Physics Texts Research Articles

A review of selected physical education teacher education texts in German (2015-2016)

A review of selected physical education teacher education texts in German (2015-2016)

The pedagogical potential of drawing and writing in a primary science multimodal unit

ABSTRACTIn consideration of the potential of drawing and writing as assessment and learning tools, we explored how early primary students used these modes to communicate their science understandings. The context for this study was a curricular unit that incorporated multiple modes of representation in both the presentation of information and production of student understanding with a focus on the structure and function of carnivorous plants (CPs). Two science teacher educators and two first-grade teachers in the United States co-planned and co-taught a multimodal science unit on CP structure and function that included multiple representations of Venus flytraps (VFTs): physical specimens, photographs, videos, text, and discussions. Pre- and post-assessment student drawings and writings were statistically compared to note significant changes, and pre- and post-assessment writings were qualitatively analysed to note themes in student ideas. Results indicate that students increased their knowledge of VFT structure and function and synthesised information from multiple modes. While students included more structures of the VFT in their drawings, they were better able to describe the functions of structures in their writings. These results suggest the benefits for student learning and assessment of having early primary students represent their science understandings in multiple modes.

Baseline Motivation Type as a Predictor of Dropout in a Healthy Eating Text Messaging Program.

BackgroundGrowing evidence suggests that text messaging programs are effective in facilitating health behavior change. However, high dropout rates limit the potential effectiveness of these programs.ObjectiveThis paper describes patterns of early dropout in the HealthyYou text (HYTxt) program, with a focus on the impact of baseline motivation quality on dropout, as characterized by Self-Determination Theory (SDT).MethodsThis analysis included 193 users of HYTxt, a diet and physical activity text messaging intervention developed by the US National Cancer Institute. Descriptive statistics were computed, and logistic regression models were run to examine the association between baseline motivation type and early program dropout.ResultsOverall, 43.0% (83/193) of users dropped out of the program; of these, 65.1% (54/83; 28.0% of all users) did so within the first 2 weeks. Users with higher autonomous motivation had significantly lower odds of dropping out within the first 2 weeks. A one unit increase in autonomous motivation was associated with lower odds (odds ratio 0.44, 95% CI 0.24–0.81) of early dropout, which persisted after adjusting for level of controlled motivation.ConclusionsApplying SDT-based strategies to enhance autonomous motivation might reduce early dropout rates, which can improve program exposure and effectiveness.

SHOULD WE INCLUDE TERMS IN READABILITY FORMULAS OF SLAVONIC TEXTS?

In this article we show how readability depends on the number of terms. We compare two different physical-didactical texts. We explain what readability means and how readability of some didactical text can be checked. We will analyze texts of natural science. First, we use an eye tracker for measuring the time to read long terms average sized terms, and words that are not terms. We perform a cloze test. A comparison of results defined a variable of the readability formula of Slavonic physical texts.

The Physics of Magnetars II - The Electron Fermi Energy of and the Origin of High X-ray Luminosity of Magnetars

In this paper we discuss in detail the quantization of Landau energy levels of a strongly magnetized and completely degenerate relativistic electron gas in neutron stars. In particular, we focus on the Fermi energy dependence of the magnetic field for a relativistic electron gas in the superstrong magnetic field of magnetars. We would like to point out that some of the results concerning the microscopic number density of states of a strongly magnetized electron gas given by well known statistical physics text books are incorrect. The repeated use of these results in the last five decades probably seriously affects the physics of neutron stars and magnetars. The quantization of Landau energy levels is accurately delineated in terms of the Dirac -δ function. Relatively simple calculation shows that the Fermi energy of a relativistic electron gas in magnetars with superstrong magnetic fields (B>B cr , here B cr is the Landau critical magnetic field, B cr = 4.414 × 10 13 gauss ) increases with magnetic field strength as B 1/4 . On the basis of this simple but important new result we are leading naturally to propose a new mechanism for the production of high X-ray luminosity from magnetars.

