by Students for Kids: "From Mechanics to Elementary Particle Physics"
Dreiner, Herbi K.
Physics students spend the early part of their training attending physics and mathematics lectures, solving problem sets, and experimenting in laboratory courses. The program is typically intensive and fairly rigid. They have little opportunity to follow their own curiosity or apply their knowledge. There have been many attempts to address this…
Physical Activity Levels of Overweight and Nonoverweight High School Students during Physical Education Classes
Hannon, James C.
Background: This study examined physical activity (PA) levels of overweight and nonoverweight African American and Caucasian students (n = 198) during game play in physical education classes. Methods: Body fat percentages (%BFs) were determined using the skinfold technique and Slaughter et al prediction equations. Girls were classified as…
Effects of online games on student performance in undergraduate physics
Sadiq, Irfan
The present state of physics teaching and learning is a reflection of the difficulty of the subject matter which has resulted in students' low motivation toward physics as well as lack of meaningful and deeper learning experiences. In light of an overall decline in interest in physics, an investigation of alternate teaching and learning methods and tools was appropriate. The research posed the following question: To what extent do online games about kinematics and two-dimensional motion impact student performance in undergraduate general physics as measured by a unit posttest? Two intact classes of 20 students each were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. Only the experimental group received the treatment of using online games. The duration of topics covered in the game content was identical to the lecture on kinematics and two-dimensional motion. Instructors for the experimental group incorporated online games in their regular classroom teaching, whereas those in the control group continued with their previously used curriculum without games. This study was conducted in three weekly sessions. Although students were not selected using random sampling, existing classes were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The independent samples t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine if the two groups were significantly different with regard to their general physics performance on the posttest while controlling for the pretest scores. Analysis of posttest and pretest scores revealed that game-based learning did not significantly impact student performance.
Representations of deaf students about inclusion in physical education classes
Tássia Pereira Alves; Zenilda Nogueira Sales; Ramon Missias Moreira; Leonardo de Carvalho Duarte; Riane Missias Moreira Mendes Souza
Inclusion is a social process in school aims to change attitudes and to build a position to cover everyone without distinction. Thus, the objective was to analyze the representations of deaf students on their inclusion in physical education classes. It is qualitative, descriptive and analytical, attended eight deaf students from 2 public schools in a city in the countryside of Bahia. For data production, it was used a semi -structured interview, through the aid of an interpreter of Brazilian ...
Dosing method of physical activity in aerobics classes for students
Beliak Yu. I.; Zinchenko N.M.
Purpose : reasons for the method of dosing of physical activity in aerobics classes for students. The basis of the method is the evaluation of the metabolic cost of funds used in them. Material : experiment involved the assessment of the pulse response of students to load complexes classical and step aerobics (n = 47, age 20-23 years). In complexes used various factors regulating the intensity: perform combinations of basic steps, involvement of movements with his hands, holding in hands dumb...
A Physics Show Performed by Students for Kids: From Mechanics to Elementary Particle Physics
Dreiner, H K
We describe an initiative at the University of Bonn, where the students develop and perform a 2 hour physics show for school classes and the general public. The show is entertaining and educational and is aimed at children aged 10 and older. For the physics students this is a unique experience to apply their knowledge at an early stage and gives them the chance to develop skills in the public presentation of science, in front of 520 people per show. We have extended the activity to put on an elementary particle physics show for teenagers. Furthermore, local high schools have picked up the idea; their students put on similar shows for fellow students and parents. We would be interested in hearing about related activities elsewhere.
Working with Advanced Primary School Students in Physics
Jankovic, Ljiljana; Cucic, Dragoljub
Working with students who have special needs is the type of work that requires special engagement and skills of those who perform it. Working with gifted children requires outstanding knowledge of a teacher and above all the teachers should be very well informed on the subject they teach, Physics in our case. This work also requires great pedagogical and psychological skills so that these talented students would be approached in a suitable way. In this paper we will present to you our methods of teaching Physics to these talented children (13 years old), in the Regional Center for Talents "Mihajlo Pupin" in Pancevo.
Students' strategies for solving partially specified physics problems
N. Erceg; M. Marusic; Slisko, J.
In this study we present a pilot-investigation of high-school and university students' abilities to solve partially specified physics problem and ways which they handle the task. Students are asked to answer the question whether the given problem situation is physically possible or not in real-life without an explicit advice on what to calculate and how to judge. We used a combination of individual interview and written test methods. According to the type of the problem-solving approach the r...
The Physical Education teacher and the physical education in schools: how to motivate the students?
Joaquim Martins Junior
The purpose of this study was to discuss the role of School Physical Education teachers as motivators of the teaching/learning process. It is assumed that Physical Education will only be a motivating discipline if the teacher dominates its motivating processes. This article focuses on the principal characteristics of the teacher as motivator, on his/her role of leading the students to practice sports with the support of Physical Education, and on his/her role of stimulating the students to pa...
A Framework for Understanding Physics Students' Computational Modeling Practices
Lunk, Brandon Robert
With the growing push to include computational modeling in the physics classroom, we are faced with the need to better understand students' computational modeling practices. While existing research on programming comprehension explores how novices and experts generate programming algorithms, little of this discusses how domain content knowledge, and physics knowledge in particular, can influence students' programming practices. In an effort to better understand this issue, I have developed a framework for modeling these practices based on a resource stance towards student knowledge. A resource framework models knowledge as the activation of vast networks of elements called "resources." Much like neurons in the brain, resources that become active can trigger cascading events of activation throughout the broader network. This model emphasizes the connectivity between knowledge elements and provides a description of students' knowledge base. Together with resources resources, the concepts of "epistemic games" and "frames" provide a means for addressing the interaction between content knowledge and practices. Although this framework has generally been limited to describing conceptual and mathematical understanding, it also provides a means for addressing students' programming practices. In this dissertation, I will demonstrate this facet of a resource framework as well as fill in an important missing piece: a set of epistemic games that can describe students' computational modeling strategies. The development of this theoretical framework emerged from the analysis of video data of students generating computational models during the laboratory component of a Matter & Interactions: Modern Mechanics course. Student participants across two semesters were recorded as they worked in groups to fix pre-written computational models that were initially missing key lines of code. Analysis of this video data showed that the students' programming practices were highly influenced by
A Physics Show Performed by Students for Kids: From Mechanics to Elementary Particle Physics
Dreiner, Herbi K.
Physics students spend the early part of their training attending physics and mathematics lectures, solving problem sets, and experimenting in laboratory courses. The program is typically intensive and fairly rigid. They have little opportunity to follow their own curiosity or apply their knowledge. There have been many attempts to address this deficiency, specifically through outreach activities.1-23 For example, since 1984 Clint Sprott (University of Wisconsin) hosts a physics show entitled "The Wonders of Physics!" Dressed up as a circus director and assisted by students, Professor Sprott presents entertaining and educating experiments to a regularly packed auditorium of all age groups.5 This was in turn inspired by the "Chemistry is Fun" presentations of Basam Shakhashiri (University of Wisconsin), where the students are also involved.6
Experience in teaching intensive course of thermal physics for undergraduate physics students
Aliev, Farkhad
This talk of non-technical nature describes experience of the author in teaching the intensive course of thermal physics for the undergraduate physics students at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain. After brief introduction to the program, description of the WEB support of the course, I shall describe practical classes ( home-works, visits to the Laboratories, experimental demonstrations, typical problems and typical topics for presentations on the advanced thermodynamics, etc. ). I shall further discuss different possible actions to wake up an interest of the students to the thermal physics and ways to simulate their active participation in the class discussions. I also describe different schemes employed in the last few years to evaluate effectively and clearly the students work and knowledge. Finally, I will analyze the efficiency of our methodic in improving teaching of thermal physics at University level.
Identifying Taiwanese University Students' Physics Learning Profiles and Their Role in Physics Learning Self-Efficacy
Lin, Tzung-Jin; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Chin-Chung
The main purposes of this study were to identify Taiwanese university students' physics learning profiles in terms of their critical conceptions of learning physics and to compare their physics learning self-efficacy with the different learning profiles. A total of 250 Taiwanese undergraduates who were majoring in physics participated in this study and were invited to complete two instruments, physics learning profile and physics learning self-efficacy (PLSE). The main results indicated that, first, the two instruments developed in this study had satisfactory validity and reliability. Second, three fundamental physics learning profiles, the reproductive, transitional, and constructive profiles, were characterized based on the cluster analysis. It is also evident that the three learning profiles demonstrated different levels of self-efficacy for the five PLSE dimensions. The students with a reproductive profile tended to possess the lowest PLSE across the five dimensions. The students with a transitional profile may possess higher confidence in higher-order cognitive skills and laboratory activities than those with a reproductive profile. However, only those with a constructive profile, highlighting a comprehensive understanding of physics knowledge/concepts as well as de-emphasizing physics learning as preparing for tests and calculating and practising tutorial problems, possessed stronger PLSE in applying what they learned to real-world contexts as well as in scientifically communicating with others.
Students' physical activity behaviour and sports services at SAMK
Honkanen, Jenni
The purpose of this thesis was to determine the level of physical activity among the students of Satakunta University of Applied Science. In addition, to find out what type of physical activity services is provided by the University at each campus and to define the students' activity and interest to use and participate into offered opportunities. This thesis was carried out as a survey research in autumn 2010. The questionnaire included both closed and open questions. In total of 909 answ...
AQA GCSE (9-1) physics student book
England, Nick
Apply and develop your students' knowledge and understanding of Physics with this textbook that builds mathematical skills, provides practical assessment guidance and supports all the required practicals.- Provides support for all the required practicals with activities that introduce practical work and other experimental investigations in Physics- Builds understanding and knowledge with a variety of questions to engage and challenge: Test Yourself questions, Show You Can challenges, Chapter review questions and synoptic practice questions- Supports Foundation and Higher ti
Engaging students in the study of physics: an investigation of physics teachers' belief systems about teaching and learning physics
Belo, Neeltje Annigje Hendrika
This doctoral thesis comprises two questionnaire studies and two small-scale interview studies on the content and structure of physics teachers' belief systems. The studies focused on teachers' beliefs about the goals and pedagogy of teaching and learning physics, and the nature of science. The samples consisted of physics teachers working at secondary schools in the Netherlands (students aged 12-18). The questionnaire studies showed that, on average, teachers' belief systems about teaching a...
Measuring Students' Physical Activity Levels: Validating SOFIT for Use with High-School Students
van der Mars, Hans; Rowe, Paul J.; Schuldheisz, Joel M.; Fox, Susan
This study was conducted to validate the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) for measuring physical activity levels of high-school students. Thirty-five students (21 girls and 14 boys from grades 9-12) completed a standardized protocol including lying, sitting, standing, walking, running, curl-ups, and push-ups. Heart rates and…
Physical activity in normal weight and obese university students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ferhan Soyuer
Full Text Available The specific objective of this study was to examine the physical activity patterns among normal weight and obese university students. This cross-sectional research study was carried out on the 176 university students. As a data-collecting device, the Physical activity assessment questionnaire (FADA was used. An additional questionnaire was administered to obtain Body Mass Index (BKİ and demographic data. 8.5% (15 of students were obese (Body Mass Index ≥ 25. The mean age, gender, where the student lived , family type, social guarantee and income were not statistically different between subjects who were normal weight and subjects who were obese (p>0.05. There was difference between normal weight and obese groups from the perspective of FADA stair, FADA sport, FADA travel and FADA total variables, in physical activity measurement (p<0.05. When the obese groups were categorized according to their total physical activity score which was obtained from FADA, 83.5 % (15 of them found as sedentary. A negatively significant correlation was found between BKİ and FADA stair, sport, travel, total scores (r= -0.223- 0.285, p<0.05. According to Binary logistic regression analysis, it was found that the FADA sport and total decreased, as the value of BKİ increased (p<0.02. Proper weight and higher physical activity levels should be promoted among university students. Additionally, schools should provide opportunities for young people to participate in a wider range of physical activities that address their individual needs while promoting the health benefits of engaging in regular exercise.
Physical activity in normal weight and obese university students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ferhan Soyuer
Full Text Available Objective: The specific objective of this study was to examine the physical activity paterns among normal weight and obes university students.Materials And Method: This cross-sectional research study was carried out on the 176 university students. As a data-collecting device, the Physical activity assessment questionnaire (FADA were used. An additional questionnaire was administered to obtain Body Mass İndex (BKİ and demographic data.Results: 8.5% (15 of students were obes (Body Mass Index ? 25. The mean age, gender, where the student lived , family type, social guarantee and income were not statistically different between subjects who were normal weigth and subjects who were obes (p>0.05. There was difference between normal weigth and obes groups from the perspective of FADA stair, FADA sport, FADA travel and FADA total variables, in physical activity measurement (p<0.05. When the obes group were catagorized according to their total physical activity score which was obtained from FADA, 83.5 % ( 15 of them found as sedentary. A negatively significant correlation was found between BKİ and FADA stair, spor, travel, total scores (r= -0.223- 0.285, p<0.05. According to Binary logistic regression analysis, itwas found that the FADA spor and total decreased, as the value of BKİ increased (p<0.02.Conclusions: Proper weigth and higher physical activity levels should be promoted among university students . Additionally, schools should provide opportunities for young people to participate in a wider range of physical activities that address their individual needs while promoting the health benefits of engaging in regular exercise.
Teachers' Understanding of Students' Attitudes and Values toward Physical Activity in Physical Education Dropout Rates and Adolescent Obesity
Landolfi, Emilio
Structured interviews were used to explore 10th grade teachers' understanding of students' attitudes and values toward physical education and physical activity as a variable in students' probability of dropping physical education and adolescent obesity. When asked how school-based physical education could help combat the problem of students…
Possibilities: A framework for modeling students' deductive reasoning in physics
Gaffney, Jonathan David Housley
Students often make errors when trying to solve qualitative or conceptual physics problems, and while many successful instructional interventions have been generated to prevent such errors, the process of deduction that students use when solving physics problems has not been thoroughly studied. In an effort to better understand that reasoning process, I have developed a new framework, which is based on the mental models framework in psychology championed by P. N. Johnson-Laird. My new framework models how students search possibility space when thinking about conceptual physics problems and suggests that errors arise from failing to flesh out all possibilities. It further suggests that instructional interventions should focus on making apparent those possibilities, as well as all physical consequences those possibilities would incur. The possibilities framework emerged from the analysis of data from a unique research project specifically invented for the purpose of understanding how students use deductive reasoning. In the selection task, participants were given a physics problem along with three written possible solutions with the goal of identifying which one of the three possible solutions was correct. Each participant was also asked to identify the errors in the incorrect solutions. For the study presented in this dissertation, participants not only performed the selection task individually on four problems, but they were also placed into groups of two or three and asked to discuss with each other the reasoning they used in making their choices and attempt to reach a consensus about which solution was correct. Finally, those groups were asked to work together to perform the selection task on three new problems. The possibilities framework appropriately models the reasoning that students use, and it makes useful predictions about potentially helpful instructional interventions. The study reported in this dissertation emphasizes the useful insight the
Theoretical Physics Implications of the Binary Black-Hole Merger GW150914
Yunes, Nicolas; Pretorius, Frans
The gravitational-wave observation GW150914 by Advanced LIGO provides the first opportunity to learn about physics in the extreme gravity of coalescing binary black holes. The LIGO/Virgo collaboration has verified that this observation is consistent with General Relativity, constraining the presence of parametric anomalies in the signal. This paper expands this analysis to a larger class of anomalies, highlighting the inferences that can be drawn on non-standard theoretical physics mechanisms that would affect the signal. We find that GW150914 constrains a plethora of mechanisms associated with the generation and propagation of gravitational waves, including the activation of scalar fields, gravitational leakage into large extra dimensions, the variability of Newton's constant, the speed of gravity, a modified dispersion relation, gravitational Lorentz violation and the strong equivalence principle. Unlike other observations that limit these mechanisms, GW150914 is a direct probe of dynamical strong-field gra...
