High Effect Sizes Research Articles

Effects of Biochar on Antibiotic Environmental Behaviors in Soil: A Meta-analysis

Biochar, as a soil amendment for synergizing the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions, shows great potential and future prospects in controlling antibiotic contamination. In order to research the effects of biochar on antibiotic behaviors in soil systematically, a Meta-analysis was conducted based on 20 studies published from 2011 to 2021. The results showed that the adsorption and degradation of antibiotics in the soil were significantly affected by the application rate and property of biochar. A 2% biochar application dose seemed to be the highest effect size (ES) of 0.19 on adsorption, while there was a significant effect (ES=0.23) on the degradation when the application rate was 5%. The specific surface area, polarity, stability, and aromaticity of biochar could increase the partition coefficient significantly, and the ES was 0.11, 0.13, 0.09, and 0.18, respectively, whereas the effects of antibiotic transport on the dose and property of biochar were insignificant. Biochar also indirectly controlled antibiotic behavior by altering the soil environment. However, the response of the coupling mechanism in antibiotic behaviors on biochar application into soil is still unclear. Moreover, the long-term and negative effects of biochar application in the field are still lacking basic data.

Effects of training on the heart rate variability of competitive soccer players: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Heart rate variability (HRV) has become a popular method for monitoring readiness, recovery, and other training-derived parameters to optimize physical performance. This systematic review aimed to examine the impact of training interventions on HRV fluctuations in competitive soccer players. The EBSCO, Web of Sciences (WOS), and Cochrane databases were used for the search. After identifying 293 studies, 13 were included in a qualitative analysis and 6 in a quantitative analysis. Training had a small and nonsignificant effect on HRV in competitive soccer players (Effect Size (ES) = 0.143, Standard Error (SE) = .108, p = .186, 95% confidence interval (CI) [−0.69, 0.355]). Soccer-focused training resulted in higher HRV scores than combined training (Q(2) = 38.13, p = .05). Higher ES were found for frequency domain parameters ( p = .047; d = 0.059), night assessment ( p = .016; d = 0.453), and soccer-focused training ( p = .006; d = 0.366). HRV was also found to have a greater impact on females ( p = .027; d = 0.275) and/or professional soccer players ( p = .007; d = 0.302). Soccer training had a minimal and nonsignificant effect on HRV.

Satisfaction and Reduction of Pain Following Tele-Physiotherapy of Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders during the COVID- 19 Pandemic Disorders

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the rate of satisfaction and pain reduction in musculoskeletal patients by using tele-physiotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic infection disease. Methods: Eighteen patients with shoulder, knee, neck, and thoracic pain received some advice through video conferencing or video calls. All participants received different exercises based on the patient’s pathology or using some accessible modalities such as cold or hot packs. Interventions were followed by online platforms such as chat/massage and video conferencing by WhatsApp or Telegram program. Pain intensity was assessed by the Numeric Rating Scale, and satisfaction was evaluated by the Telehealth Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results: Statistical analysis showed a significant reduction of pain (p< 0.001), with a high effect size = 2.9. The rate of satisfaction of patients was detected high about all questions. Conclusion: This study suggests that tele-physiotherapy can effectively reduce pain and increase satisfaction during pandemic infected disease or for patients in remote areas.

Can a shoe-mounted IMU identify the effects of orthotics in ways comparable to gait laboratory measurements?