Physics Textbooks Don’t Always Tell the Truth

Anyone who studies the history of physics quickly realizes that the history presented in physics textbooks is often inaccurate. I will discuss three episodes from the history of modern physics: (1) Robert Millikan’s experiments on the photoelectric effect, (2) the Michelson-Morley experiment, and (3) the Ellis-Wooster experiment on the energy spectrum in β decay. Everyone knows that Millikan’s work established the photon theory of light and that the Michelson-Morley experiment was crucial in the genesis of Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity. The problem is that what everyone knows is wrong. Neither experiment played the role assigned to it by physics textbooks. The Ellis-Wooster experiment, on the other hand, is rarely discussed in physics texts, but it should be. It led to Wolfgang Pauli’s suggestion of the neutrino. I will present a more accurate history of these three experiments than those given in physics texts.

The Re-imagining Inherent in Crime Fiction Translation

The Re-imagining Inherent in Crime Fiction Translation

Begriffsverfälschungen durch vermeintlich modernisierende Übersetzungen: Das Beispiel ‚orbis‘ (Kugel, Sphäre)/‚orbita‘ (Bahn)

Distortion of Scientific Terms by Supposed Modernizing Translations: The Example 'orbis' (sphere)/'orbita' (orbit). The use of modern terminology and thinking hinders to understand historic astronomical and physical texts and often misleads the reader, because between celestial physics from Aristotle and Ptolemy to Copernic on the one side and since Kepler and Newton on the other side a fundamental change of paradigm had taken place. The former started from the assumption that planets are indirectly moved by large equally rotating etherical spheres combined with each other to form every kind of unequally apparent planetary motion as a resultant, whereas the later started from Kepler's idea that every motion of a planet is directly caused by two forces moulding his (naturally unequal) 'orbit'. 'orbita' was Kepler's new specific term for the way of the planet coined in late 1604; in contrast, the Latin term of the elder paradigm has been 'orbis' ('sphere'), on the one hand as concentric 'orbis totalis' of a planet (or the fixed stars), on the other hand as non-concentric 'orbes particulares' (of the eccenters and epicycles) within the space of an 'orbis totalis'. These terms were interpreted and translated in accordance with modern dynamic (as the supposed 'true') thinking as if they were 'orbits' (German: 'Bahn'). But you cannot bring the two paradigms into line. As a result, the texts of seemingly 'modern' translations become incomprehensible, absurd and wrong. The study shows this on thinking (1st ) about Aristotelian physics of former times using terms and ideas of modern dynamics, and on thinking (2nd ) about the former explanation of apparent motions of heavenly bodies using these dynamics and ignoring the different special Aristotelian and Ptolemaic physics of 'orbes' (spheres).

Remembering and Re-Creating the Great Debates of 1960: Presidential Libraries as Sites for Political Argumentation

The September 26, 1960 presidential debate between Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the great moments in U.S. politics. As such, it is not surprising that this spectacle is prominently featured in exhibits at both presidential museums. By deftly manipulating physical space, text and artifacts, and televisual elements, the exhibits develop competing narratives about the meaning of this historic event. The close reading of the exhibits contained in this article offers new insights into political debates, the nature of collective memory, and the complicated relationship between substance and appearance in political discourse.

Development of learning-sleep materials for elementary school students in Japan

This study aimed to create an elementary school curriculum for Learning-Sleep, review subject content in the health area of physical education, and develop systematic “learning-sleep” materials for developmental stages. First, based on an investigation of health and physical education textbooks and instructional texts, we found that in elementary school, subject content on sleep was addressed in each grade from third through sixth. Next, while creating the teaching tools, we modified figures from the previously published sleep education handbook and also created new figures as needed and, furthermore, we made out a sleep lesson-program based on the handbook we developed. Finally, we examined how it worked on elementary school students. In the student evaluation, the lesson was given high marks, in satisfaction of the lesson, understanding of the content, appropriateness of the materials and applicability to life. In the lesson-observer evaluation, the lesson was recognized as follows: while some modification might be required in the selection of some materials and in the manner of showing, the lesson should work for the improvement of the current sleep conditions of elementary school students. In conclusion, we were able to generally achieve the envisioned goals for learning-sleep and were also able to receive positive feedback in learner evaluations, teacher evaluations, and observer evaluations. Thus, we can conclude that the “learning-sleep” materials developed by us can be effectively utilized in the sleep-related studies in elementary school physical education.