Electron-positron pairs in physics and astrophysics: from heavy nuclei to black holes
Ruffini, Remo; Xue, She-Sheng
From the interaction of physics and astrophysics we are witnessing in these years a splendid synthesis of theoretical, experimental and observational results originating from three fundametal physical processes. They were originally proposed by Dirac, by Breit and Wheeler and by Sauter, Heisenberg, Euler and Schwinger. The vacuum polarization process in strong electromagnetic field, pioneered by Sauter, Heisenberg, Euler and Schwinger, introduced the concept of critical electric field. It has been searched without success for more than forty years by heavy-ion collisions in many of the leading particle accelerators worldwide. The novel situation today is that these same processes can be studied on a much more grandiose scale during the gravitational collapse leading to the formation of a black hole being observed in Gamma Ray Bursts. This report is dedicated to the scientific race in act. The theoretical and experimental work developed in Earth-based laboratories is confronted with the theoretical interpretat...
Superradiance energy extraction, black-hole bombs and implications for astrophysics and particle physics
Brito, Richard; Pani, Paolo
This volume gives a unified picture of the multifaceted subject of superradiance, with a focus on recent developments in the field, ranging from fundamental physics to astrophysics. Superradiance is a radiation enhancement process that involves dissipative systems. With a 60 year-old history, superradiance has played a prominent role in optics, quantum mechanics and especially in relativity and astrophysics. In Einstein's General Relativity, black-hole superradiance is permitted by dissipation at the event horizon, which allows energy extraction from the vacuum, even at the classical level. When confined, this amplified radiation can give rise to strong instabilities known as "blackhole bombs'', which have applications in searches for dark matter, in physics beyond the Standard Model and in analog models of gravity. This book discusses and draws together all these fascinating aspects of superradiance.
Identity development in upper-level physics students: transitions in and out of physics
Irving, Paul
In this era of unprecedented attention from the White House and Congress, the STEM community must rise to the challenge of recruiting and retaining students to achieve the mandate of producing one million additional college graduates with degrees in STEM. However, the number of students choosing to pursue and persist with physics as a degree has had a stagnated growth rate when compared to other STEM fields, and some institutions are experiencing dramatic shifts in the demographics of the students entering their programs. The development of a subject-specific identity is a strong influence on students' persistence in a discipline and is a productive lens from which to understand the stagnated growth rate of physics majors and how to support a shift in student demographics. In this presentation, ongoing research is presented that aims to understand identity development in STEM with a focus on the transition from physics student to physicist. Community development and exposure to authentic practice are established as crucial factors that contribute to the development of a professional identity. How these findings can be implemented into course design is discussed with an outline of the P3 learning environment. The P3 learning environment blends the regular focus of reform-based teaching practices on deep conceptual understanding with a focus on students obtaining understanding through engagement with authentic scientific practices. By establishing and studying learning environments similar to P3 we can further explore the development of subject-specific identity while also developing effective teaching practices.
Yoga for PE: Engaging High School Students Physically and Mentally
Otto, Victoria
The administration and community used to place little or no value on physical education and attendance, and attitudes toward our profession were stereotypical and disrespectful. Yet, at some level, there were people quietly longing for a change. This article describes how the author used her passion for yoga to win over her students and,…
Workshop on Energy Research for Physics Graduate Students and Postdocs
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cole, Ken
One-day workshop for a small group of graduate students and post-docs to hear talks and interact with experts in a variety of areas of energy research. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for young physicists to learn about cutting-edge research in which they might find a career utilizing their interest and background in physics.
Strategies for Promoting Literacy for Students Who Have Physical Disabilities
Heller, Kathryn Wolff; Coleman-Martin, Mari Beth
Teaching beginning reading to children with physical and speech impairments can be especially challenging. One reading strategy, known as the Nonverbal Reading Approach, is specifically designed to promote decoding and word reading for this population of students. The authors present three studies that show the successful use of this approach.
Physical Education and Implications for Students with Asperger's Syndrome
Simpson, Cynthia G.; Gaus, Mark D.; Biggs, Mary Jo Garcia; Williams, James, Jr.
In this article, James Williams, a young man with Asperger's syndrome (AS) shares his experiences taking physical education in a generalized education setting and discusses the implications for students with AS. He was diagnosed with AS when he was 9 years old. School was tough at times, especially when social interactions came into play. One of…
What Factors Predict Student Self-Rated Physical Health?
Vingilis, Evelyn; Wade, Terrance J.; Adlaf, Edward
Data from a randomly selected sample of 840 Ontario students were used to examine factors that affect self-rated physical health. Analyses focused on demographics, family structure, financial situation, child-parent relationship, school achievement, self-esteem, alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use as factors which directly and indirectly influence…
Expectations, Impressions, and Judgments of Physically Attractive Students: A Review.
Ritts, Vicki; And Others
A descriptive and metanalytic research review indicates that physically attractive students are usually judged more favorably than their unattractive counterparts by teachers on several dimensions including intelligence, academic potential, grades, and social skills. The influence of moderating variables and possible mechanisms responsible for the…
Educational Trajectories of Graduate Students in Physics Education Research
Van Dusen, Ben; Barthelemy, Ramón S.; Henderson, Charles
Physics education research (PER) is a rapidly growing area of PhD specialization. In this article we examine the trajectories that led respondents into a PER graduate program as well as their expected future trajectories. Data were collected in the form of an online survey sent to graduate students in PER. Our findings show a lack of visibility of…
The Educational Interaction between Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Students.
Cleary, Kimberly K.; Howell, Dana M.
A survey of occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) program directors (n=123) to identify the prevalence of shared learning found that two-thirds shared some coursework; most OT and PT students do not have opportunities to practice interdisciplinary teamwork; and some perceived benefits of shared learning also posed barriers. (Contains…
Student Perceptions of Instructional Choices in Middle School Physical Education
Agbuga, Bulent; Xiang, Ping; McBride, Ron E.; Su, Xiaoxia
Purpose: Framed within self-determination theory, this study examined relationships among perceived instructional choices (cognitive, organizational, and procedural), autonomy need satisfaction, and engagement (behavioral, cognitive, and emotional) among Turkish students in middle school physical education. Methods: Participants consisted of 246…
Unpacking Students' Use of Mathematics in Upper-division Physics
Caballero, Marcos D; Doughty, Leanne; Pollock, Steven J
At the upper-division level, many of students' primary learning opportunities come from working long, complex back-of-the-book style problems, and from trying to develop an understanding of the underlying physics through solving such problems. Some of the research at the upper-division focuses on how students use mathematics in these problems, and what challenges students encounter along the way. There are a number of different and diverse studies on students' use of mathematics in the upper-division. These typically utilize one of two broad approaches, with some researchers primarily seeking out and addressing challenges students face, and others working chiefly to unpack students' in-the-moment reasoning. In this paper, we discuss both approaches briefly, and then discuss research efforts that strive to connect these two approaches in order to make sense of students' use of mathematics as well as to uncover particular challenges that students encounter. These recent efforts represent a small step towards sy...
Science intervention programs for Southern Black students: A cluster evaluation and two proposed models
Johnson, Courtney Anne
This study investigated science intervention programs for Black students in South Carolina, Georgia, and Maryland. The sample consisted of five programs that aim to increase the participation of Blacks in science via after-school, Saturday, and summer experiences. These long-term programs offered a variety of experiences, including hands-on science activities, contact with mentors and role models, exposure to science-related careers, and opportunities to increase science content knowledge and improve science process skills. Artifact data, a Program Coordinator Questionnaire, site visits, and interviews were used to identify and describe five existing science intervention programs for Black students. The study proposed a set of standards for science intervention programs for Black students. These standards addressed eight components of programs, including objectives, format, location, target population, recruitment and selection, intervention activities, staff, and financial information. Using a modified approach to cluster evaluation, the five programs were compared to the standards. This evaluation revealed the strengths and underlying weaknesses of the cluster that informed the development of two models for future science intervention programs. Though implemented in numerous ways, the cluster's strengths included sound, measurable objectives; articulation of program objectives to staff, participants, and parents; frequent contact during sessions; the potential for continuous involvement of staff and participants; the inclusion of a range of student achievement levels; programs that served their target group; the representation of various communities, neighborhoods, and schools; effective recruitment strategies; financially inclusive programs; a variety of intervention activities; intensive training for staff, and substantial staff compensation. Three major shortcomings of the cluster were identified as inadequate focus on science-related careers and science
Exploring Student Difficulties with Multiplicity and Probability in Statistical Physics
Mountcastle, Donald; Thompson, John; Smith, Trevor
We continue our research program on the teaching and learning of concepts in upper-division thermal physics at the University of Maine. Typical statistical physics textbooks introduce entropy (S) and multiplicity (w) [S = k ln(w)] with binary events such as flipping coins N times. Inherent confusion with probability and statistics, macrostates and microstates, and their varying dependence on N leads to student conceptual difficulties that persist after textbook-centered activities. We developed and implemented a guided-inquiry tutorial on the binomial distribution with student use of computational software to produce calculations of multiplicities, outcome probabilities, and graphs of their distributions as functions of N. This allows convenient exploration of statistics over more than seven orders of magnitude in N. Comparing student answers to pre- and post-tutorial questions, we find some, but not all of the intended learning results are achieved.
What prepares students to succeed in college physics?
Hammer, David
There is an obvious answer to the question: The best way to prepare students to succeed in college physics is to expose them to the material in high school. After all, few people are able to understand the concepts the first time around. But, as we tell our students when we want them to question, for example, the idea that things don't move unless they are pushed, "obvious" ideas sometimes turn out to be flawed. In this talk, I will present evidence from case studies of student reasoning to challenge the validity of this assumption and to suggest that matters other than coverage may need attention in high school. I will focus on student "epistemologies," how students think about knowledge and learning in physics. High school courses designed to "expose" students to the topics they will see in college (or on the SAT-II or AP exam) may promote epistemologies that are counter-productive to learning. This presentation is supported by National Science Foundation Awards REC-0087519 and ESI-9986846.
College Physics Students' Conceptual Understanding of Area and Volume, and Relationships Between these Concepts and Students' Understanding of Physics Concepts.
Yu, Jiang
Concepts such as area and volume are foundational ideas for many concepts introduced in introductory science courses. At the college level, most instructors typically assume that incoming students have already developed an understanding of these underpinning ideas. However, doubt has surfaced in recent years about students' depth of understanding and mastery of these fundamental concepts. Because deficiencies in understanding basic concepts may relate to the learning of subsequent concepts, instructors have expressed concerns about students' understanding of fundamental ideas and if the failure to understand these ideas hinders students' subsequent progress. This study was designed to (a) investigate the nature of college physics students' understanding of the area and volume concepts and (b) to begin to inquire into the nature of the relationship between students' understanding of the area and volume concepts and their conceptualization of pressure and density. Four hundred and thirty-one first-semester introductory physics students at Western Michigan University participated in the study. All participants completed a paper-pencil inventory designed to evaluate a student's concepts of area and volume within a framework in which four categories of conceptual understanding were defined. Twenty-seven students participated in a follow-up clinical interview which was designed to elicit additional information about their prior understanding of area and volume. Eight of these students were interviewed a second time to determine their concepts of pressure and density and to provide insights into the link between these concepts and the students' understanding of area and volume. Results of the analyses of the paper-pencil inventory and the area and volume interviews indicated that a majority of students entering beginning college physics courses have not developed a good conceptual understanding of area and volume and that their thinking is confined to the rote use of
Between a Ball and a Harsh Place: A Study of Black Male Community College Student-Athletes and Academic Progress
Horton, David, Jr.
Objective: This study examined to what extent differences exist in pre-college characteristics and academic performance between Black male student-athletes and their student-athlete peers. Method: Data provided by the Florida Department of Education's PK-20 Education Data Warehouse (EDW) were analyzed as a function of group membership (gender and…
Social Cognitive Predictors of Academic Interests and Goals in Engineering: Utility for Women and Students at Historically Black Universities
Lent, Robert W.; Brown, Steven D.; Sheu, Hung-Bin; Schmidt, Janet; Brenner, Bradley R.; Gloster, Clay S.; Wilkins, Gregory; Schmidt, Linda C.; Lyons, Heather
This study examined the utility of social cognitive career theory (SCCT; R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) in predicting engineering interests and major choice goals among women and men and among students at historically Black and predominantly White universities. Participants (487 students in introductory engineering courses at 3…
A Physics Show Performed by Students for Kids: From Mechanics to Elementary Particle Physics
Dreiner, Herbert K.
We describe an initiative at the University of Bonn, where the students develop and perform a 2 hour physics show for school classes and the general public. The show is entertaining and educational and is aimed at children aged 10 and older. For the physics students this is a unique experience to apply their knowledge at an early stage and gives them the chance to develop skills in the public presentation of science, in front of 520 people per show. We have extended the activity to put on an ...
A Trial of Physics Education for Liberal Arts Students Using the Advancing Physics
Ochi, Nobuaki
A new approach to physics education for liberal arts students was performed in a Japanese university. The Advancing Physics, a modern textbook developed by the Institute of Physics, was employed as the base of this approach. The textbook includes a variety of modern topics about science and technology with beautiful pictures, while the use of math is kept to a minimum. From results of the questionnaire after one-semester lectures, it turned out that students' interest in science and technology rose substantially. On the other hand, there were some difficulties in lecturing, mathematical techniques in particular, which should be modified by the next trial. This result is an indication of a potential of the Advancing Physics for liberal arts education.
The Impact of the History of Physics on Student Attitude and Conceptual Understanding of Physics
Garcia, Sarah; Hankins, April; Sadaghiani, Homeyra
The purpose of this study is to investigate student learning of Newtonian Mechanics through the study of its history and the development of the relevant ideas since the time of ancient Greece. The hypothesis is that not only will students learn the basic concepts of mechanics, but also will develop a more positive attitude and appreciation for physics. To assess the students' conceptual understanding, we administer Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and for the measurement of student attitude change, we employed the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS); both were given as pre and post-tests. Additionally, at the end of the quarter, a survey was given out to see how students perceived the different course components and which ones they found helpful in their learning. This paper will present our preliminary results on such a study.
Physical activity and health promotion in Italian university students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Adele Anna Teleman
Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Physical activity, diet plans, the mantainment of a certain Body Mass Index (BMI and the use of various types of supplementation are common elements in the search for disease prevention, health promotion and well-being. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the data regarding Italian university students' BMI, dieting behaviour, personal body perception, exercise habits, and use of dietary supplements and of doping substances. RESULTS: 13.7% resulted being underweight, 75.1% was in the normal range, 9.8% was overweight, and 1.4% was obese. 11.0% were on a diet. 25.8% of the students reported never doing any type of physical activity. 0.9% admitted consuming doping substances. The percentage of overweight/obese students increases from 8.8% of the 18-21 year olds to 18.1% of the 25-30 year olds. Similarly, the prevalence of overweight/obesity was 18.5% among male population and 7.5% among the female one. DISCUSSION: The data deriving from this questionnaire showed that while the majority of university students has a BMI in the normal range, 11.2% of the study population is overweight/obese. Males present a higher risk of being overweight or obese. An important part of the population showed to be sedentary even though data coming from our study are aligned to further evidence. CONCLUSION: The most important concern arising from the questionnaire is represented by physical inactivity. Indeed, it is necessary to encourage and plan initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity in university students.
Representations of deaf students about inclusion in physical education classes
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tássia Pereira Alves
Full Text Available Inclusion is a social process in school aims to change attitudes and to build a position to cover everyone without distinction. Thus, the objective was to analyze the representations of deaf students on their inclusion in physical education classes. It is qualitative, descriptive and analytical, attended eight deaf students from 2 public schools in a city in the countryside of Bahia. For data production, it was used a semi -structured interview, through the aid of an interpreter of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras, at the same time, it was translated by the interpreter and transcribed by the researchers. Data analysis used the technique of categorical content analysis. The inclusion of deaf people in physical education classes still failed to materialize and in fact, even having found some teachers with pedagogical actions that proved to be inclusive, yet they still leave many gaps, regarding satisfactory learning of students because they simply just integrate deaf students in the classroom. It is necessary that the school and the teacher ensure that the curriculum is accessible to them, so that they can contribute to the construction of citizenship, motor development, cognitive and social-emotional student.
Following student gaze patterns in physical science lectures
Rosengrant, David; Hearrington, Doug; Alvarado, Kerriann; Keeble, Danielle
This study investigates the gaze patterns of undergraduate college students attending a lecture-based physical science class to better understand the relationships between gaze and focus patterns and student attention during class. The investigators used a new eye-tracking product; Tobii Glasses. The glasses eliminate the need for subjects to focus on a computer screen or carry around a backpack-sized recording device, thus giving an investigator the ability to study a broader range of research questions. This investigation includes what students focus on in the classroom (i.e. demonstrations, instructor, notes, board work, and presentations) during a normal lecture, what diverts attention away from being on task as well as what keeps a subject on task. We report on the findings from 8 subjects during physical science lectures designed for future elementary school teachers. We found that students tended not to focus on the instructor for most parts of the lecture but rather the information, particularly new information presented on PowerPoint slides. Finally, we found that location in the classroom also impacted students' attention spans due to more distractors.