BackgroundFootwear and orthotic research has traditionally been conducted within laboratories. With increasing prevalence of wearable sensors for foot and ankle biomechanics measurement, transitioning experiments into the real-world is realistic. However wearable systems must effectively detect the direction and magnitude of response to interventions to be considered for future usage.MethodsRunScribe IMU was used simultaneously with motion capture, accelerometers, and force plates during straight-line walking. Three orthotics (A, B, C) were used to change lower limb biomechanics from a control (SHOE) including: Ground reaction force (GRF) loading rate (A), pronation excursion (A and B), maximum pronation velocity (A and B), and impact shock (C) to test whether RunScribe detected effects consistent with laboratory measurements. Sensitivity was evaluated by assessing: 1. Significant differences (t-test) and effect sizes (Cohen’s d) between measurement systems for the same orthotic, 2. Statistical significance (t-test and ANOVA) and effect size (Cohen’s d & f) for orthotic effect across measurement systems 3. Direction of orthotic effect across measurement systems.ResultsGRF loading rate (SHOE: p = 0.138 d = 0.403, A: p = 0.541 d = 0.165), impact shock (SHOE: p = 0.177 d = 0.405, C: p = 0.668 d = 0.132), pronation excursion (A: p = 0.623 d = 0.10, B: p = 0.986 d = 0.00) did not significantly differ between measurement systems with low effect size. Significant differences and high effect sizes existed between systems in the control condition for pronation excursion (p = 0.005 d = 0.68), and all conditions for pronation velocity (SHOE: p < 0.001 d = 1.24, A: p = 0.001 p = 1.21, B: p = 0.050 d = 0.64).RunScribe (RS) and Laboratory (LM) recorded the same significant effect of orthotic but inconsistent effect sizes for GRF loading rate (LM: p = 0.020 d = 0.54, RS: p = 0.042 d = 0.27), pronation excursion (LM: p < 0.001 f = 0.31, RS: p = 0.042 f = 0.15), and non-significant effect of orthotic for impact shock (LM: p = 0.182 d = 0.08, RS: p = 0.457 d = 0.24). Statistical significance was different between systems for effect of orthotic on pronation velocity (LM: p = 0.010 f = 0.18, RS: p = 0.093 f = 0.25).RunScribe and Laboratory agreed on the direction of change of the biomechanics variables for 69% (GRF loading rate), 40%—70% (pronation excursion), 47%—65% (pronation velocity), and 58% (impact shock) of participants.ConclusionThe RunScribe shows sensitivity to orthotic effect consistent with the laboratory at the group level for GRF loading rate, pronation excursion, and impact shock during walking. There were however large discrepancies between measurements in individuals. Application of the RunScribe for group analysis may be appropriate, however implementation of RunScribe for individual assessment and those including pronation may lead to erroneous interpretation.

Commentary: Improving the Effectiveness and Utility of the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) Prevention Cooperative: A Full Translational Framework.

The Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Prevention Collaborative (HPC) is designed to expedite the development of programs aimed at preventing opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD) in older adolescents and young adults (ages 16-30). Funded by the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director (ODP-NIH), the HPC includes ten outcome studies that focus on distinct interventions to determine their effectiveness and real-world applicability. Also included is a coordinating center at RTI International that supports the individual projects. This commentary highlights the scientific and practical significance of this cooperative and its promise for facilitating the production and implementation of successful interventions. Attributes such as novel program designs, advanced methodologies, addressing unique characteristics of diverse populations, and real-time analysis of data and costs make this cooperative highly innovative. We note, however, that papers in this Supplemental Issue did not specifically address the persistent need to obtain stronger effect sizes than those achieved to date. Existing data captured earlier in development (< 16years of age) are uncovering interactive neurocognitive and social-contextual mechanisms underlying the phenomena we wish to prevent. HPC projects could be guided by this information to incorporate developmentally appropriate measures of mechanisms shown previously to be influential in targeted outcomes and determine how they are impacted by specific components of their interventions. This mechanistic information can provide a roadmap for constructing interventions that are more precision-based and, thus, more likely to yield greater benefits for a larger number of recipients. Furthermore, an understanding of underlying mechanism(s) promises to shed light on the sources of heterogeneity in outcomes for further intervention refinement. It is quite possible, if not probable, that meaningful measures of underlying processes will reveal subtypes-some with very high effect sizes and others that are much lower-directly enabling program refinements to more directly target mechanisms that portend and explain less favorable outcomes. Described herein is a full-spectrum translational approach which promises to significantly boost effect sizes, a key objective that should be reached prior to scaling.

Geographic Atrophy Phenotypes in Subjects of Different Ethnicity: Asia–Pacific Ocular Imaging Society Work Group Report 3