Materializing Strategy in Mundane Tools: the Key to Coupling Global Strategy and Local Strategy Practice?

While much of the literature on strategy and strategy as practice (SaP) focuses on traditional strategic tools, technologies and discursive practices of managers, this paper extends the understanding of strategic change implementation by proposing that mundane material tools, understood as text, translate global strategic discourse in ways that make sense to workers and orchestrate successful global strategy implementation at the local level. Based on a rich case study within one branch of a national bank, this paper demonstrates how a middle manager's materializing practices developed local strategy practice while simultaneously transforming work and producing strategic figures or indicators that satisfied senior management's global strategic change objectives. The contributions of this paper are threefold: (i) it advances the understanding of the multimodality of materiality by identifying the influence of three types of mundane tools produced locally by a middle manager as he performed his sense of the senior managers’ strategic discourse; (ii) it reveals how these three types of physical texts materialized the manager's sense of this discourse, facilitating frontline workers’ engagement and coupling materiality and orality in a coherent way that allowed workers to embody the company's global strategy in their ‘sayings and doings’; and (iii) it highlights the importance of managers’ ability to materialize a strategic discourse.

(Re)examining the attitudes of comic book store patrons

As digital comic book consumption continues to rise in popularity, the comic book community appears conflicted over the effects that digital scans have on the meaning of collecting and reading comic books. Historically, comic ownership served as the locus of comic fan social capital; will digital scans hold the same cultural capital as printed books? And does postpurchased digital scan dissemination primarily hurt copyright holders through lost sales, or does it help through social promotion? Building on an analysis of fan attitudes toward digital comic book texts, we seek to account for the limitations of locality by surveying the attitudes of comic book store patrons concerning their attitudes toward physical and digital comic book texts.

A Discussion on an Expression Written About Dimensional Analysis in a Physics Textbook

The purpose of this study is to discuss a wrong statement written about dimensional analysis in a physics text book prepared for the students who are studying in science, engineering and teaching undergraduate programs at universities and who have to take compulsory physics courses, to analyse the use of the text book including the wrong expression and its effects, and to define it again. The data of this qualitative study were gathered by examining the documents such as book or scientific paper published on the subject with a descriptive analysis method. The physics textbook is commonly used around the world and is one of the sources from which both instructors and undergraduates benefit and which includes a statement that draws attention. This statement is, “All quantities can be converted into length, time and mass units in the end. No matter how complex any physical quantity is, it is stated as algebraic combination of these three basic quantities.” Books are required to be designed and written in such a way that they facilitate learning visually, conceptually and accurately. The research studies reveal that books that are not written correctly both visually and conceptually can cause misconceptions among individuals. It is known that identifying and eliminating misconceptions takes time, requires extra work, and has effects that prevent students from learning physics topics and thus making the learning process difficult. The most important findings of this study are as follows: the wrong description about dimensional analysis will not only be a book error, it will lead to misconceptions, and it will hinder learning dimensional analysis correctly and students’ studying physics course. The studies carried out revealed that knowing the existing mistakes encountered in documents that are used as a reference book in physics courses are very important for instructors who teach physics courses at universities, writers who prepare physics courses, publishers and the relevant departments of the textbook industry.