High school student physics research experience yields positive results
Podolak, K. R.; Walters, M. J.
All high school students that wish to continue onto college are seeking opportunities to be competitive in the college market. They participate in extra-curricular activities which are seen to foster creativity and the skills necessary to do well in the college environment. In the case of students with an interest in physics, participating in a small scale research project while in high school gives them the hands on experience and ultimately prepares them more for the college experience. SUNY Plattsburgh's Physics department started a five-week summer program for high school students in 2012. This program has proved not only beneficial for students while in the program, but also as they continue on in their development as scientists/engineers. Independent research, such as that offered by SUNY Plattsburgh's five-week summer program, offers students a feel and taste of the culture of doing research, and life as a scientist. It is a short-term, risk free way to investigate whether a career in research or a particular scientific field is a good fit.
The Impact of Physics Laboratory on Students Offering Physics in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State
Godwin, Oluwasegun; Adrian, Ohwofosirai; Johnbull, Emagbetere
The impact of Physics laboratory on students was carried out among senior secondary school students offering Physics in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State using descriptive survey. Five public schools were random-even samplying technique was adopted for precision. Fifty questionnaires were distributed to students in each school,…
In the Physics Class: University Physics Students' Enactment of Class and Gender in the Context of Laboratory Work
Danielsson, Anna T.
This article explores how the doing of social class and gender can intersect with the learning of science, through case studies of two male, working-class university students' constitutions of identities as physics students. In doing so, I challenge the taken-for-granted notion that male physics students have an unproblematic relation to…
Physical student-robot interaction with the ETHZ haptic paddle
Gassert, Roger; Metzger, Jean-Claude; Leuenberger, Kaspar; Popp, Werner L; Tucker, Michael R; Viganu, Bogdan; Zimmermann, Raphael; Lambercy, Olivier
Abstract—Haptic paddles — low-cost one-degree-of-freedom force feedback devices — have been used with great success at several universities throughout the United States to teach the basic concepts of dynamic systems and physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) to students. The ETHZ haptic paddle was developed for a new pHRI course offered in the undergraduate Mechatronics Focus track of the Mechanical Engineering curriculum at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Twenty students engaged in this two-hou...
Mathematical Methods For Students of Physics and Related Fields
Hassani, Sadri
Intended to follow the usual introductory physics courses, this book has the unique feature of addressing the mathematical needs of sophomores and juniors in physics, engineering and other related fields. Many original, lucid, and relevant examples from the physical sciences, problems at the ends of chapters, and boxes to emphasize important concepts help guide the student through the material. Beginning with reviews of vector algebra and differential and integral calculus, the book continues with infinite series, vector analysis, complex algebra and analysis, ordinary and partial differential equations. Discussions of numerical analysis, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, and the Dirac delta function provide an introduction to modern topics in mathematical physics. This new edition has been made more user-friendly through organization into convenient, shorter chapters. Also, it includes an entirely new section on Probability and plenty of new material on tensors and integral transforms. Some praise for the previo...
Mathematical methods for students of physics and related fields
Hassani, Sadri
Intended to follow the usual introductory physics courses, this book has the unique feature of addressing the mathematical needs of sophomores and juniors in physics, engineering and other related fields Many original, lucid, and relevant examples from the physical sciences, problems at the ends of chapters, and boxes to emphasize important concepts help guide the student through the material Beginning with reviews of vector algebra and differential and integral calculus, the book continues with infinite series, vector analysis, complex algebra and analysis, ordinary and partial differential equations Discussions of numerical analysis, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, and the Dirac delta function provide an introduction to modern topics in mathematical physics This new edition has been made more user-friendly through organization into convenient, shorter chapters Also, it includes an entirely new section on Probability and plenty of new material on tensors and integral transforms Some praise for the previous edi...
Effects of physical and chemical characteristics of surface sediments in the formation of shallow lake algae-induced black bloom.
Shen, Qiushi; Liu, Cheng; Zhou, Qilin; Shang, Jingge; Zhang, Lei; Fan, ChengXin
Surface sediments are closely related to lake black blooms. The dissolved oxygen (DO) distribution and its penetration depth in surface sediments as well as the migration and transformation of redox sensitive elements such as Fe and S at the sediment-water interface are important factors that could influence the formation of the black bloom. In this study, dredged and undredged sediment cores with different surface properties were used to simulate black blooms in the laboratory. The Micro Profiling System was employed to explore features of the DO and sigmaH2S distribution at the sediment-water interface. Physical and chemical characteristics in sediments and pore waters were also analyzed. The results showed that sediment dredging effectively suppressed the black blooms. In the undredged treatment, DO penetration depth was only 50 microm. Fe(2+) concentrations, sigmaH2S concentrations, and sigmaH2S production rates were remarkably higher in surface sediments and pore waters compared to control and dredged treatments. Furthermore, depletion of DO and accumulation of Fe(2+) and sigmaH2S in surface sediments and pore waters provided favorable redox environments and necessary material sources for the blooms. The study results proved that physical and chemical characteristics in surface sediments are important factors in the formation of the black bloom, and could provide scientific guidance for emergency treatment and long-term pre-control of black blooms. PMID:24649664
Visser, M
Acoustic propagation in a moving fluid provides a conceptually clean and powerful analogy for understanding black hole physics. As a teaching tool, the analogy is useful for introducing students to both General Relativity and fluid mechanics. As a research tool, the analogy helps clarify what aspects of the physics are kinematics and what aspects are dynamics. In particular, Hawking radiation is a purely kinematical effect, whereas black hole entropy is intrinsically dynamical. Finally, I discuss the fact that with present technology acoustic Hawking radiation is almost experimentally testable.
The State of Black Education: The Politics of Educating African American Students at Colleges and Universities
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Earnest N. Bracey, Ph.D.
Full Text Available In terms of higher education for African American students, the "school-to-prison pipeline" or Prison Industrial Complex must be totally dismantled in order to focus entirely on academic performance at colleges and universities and HBCUs. Additionally, mentors should be identified to tutor and guide and help black youngsters overcome their fear of learning and going to school, so that our whole society can benefit and improve academically. Finally, in this respect, we-the-people can move our nation forward by graduating people of color at higher institutions of learning, while providing them with a more productive life, and social advancement.
Physical activity and associated factors among students attending evening classes
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Fabio Luis Ceschini
Full Text Available The aim of this study was to describe the physical activity level and associated factors among students attending evening classes in public and private schools in a region of the city of São Paulo. The sample was composed of 1,844 adolescents of both sexes aged 15-20 years. Three public and private schools in the city of São Paulo were visited. Daily physical activity level was assessed through International Physical Activity Questionnaire that classifies physical activity level. Physical activity level was divided into insufficiently active (when subject reported less than 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activities per week and physically active (when subject reported more than 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activities per week. Information related to risk behavior such as smoking and alcohol consumption was collected. Data were analyzed using logistic regression with three levels of data input and p<.05 as significance level. The prevalence of physically active adolescents was 36.1%. Most active subjects were: A younger boys with low socioeconomic levels; B adolescents from private schools; C adolescents that do not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages; D those who do not attend formal exercise program; E those who go to school to perform physical activities on weekends. Adolescents attending evening classes tended to be insufficiently active. We believe that school structure, working hours, and distance from home and workplace to school and risk factor should explain these data. Intervention programs could significantly contribute to increase the physical activity level among adolescents.
Physical Education Lesson Content and Teacher Style and Elementary Students' Motivation and Physical Activity Levels
Erwin, Heather E.; Stellino, Megan Babkes; Beets, Michael W.; Beighle, Aaron; Johnson, Christine E.
Obesity levels among American children are increasing at an alarming rate, due in part to a lack of regular physical activity (PA). Physical education (PE) is one way to facilitate student PA. The overarching PA goal for physical educators is 50% PA for students. Self-determination theory suggests that PA levels in PE and a variety of other…
Evaluating College Students' Conceptual Knowledge of Modern Physics: Test of Understanding on Concepts of Modern Physics (TUCO-MP)
Akarsu, Bayram
In present paper, we propose a new diagnostic test to measure students' conceptual knowledge of principles of modern physics topics. Over few decades since born of physics education research (PER), many diagnostic instruments that measure students' conceptual understanding of various topics in physics, the earliest tests developed in PER are Force…
A Comparison of the Fitness, Obesity, and Physical Activity Levels of High School Physical Education Students across Race and Gender
Davis, Kathryn L.; Wojcik, Janet R.; DeWaele, Christi S.
Introduction: Little is known about the physical fitness, obesity, and physical activity (PA) levels of high school students in physical education classes when comparing racial and gender groups. Purpose: To compare the fitness, obesity, and PA levels of female and male students of different racial groups in 6 high schools in the southeastern…
Interactive fundamental physics. [THE REAL STUFF: The New Expanded Media Physics Course for secondary school students
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Rubin, E.L.
THE REAL STUFF is an Expanded Media Physics Course aimed at students still in the formative early years of secondary school. Its consists of a working script for an interactive multimedia study unit in basic concepts of physics. The unit begins with a prologue on the Big Bang that sets the stage, and concludes with a lesson on Newton's first law of motion. The format is interactive, placing the individual student in control of a layered hypermedia'' structure that enables him or her to find a level of detail and difficulty that is comfortable and meaningful. The intent is to make physics relevant, intellectually accessible and fun. On-screen presenters and demonstrators will be females and males of various ages, ethnicities and backgrounds, and will include celebrities and physicists of note. A lean, layered design encourages repeated, cumulative study and makes the material useful for self-directed Teaming even by college students. THE REAL STUFF introduces a new science teaching paradigm, a way to teach science that will engage even students who have declined'' to be interested in science in the past. Increased participation in science by women, African-Americans and Spanish-speaking students is a particular goal.
Exploring hadron physics in black hole formations: A new promising target of neutrino astronomy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The detection of neutrinos from massive stellar collapses can teach us a great deal not only about source objects but also about microphysics working deep inside them. In this study we discuss quantitatively the possibility to extract information on the properties of dense and hot hadronic matter from neutrino signals coming out of black-hole-forming collapses of nonrotational massive stars. Based on our detailed numerical simulations we evaluate the event numbers for SuperKamiokande, with neutrino oscillations fully taken into account. We demonstrate that the event numbers from a Galactic event are large enough not only to detect but also to distinguish one hadronic equation of state from another by our statistical method, assuming the same progenitor model and nonrotation. This means that the massive stellar collapse can be a unique probe into hadron physics and will be a promising target of the nascent neutrino astronomy.
A tensorial description of particle perception in black-hole physics
Barbado, Luis C; Garay, Luis J; Jannes, Gil
In quantum field theory in curved backgrounds, one typically distinguishes between objective, tensorial, quantities such as the Renormalized Stress-Energy Tensor (RSET) and subjective, non-tensorial, quantities such as Bogoliubov coefficients which encode perception effects associated with the specific trajectory of a detector. In this work we propose a way to treat both objective and subjective notions on an equal tensorial footing. For that purpose, we define a new tensor which we will call the Perception Renormalized Stress-Energy Tensor (PeRSET). The PeRSET is defined as the subtraction of the RSET corresponding to two different vacuum states. Based on this tensor we can define perceived energy densities and fluxes. The PeRSET helps to have a more organized and systematic understanding of various results in the literature regarding quantum field theory in black hole spacetimes. We illustrate the physics encoded in this tensor by working out various examples of special relevance.
Deriving Accessible Science Books for the Blind Students of Physics
Kouroupetroglou, Georgios; Kacorri, Hernisa
We present a novel integrated methodology for the development and production of accessible physics and science books from the elementary up to tertiary educational levels. This language independent approach adopts the Design-for-All principles, the available international standards for alternative formats and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines. Moreover it supports both static (embossed and refreshable tactile) and dynamic (based on synthetic speech and other sounds) accessibility. It can produce Tactile Books (Embossed Braille and Tactile Graphics), Digital Talking Books (or Digital Audio Books), Large Print Books as well as Acoustic-Tactile Books for the blind and visually impaired students as well as but for the print-disabled. This methodology has been successfully applied in the case of blind students of the Physics, Mathematics and Informatics Departments in the University of Athens.
Identifying Differences in Diagnostic Skills between Physics Students: Students' Self-Diagnostic Performance Given Alternative Scaffolding
Cohen, Elisheva; Singh, Chandralekha; Yerushalmi, Edit
"Self-diagnosis tasks" aim at fostering diagnostic behavior by explicitly requiring students to present diagnosis as part of the activity of reviewing their problem solutions. We have been investigating the extent to which introductory physics students can diagnose their own mistakes when explicitly asked to do so with different levels of scaffolding support provided to them. In our study in an introductory physics class with more than 200 students, the recitation classes were split into three different experimental groups in which different levels of guidance were provided for performing the self-diagnosis activities. We present our findings that students' performance was far from perfect. However, differences in the scaffolding in the three experimental groups (i.e. providing a correct solution and a self-diagnosis rubric) noticeably affected the resulting diagnosis.
Students' approaches to mathematical tasks using software as a black-box, glass-box or open-box
Hosein, Anesa
Three mathematical software modes are investigated in this thesis: black-box software showing no mathematical steps; glass-box software showing the intermediate mathematical steps; and open-box software showing and allowing interaction at the intermediate mathematical steps. The glass-box and open-box software modes are often recommended over the black-box software to help understanding but there is limited research comparing all three. This research investigated students' performance and the...
Students' objectively measured physical activity levels and engagement as a function of between-class and between-student differences in motivation toward physical education
Aelterman, Nathalie; VANSTEENKISTE, Maarten; Van Keer, Hilde; Van den Berghe, Lynn; De Meyer, Jotie; Haerens, Leen
Despite evidence for the utility of self-determination theory in physical education, few studies used objective indicators of physical activity and mapped out between-class, relative to between-student, differences in physical activity. This study investigated whether moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and rated collective engagement in physical education were associated with autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and amotivation at the between-class and between-student leve...
Physical activity and health promotion in Italian university students
Adele Anna Teleman; Chiara de Waure; Valentina Soffiani; Andrea Poscia; Maria Luisa Di Pietro
INTRODUCTION: Physical activity, diet plans, the mantainment of a certain Body Mass Index (BMI) and the use of various types of supplementation are common elements in the search for disease prevention, health promotion and well-being. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the data regarding Italian university students' BMI, dieting behaviour, personal body perception, exercise habits, and use of dietary supplements and of doping substances. RESULTS: 13.7% resulted being underweight, 75.1% was in...
I. V. Manzheley
The paper discusses the physical education problems in the context of environmental degradation, uncertainty of socio-economic situation and ideological setting, informational boom, wide spread of the alcohol and drug abuse, etc. As a solution to the problem, the author recommends to propagate the sport lifestyle to university students by creating the proper sports environment; the factors determining the given life style being emphasized, the definition of the university sports environment, ...
Developing Tutorials for Advanced Physics Students: Processes and Lessons Learned
Baily, Charles; Pollock, Steven J
When education researchers describe newly developed curricular materials, they typically concentrate on the research base behind their design, and the efficacy of the final products, but do not highlight the initial stages of creating the actual materials. With the aim of providing useful information for faculty engaged in similar projects, we describe here our development of a set of in-class tutorials for advanced undergraduate electrodynamics students, and discuss factors that influenced their initial design and refinement. Among the obstacles to be overcome was the investigation of student difficulties within the short time frame of our project, and devising ways for students to engage in meaningful activities on advanced-level topics within a single 50-minute class period. We argue for a process that leverages faculty experience and classroom observations, and present several guidelines for tutorial development and implementation in upper-division physics classrooms.
Assessing Students' Attitudes In A College Physics Course In Mexico
de la Garza, Jorge; Alarcon, Hugo
Considering the benefits of modeling instruction in improving conceptual learning while students work more like scientists, an implementation was made in an introductory Physics course in a Mexican University. Recently Brewe, Kramer and O'Brien have observed positive attitudinal shifts using modeling instruction in a course with a reduced number of students. These results are opposite to previous observations with methodologies that promote active learning. Inspired in those results, the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) was applied as pre and post tests in two Mechanics courses with modeling. In comparison to the different categories of the CLASS, significant positive shifts have been determined in Overall, Sophistication in Problem Solving, and Applied Conceptual Understanding in a sample of 44 students.