To characterize geographic atrophy (GA) and evaluate differences between Asians and non-Asians. Multicenter, retrospective case series. Subjects aged ≥ 50 years with GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration in the absence of neovascularization in the study eye and follow-up of ≥ 2 years. The GA lesion characterized at baseline and last follow-up based on multimodal imaging (fundus autofluorescence [FAF], near infrared [NIR], and spectral domain-OCT). Patients were grouped as either Asian or non-Asian. Comparison of (1) phenotypes of GA lesions (size, foveal involvement, number of foci, drusen background, and choroid background) and (2) growth rates of GA. A total of 144 patients (169 eyes) with distribution of 50.9% Asians and 49.1% non-Asians. The age and sex were similar between Asians and non-Asians (Asians: mean age, 77.2 ± 10.1 years, 47.9% female; non-Asians: mean age, 79.7 ± 8.4 years, 58.7% female). Asians exhibited thicker choroids (167 ± 74 versus [vs.] 134 ± 56 μm; P < 0.01) and lower prevalence of drusen (40.7% vs. 66.3%; P < 0.01). At baseline, the GA area was smaller in Asians vs. non-Asians (NIR, 3.7 ± 4.6 vs. 6.3 ± 6.8 mm2; P= 0.01: FAF, 2.4 ± 3.4 vs. 8.4 ± 9.6 mm2; P< 0.01). Asians had fewer GA foci (1.7 ± 1.3 vs. 2.7 ± 2.2; P < 0.01) compared to non-Asians. The proportion with diffused or banded FAF junctional zone pattern was similar between Asians and non-Asians (44.2% vs. 60.2%; P= 0.20). Asians had a slower GA lesion growth rate than non-Asians (NIR, 0.7 vs. 1.9 mm2/year; P<0.01: FAF, 0.3 vs. 2.0 mm2/year; P < 0.01: NIR, 0.2 vs. 0.4 mm/year; P < 0.01 square root transformed: FAF, 0.1 vs. 0.3 mm/year; P < 0.01 square root transformed). The factors associated with GA lesion growth rate are (from the highest effect size) ethnicity, junctional zone FAF pattern, baseline GA area, and number of GA foci. Higher GA lesion growth rate was observed in both Asian and non-Asian subgroups, with drusen or lesion size and FAF patterns meeting inclusion criteria of recent therapeutic trials, but growth rate remained significantly slower in Asians. Eyes with baseline lesion ≥ 5 mm2 showed the highest growth rate, and the difference between ethnicities was no longer significant (2.6 vs. 3.3 mm2/year; P= 0.14). There are differences in GA lesion phenotype, associated features, and growth rate between Asians and non-Asian subjects. Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Elite Recreation Specialization and Motivations among Birdwatchers: The Case of Club 300 Members

Recreationists differ in their engagement, specialization and involvement in their leisure activity. Recreation specialization can be seen as a continuum from the novice to the highly advanced (or as a career process), sometimes grouped into three or four categories. Within the highest category of advanced recreationists, a specific hard-core, elite or devotee segment was identified. In this study, the highly specialized or elite segment of birdwatchers was addressed. Therefore, members of the Club 300 (in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland), were studied in comparison to non-members. Members of the Club 300 are required to have observed about 300 bird species in their respective country. Scales on recreation specialization, motivations and involvement were applied. A general linear multivariate model revealed a significant influence of Club 300 membership on the total set of the different dimensions with an eta-squared of 0.315, representing a high effect size. Subsequent uni-variate analyses showed that members differed from non-members significantly in all dimensions. Thus, Club 300 members fulfil the requirements of an elite segment because they differ in knowledge and behavior, as well as in their motivations from other birdwatchers.

The Effect of A Social Studies Course Supported by Stories on Critical and Empathetic Thinking Skills