Book Notes

Book Notes Alexander Khaleeli, Brian Welter, and Amina Inloes The Silent Qurʾan and the Speaking Qurʾan: Scriptural Sources of Islam Between History and Fervor by Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, trans. Eric Ormsby, 2016. New York: Colombia University Press, xviii + 273 pp., £45.00, $65.00. isbn: 9-780-23117-378-0. In this latest volume, Amir-Moezzi returns once again to the early Shiʿi Hadith literature as he sets out to trace its development through the turbulent formative period of Islamic history that, for Shiʿi Muslims, began with the demise of the Prophet in 11/632 and came to an end at the time of the major occultation in 329/941. He approaches this task through a philological and historical survey of a series of significant Imāmī Shiʿi works and authors that date from this period. Amir-Moezzi begins by studying the controversial Kitāb Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī, before considering al-Sayyārī’s Book of Revelation and Falsification, al-Ḥibarī’s commentary on the Qurʾan, and al-Ṣaffār al-Qummī’s Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt. His study culminates with al-Kulaynī’s opus, al-Kāfī. In its overarching themes, the present work builds on Amir-Moezzi’s earlier contributions to the field. As both the title and the choice of works surveyed suggest, a recurring concern is the relationship between the sayings of the Shiʿi Imams and the text of the Qurʾan, with a particular focus on the esoteric or mystical aspects of nascent Shiʿism. This study is accompanied with the copious footnotes we have come to expect from this erudite author (taking up over one-third of the physical text!) and also enjoys contributions from two other respected scholars of Shiʿi Studies, Etan Kohlberg (with whom Amir-Moezzi published a critical edition of al-Sayyārī’s Book of Revelation and Falsification) and Hasan Ansari, on the chapters on al-Sayyārī and al-Kulaynī, respectively. It is expected that The Silent Qurʾan and the Speaking Qurʾan will serve to stimulate further lively debate about the nature and history of early Shiʿism. [End Page 531] Alexander Khaleeli The Islamic College, London, UK Islamic Counselling: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, by G. Hussein Rassool, 2016. Hove, UK & New York: Routledge, xiii+ 282 pp., £100. isbn: 9-780-41574-264-1 (hbk). G. Hussein Rassool has written Islamic Counselling for both Muslims and non-Muslims. The book introduces Sunni Islam to Western counsellors who face more and more Muslim clients and need a quick reference to understand them. While not overwhelming the non-believer with terminology, he does introduce and define Sunnah, jinn, hadith, ṣalāt, and a host of other terms and traditions. A glossary of Islamic terms at the book’s end would have helped such individuals. The Muslim audience, in turn, will come away with a deeper understanding of how Western notions and practices of counselling fit into their beliefs, and why some are more appropriate than others. The first part introduces Islamic beliefs and practices and their influence on the personality. The secular West often forgets religion’s deep impact on the individual, and tends to judge as intolerant anyone offended or unsettled for religious reasons. Rassool explains how religion can positively build the self. The author’s distinction between religion and spirituality further refines this discussion. The book’s second part evaluates the major secular counselling theories, including psychoanalysis, humanistic client-centred therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and solution-focused brief therapy. Rassool favours the last of these, highlighting how its positive, goal-oriented outlook parallels Islam’s optimistic anthropology. He outlines why the others fall short, some more than others. While the more pessimistic, backward-thinking nature of psychoanalysis is contrary to Islam, the author does hold out some possibilities for CBT, noting: ‘There is wide consensus among Islamic scholars and practitioners that the underlying principles on which cognitive therapy rests are congruent with Islamic values. It is the nature and the methodology in which cognitive therapy is operationalised in the Western counselling paradigm that creates the dissonance’ (146). This tentative willingness...

Development and design of an intervention to improve physical activity in pregnant women using Text4baby

Text4baby is a free, mobile health information service for pregnant and post-partum women. This study aims to understand preferences of physical activity text messages (SMS), sequentially develop prototype SMS, and determine preferred dose of SMS to inform a future study utilizing Text4baby. This study had a user-centered design with three phases: (1) literature review and interviews with pregnant women for development of prototype SMS, (2) interviews with health care professionals and pregnant women for prototype SMS feedback, and (3) survey to determine preferred dose of SMS. Data from interviews identified knowledge and support as major themes. Prototypes were developed (N = 14) and informed 168 SMS. Pregnant women (N = 326) thought three SMS/week were about right (50.2 %) and preferred three SMS/week throughout pregnancy (71.9 %). There is a need for opportunities for behavioral scientists to incorporate evidence-based practices within scalable interventions. As such, this research will inform utilization of Text4baby to potentially improve physical activity participation.

O TEXTO ESCRITO COMO RECURSO DIDÁTICO NAS AULAS DE EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA: PERSPECTIVAS E EXPERIÊNCIAS DOS PROFESSORES

Com o objetivo de analisar o texto escrito como recurso didático aplicado no ensino da Educação Física e compreender as percepções e práticas construídas por professores que utilizam este recurso em suas aulas realizamos entrevistas com 21 professores. Os participantes acreditam na relevância desta intervenção, selecionam textos diversificados e relacionados com temáticas atuais da Educação Física, construindo um processo pedagógico coerente com o que propõe a literatura sobre a temática analisada. Assim, percebemos que eles se preocupam com a contribuição da Educação Física para a construção do leitor, sem deixar de lado os conhecimentos específicos da área.