Academic performance and student engagement in level 1 physics undergraduates
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
At the beginning of academic year 2007-08, staff in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow started to implement a number of substantial changes to the administration of the level 1 physics undergraduate class. The main aims were to improve the academic performance and progression statistics. With this in mind, a comprehensive system of learning support was introduced, the main remit being the provision of an improved personal contact and academic monitoring and support strategy for all students at level 1. The effects of low engagement with compulsory continuous assessment components had already been observed to have a significant effect on students sitting in the middle of the grade curve. Analysis of data from the 2007-08 class showed that even some nominally high-achieving students achieved lowered grades due to the effects of low engagement. Nonetheless, academic and other support measures put in place during 2007-08 played a part in raising the passrate for the level 1 physics class by approximately 8% as well as raising the progression rate by approximately 10%.
Physics students' approaches to learning and cognitive processes in solving physics problems
Bouchard, Josee
This study examined traditional instruction and problem-based learning (PBL) approaches to teaching and the extent to which they foster the development of desirable cognitive processes, including metacognition, critical thinking, physical intuition, and problem solving among undergraduate physics students. The study also examined students' approaches to learning and their perceived role as physics students. The research took place in the context of advanced courses of electromagnetism at a Canadian research university. The cognitive science, expertise, physics and science education, instructional psychology, and discourse processes literature provided the framework and background to conceptualize and structure this study. A within-stage mixed-model design was used and a number of instruments, including a survey, observation grids, and problem sets were developed specifically for this study. A special one-week long problem-based learning (PBL) intervention was also designed. Interviews with the instructors participating in the study provided complementary data. Findings include evidence that students in general engage in metacognitive processes in the organization of their personal study time. However, this potential, including the development of other cognitive processes, might not be stimulated as much as it could in the traditional lecture instructional context. The PBL approach was deemed as more empowering for the students. An unexpected finding came from the realisation that a simple exposure to a structured exercise of problem-solving (pre-test) was sufficient to produce superior planning and solving strategies on a second exposure (post-test) even for the students who had not been exposed to any special treatment. Maturation was ruled out as a potential threat to the validity of this finding. Another promising finding appears to be that the problem-based learning (PBL) intervention tends to foster the development of cognitive competencies, particularly
The Influence of Student Teaching on Physical Education Student Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy Beliefs
Gao, Zan; Xiang, Ping; Chen, Senlin; McBride, Ron
This study was designed to determine the impact of 12-week student teaching semesters on student teachers' self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs in teaching physical education classes. A pre-post design was used to examine changes in beliefs of 107 physical education student teachers. Self-efficacy (instructional strategies, class…
Sex differences in social cognitive factors and physical activity in Korean college students
Choi, Jin Yi; Chang, Ae Kyung; Choi, Eun-Ju
[Purpose] This study examined sex differences in physical activity and social cognitive theory factors in Korean college students. [Subjects and Methods] A cross-sectional survey of 688 college students (285 men and 403 women) in Korea was conducted using a self-reported questionnaire. [Results] There was a significant difference in the level of physical activity between male and female students. The significant predictors of physical activity for male students were physical activity goals, p...
Roadrunner physics: using cartoons to challenge student preconceptions
Huxford, Rachael; Ridge, Mathew; Overduin, James; Selway, Jim
The cartoon universe is governed by laws that differ radically from those in the real world, but also mirror some of our preconceptions of how the world ``should'' work. We all know that Wile E. Coyote will never be able to catch the Roadrunner with a fan attached to a sailboard, or an outboard motor submerged in a pail of water--but why, exactly? Can we attach some numbers to this knowledge? We have designed some classroom demonstrations accompanied by personal-response-type questions that use classic cartoon clips to challenge student thinking in introductory courses, prompting them to rediscover the truths of physics for themselves. We extend this idea to intermediate-level modern physics, showing that some phenomena in the cartoon universe can be reconciled with standard physics if the values of fundamental constants such as c , G and h differ radically from those in the real world. Such an approach can both heighten student interest and deepen understanding in various physics topics.
Exploring the Use of Little Cigars by Students at a Historically Black University
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David H. Jolly, DrPH
Full Text Available IntroductionConsiderable evidence exists that little cigars are popular among African American adolescents and young adults who smoke. However, few studies have been published on the use of this tobacco product by young blacks in the United States. This research investigated little-cigar use among students at a historically black university in the southeastern United States.MethodsAs a follow-up to a survey on tobacco use among freshmen that revealed unexpectedly high rates of little-cigar use, 3 focus groups were conducted with current or former smokers of little cigars. Topics included preferred brands of little cigars, preference for little cigars over cigarettes, social contexts for smoking little cigars, perceived health risks of smoking little cigars relative to smoking cigarettes, and thoughts about quitting.ResultsFocus group participants preferred little cigars to cigarettes for various reasons, among them taste, smell, a better "buzz," social purposes, status, and perceptions that smoking little cigars is less addictive and less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Opinions on health risks varied; some participants believed that health risks can be reduced by removing the inner liner of little cigars.ConclusionUse of little cigars should be addressed in tobacco research, use prevention, and use cessation efforts, targeting students at historically black colleges and perhaps other young African Americans. Results also suggest that clear distinctions should be made among cigarettes, little cigars, and cigars, and that tobacco use prevention and cessation programs should debunk myths that little cigars are a safe alternative to cigarettes. Study findings should be confirmed and elucidated through additional research.
The impact of the college environment on Black students' access to a medical school education
Butler, Barbara Marie
The focus of this study was to explore factors influencing the disparity in the acceptance rate for African American students into medical school as compared to their white counterparts. This study compared the college environment of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Principally White Institutions, with respect to African American students' perceptions regarding their college experiences and the extent to which they perceived that their experiences enhanced or diminished their success in gaining access to medical school. The community cultural wealth framework was used to explore whether the HBCU or the PWI is the better environment for undergraduate science majors. By use of the CCW framework the study explored which college environment nurtured students to be successful as a biology major, obtain a competitive MCAT score and ultimately secure acceptance into medical school. A qualitative research design served as the best approach to explore the object of inquiry in this study: the students' perception of their college environment, and their perceptions of their college experiences. The findings suggest that both the HBCU and the PWI reveal characteristics that enhanced and diminished the potential for success in the biology pre-med program. The results of this study specifically addressed barriers to access as factors which may be contributing to the disparities in the number of African American students admitted to medical school. These barriers are related to differences in the social dynamics of the university. In this study both groups of students perceived that there were the negative faculty attitudes, but these seemed to have little impact on access to medical school. Student motivation and identification with a supportive community seemed to have more impact on the potential for career success.
Academic Dishonesty among Physical Therapy Students: A Descriptive Study
Montuno, Eli; Davidson, Alex; Iwasaki, Karen; Jones, Susan; Martin, Jay; Brooks, Dina; Gibson, Barbara E.
ABSTRACT Purpose: To examine academically dishonest behaviours based on physical therapy (PT) students' current practices and educators' prior behaviours as PT students. Method: A Web-based questionnaire was sent to 174 students and 250 educators from the PT programme at the University of Toronto. The questionnaire gathered data on demographics as well as on the prevalence of, seriousness of, and contributing factors to academic dishonesty (AD). Results: In all, 52.4% of educators and 44.3% of students responded to the questionnaire over a 6-week data-collection period. Scenarios rated the most serious were the least frequently performed by educators and students. The impact of generation on attitudes and prevalence of AD was not significant. The factors most commonly reported as contributing to AD were school-related pressure, disagreement with evaluation methods, and the perception that "everyone else does it." Conclusion: This study parallels the findings of similar research conducted in other health care programmes: AD does occur within the PT curriculum. AD was more prevalent in situations associated with helping peers than in those associated with personal gain. The consistency in behaviours reported across generations suggests that some forms of cheating are accepted as the social norm and may be a function of the environment. PMID:23729959
An Interpretation of One Student's Cheating in a High School Physics Classroom: A Case Study.
Robinson, Scott
This case study is an interpretation of the honesty of a student in a high school physics classroom, and is part of a dissertation designed to investigate student roles and goals based on gender, ethics, and learning. In this paper on ethics, the actions of the physics student are examined as issues which link to the student's classroom roles and…
A comprehensive program to develop correlations for the physical properties of Kraft black liquor. Interim report No. 3
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Fricke, A.L.; Dong, D.J.; Schmidl, G.W.; Stoy, M.A.; Zaman, A.A.
The black liquor properties program has been conducted over this last period so as to systematically collect data on properties, liquor composition, and lignin characteristics very carefully by methods that have developed during this program. Complete data has been collected for Slash Pine black liquors made by experimental pulping at different pulping conditions. In addition, data has been collected for mill liquors and partial properties or composition data has been collected on Slash Pine black liquors. Data reduction methods have been developed or extended for correlation of viscosity, heat capacity, heat of dilution, and density. Correlation of properties to pulping conditions and of composition to. pulping conditions has begun. In most cases, data reduction methods have been developed that are fundamentally based and that have been shown to be generally applicable to all black liquors. In the near future, we fully expect to accomplish our goal of developing generalized correlations relating physical properties of Slash Pine kraft black liquors to liquor composition. This interim report reviews the methods used, describes examples of data reduction methods that have been developed, and presents some preliminary results for correlation of liquor composition and properties to pulping conditions for Slash Pine black liquors.
Surveying college introductory physics students' attitudes and approaches to problem solving
Mason, Andrew
Students' attitudes and approaches to problem solving in physics can greatly impact their actual problem solving practices and also influence their motivation to learn and ultimately the development of expertise. We developed and validated an attitudes and approaches to problem solving (AAPS) survey and administered it to students in the introductory physics courses in a typical large research university in the US. Here, we discuss the development and validation of the survey and analysis of the student responses to the survey questions in introductory physics courses. The introductory physics students' responses to the survey questions were also compared with those of physics faculty members and physics PhD students. We find that introductory students are in general less expert-like than the physics faculty members and PhD students. Moreover, on some AAPS survey questions, the responses of students and faculty have unexpected trends. Those trends were interpreted via in
Psychological and psycho-physical training as a part of physical education of students in higher educational establishments
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Pichurin V.V.
Full Text Available Purpose: to analyze the phenomenon of psychological and psycho-physical training as part of physical education of students. Material: literary sources about problem investigation. Results: are given and analyzed a number of factors that determine the need for higher education in the special psychological and psycho-physical preparation for professional work. The question of psychological and psycho-physical preparation of students for professional work in the structure of physical education has considered. The difference has shown in the proposed concept of "psychological and psycho-physical training" known in physical education concept of "professionally applied physical training" and "psycho-physical preparation". Psychological and psycho-physical readiness is considered in the work as a kind of substructure overall personality structure. A model of psychological and psycho-physical preparedness of the student has proposed in this work. Conclusions: psychological and psycho-physical preparation of students for professional work can be done in physical education. It should be considered as part of physical education students in relation to specialized psychological and psychophysical characteristics of future careers.
Myers, R C
This is a short summary of my lectures given at the Fourth Mexican School on Gravitation and Mathematical Physics. These lectures gave a brief introduction to black holes in string theory, in which I primarily focussed on describing some of the recent calculations of black hole entropy using the statistical mechanics of D-brane states. The following overview will also provide the interested students with an introduction to the relevant literature.
Academic performance & student engagement in level 1 physics undergraduates
Casey, M M; 10.1088/0143-0807/30/5/022
At the beginning of academic year 2007-08, staff in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Glasgow started to implement a number of substantial changes to the administration of the level 1 physics undergraduate class. The main aims were to improve the academic performance and progression statistics. With this in mind, a comprehensive system of learning support was introduced, the main remit being the provision of an improved personal contact and academic monitoring and support strategy for all students at level 1. The effects of low engagement with compulsory continuous assessment components had already been observed to have a significant effect for students sitting in the middle of the grade curve. Analysis of data from the 2007-08 class showed that even some nominally high-achieving students achieved lowered grades due to the effects of low engagement. Nonetheless, academic and other support measures put in place during 2007-08 played a part in raising the passrate for the level 1 ph...
An Introduction to Tensors for Students of Physics and Engineering
Kolecki, Joseph C.
Tensor analysis is the type of subject that can make even the best of students shudder. My own post-graduate instructor in the subject took away much of the fear by speaking of an implicit rhythm in the peculiar notation traditionally used, and helped us to see how this rhythm plays its way throughout the various formalisms. Prior to taking that class, I had spent many years "playing" on my own with tensors. I found the going to be tremendously difficult but was able, over time, to back out some physical and geometrical considerations that helped to make the subject a little more transparent. Today, it is sometimes hard not to think in terms of tensors and their associated concepts. This article, prompted and greatly enhanced by Marlos Jacob, whom I've met only by e-mail, is an attempt to record those early notions concerning tensors. It is intended to serve as a bridge from the point where most undergraduate students "leave off" in their studies of mathematics to the place where most texts on tensor analysis begin. A basic knowledge of vectors, matrices, and physics is assumed. A semi-intuitive approach to those notions underlying tensor analysis is given via scalars, vectors, dyads, triads, and higher vector products. The reader must be prepared to do some mathematics and to think. For those students who wish to go beyond this humble start, I can only recommend my professor's wisdom: find the rhythm in the mathematics and you will fare pretty well.
Dosing method of physical activity in aerobics classes for students
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Beliak Yu.I.
Full Text Available Purpose : reasons for the method of dosing of physical activity in aerobics classes for students. The basis of the method is the evaluation of the metabolic cost of funds used in them. Material : experiment involved the assessment of the pulse response of students to load complexes classical and step aerobics (n = 47, age 20-23 years. In complexes used various factors regulating the intensity: perform combinations of basic steps, involvement of movements with his hands, holding in hands dumbbells weighing 1kg increase in the rate of musical accompaniment, varying heights step platform. Results . on the basis of the relationship between heart rate and oxygen consumption was determined by the energy cost of each admission control load intensity. This indicator has been used to justify the intensity and duration of multiplicity aerobics. Figure correspond to the level of physical condition and motor activity deficits students. Conclusions : the estimated component of this method of dosing load makes it convenient for use in automated computer programs. Also it can be easily modified to dispense load other types of recreational fitness.
Nontriviality in Black Hole Thermodynamics: towards physically and mathematically rigorous foundation as phenomenology
Saida, Hiromi
Comparing black hole thermodynamics with the axiomatic formulation of thermodynamics for laboratory systems, it is found that some basic assumptions (required by experimental facts) in laboratory thermodynamics do not hold for black hole thermodynamics. Hence, at present, it is not obvious whether black hole thermodynamics retains some crucial theorems of laboratory thermodynamics (e.g. Carnot's theorem, increase of entropy by arbitrary adiabatic process, and uniqueness of entropy) whose proofs use the basic assumptions which do not hold for black holes. This paper aims to clarify such nontriviality in black hole thermodynamics, and propose a suitable set of basic assumptions in black hole thermodynamics, which are regarded as the rigorous foundation of black hole thermodynamics as phenomenology.
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Ozhan BAVLI
Full Text Available The aim of this study was to compare the reasons of sport participation, studying physical education and their expectations about future of physical education students according to different department. Research performed on totally 318 students (123 students from Physical Education and Sports Instruction Department/PESID, 130 students from Coaching Department/CD and 65 students from Sports Management Department/SMD from Cukurova University, Faculty of Physical Education in Turkey. Students answered the survey sheet which is designed by researcher. As a result; it is found that being an athlete, do sport as a leisure activity and meeting new people were statistically more important reasons to sport participation for CD and SMD students than for PESID students. In addition, become more successful in sport and studying sport at the university were statistically more effective reasons to studying physical education for CD and SMD students than for PESID students. Also CD students have statistically higher expectation from future than SMD and PESID students with become academic and studying abroad.
Student evaluations of their physics teachers: Evaluative bias and its relationship to classroom pedagogy and students' career aspirations
Potvin, Geoff
Using data collected from a nationally-representative sample of college students, the evaluation of high school physics teachers by their students is examined. Confirming earlier work, student evaluations (of both male and female students) exhibit bias with respect to the gender of their teacher. Pedagogical practices that impact student evaluations are explored, but these factors do not change the gender bias effect. We also consider how this evaluative bias is affected by students' career intentions. Grouping students according to their career intentions (e.g. physics majors, engineering majors, and health/medical science majors) shows that physics and engineering majors exhibit this bias to the same extent as the general population, but health/medical science majors exhibit a bias with nearly twice the size as average. The implications of this research for our understanding of physics culture regarding stereotypes and students' gendered expectations of teacher behavior is discussed.