Bu çalışma, öykülerle birlikte bir sosyal bilgiler dersinin 4. sınıf öğrencilerinin eleştirel ve empatik düşünme becerilerini üzerindeki incelemelerini incelemek istiyor. Araştırma, karma yöntem araştırmalarında kullanılan müdahale desenine göre yürütülmüştür. 10 haftalık çalışma, 2018-2019 eğitim öğretim yılında Gaziantep'te bulunan iki devlet okulunda gerçekleştirilmiştir. Nicel verilerin korunmasında Eğmir ve Ocak (2016) tarafından rehberlik Eleştirel Düşünme Başarı Testi ve Bryant tarafından hizmet ve Yılmaz-Yüksel (2004) tarafından Türkçeye uyarlanan Çocuklar İçin Empati Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Nitel verilerin elde edilmesinde yarı elde edilen görüşme formları, yarı elde edilen gözlem formları ve araştırma günlüklerinde kullanılan.Nitel içerik içerik analizi ve betimsel analiz ile analiz edilmiştir. Nicel kaynaklar Shapiro-Wilks testi ile analiz, İlişkisiz ölçümler için T testi, ilgili ölçümler için T testi ve Wilcoxon İşaretli Sıralar Testi yapıldı. parametrik testler için eta kare (n2) ve Pearson Korelasyon Katsayısı ( r ) kullanan tedavi müdahalenin etki boyutu hesaplanmıştır. ) parametrik olmayan testler için. İstatistiksel analiz için aktarımlık düzeyi .05 olarak alınmıştır.Araştırma sonuçları, sosyal bilgiler dersinde hikayeyi kullanan deneyleri, öğrencilerini eleştirel ve empatik düşünmeyi kullananların büyük ölçüde davranışlarını ve uygulanan müdahalenin etki yapısının yüksek olduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca öğrenci görüşü, etkileyici ve duyuşsal özelliklerin, dillendirmenin, empati, yorumlama, sonuç çıkarma, hızlı ve içeriği okuma, analiz etme, bilgi içeriği, çıkarma yapma, etkili yanıt verme, dinleme içeriği gibi zenginleştirilerek geliştirilebileceğini düşündürmektedir. hikayeli sosyal bilgiler dersi.

Clinical-Epidemiological Profile and Health-Related Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer During Chemotherapy Treatment: Observational Study

Introduction: Breast cancer may affect different profiles of women worldwide. In addition, chemotherapy to treat breast neoplasms directly affects health-related quality of life. Objective: To describe the clinical-epidemiological profile and to compare the general and specific health-related quality of life of women with breast cancer during chemotherapy. Method: In an observational and prospective study, 140 women with breast cancer in northeastern Brazil were evaluated in the intermediate cycle and at the end of chemotherapy. Quality of life was assessed using a general instrument (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and a specific module (EORTC-QLQ-BR23). Data were compared with a paired non-parametric test, with a significance level of 5%. Results: Regarding the clinical-epidemiological profile, the median age was 50 years, 82.9% were black or mixed-race, and 95% lived in Sergipe, Brazil. In addition, 50.7% had no occupation, the median family income was one minimum wage, as well as the median of education was eight years of study and only 40.7% have completed high school. Considering the data from the C30 and BR23 questionnaires, it was observed that most items and scales worsened at the end of chemotherapy when compared to the intermediate cycle. Among the items and scales with significant differences, most had moderate or high effect sizes. Conclusion: It is possible to conclude that the clinical-epidemiological profile was unfavorable and chemotherapy reduced several aspects of the health-related quality of life of women with breast cancer.

Mentalization ability and treatment success in psychosomatic rehabilitation

Objectives: Psychosomatic rehabilitation clinics represent an important branch of care with good treatment results in Germany. So far, however, it is largely unclear which processes underlie the treatment successes. In the partial evaluations of the Hersfeld catamnesis study presented here, recourse is made to the construct of mentalizing ability, which has become very important in recent psychotherapy research. Methods: The mentalization ability of a large sample (N = 559) was assessed with the help of the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ), and psychological and somatic complaints were assessed with HEALTH-PSB scale from HEALTH-49 at three points in time, namely at admission, at discharge and in a 6-month catamnesis. Results: Both the total score of the MZQ and all subscores show significant reductions in mentalization deficits in the small effect size range, the HEALTH-PSB in the high effect size range and the catamnesis in the medium effect size range. A regression analysis shows that the reduction in mentalization deficits has a high predictive power for symptom improvement. Conclusions: The results indicate that the construct of mentalization ability is a central target variable in psychosomatic rehabilitation.

Preliminary results of computer‐based multimodal training in Alzheimer’s disease over six months – the multimodAAL study