Student reasoning about ratio and proportion in introductory physics
Boudreaux, Andrew
To many students, introductory physics must seem a fast-moving parade of abstract and somewhat mysterious quantities. Most such quantities are rooted in proportional reasoning. Using ratio, physicists construct the force experienced by a unit charge, and attach the name electric field, or characterize a motion with the velocity change that occurs in a unit time. While physicists reason about these ratios without conscious effort, students tend to resort to memorized algorithms, and at times struggle to match the appropriate algorithm to the situation encountered. Although the term ``proportional reasoning'' is prevalent, skill in reasoning with these ratio quantities is neither acquired nor applied as a single cognitive entity. Expert ability seems to be characterized by the intentional use of a variety of components, or elements of proportional reasoning, by a fluency in shifting from one component to another, and by a skill in selecting from among these components. Based on this perspective, it is natural to expect students to develop proportional reasoning ability in fits and starts as various facets are acquired and integrated into existing understandings. In an ongoing collaboration between Western Washington University, New Mexico State University, and Rutgers, we are attempting to map the rich cognitive terrain of proportional reasoning, and to use our findings to guide the design of instruction that develops fluency. This talk will present a provisional set of proportional reasoning components, along with research tasks that have been developed to measure student ability along these components. Student responses will be presented as evidence of specific modes of thinking. The talk will conclude with a brief outline of our approach to improving student understanding.
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I. V. Manzheley
Full Text Available The paper discusses the physical education problems in the context of environmental degradation, uncertainty of socio-economic situation and ideological setting, informational boom, wide spread of the alcohol and drug abuse, etc. As a solution to the problem, the author recommends to propagate the sport lifestyle to university students by creating the proper sports environment; the factors determining the given life style being emphasized, the definition of the university sports environment, its structure and functional system demonstrated. The author describes the theoretical and applied aspects of the environmental approach to physical education based on the constructive interaction and cooperation of teachers and students. The paper considers the sports activity – a semantic core of the approach in question – in terms of the specific sport facilities, behavior regulating rules, and students' free choice of sport, place and schedules. The conceptual basis of the given approach incorporates the ideas of developmental education and complies with the Federal State Educational Standards. In conclusion, the author demonstrates the changing dynamics of students' motivation for the mass sports activity resulted from implementation of the environmental approach to physical education at Tumen State University.
Using Technology to Increase Physical Activity in Health Profession Students
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Mary Ann Stark
Full Text Available Health profession students may need help establishing and maintaining positive health behaviors when they are in college. This study explored the effectiveness of text messaging as an innovative method for promoting an increase in daily physical activity. A convenience sample (N = 134 was recruited from students at a college of Health and Human Services in Michigan. The participants were randomized into an intervention or control group (n = 67 each. The intervention group received daily affective text messages encouraging more physical activity by taking more steps. The control group received only messages reminding them to report their number of steps. All of the participants received a pedometer, completed a demographics and daily habits questionnaire, and completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS. There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in their number of daily steps. However, the most inactive participants had a significant increase in steps during the study period. Health profession students' lifestyle behaviors have consequences, as they become caregivers in our dynamic, demanding health-care system. For those with the greatest need for physical activity, encouraging such activity via text messaging may improve their ability to care for themselves and their clients.
Physical process version of the first law of thermodynamics for black holes in Einstein-Maxwell axion-dilaton gravity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
We derive general formulae for the first-order variation of the ADM mass and angular momentum for the linear perturbations of a stationary background in Einstein-Maxwell axion-dilaton gravity which is the low-energy limit of the heterotic string theory. All these variations were expressed in terms of the perturbed matter energy-momentum tensor and the perturbed charge current density. Combining these expressions, we reached at the form of the physical process version of the first law of black-hole dynamics for the stationary black holes in the considered theory which is a strong support for the cosmic censorship hypothesis
National Physical Education Standards: A Summary of Student Performance and Its Correlates
Erwin, Heather E.; Castelli, Darla M.
This study was one of the first to examine elementary student performance on the first four national standards for physical education (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2004). Motor skill competency, strategic knowledge, physical activity, and physical fitness measures were collected from fourth- and fifth-grade students (N =…
Educational trajectories of graduate students in physics education research
Van Dusen, Ben; Henderson, Charles
Physics education research (PER) is a rapidly growing area of PhD specialization. In this article we examine the trajectories that led respondents into a PER graduate program as well as their expected future trajectories. Data were collected in the form of an online survey sent to graduate students in PER. Our findings show a lack of visibility of PER as a field of study, a dominance of work at the undergraduate level, and a mismatch of future desires and expectations. We suggest that greater exposure is needed so PER is known as a field of inquiry for graduates, that more emphasis should be placed on research beyond the undergraduate level, and that there needs to be stronger communication to graduate students about potential careers.
Physics for computer science students with emphasis on atomic and semiconductor physics
Garcia, Narciso
This text is the product of several years' effort to develop a course to fill a specific educational gap. It is our belief that computer science students should know how a computer works, particularly in light of rapidly changing tech nologies. The text was designed for computer science students who have a calculus background but have not necessarily taken prior physics courses. However, it is clearly not limited to these students. Anyone who has had first-year physics can start with Chapter 17. This includes all science and engineering students who would like a survey course of the ideas, theories, and experiments that made our modern electronics age possible. This textbook is meant to be used in a two-semester sequence. Chapters 1 through 16 can be covered during the first semester, and Chapters 17 through 28 in the second semester. At Queens College, where preliminary drafts have been used, the material is presented in three lecture periods (50 minutes each) and one recitation period per week, 15 weeks p...
Analysis of physical activity and self-confidence of students of humanitarian faculties from Kaunas (Lithuania
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Ivaskiene V.
Full Text Available We studied the self-confidence of students depending on their physical activity and attendance mandatory and not mandatory physical training. On the basis of the questionnaire Zaborskisa A. (1997 developed a questionnaire that allows you to set the level of physical activity of students. In identifying the confidence of students in themselves used the technique Stolina B. (1983. An anonymous questionnaire was attended by 249 first-year students. 144 students from universities, training program which provides for the mandatory physical education. 105 students from universities in which physical training are not required. Found that physically active and involved in sports and attending mandatory physical education students are more confident.
The relation between student motivation and student grades in physical education: A 3-year investigation.
Barkoukis, V; Taylor, I; Chanal, J; Ntoumanis, N
Enhancing students' academic engagement is the key element of the educational process; hence, research in this area has focused on understanding the mechanisms that can lead to increased academic engagement. The present study investigated the relation between motivation and grades in physical education (PE) employing a 3-year longitudinal design. Three hundred fifty-four Greek high school students participated in the study. Students completed measures of motivation to participate in PE on six occasions; namely, at the start and the end of the school year in the first, second, and third year of junior high school. Students' PE grades were also recorded at these time points. The results of the multilevel growth models indicated that students' PE grades increased over the 3 years and students had better PE grades at the end of each year than at the beginning of the subsequent year. In general, students and classes with higher levels of controlling motivation achieved lower PE grades, whereas higher levels of autonomous motivation were associated with higher PE grades. These findings provide new insight on the associations between class- and individual-level motivation with objectively assessed achievement in PE. PMID:24433528
Pedagogical supervision in physical education- the perspective of student interns
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alberto Albuquerque
Full Text Available Abstract: This study aims to locate the subjective thinking between students physical education trainees during teaching practice. Set in the format of the study and interpretation of a descriptive nature, can contribute to a better understanding and interpretation of the repertoire of experiential trainees Physical Education. The instrument used consisted of question relating to the quantitative and qualitative analysis and focused on five dimensions: Social and Emotional Aspects; Vocational Aspects; Learning and Professional Development; Supervision; Professional and Institutional Socialization. The sample consisted of 118 trainees, from two higher education institutions, one private and one public. The personal growth associated with the placement experience focuses on aspects related to professional competence. The professional skills of the stage are directly related to the organization and management of teaching and learning.
A student's guide to Python for physical modeling
Kinder, Jesse M
Python is a computer programming language that is rapidly gaining popularity throughout the sciences. A Student's Guide to Python for Physical Modeling aims to help you, the student, teach yourself enough of the Python programming language to get started with physical modeling. You will learn how to install an open-source Python programming environment and use it to accomplish many common scientific computing tasks: importing, exporting, and visualizing data; numerical analysis; and simulation. No prior programming experience is assumed. This tutorial focuses on fundamentals and introduces a wide range of useful techniques, including: Basic Python programming and scripting Numerical arrays Two- and three-dimensional graphics Monte Carlo simulations Numerical methods, including solving ordinary differential equations Image processing Animation Numerous code samples and exercises—with solutions—illustrate new ideas as they are introduced. A website that accompanies this guide provides additional resourc...
A Comprehensive Examination of the Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Students Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Hayes, Brenda D.; Holliday, Rhonda Conerly; Wade, Bruce H.; Trawick, Cynthia; Hodge, Michael; Caplan, Lee; Younge, Sinead; Quarshie, Alexander; Satcher, David
There is limited information about African American students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the areas of health behavior, health knowledge, and attitudes. To fill this gap, a comprehensive examination of first-year students was undertaken at a consortium of HBCUs. A non-random sample of 1,115 freshmen were administered a survey that assessed several domains including: (1) demographics, (2) general health, (3) smoking habits, (4) disease risk, (5) weight perc...
Physical culture as a powerful factor facilitating adaptation of foreign students at the university
Grutsyak N.B; Grutsyak V.І.
The problems of adaptation are considered foreign student in the institutes of higher. Directions of decision of problems of social and individual psychological adaptation of student are rotined. The methods of adaptive physical activity are used. The ways of realization of the adaptation health programs are set for a foreign student. It is suggested to enter preparations of student basic methods of adaptive physical culture in practice. It is recommended to enter an adaptive physical culture...
Ain't I a Leader: Exploring the Leadership Narratives of Black Female Undergraduate Student Leaders at a Predominantly White Institution
Warren, Lamara D.
Traditionally, research on student leadership development has been exclusive and focused primarily on the experiences of White, male undergraduate student leaders. Therefore, there is little knowledge about the leadership development of Black female undergraduate students. This exploratory study attempts to fills a gap in the student leadership…
Fusion Education Physical Models for Students and Teachers
Nagy, A.; Lee, R. L.
Interactive classroom visits by scientists and engineers in the ``Scientist in the Classroom" program and educator workshops led by Fusion Education team members continue to be the catalyst in the development of low cost, age appropriate, understandable physical demonstration models for use in classroom and workshop environments. Physical models developed for these interactive settings are based on topics in plasma science and technology, vacuum, thermodynamics, light, and electricity and magnetism. The physical models are actual hands-on devices students use to observe specific phenomena. One example uses a piston, a sealed volume, and a vacuum chamber to illustrate the ideal gas law. Another example uses liquid nitrogen to explore how temperature affects changes in states of matter, and, as a third example, magnets are used on simple plasma devices to illustrate the effects a magnetic field has on moving, charged particles. The details of these models will be presented. Three very successful ``build-it" days have been sponsored that enable teachers to build these physics models for use in their own classrooms.
Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement among Senior Black Students Enrolled in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs: Implications for Nursing Education
Nwabuebo, Elizabeth
This quantitative correlational study investigated the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (EI) and academic achievement as evident by Grade Point Average (GPA) among senior Black students enrolled in Baccalaureate Science nursing (BSN) programs within the United States. Participants were invited via the Internet to volunteer for the…
High-Achieving Black Students, Biculturalism, and Out-of-School STEM Learning Experiences: Exploring Some Unintended Consequences
McGee, Ebony O.
In this article, the author discusses the complex challenges of high-achieving Black students who are successful in becoming immersed in predominately White STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) spaces and how such immersion can exacerbate their experiences of racial stereotyping and other forms of racial bias. The author…
Connecting Self-Esteem and Achievement: Diversity in Academic Identification and Dis-Identification Patterns among Black College Students
Hope, Elan C.; Chavous, Tabbye M.; Jagers, Robert J.; Sellers, Robert M.
Using a person-oriented approach, we explored patterns of self-esteem and achievement among 324 Black college students across the freshman college year and identified four academic identification profiles. Multivariate analyses revealed profile differences in academic and psychological outcomes at beginning and end of freshman year (academic…
The Influence of Racism-Related Stress on the Academic Motivation of Black and Latino/a Students
Reynolds, Amy L.; Sneva, Jacob N.; Beehler, Gregory P.
This study examined the effects of racism-related stress on the academic and psychological factors affecting the success of 151 Black and Latino/a college students enrolled at several predominantly White universities in the northeastern United States. Institutional racism-related stress was negatively correlated with extrinsic motivation but…
Nontriviality in Black Hole Thermodynamics: towards physically and mathematically rigorous foundation as phenomenology
Saida, Hiromi
Comparing black hole thermodynamics with the axiomatic formulation of thermodynamics for laboratory systems, it is found that some basic assumptions (required by experimental facts) in laboratory thermodynamics do not hold for black hole thermodynamics. Hence, at present, it is not obvious whether black hole thermodynamics retains some crucial theorems of laboratory thermodynamics (e.g. Carnot's theorem, increase of entropy by arbitrary adiabatic process, and uniqueness of entropy) whose proo...
Does medical student willingness to practise peer physical examination translate into action?
Chen, JY; Lam, CLK; Patil, NG; Yip, ALM
Background: Peer physical examination (PPE) is commonly used in clinical skills teaching to allow students to practice physical examination techniques on each other. Previous studies have demonstrated medical students' generally positive attitudes towards PPE, but the correlation between student attitude and actual practice of PPE has yet to be examined. Aim: To determine if a positive student attitude towards PPE leads to subsequent action. Methods: The target population were MBBS I students...
The relationship between body mass index and self-concept among adolescent black female university students
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P Bodiba
Full Text Available The study investigated the relationship between body mass index and self-concept among adolescent black female university students. The study used a mixed research design (quantitative and qualitative methods. Media images of handsome faces and beautiful bodies are used to sell almost everything, from clothes and cosmetic to luncheon, meats, and so on. These images reinforce the western cultural stereotype that women should be thin and shapely to be attractive. Thus, as some girls go through puberty they may become dissatisfied with their weight, and to a lesser extent, with their shape, thus, developing low self-concept or imae of themselves. It is in this context that the study was conceptualised.
Athletic and sporting interests of students in the physical education classes
Kosyns'kyi E.O.; Khodinov V.M.; Khrypliuk O.P.; Krot A.S.
Athletic and sporting interests of students in the physical education classes. The aim is to study the structure of sports and sporting interests and motivation for physical activities first year students. An anonymous questionnaire was attended by 209 students (116 girls, 93 boys). The presence of additional independent study of organized physical activity, lack of missed classes. High self-esteem health of boys and girls due to the high level of interest in physical training. The main condi...
Physical inactivity among college students is associated with living in hostels: a study from Delhi, India
Rahul Sharma; Rahul Khera
Physical inactivity figures as an important modifiable factor for non-communicable diseases. A standardized questionnaire was used to assess physical activity among college students in East Delhi region of Delhi, India. Of a total 297 students, 58.2% had high physical activity, 27.9% had moderate while 13.8% had low activity level. Low physical activity was significantly more among the students aged
Exploring Ontario grade ten students' decisions to select or reject school physics
Richardson, Tasha Dianne
Declining science enrolment, with the greatest decline in physics, is well documented and has generated concern surrounding students' future abilities to function in an increasingly scientific and technologyfocused society. In an attempt to understand why students select or reject physics, a multiphase qualitative phenomenological study was designed, with the following questions: (a) Why do students select or reject physics courses? (b) What role does physics identity play in student course selection? (c) What other factors, extrinsic or intrinsic, affect their choices to pursue physics? Questionnaire, interview, focus group and student drawing data indicate that students select senior level physics when it is required for further studies in university, but they reject physics when it is not required based on their belief that physics is a difficult math-reliant subject, they do not identify with physics, and they are unsure about what physics is and what they would learn in a physics course. Recommendations include teaching physics in a context that aligns with students' interests, and teaching physics to promote a positive physics student identity.
Disruptive behavior among elementary students in physical education.
López Jiménez, José; Valero-Valenzuela, Alfonso; Anguera, M Teresa; Díaz Suárez, Arturo
The aim of this study was to determine which disruptive behaviors occur most often in physical education (PE) classes, and to identify the existence of a pattern of behavior that leads to this disruptive behavior. With this in mind, we analyzed five PE sessions taken by pupils at different elementary school in the region of Murcia. The total sample size was 96 students aged between 10 and 13. Data was recorded using an observation instrument (a combination of a field format and a categorical system) and was then analyzed using the "HOISAN" software tool, with a sequential analysis and polar coordinates being conducted. The results of the study revealed that disruptive behaviors (52 %) occur more frequently than non-relevant behaviors (48 %), the most common of them being disinterested behavior (29 %), followed by indiscipline (15 %), with no statistically significant differences being detected in violent behavior. As regards patterns of behavior, disinterested behavior is stimulated by "no eye contact", "middle distance", "inside the task", "no use of material", "giving orders" and "registering of activities", while indiscipline is stimulated by "no eye contact", "far distance", "outside the task", "use of material", "grouping in pairs" and "preparation of material". In conclusion, it can be stated that disruptiveness is far more common in physical education sessions, affects the development of sessions and has a negative impact on student learning. A solution to this problem should therefore be sought immediately in order to ensure quality education. PMID:27504252
Sports injuries in physical education teacher education students.
Goossens, L; Verrelst, R; Cardon, G; De Clercq, D
Sports injuries could be highly detrimental to the career of a physical education teacher education (PETE) student. To enable the development of future sports injury prevention programs, sports injuries in 128 first-year academic bachelor PETE students were registered prospectively during one academic year. Common risk factors for sports injuries, taken from the literature, were also evaluated by means of logistic regression analysis. We found an incidence rate of 1.91 and an injury risk of 0.85, which is higher than generally found in a sports-active population. Most injuries involved the lower extremities, were acute, newly occurring injuries, and took place in non-contact situations. More than half of all injuries lead to an inactivity period of 1 week or more and over 80% of all injuries required medical attention. A major part of these injuries happened during the intracurricular sports classes. Few differences were seen between women and men. A history of injury was a significant risk factor (P = 0.018) for the occurrence of injuries, and performance of cooling-down exercises was significantly related to a lower occurrence of ankle injuries (P = 0.031). These data can inform future programs for the prevention of sports injuries in PETE students. PMID:23379854
Implementing a Flip-Flop Teaching Model in Thermal Physics for Engineering Students
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Dr. Emil C. Alcantara
Full Text Available Implementing flip-flop teaching in a physics classroom allows students to learn concepts outside of the classroom and apply what they learn in the classroom, working with other students and getting immediate feedback from the instructor. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of flip-flop teaching in the performance of engineering students in introductory physics particularly in thermal physics. The study employed descriptive and quasi-experimental method to describe and compare the performance of engineering students in thermal physics when grouped according to sex and types of instruction. Three physics classes consisting of 125 sophomore engineering students at the Batangas State University during the second semester of the SY 2013-2014 were handled by the researcher and selected purposively as participants of the study. It was found out that the variation in the performances of male and female students in the conceptual questions, in the problem solving questions, and overall performance in thermal physics are not significantly different. Male and female students have an overall satisfactory performance in thermal physics. The study also revealed that the variation in the performances of the students in the conceptual questions, in the problem solving questions, and overall performance in thermal physics when grouped according to the types of instruction are not significantly different. Engineering students taught in a traditional physics classroom, in a flipped physics classroom, and in an enhanced-flipped physics classroom are more likely to have similar performances in thermal physics.
The relationship between body mass index and self-concept among adolescent black female university students.
Bodiba, P; Madu, S N; Ezeokana, J O; Nnedum, O A U
The study investigated the relationship between body mass index and self-concept among adolescent black female university students. The study used a mixed research design (quantitative and qualitative methods). Media images of handsome faces and beautiful bodies are used to sell almost everything, from clothes and cosmetic to luncheon, meats, and so on. These images reinforce the western cultural stereotype that women should be thin and shapely to be attractive. Thus, as some girls go through puberty they may become dissatisfied with their weight, and to a lesser extent, with their shape, thus, developing low self-concept or imae of themselves. It is in this context that the study was conceptualised. First year female students from three different Schools and Faculties at the University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, South Africa, participated in the study. Using the availability and convenient sampling method, 75 students were selected for this study. For the quantitative aspect of the study, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Measure was used to measure self-esteem. For the qualitative part, a topic guide was used for the focus group discussions. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the Pearson's Product Moment Correlation were used to analyse the quantitative data, while the phenomenological principle of open coding used for the thematic analysis. Results showed that there is a relationship between body mass and self-concept and that overweight participants tend to have a low self-esteem. Low self-esteem was perceived to be aggravated by a number of factors, like the attitude of the media and the society. Participants who are overweight also indicated that they are limited in certain activities of daily living (e.g., sports) as a result of their body mass. They expressed mixed feelings and frustration when it comes to such activities. The above results did not differ from those reported from western cultures. Support groups, life-skills programmes and psychotherapy should be
Attempt to explain black hole spin in X-ray binaries with new physics
Bambi, Cosimo
It is widely believed that the spin of black holes in X-ray binaries is mainly natal. A significant spin-up from accretion is not possible. If the secondary has a low mass, the black hole spin cannot change too much even if the black hole swallows the whole stellar companion. If the secondary has a high mass, its lifetime is too short to transfer the necessary amount of matter and spin the black hole up. However, while black holes formed from the collapse of a massive star with Solar metallicity are expected to have low birth spin, current spin measurements show that some black holes in X-ray binaries are rotating very rapidly. Here I show that, if these objects are not the Kerr black holes of general relativity, the accretion of a small amount of matter ($\\sim 2$~$M_\\odot$) can make them look like very fast-rotating Kerr black holes. Such a possibility is not in contradiction with any observation and it can explain current spin measurements in a very simple way.
Attempt to explain black hole spin in X-ray binaries by new physics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
It is widely believed that the spin of black holes in X-ray binaries is mainly natal. A significant spin-up from accretion is not possible. If the secondary has a low mass, the black hole spin cannot change too much even if the black hole swallows the whole stellar companion. If the secondary has a high mass, its lifetime is too short to transfer the necessary amount of matter and spin the black hole up. However, while black holes formed from the collapse of a massive star with solarmetallicity are expected to have low birth spin, current spin measurements show that some black holes in X-ray binaries are rotating very rapidly. Here we show that, if these objects are not the Kerr black holes of general relativity, the accretion of a small amount of matter (∝2 Msun) can make them look like very fast-rotating Kerr black holes. Such a possibility is not in contradiction with any observation and it can explain current spin measurements in a very simple way. (orig.)
Attempt to explain black hole spin in X-ray binaries by new physics
Bambi, Cosimo
It is widely believed that the spin of black holes in X-ray binaries is mainly natal. A significant spin-up from accretion is not possible. If the secondary has a low mass, the black hole spin cannot change too much even if the black hole swallows the whole stellar companion. If the secondary has a high mass, its lifetime is too short to transfer the necessary amount of matter and spin the black hole up. However, while black holes formed from the collapse of a massive star with solar metallicity are expected to have low birth spin, current spin measurements show that some black holes in X-ray binaries are rotating very rapidly. Here we show that, if these objects are not the Kerr black holes of general relativity, the accretion of a small amount of matter (2 ) can make them look like very fast-rotating Kerr black holes. Such a possibility is not in contradiction with any observation and it can explain current spin measurements in a very simple way.
Physical activity energy expenditure and sarcopenia in black South African urban women
Kruger, Herculina S.; Havemann-Nel, Lize; Ravyse, Chrisna; Moss, Sarah J.; Tieland, Michael
Background: Black women are believed to be genetically less predisposed to age-related sarcopenia. The objective of this study was to investigate lifestyle factors associated with sarcopenia in black South African (SA) urban women. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 247 women (mean age 57 y) we
Relationships among Physical Activity Levels, Psychomotor, Psychosocial, and Cognitive Development of Primary Education Students.
Isler, Ayse Kin; Asci, F. Hulya; Kosar, S. Nazan
Investigated the relationships of physical activity levels and psychomotor, psychosocial, and cognitive development among Turkish elementary school students. Student evaluations indicated that physical activity level was an important factor in determining student psychomotor development, but it was not important in determining psychosocial and…
Students' Physical and Psychological Reactions to Forensic Dissection: Are There Risk Factors?
Sergentanis, Theodoros N.; Papadodima, Stavroula A.; Evaggelakos, Christos I.; Mytilinaios, Dimitrios G.; Goutas, Nikolaos D.; Spiliopoulou, Chara A.
The reactions of students to forensic dissection encompass psychologico-emotional and physical components. This exploratory study aimed to determine risk factors for students' adverse physical and psychological reactions to forensic dissection. All sixth-year medical students (n = 304) attending the compulsory practical course in forensic medicine…
The Effect of Modeling and Visualization Resources on Student Understanding of Physical Hydrology
Marshall, Jilll A.; Castillo, Adam J.; Cardenas, M. Bayani
We investigated the effect of modeling and visualization resources on upper-division, undergraduate and graduate students' performance on an open-ended assessment of their understanding of physical hydrology. The students were enrolled in one of five sections of a physical hydrology course. In two of the sections, students completed homework…
Evaluating High School Students' Conceptions of the Relationship between Mathematics and Physics: Development of a Questionnaire
Kapucu, S.; Öçal, M. F.; Simsek, M.
The purposes of this study were (1) to develop a questionnaire measuring high school students' conceptions of the relationship between mathematics and physics, (2) and to determine the students' conceptions of the relationship between mathematics and physics. A total of 718 high school students (343 male, 375 female) participated in this study.…
Students' inclusion to the value of physical culture during the process of athletic training.
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Sychov S.O.
Full Text Available Means and methods of students' inclusion to the value of physical culture, during the process of athletic training on the classes of physical education are opened in this article. 52 students took part in research. It is developed the recommendation for the application of pedagogical conditions of use in the expressway strength and strength training, ability to determine dosing load for students with different level of physical background, methods of power properties development both for boys and for girls. It is shown that using of athletic training at the classes of physical education is contributing of students' inclusion to the value of physical culture.
A student's guide through the great physics texts
Kuehn, Kerry
This book provides a chronological introduction to the sciences of astronomy and cosmology based on the reading and analysis of significant selections from classic texts, such as Ptolemy's Almagest, Kepler's Epitome of Copernican Astronomy, Shapley's Galaxies, and Lemaître's The Primeval Atom. Each chapter begins with a short introduction followed by a reading selection. Carefully crafted study questions draw out key points in the text and focus the reader's attention on the author's methods, analysis, and conclusions. Numerical and observational exercises at the end of each chapter test the reader's ability to understand and apply key concepts from the text. The Heavens and the Earth is the first of four volumes in A Student's Guide Through the Great Physics Texts. This book grew out of a four-semester undergraduate physics curriculum designed to encourage a critical and circumspect approach to natural science, while at the same time preparing students for advanced coursework in physics. ...
In the physics class: university physics students' enactment of class and gender in the context of laboratory work
Danielsson, Anna T.
This article explores how the doing of social class and gender can intersect with the learning of science, through case studies of two male, working-class university students' constitutions of identities as physics students. In doing so, I challenge the taken-for-granted notion that male physics students have an unproblematic relation to their chosen discipline, and nuance the picture of how working-class students relate to higher education by the explicit focus on one disciplinary culture. Working from the perspective of situated learning theory, the interviews with the two male students were analysed for how they negotiated the practice of the physics student laboratory and their own classed and gendered participation in this practice. By drawing on the heterogeneity of the practice of physics the two students were able to use the practical and technological aspects of physics as a gateway into the discipline. However, this is not to say that their participation in physics was completely frictionless. The students were both engaged in a continuous negotiation of how skills they had learned to value in the background may or may not be compatible with the ones they perceived to be valued in the university physicist community.
Highlights from e-EPS: Physics league… for kick-ass students
Bénédicte Huchet
e-EPS News is an addition to the CERN Bulletin line-up, showcasing articles from e-EPS – the European Physical Society newsletter – as part of a collaboration between the two publications. The International Association of Physics Students (IAPS), the Dutch umbrella organisation for physics study associations (SPIN) and the physics students association in Utrecht (A–Eskwadraat) have launched a new contest challenging physics undergraduate students. The first edition of the Physics League Across Numerous Countries for Kick-ass Students (PLANCKS) will be organised in April 2014 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The competition focuses on theoretical physics problems to be solved by participating teams. Some sample exercises are already available on the PLANCKS website. The goal of the competition is to increase the international collaboration, social activities and personal development of individual contestants. By bringing together physics students from dif...
A Physics MOSAIC: Scientific Skills and Explorations for Students
May, S.; Clements, C.; Erickson, P. J.; Rogers, A.
A 21st century education needs to teach students how to manage information in an ever more digital age. High school students (like all of us) are inundated with information, and informed citizenship increasingly depends on the ability to be a critical consumer of data. In the scientific community, experimental data from remote, high quality systems are becoming increasingly available in real time. The same networks providing data also allow scientists to use the ubiquity of internet access to enlist citizen scientists to help with research. As a means of addressing and leveraging these trends, we describe a classroom unit developed as part of the NSF Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program at MIT Haystack Observatory in the summer of 2010. The unit uses accessible, real-time science data to teach high school physics students about the nature and process of scientific research, with the goal of teaching how to be an informed citizen, regardless of eventual vocation. The opportunity to study the atmosphere provides increased engagement in the classroom, and students have an authentic experience of asking and answering scientific questions when the answer cannot simply be found on the Web. MOSAIC (Mesospheric Ozone System for Atmospheric Investigations in the Classroom) is a relatively inexpensive tool for measuring mesospheric ozone by taking advantage of the sensitivity of commercially produced satellite TV dishes to the 11.072545 GHz rotational transition of ozone. Because the signal from ozone in the lower atmosphere is pressure-broadened, the system is able to isolate the signal from the 1% of Earth's ozone that comes from the mesosphere. Our teaching unit takes advantage of measurements collected since 2008 from six East Coast observing sites at high schools and colleges. Data are available online within a day of their collection, and an easy to use web interface allows students to track mesospheric ozone in frequency, time of day, or day of year. The
Gender Differences in the High School and Affective Experiences of Introductory College Physics Students
Hazari, Zahra; Sadler, Philip M.; Tai, Robert H.
The disparity in persistence between males and females studying physics has been a topic of concern to physics educators for decades. Overall, while female students perform as well as or better than male students, they continue to lag considerably in terms of persistence. The most significant drop in females studying physics occurs between high…
Factors Influencing Singapore Students' Choice of Physics as a Tertiary Field of Study: A Rasch Analysis
Oon, Pey-Tee; Subramaniam, R.
Asian students often perform well in international science and mathematics assessments. Their attitude toward technical subjects, such as physics, remains curious for many. The present study examines Singapore school students' views on various aspects of physics according to whether they intend to choose physics as an advanced field of study. A…
The Readiness of High School Students to Pursue First Year Physics
Ramnarain, U.; Molefe, P.
A high failure rate at first year physics is often attributed to the lack of readiness of high school students to pursue such studies. This research explores this issue and reports on the perceptions of five physics lecturers at a South African university on the preparedness of high school students for first year physics. Qualitative data was…
Health technology usage in the course of physical training sessions of pedagogical universities female students
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Елена Валериевна Фоменко
Full Text Available We consider the methodological approaches to the unconventional gym study (fitness aerobics, Pilates, shaping at physical training sessions with female students of the first and second courses of higher educational institutions. Sessions are analyzed from the perspective of interest increasing of female students to sport activity, development of physical abilities, enhance of physical fitness and health promotion in general.
Recent Trends in Participation in Physical Education among U.S. High School Students.
Lowry, Richard; Wechsler, Howell; Kann, Laura; Collins, Janet L.
Analyzed data on physical education (PE) enrollment, daily PE attendance, and being physically active in PE among high school students, using 1991-97 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data. Although PE enrollment did not change over time, the prevalence of students who attended PE daily and who were physically active more than 20 minutes per class…
Prevalence of body image dissatisfaction and associated factors among physical education students
Elisa Pinheiro Ferrari; Edio Luiz Petroski; Diego Augusto Santos Silva
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of and factors associated with body image dissatisfaction among physical education students enrolled in a public university. METHODS: This study evaluated 236 students and assessed body image perception (silhouette scale), sociodemographic variables (sex, age, parental education, marital status, university course, work, living arrangement, study shift, and income), physical activity level (International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Version), d...