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with cognitive decline and limited therapeutic interventions to maintain cognitive function. The present study investigates the effectiveness of a computer‐based cognitive and physical training (CCPT) on a tablet device in patients with AD and aims to present preliminary results of the multimodAAL project (project number: FFG 875345).MethodTwenty‐three patients were randomly assigned to intervention and control group (randomized controlled trial). The intervention group received weekly multimodal CCPT with a trainer and were encouraged to train as often as possible alone or with a caregiver over six months. At the time of data analysis 14 subjects had a 6‐month follow‐up with comprehensive pre and post neuropsychological assessment including tests on global cognitive functions (Mini Mental Status Examination, MMSE), memory, working memory, executive function and verbal fluency. Repeated measures ANOVA comparing neuropsychological test performance over time was calculated to determine the between‐group difference. Analyses were corrected for disease duration. Paired t‐test was used for post‐test analyses.ResultIn this preliminary analysis six subjects from the intervention group (4 female, age: x̅ = 75.4, disease duration: x̅ = 30.3 months) and eight subjects from the control group (7 female, age: x̅ = 74.8, disease duration: x̅ = 30.75 months) were included. The results showed a significant interaction effect considering global cognition and group with a high effect size (MMSE: F(1,11) = 7.503, p = 0.019, ηp 2 = 0.405). Post‐tests revealed a maintenance of performance in the intervention group (+0.68 points in the MMSE over 6 months, t(5) = ‐1.2, p = 0.300) and a significant decrease in the performance of the control group (‐1.34 points in the MMSE over 6 months; t(7) = 2.5, p = 0.041). The other cognitive domains did not show significant results.ConclusionThese preliminary results indicate that CCPT over six months has the potential to maintain global cognitive functions in Alzheimer patients.

Perilaryngeal-Cranial Functional Muscle Network Differentiates Vocal Tasks: A Multi-Channel sEMG Approach.

Objective evaluation of physiological responses using non-invasive methods for the assessment of vocal performance and voice disorders has attracted great interest. This paper, for the first time, aims to implement and evaluate perilaryngeal-cranial functional muscle networks. The study investigates the variations in topographical characteristics of the network and the corresponding ability to differentiate vocal tasks. Twelve surface electromyography (sEMG) signals were collected bilaterally from six perilaryngeal and cranial muscles. Data were collected from eight subjects (four females) without a known history of voice disorders. The proposed muscle network is composed of pairwise coherence between sEMG recordings. The network metrics include (a) network degree and (b) weighted clustering coefficient (WCC). The varied phonation tasks showed the median degree, and WCC of the muscle network ascend monotonically, with a high effect size ( |rrb|∼0.5). Pitch glide, singing, and speech tasks were significantly distinguishable using degree and WCC ( |rrb|∼0.8). Also, pitch glide had the highest degree and WCC among all tasks (degree , WCC ). In comparison, classic spectrotemporal measures showed far less effectiveness (max |rrb|=0.12) in differentiating the vocal tasks. Perilaryngeal-cranial functional muscle network was proposed in this paper. The study showed that the functional muscle network could robustly differentiate the vocal tasks while the classic assessment of muscle activation fails to differentiate. For the first time, we demonstrate the power of a perilaryngeal-cranial muscle network as a neurophysiological window to vocal performance. In addition, the study also discovers tasks with the highest network involvement, which may be utilized in the future to monitor voice disorders and rehabilitation.

Clinical genetics of schizophrenia and related neuropsychiatric disorders

Rare structural variants have turned out to be the long sought for genetic variants of (relatively) high effect size for schizophrenia. Delineating the 22q11.2 microdeletion as the first molecular subtype of schizophrenia was a milestone in schizophrenia research, foreshadowing a more general role for rare copy number variation (CNV) in schizophrenia. The 22q11.2 microdeletion has a high effect size – one in every four individuals born with this deletion develops schizophrenia – and a relatively high prevalence for a rare condition. Discovery of this human genetic high-risk model for schizophrenia has shown how genetics can change clinical management, and also provide new opportunities for animal and cellular models. Further new findings indicate a role for tandem repeat expansion, other less complex rare variants, and collective background effects of common variants in the genetics of schizophrenia. Thus, the genetic architecture of schizophrenia is taking shape, with further advances on the horizon.