Promoting Physical and Mental Health among College Students: A Needs Assessment
Bezyak, Jill; Clark, Alena
Purpose: To conduct an initial needs assessment of physical and mental health behavior among college students to improve understanding of physical and mental health needs among future helping professionals. Method: A sample of 24 undergraduate students was used to provide a description of mental health, physical activity, and healthy eating…
A qualitative study on student attitudes towards a controversial species, the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)
Fox-Parrish, Lynne
This case study determined the attitudes held by high school students toward a controversial, yet keystone, species of the Great Plains, the black-tailed prairie dog. Black-tailed prairie dogs have declined dramatically over the past century as a result of large scale poisoning programs, plague, shooting, and habitat loss. The eradication programs put forth were primarily the result of strongly held misconceptions regarding black-tailed prairie dogs. The misconceptions are ingrained in many agricultural and/or rural communities throughout the prairie dogs' range. The decline of this species has resulted in the decline of many other species and the near extinction of the black-footed ferret. Biodiversity continues to decline and the health of the prairie dog ecosystem (i.e. prairie habitats) is in jeopardy. Although studies have shown that landowners and the adult population that live within the range of black-tailed prairie dogs harbor negative attitudes, nothing is known about the attitudes of adolescents. With an eco-feminist theoretical perspective, a case study methodology was used. Thirty 9th grade students comprised the case. The students lived in a mid-sized urban northern Colorado city whose county ranks 5th in the nation and 1st state wide for the value of their agricultural products. Black-tailed prairie dogs could be found throughout the city and adjacent areas. Students were engaged in a year-long "lesson" on black-tailed prairie dogs and conducted a field research experiment on an active prairie dog town. Interviews were conducted in May 2004. Follow-up interviews were conducted in May 2005. Other data collected were: observations, photographs, journals, and classroom documents. Themes generated were devised by a constant comparative method of data analysis. Three major themes emerged: apathy, egocentrism, and naive conceptions. Two smaller themes also emerged: caring and hopelessness. Adolescents are our future policy and decision makers; therefore
Increasing Student Physical Fitness through Increased Choice of Fitness Activities and Student Designed Fitness Activities for Ninth through Twelfth Graders in Physical Education Class
Jacob, Margo A.
This action research project report began when the teacher researcher determined that students exhibited physical fitness levels below that of the state and national norms, and also displayed negative attitudes about physical education. The purpose of this action research project was to increase physical fitness and fitness attitudes through…
Who is the competent physics student? A study of students' positions and social interaction in small-group discussions
Due, Karin
This article describes a study which explored the social interaction and the reproduction and challenge of gendered discourses in small group discussions in physics. Data for the study consisted of video recordings of eight upper secondary school groups solving physics problems and 15 audiotaped individual interviews with participating students. The analysis was based on gender theory viewing gender both as a process and a discourse. Specifically discursive psychology analysis was used to examine how students position themselves and their peers within discourses of physics and gender. The results of the study reveal how images of physics and of "skilled physics student" were constructed in the context of the interviews. These discourses were reconstructed in the students' discussions and their social interactions within groups. Traditional gendered positions were reconstructed, for example with boys positioned as more competent in physics than girls. These positions were however also resisted and challenged.
The Object Coordination Class Applied to Wave Pulses: Analyzing Student Reasoning in Wave Physics.
Wittmann, Michael C.
Analyzes student responses to interview and written questions on wave physics using diSessa and Sherin's coordination class model which suggests that student use of specific reasoning resources is guided by possibly unconscious cues. (Author/MM)
Correlates of college students' physical activity: cross-cultural differences.
Seo, Dong-Chul; Torabi, Mohammad R; Jiang, Nan; Fernandez-Rojas, Xinia; Park, Bock-Hee
This study examined cross-cultural differences in personal and behavioral determinants of vigorous-intensity and moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) among college students living in distinctly different cultures, that is, the United States, Costa Rica, India, and South Korea. Participants of this study were recruited from randomly chosen public universities in the 4 countries during the 2006-2007 academic year. A total of 4685 students participated in the study (response rate 90%). Vigorous-intensity PA was measured by asking on how many of the past 7 days the participants participated in PA for at least 20 minutes that made them sweat or breathe hard. For moderate-intensity PA, participants were asked on how many of the past 7 days they participated in PA for at least 30 minutes that did not make them sweat or breathe hard. Findings indicate that whereas perceived overweight and fruit and vegetable consumption are relatively culture-free predictors of PA, gender and TV/video watching are culture-specific predictors. Binge drinking was not predictive of meeting the vigorous-intensity and moderate-intensity PA guidelines in any of the 4 countries. PMID:19661101
The relationship between selected social factors and the clothing buying behavior patterns of black college students
Legette, Dana Denise
Blacks have been noted as being one of the largest consumer groups in the United States. In general, Black consumers have been portrayed in the literature as a single, undifferentiated "Black Market" which consists of economically deprived consumers who have a uniform set of consumer needs; however, little is known about influences and behavior of segments of the Black market in reference to the external factors which influence their clothing buying behavior patterns. The purpose ...
Changes in weight indexes and aerobic fitness of physical education students over three years of college
Meckel, Yoav; Galily, Yair; Nemet, Dan; Eliakim, Alon
Data from the national surveys indicate that physical activity and dietary patterns of many college students do not meet the recommendations of health and fitness experts, and that 29.9% of college students are overweight or obese. Thus, the aim of the present study is to track changes in body composition and aerobic fitness of physical education students during their college years. The students (n=174, 89 females, 85 males) were evaluated for body weight, percent body fat, lean body mass and...
Meriç; Bradley Lewis
Purpose of this study is to evaluate perceived stress level of physical education and sports academy students based on their gender, age and license (whether they are licensed athletes). A total of 306 students from Gazi Üniversitesi Physical Education and Sports Academy participated in this study. A survey with two sections was used to collect data related to students. First section of the survey included three questions that aimed to detect demographic features of the students. Second secti...
The usage of music on physical training lessons among conservatoire students.
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Кravchenko Oleg
Full Text Available The article reveals the peculiarities of musical background during the physical training lessons. The students of Dnipropetrovsk Glinka Conservatoire took part in the experiment. The music was used in two forms - receptive and active. The methods of vocal-therapy and music-therapy were used. It was ascertained that the usage of music during the lessons of physical training among conservatoire students activates creative abilities, increases emotional mood and capacity for work and essentially improves the students` physical health.
Implementing a Flip-Flop Teaching Model in Thermal Physics for Engineering Students
Dr. Emil C. Alcantara
Implementing flip-flop teaching in a physics classroom allows students to learn concepts outside of the classroom and apply what they learn in the classroom, working with other students and getting immediate feedback from the instructor. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of flip-flop teaching in the performance of engineering students in introductory physics particularly in thermal physics. The study employed descriptive and quasi-experimental method to describ...
Investigating Student Attitudes and Performance in a Revised Introductory Physics Sequence II
Crowder, Juliette; Martinez, Aramis; Lopez, Ramon
Research shows that the traditional lecture-and-lab format is not the most effective way to introduce students to calculus-based physics. Accordingly, the curriculum for UTEP's introductory calculus based physics courses was revised for the 2000-01 academic year to include techniques that have proven to improve students' understanding of physics. This paper will focus on student attitudes and retention rates.
Students' inclusion to the value of physical culture during the process of athletic training.
Sychov S.O.
Means and methods of students' inclusion to the value of physical culture, during the process of athletic training on the classes of physical education are opened in this article. 52 students took part in research. It is developed the recommendation for the application of pedagogical conditions of use in the expressway strength and strength training, ability to determine dosing load for students with different level of physical background, methods of power properties development both for boys...
Motivational-value attitude technical students to self-employment physical culture.
Korzh N.L.
The directions of motivational-value ratio of students to physical education, healthy lifestyles, physical self, the need for regular physical education and sport. In the survey attended by 310 students. The factors that reduce or increase the motivational value attitude to self-employment. Showing the direction of formation of students' vitality while learning and future careers. Identified two levels of values: social and personal. Recommended a smooth transition from compulsory forms of ph...
Modern technology of physical education of disabled students in conditions of inclusive education
Adyrkhaev S.G.
There is a problem of physical education of disabled students during period of their study in higher educational establishments. Insufficiency of this problem's studying conditioned fulfillment of research of perfection of physical education and sports system. Purpose: substantiation of physical education pedagogic technology for disabled students. Material: in experiment students with following nosologies participated: hearing, eyesight, muscular-skeletal apparatus, after effects of cerebral...
A relationship between physical activity and healthy quality of life in students
AZIMKHANI, Amin; TALEBPOUR, Mahdi; AGHAEI, Masoud; ABBASIAN, Sadegh; ASHKANI, Ali
The purpose of this research is to relationship between physical activity and healthy quality of life in students. Statistical population of this research involves all physically active male students in Iran from which 1352 students participated in the study as sample by using cluster sampling and sample random method. Collection data tools of this research were questionnaire according to its nature: Sharkey Physical Activity Questionnaire and Life Quality Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF, 2204) w...
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Full Text Available The study aimed at examining the correlation between physical activity levels and depression status among the university students. The study was a correlational research and was conducted with cross-sectional method. The sample of the study was composed of 906 students who studied at the Afyon Kocatepe University. The data of the study were collected using a questionnaire form consisted of items about personal information and physical activities and depression status. The data were evaluated with SPSS statistical software. First; descriptive statistical data were gathered. The correlational status among the variables was analyzed with Pearson Correlation Coefficients. The differences of depression status in terms of physical activity levels of the students were analyzed with ANOVA test. As a result of the study; it was found out that there was a statistically significant difference between physical activity levels and depression status of the students in terms of gender variable. It was identified that there was a significant difference in depression status of the students in terms of their physical activity levels (p<0.01. It was seen that there was a negative correlation between physical activity levels and depression status of the students (p<0.001. In conclusion; it was found out that physical activity MET scores of the female students were lower than male students while their depression levels were higher than male students and depression levels of the students decreased as their physical activity levels increased.
Sedentary behavior, physical activity, and likelihood of breast cancer among black and white women: a report from the Southern Community Cohort Study
Cohen, Sarah S.; Matthews, Charles E.; Bradshaw, Patrick T.; Lipworth, Loren; Buchowski, Maciej S.; Signorello, Lisa B.; Blot, William J.
Increased physical activity has been shown to be protective for breast cancer although few studies have examined this association in black women. In addition, limited evidence to date indicates that sedentary behavior may be an independent risk factor for breast cancer. We examined sedentary behavior and physical activity in relation to subsequent incident breast cancer in a nested case-control study within 546 cases (374 among black women) and 2,184 matched controls enrolled in the Southern ...
A Summer Math and Physics Program for High School Students: Student Performance and Lessons Learned in the Second Year
Timme, Nicholas; Baird, Michael; Bennett, Jake; Fry, Jason; Garrison, Lance; Maltese, Adam
For the past two years, the Foundations in Physics and Mathematics (FPM) summer program has been held at Indiana University in order to fulfill two goals: provide additional physics and mathematics instruction at the high school level, and provide physics graduate students with experience and autonomy in designing curricula and teaching courses.…
Student Loans. Default Rates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities, House of Representatives.
General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.
This study examined student loan default rates at 98 of the 104 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. About 3 percent of all federal students loans made in fiscal year (FY) 1995 were made to students at HBCUs, a percentage that has remained steady from FY 1991 through FY 1995. For FY 1993, the average loan…
Scherbakova, Anna
Describes the problem of students on the basis of use of innovative means of physical education. The theoretical and methodological aspects of the implementation of water aerobics within the educational process of the physical culture at the University.
Perspectives in Quantum Physics: Epistemological, Ontological and Pedagogical. An investigation into student and expert perspectives on the physical interpretation of quantum mechanics, with implications for modern physics instruction
Baily, Charles
A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our studies suggest this notoriously difficult task may be frustrated by the intuitively realist perspectives of introductory students, and a lack of ontological flexibility in their conceptions of light and matter. We have developed a framework for understanding and characterizing student perspectives on the physical interpretation of quantum mechanics, and demonstrate the differential impact on student thinking of the myriad ways instructors approach interpretive themes in their introductory courses. Like expert physicists, students interpret quantum phenomena differently, and these interpretations are significantly influenced by their overall stances on questions central to the so-called measurement problem: Is the wave function physically real, or simply a mathematical tool? Is the collapse of the wav...
Self-determination theory and understanding of student motivation in physical education instruction
Đorđić Višnja; Tubić Tatjana
Physical education is considered to be a favorable context for accomplishment of important educational outcomes and promotion of physical activity in children and youth. The real scope of physical education instruction largely depends on student motivation. Self-determination theory, as a specific macrotheory of motivation, offers a rewarding framework for understanding student motivation in physical education instruction. The paper presents the basic tenets of self-determination theory, the ...
Self–reported constraints to physical activity participation among university students
M. Dhurup; Garnett, A.
Engagement in physical activity is recognised as an important factor contributing to positive health benefits. Despite the benefits associated with regular physical activity and its ability to improve health, there is little evidence to suggest that the prevalence of physical inactivity among university students is increasing. The objective of this study was to investigate students' participation in and constraints to participation in physical activity. The secondary objective of the study wa...
The role of self-dependence in modern health improvemental technologies of physical students' education.
Shumakov O.V.; Oksiom P.M.
A normative base is considered on the problems of physical education, physical culture and independent work of students. An analysis is conducted scientifically-methodical and special literature on issue of research. Basic features and modern going are selected near independent work in health technologies of physical education of students. A concept «Independent work» is examined as activity of man and as a teaching method. A teaching method plugs in itself independent employments by physical...
Self-Related Health, Physical Activity and Complaints in Swedish High School Students
Marie Alricsson; Bodil J. Landstad; Ulla Romild; Suzanne Werner
The aim of this investigation was to study self-related health, physical activity and level of exertion, as well as body complaints in Swedish high school students. A total of 993 high school students aged 16–19 years participated in the study. A questionnaire was completed at school and included questions about self-related health, physical activity behavior, type of physical activity/sport, intensity, duration, possible injuries or complaints, and absence from physical training at school, d...
Effects of Requiring Physical Fitness in a Lecture-Based College Course: Students' Attitudes toward Physical Activity
Esslinger, Keri A.; Grimes, Amanda R.; Pyle, Elizabeth
In this study, we investigated students' attitudes toward physical activity (PA) when including a required PA component in a university-required personal wellness class. The study included (a) an experimental group of students enrolled in a personal wellness course in which there was a required PA requirement and (b) a control group of students…
High school students' scientific epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy in learning physics and attitudes toward physics: a structural equation model
Kapucu, Serkan; Bahçivan, Eralp
Background: There are some theoretical evidences that explain the relationships between core beliefs (i.e., epistemological beliefs) and peripheral beliefs (self-efficacy in learning) in the literature. The close relationships of such type of beliefs with attitudes are also discussed by some researchers. Constructing a model that investigates these relationships by considering theoretical and empirical evidences can empower researchers to discuss these relationships more comprehensively. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships among Turkish high school students' scientific epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy in learning physics and their attitudes toward physics. Sample: A total of 632 high school students participated in this study; however, 269 female and 229 male (a total of 498) high school students' data were used. Design and methods: Three distinct instruments that measure scientific epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy in learning physics and attitudes toward physics were combined into a unique questionnaire form and it was distributed to high school students. To explore the relationships among these variables, structural equation modeling was used. Results: The results showed that scientific epistemological belief dimensions uncovered by the nature of knowing (source and justification) significantly and positively related to both self-efficacy in learning physics and attitudes toward other important physics dimensions. Additionally, self-efficacy in learning physics significantly and positively predicted attitudes toward multiple physics dimensions (importance, comprehension and requirement). However, epistemological belief dimensions related to the nature of knowledge (certainty and development) did not have significant impact on self-efficacy in learning physics or attitudes toward physics. Conclusions: This study concludes that there are positive and significant relationships among Turkish high school students' scientific
Physical Attractiveness and Ethnicity: Implications for Stereotyping and Social Development.
Stephan, Cookie White; Langlois, Judith H.