Home environment, pre-schooling and children’s literacy in sub-Saharan Africa francophone

Background: The sustainable development goal (SDG) 4.2 calls to ‘ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education’. It is then important to identify early childhood literacy drivers for better decision-making in education.Objectives: This research investigates the impact of pre-schooling and home environment effect on children’s literacy in sub-Saharan Africa francophone countries.Method: A total of 21 933 Grade 2 children participated in the regional assessment of literacy in 14 countries. Items on cognitive skills were used to assess children’s literacy skill. A contextual questionnaire was used to collect data on the home environment and children’s characteristics. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression and inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment were used to estimate the impact of pre-schooling and home environment on children’s literacy skill.Results: At least 57% of children in Grade 2 did not have the literacy skill required to pursue their learning without difficulty. Only 28% of children attended preschool. Home-language and reading at home have the highest effect size on children’s literacy skill. Attending preschool improves the percentage of children capable to pursue their learning without difficulty by 10%. Furthermore, that improvement is 15.7% for children who attended preschool. Impact of pre-schooling varies between countries and slightly across gender.Conclusion: Findings of this research call for better access to pre-schooling and better home environment to improve children’s literacy skill. The research will contribute to efforts of the sub-Saharan Africa francophone countries to achieve the SDG 4.2.Contribution: This research contributed to fill the knowledge gaps on Early Childhood literacy in the Global South. It highlighted home environment drivers and the impact of preschooling on children’s literacy skills in the Global South.

DETECTION OF MATERNALLY DERIVED ANTIBODIES (MDA) TITER AND COMPARISON OF INTERMEDIATE AND INTERMEDIATE PLUS (GM-97 STRAIN) VACCINES OF INFECTIOUS BURSAL DISEASE VIRUS

The Infectious Bursal disease (IBD) is an important devastating disease among the infectious diseases of poultry in Bangladesh. Hence, this study was designed to determine the MDA titer and compare the two commercially available vaccines strains of IBDV (“GM-97 strain Intermediate plus” and “Intermediate type strain”). In this study, a total of 1500 layer birds were equally allocated into three groups (group-A, group-B and control). The Group-A and Group-B were vaccinated by “GM-97 strain Intermediate plus” and “Intermediate type strain” of IBD vaccine, respectively and control was unvaccinated. Blood samples were collected prior to vaccination (1- and 7-days old birds), as well as 7, 14, and 21 days after vaccination. The antibody titer was measured by iELISA test. The highest MDA mean titer was 6227.69±327.63 in day-old birds. The group-A birds had the significantly (p&lt;0.01) higher antibody mean titer than group-B and control. The highest antibody mean titer was 9121.94±657.05 at the age of 39 days in group-A. The MDA titer at 1 days-old had the higher effect size (4.10; CI:4675.36-6072.01; n=16). In group-A, the highest effect size (4.49, CI:5953.80-7556.08; n=16) was in 32 days-old (14 d.p.v.) and the group-B had the highest effect size (3.35; CI:4861.04-6702.59; n=16) was in 32 days-old (14 d.p.v.). Significantly (p&lt;0.01) higher histopathological-lesion scores were 4.75±0.25 and 3.5±0.65 in 32- and 39-days-old respectively in group-A. In brief, the protective level of IBDV MDA titer may remain up to 1 week of post-hatching and the Intermediate plus vaccine can generate higher antibody titer than the intermediate type.

How handheld use is connected to learning-related factors and academic achievement: Meta-analysis and research synthesis

Handhelds (e.g., cell phones, tablets) are promising learning tools, so they are now used in formal classroom settings in many educational institutions around the world. Previous meta-analyses have focused predominantly on the direct effects of handhelds on academic achievement. From a psychological perspective, however, achievement is the outcome of a complex and multifaceted process involving adaptive cognitions and motivation for learning. While these factors are also themselves desirable learning outcomes, previous meta-analyses have neglected the effect of handheld use on these outcomes. This meta-analysis is the first to synthesize how the use of handhelds in formal educational contexts is associated with a broad range of motivational (e.g., intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy) and other learning-related factors (cognitive load, satisfaction with learning, attitude towards learning) beyond academic achievement. The question how handhelds can be used most effectively in learning settings is also addressed by considering studies’ learning designs. We included 59 samples (N = 4259) in 58 studies published between 1998 and 2021. Only studies with an experimental or quasi-experimental research design providing pre- and/or post-test data and comparisons between experimental and if available control groups were included. We found overall moderate to high effect sizes for learning-related factors (gs between .41 and .77) and for academic achievement (g = .71). None of the presumed moderating variables (handheld types, learning designs, students’ age, gender) significantly explained heterogeneity in the respective outcomes. Our findings demonstrate a broad range of positive effects of handheld use thereby implying a multicriterial, sustainable impact on educational trajectories.