In response to color slides of second grade children, 131 university students rated the children's physical attractiveness. Data suggest that the societal stereotype of black Americans was present in the evaluation of black children by black adults. Some indication of ethnocentrism among Anglo and Mexican-American adults was found. (Author/RH)
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Bogdan Negreanu-Pîrjol
Full Text Available Algae are a group of organisms, Thallophytes, containing specific bioactive compounds (i.e. brominated phenols, heterocyclic oxygen compounds, sterols, terpenes, polysaccharides. Their excessive growth has negative consequences on marine organisms; on the other hand, they have a crucial role in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture. In this paper were studied the main physical-chemical characteristics correlated with the biological specificity of three species of multicellular algae, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Ulva rigida (green, Ceramium rubrum (red, frequently encountered along the Romanian Black Sea coast. Generally mixtures of thallophytes algae from the Black Sea were collected, processed and characterized. Density, pH, conductivity, anions, loss on drying, ash, total nitrogen, protein, lipids, carbohydrates, carotenoids were determined. The results emphasized the possibility of using these marine resources as biofertilizer in agriculture.
Optimization of physical education and sports of students with disabilities throughout the entire period of study at the university
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Adyrkhaev S.G.
Full Text Available Considered personal and proactive approach to physical education students with different nosologies and ensure close connection processes of personal training and physical development. In the experiment involved 644 students, with 2 and 3 of disability. The level of physical performance determined using the indexes. Identified organizational and methodological priorities of physical education and sports of students. Using the model of physical education allows full integration into the student environment. Students feel more comfortable. Students changing attitude toward themselves, manifested in the appropriate perception, finding camouflage disabilities struggle with her self-presentation. The effectiveness of didactic technology of physical education of students with disabilities in the pedagogical process.
Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students' beliefs about experimental physics
Wilcox, Bethany R
Improving students' understanding of the nature of experimental physics is often an explicit or implicit goal of undergraduate laboratory physics courses. However, lab activities in traditional lab courses are typically characterized by highly structured, guided labs that often do not require or encourage students to engage authentically in the process of experimental physics. Alternatively, open-ended laboratory activities can provide a more authentic learning environment by, for example, allowing students to exercise greater autonomy in what and how physical phenomena are investigated. Engaging in authentic practices may be a critical part of improving students' beliefs around the nature of experimental physics. Here, we investigate the impact of open-ended activities in undergraduate lab courses on students' epistemologies and expectations about the nature of experimental physics, as well as their confidence and affect, as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Ph...
Good Mental Health Status of Medical Students: Is There A Role for Physical Activity?
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Deepthi R
Full Text Available Background: Mental health problems are more commonly seen in youth, more so in medical students. Physical activity though known to improve mental health is difficult to follow among medical students. Aims & Objectives: This study aimed to investigate self-reported levels of anxiety and depression and compare these with self-reported physical activity among medical students in an institution of India. Material & Methods: A Cross sectional study was done among 430 medical students and interns of a medical college of rural Karnataka, India. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ were administered to assess mental health status and physical activity levels respectively. Results: The prevalence of anxiety (65.1%, depression (39.5% and anxiety with depression (34.4% was high among medical students. Only 18.1% of students were highly active while 35.9% were inactive when physical activity levels were measured. Students who were highly active and minimally active in physical activity showed lower levels of depression and anxiety compared to low physical activity group. Conclusion: Mental health problems are high and physical activity levels are low among medical undergraduate students. Engagement in physical activity can be an important contributory factor in positive mental health of future doctors.
The influence of a learning strategies programme on low achieving black secondary school students' academic achievement / Zelbia Sprang
Sprang, Zelbia
The purpose of this study was to determine, by means of a review of literature and an empirical investigation, the influence of a learning strategies pro!:,rramme on low achieving Black Secondary School students' academic achievement. From the review ofliterature and the empirical study it was concluded that the effective use of learning strategies have an influence on academic achievement defined as Grade Point Average (GPA). It was also concluded that the effective use ofleam...
The origin of black magnetic spherules through a study of their chemical, physical and mineralogieal characteristics
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Full Text Available The origin of black magnetic spherules sampled in air,
and in ancient and recent marine sediments has been investigated.
Experiments were performed reproducing in laboratory the same processes undergone by the cosmic dust during its flight through the atmosphere.
Spherules similar in size, shape, chemical and mineralogieal characteristics to the natural ones have been obtained. It has been tested that hollow spherules can be also produced in the high atmosphere.
The bubble formed inside some black magnetic spherules by the decrease of solubility of oxygen at the melting point can be sometimes ejected from the rear side of the spherule producing secondary particles less than 10 pim is size.
The volcanic origin of black magnetic spherules has been excluded.
In fact ferromagnetic volcanic particulate matter present mineralogic,
chemical and structural characteristics different from that of black magnetic spherules.
Also the use of some parameters is suggested to discriminate industrial
ferromagnetic spherules from black magnetic spherules of extraterrestrial origin.
Samples from sediments old enough to exclude industrial contamination
allow to calculate the earth accretion in cosmic dust.
Validation of psychosocial scales for physical activity in university students.
Tassitano, Rafael Miranda; de Farias Júnior, José Cazuza; Rech, Cassiano Ricardo; Tenório, Maria Cecília Marinho; Cabral, Poliana Coelho; da Silva, Giselia Alves Pontes
OBJECTIVE Translate the Patient-centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise questionnaire, adapt it cross-culturally and identify the psychometric properties of the psychosocial scales for physical activity in young university students. METHODS The Patient-centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise questionnaire is made up of 39 items divided into constructs based on the social cognitive theory and the transtheoretical model. The analyzed constructs were, as follows: behavior change strategy (15 items), decision-making process (10), self-efficacy (6), support from family (4), and support from friends (4). The validation procedures were conceptual, semantic, operational, and functional equivalences, in addition to the equivalence of the items and of measurements. The conceptual, of items and semantic equivalences were performed by a specialized committee. During measurement equivalence, the instrument was applied to 717 university students. Exploratory factor analysis was used to verify the loading of each item, explained variance and internal consistency of the constructs. Reproducibility was measured by means of intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS The two translations were equivalent and back-translation was similar to the original version, with few adaptations. The layout, presentation order of the constructs and items from the original version were kept in the same form as the original instrument. The sample size was adequate and was evaluated by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, with values between 0.72 and 0.91. The correlation matrix of the items presented r 0.40), varying between 0.43 and 0.80, which explained between 45.4% and 59.0% of the variance. Internal consistency was satisfactory (α ≥ 0.70), with support from friends being 0.70 and 0.92 for self-efficacy. Most items (74.3%) presented values above 0.70 for the reproducibility test. CONCLUSIONS The validation process steps were considered satisfactory and adequate for applying to the
Validation of psychosocial scales for physical activity in university students
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Rafael Miranda Tassitano
Full Text Available OBJECTIVE Translate the Patient-centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise questionnaire, adapt it cross-culturally and identify the psychometric properties of the psychosocial scales for physical activity in young university students.METHODS The Patient-centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise questionnaire is made up of 39 items divided into constructs based on the social cognitive theory and the transtheoretical model. The analyzed constructs were, as follows: behavior change strategy (15 items, decision-making process (10, self-efficacy (6, support from family (4, and support from friends (4. The validation procedures were conceptual, semantic, operational, and functional equivalences, in addition to the equivalence of the items and of measurements. The conceptual, of items and semantic equivalences were performed by a specialized committee. During measurement equivalence, the instrument was applied to 717 university students. Exploratory factor analysis was used to verify the loading of each item, explained variance and internal consistency of the constructs. Reproducibility was measured by means of intraclass correlation coefficient.RESULTS The two translations were equivalent and back-translation was similar to the original version, with few adaptations. The layout, presentation order of the constructs and items from the original version were kept in the same form as the original instrument. The sample size was adequate and was evaluated by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, with values between 0.72 and 0.91. The correlation matrix of the items presented r 0.40, varying between 0.43 and 0.80, which explained between 45.4% and 59.0% of the variance. Internal consistency was satisfactory (α ≥ 0.70, with support from friends being 0.70 and 0.92 for self-efficacy. Most items (74.3% presented values above 0.70 for the reproducibility test.CONCLUSIONS The validation process steps were considered satisfactory and adequate for applying
Validation of psychosocial scales for physical activity in university students
Tassitano, Rafael Miranda; de Farias, José Cazuza; Rech, Cassiano Ricardo; Tenório, Maria Cecília Marinho; Cabral, Poliana Coelho; da Silva, Giselia Alves Pontes
OBJECTIVE Translate the Patient-centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise questionnaire, adapt it cross-culturally and identify the psychometric properties of the psychosocial scales for physical activity in young university students. METHODS The Patient-centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise questionnaire is made up of 39 items divided into constructs based on the social cognitive theory and the transtheoretical model. The analyzed constructs were, as follows: behavior change strategy (15 items), decision-making process (10), self-efficacy (6), support from family (4), and support from friends (4). The validation procedures were conceptual, semantic, operational, and functional equivalences, in addition to the equivalence of the items and of measurements. The conceptual, of items and semantic equivalences were performed by a specialized committee. During measurement equivalence, the instrument was applied to 717 university students. Exploratory factor analysis was used to verify the loading of each item, explained variance and internal consistency of the constructs. Reproducibility was measured by means of intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS The two translations were equivalent and back-translation was similar to the original version, with few adaptations. The layout, presentation order of the constructs and items from the original version were kept in the same form as the original instrument. The sample size was adequate and was evaluated by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, with values between 0.72 and 0.91. The correlation matrix of the items presented r 0.40), varying between 0.43 and 0.80, which explained between 45.4% and 59.0% of the variance. Internal consistency was satisfactory (α ≥ 0.70), with support from friends being 0.70 and 0.92 for self-efficacy. Most items (74.3%) presented values above 0.70 for the reproducibility test. CONCLUSIONS The validation process steps were considered satisfactory and adequate for applying to the
An Expectancy-Value Model for Sustained Enrolment Intentions of Senior Secondary Physics Students
Abraham, Jessy; Barker, Katrina
This study investigates the predictive influences of achievement motivational variables that may sustain students' engagement in physics and influence their future enrolment plans in the subject. Unlike most studies attempting to address the decline of physics enrolments through capturing students' intention to enrol in physics before ever studying the subject, this study is novel because it captures the perceptions of students currently enrolled in senior secondary physics and their subsequent enrolment intentions after completing modules from the physics curriculum. Participants comprised of senior secondary students in year 11 completing their first year of physics in Australia across nine high schools in New South Wales. The Sustained Enrolment Models for Physics (SEMP), which drew upon the Expectancy-Value (EV) theoretical foundation, proposed predictive relations among students' achievement motivation, sustained engagement, and enrolment intentions in relation to physics. The data showed a good fit to the theoretically developed model for all four physics topics from the year 11 curriculum. The path coefficients of the models demonstrated the strength of relationships among the variables for each of the topics. The topic specificity of SEMPs allowed the mapping of students' motivational patterns at a more sensitive level than the domain-specific level and suggested that the relative influence of motivational precursors can vary by topic. This study advanced the EV research knowledge that, while values may be significant, it is the expectancies that largely predict students' sustained choice intentions in relation to physics. Implications for these findings are discussed.
Disparity in Academic Achievement Between Black and White Students in the Wake County Public School System of North Carolina
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Patricia Moore Watkins
Full Text Available Since the desegregation of public schools in the 1950s, studies have been conducted to determine why Blacks lag behind Whites academically. Efforts to understand the racial disparities in school performance continue, and some studies indicate this may be due to neighborhood differences. Although this is not a topic that has been researched in depth, this paper will examine the effects neighborhood of residence and neighborhood of school have on student performance. The data for over 22,000 students are examined.
Students of physical therapy. A comparative study of student profiles at a college and university in Israel
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Nitza Davidovitch
Full Text Available This study focuses on the attributes of students of physical therapy in order to compare the profiles of students of physical therapy (PT in two institutions of higher learning in Israel: Ben Gurion University (BGU and the Academic College of Judea and Samaria (ACJS. This study focuses on a department where studies have an occupational/applicative/practical orientation and high status in the higher education system. Findings of this study indicate broad similarities in the profiles of students at both institutions in relation to their age, family status, country of origin, number of siblings, parental education, and financial status of student family of origin. On the other hand, students at both institutions differed in terms of gender composition, students' employment status, the source of payment for tuition, and in their academic attainments prior to admission. Specifically, students of physical therapy at ACJS had lower academic achievements prior to their admission and reported having been rejected by other physical therapy programs. Students at ACJS placed higher importance on factors relating to the quality of instruction including teacher involvement, competitiveness, organization, control, and orientation to the study material. Students at BGU attributed greater importance to teachers' support. Findings support a thesis of a converging system of higher education in Israel, traditionally dominated by national universities and regional colleges, a relatively recent phenomenon.
High energy colliders as black hole factories: The end of short distance physics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
If the fundamental Planck scale is of order of a TeV, as is the case in some extra-dimension scenarios, future hadron colliders such as the CERN Large Hadron Collider will be black hole factories. The nonperturbative process of black hole formation and decay by Hawking evaporation gives rise to spectacular events with up to many dozens of relatively hard jets and leptons with a characteristic ratio of hadronic to leptonic activity of roughly 5:1. The total transverse energy of such events is typically a sizable fraction of the beam energy. Perturbative hard scattering processes at energies well above the Planck scale are cloaked behind a horizon, thus limiting the ability to probe short distances. The high energy black hole cross section grows with energy at a rate determined by the dimensionality and geometry of the extra dimensions. This dependence therefore probes the extra dimensions at distances larger than the Planck scale
Observing Supermassive Black Holes across cosmic time: from phenomenology to physics
Merloni, A
In the last decade, a combination of high sensitivity, high spatial resolution observations and of coordinated multi-wavelength surveys has revolutionized our view of extra-galactic black hole (BH) astrophysics. We now know that supermassive black holes reside in the nuclei of almost every galaxy, grow over cosmological times by accreting matter, interact and merge with each other, and in the process liberate enormous amounts of energy that influence dramatically the evolution of the surrounding gas and stars, providing a powerful self-regulatory mechanism for galaxy formation. The different energetic phenomena associated to growing black holes and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), their cosmological evolution and the observational techniques used to unveil them, are the subject of this chapter. In particular, I will focus my attention on the connection between the theory of high-energy astrophysical processes giving rise to the observed emission in AGN, the observable imprints they leave at different wavelengths...
Psychological factors related to physical education classes as predictors of students' intention to partake in leisure-time physical activity.
Baena-Extremera, Antonio; Granero-Gallegos, Antonio; Ponce-de-León-Elizondo, Ana; Sanz-Arazuri, Eva; Valdemoros-San-Emeterio, María de Los Ángeles; Martínez-Molina, Marina
In view of the rise in sedentary lifestyle amongst young people, knowledge regarding their intention to partake in physical activity can be decisive when it comes to instilling physical activity habits to improve the current and future health of school students. Therefore, the object of this study was to find a predictive model of the intention to partake in leisure- time physical activity based on motivation, satisfaction and competence. The sample consisted of 347 Spanish, male, high school students and 411 female students aged between 13 and 18 years old. We used a questionnaire made up of the Sport Motivation Scale, Sport Satisfaction Instrument, and the competence factor in the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale and Intention to Partake in Leisure-Time Physical Activity, all of them adapted to school Physical Education. We carried out confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation models. The intention to partake in leisure-time physical activity was predicted by competence and the latter by satisfaction/fun. Intrinsic motivation was revealed to be the best predictor of satisfaction/fun. Intrinsic motivation should be enhanced in order to predict an intention to partake in physical activity in Physical Education students. PMID:27076009
Increasing Asian International College Students' Physical Activity Behavior: A Review of the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model
Yan, Zi; Cardinal, Bradley J.
Asian students attending American colleges and universities report relatively low levels of physical activity participation, which may hinder their ability to realize their full human potential (i.e., cognitively, physically, socially). This paper reviewed the possible reasons underlying their generally inactive lifestyle, addressed the importance…
Enrich the Physics Curriculum Scheduled for Students of Intermediate School E-Learning and Its Effectiveness in Scientific Thinking and Their Attitude towards the Development of Physics
Hameed, Saddam Mohammed; Mohammed, Essam Mahmoud
The current research aims know the effectiveness of enriching the physics curriculum for students in middle school electronic learning in the development of their thinking and scientific their direction towards physics, sample formed from second grade students in Sinae intermediate school 64 students (32) student as experimental group & (32)…