A Case Study on How Distance Education May Inform Post-Pandemic University Teaching

Higher education recently found itself in the unprecedented situation of being forced to rapidly switch to online education as a demand of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to compare and contrast the experiences of university tutors who teach in two distance education universities with those who teach in a traditional university concerning their online lessons during lockdown. Forty university tutors participated in a survey to capture their teaching experiences. The survey was based on the transactional distance theory. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from both groups. Analysis of the quantitative data indicates no significant differences between the two groups in scores regarding course structure flexibility and the degree of student autonomy; however, significant difference with a high effect size was found regarding instructional dialogue, in favor of the distance tutors’ group. Thematically analyzing the qualitative data allowed the researchers to group the data into three main themes focused on how the instructional dialogue was manifested in the classes of both groups: (a) the learning design approach adopted, (b) the tutor-led interaction for student support, and (b) learner-to-learner communication and the sense of an online community. Ensuing recommendations involve adopting social-constructivist approaches that can sustain high-quality instructional dialogue in online learning settings and creating distance education faculty development programs in traditional universities that will help tutors support dialogical forms of online pedagogy.

Effect of Creative Drama Method on the Success in Basic Language Skills, Grammar and Vocabulary Teaching Fields in Turkish Lesson: Meta-Analysis Study

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the creative drama method on the success in basic language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing), grammar, and vocabulary teaching fields in Turkish lessons by using the meta-analysis method. 37 Effect sizes within 24 different studies were reviewed. Publication type, class level, skill areas, practice time were used as moderator variables in this research. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 2 (CMA 2) was utilized to analyze the studies determined in the research. According to the results, the creative drama method creates positive (significant) impacts on basic language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing), grammar, and vocabulary teaching fields (z=9.959; p=.000). As time increases in creative drama applications, the effect of application increases at the same time. However, it is also found that the effect of the creative drama method on students’ success does not significantly vary by publication type and class level. Moreover, the effect of creative drama on students’ success varies by skill areas while the highest effect size is in speaking skill and the lowest effect size is in vocabulary teaching.

The Effects of Small-Sided Games and Behavioral Interventions on the Physical and Motivational Outcomes of Youth Soccer Players.

The objective of this study was to test the effects of two types of intervention, one based on small-sided games (SSGs), and the other one that had, in addition, a behavioral component consisting of goal setting, public posting, and positive reinforcement. The participants were 16 male soccer players aged 12-14 years old who participated in a couple of training sessions per week between August and November 2021. We used Playr Catapult GPS devices to assess the effect of the intervention on the total distance covered and total sprint distance in the task of playing SSGs. We used Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 to test the effect of the intervention on players' aerobic capacity and the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire to investigate levels of motivational climate. Multiple two-way mixed ANOVAs were conducted and the results indicated that our intervention had a positive effect on the total distance and total sprint distance covered during SSGs. For aerobic capacity, even if the results were not significant, they indicate a high effect size. The effect of the intervention on task-oriented motivational climate and ego-oriented motivational climate was not significant. Discussions focus on the application of the intervention in team training settings.

فاعلية إستراتيجية التعلم المستند الى الدماغ (BBL) في تنمية مهارات التفكير البصري لدى طالبات الصف السابع الأساس في مادة الرياضيات

The research aims to identify the " The Effectiveness of the Brain-Based Learning Strategy (BBL) In the Development of the Visual Thinking Skills for Seventh-Grade Female Students in Mathematics." The researcher used the experimental method with two equal groups and the test (pre and post). The research was applied to a deliberately selected sample consisting of (53) female students in the seventh grade from a middle school (Khisar) in the day schools of the Directorate of Education of Duhok for the years 2021–2022). The sample was randomly distributed to two groups, one of which was an experimental group consisting of (27) students who studied according to the brain-based learning (BBL) strategy, and the other, a control group, consisting of (26) students who studied according to the usual method. The researcher identified the scientific material from the seventh stage book, a number of teaching plans from the three chapters (first, second, and third), which reached (36) plans. The researcher also conducted equivalence tests between the two groups in several variables. She also prepared a test for visual thinking skills consisting of (24) items divided into six skills (reading visual forms, visual discrimination, analyzing visual forms, and perceiving spatial relationships). The data was analyzed using the t-test for two independent samples, and the results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the students in the experimental and control groups. In the test of visual thinking skills, in favor of the experimental group, with a high effect size.