Bilingual Text Messaging Translation: Translating Text Messages From English Into Spanish for the Text4Walking Program

BackgroundHispanic adults in the United States are at particular risk for diabetes and inadequate blood pressure control. Physical activity improves these health problems; however Hispanic adults also have a low rate of recommended aerobic physical activity. To address improving physical inactivity, one area of rapidly growing technology that can be utilized is text messaging (short message service, SMS). A physical activity research team, Text4Walking, had previously developed an initial database of motivational physical activity text messages in English that could be used for physical activity text messaging interventions. However, the team needed to translate these existing English physical activity text messages into Spanish in order to have culturally meaningful and useful text messages for those adults within the Hispanic population who would prefer to receive text messages in Spanish.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to translate a database of English motivational physical activity messages into Spanish and review these text messages with a group of Spanish speaking adults to inform the use of these text messages in an intervention study.MethodsThe consent form and study documents, including the existing English physical activity text messages, were translated from English into Spanish, and received translation certification as well as Institutional Review Board approval. The translated text messages were placed into PowerPoint, accompanied by a set of culturally appropriate photos depicting barriers to walking, as well as walking scenarios. At the focus group, eligibility criteria for this study included being an adult between 30 to 65 years old who spoke Spanish as their primary language. After a general group introduction, participants were placed into smaller groups of two or three. Each small group was asked to review a segment of the translated text messages for accuracy and meaningfulness. After the break out, the group was brought back together to review the text messages.ResultsA translation confirmation group met at a church site in an urban community with a large population of Hispanics. Spanish speaking adults (N=8), with a mean age of 40 (SD 6.3), participated in the study. Participants were engaged in the group and viewed the text messages as culturally appropriate. They also thought that text messages could motivate them to walk more. Twenty-two new text messages were added to the original database of 246 translated text messages. While the text messages were generally understood, specific word preferences were seen related to personal preference, dialect, and level of formality which resulted in minor revisions to four text messages.ConclusionsThe English text messages were successfully translated into Spanish by a bilingual research staff and reviewed by Hispanic participants in order to inform the use of these text messages for future intervention studies. These Spanish text messages were recently used in a Text4Walking intervention study.

MHealth text messaging for physical activity promotion in college students: a formative participatory approach.

To develop mobile-based physical activity promotion text messages, understand users' preferences, and assess feasibility and acceptability in a college student sample. Five focus groups (N = 33) were conducted using a participatory approach. An Audience Response System was adopted for data collection to ensure confidentiality and for directing the discussion foci. A framework analysis of transcribed focus group discussions was conducted. Atlas. ti qualitative analysis software was used to manage the data. Participants were uniformly enthusiastic about a text message-based intervention to encourage regular physical activity. They also preferred positive, supportive personally tailored messages. Participants placed a high value on messages related to establishing and monitoring realistic and achievable goals. mHealth text messaging was well received. The results support the feasibility and acceptance of such an intervention.

Didática da tradução, transcriação do currículo (uma escrileitura da diferença)

Na função de um texto físico, conceitual e operatório, que utiliza a filosofia da diferença e as teorias da tradução literária e poética, defende-se a seguinte tese: em termos educacionais, o conceito de diferença pura possibilita pensar uma didática da tradução. Dispõe-se essa didática na cena dramática da aula, sua zona prática e proximal de criação em processo. A ideia é que, apesar das adversidades, insiste-se em educar, porque, nessa cena, consegue- se maquinar didaticamente, com uma especificidade prazerosa, aventureira e aventurosa. Traduzindo as matérias originais advindas da arte, da ciência e da filosofia, remete-se a educação à tradição, não restaurando o idêntico, mas levando à imersão do divergente, por meio de escolhas e mediação, lembrança e escrileitura dos signos. Com a didática da tradução, transcriam-se a cultura e a civilização, diferenciando os seus mapas, numa crítica- clínica do pensar, do escrever e ler, do educar e viver.

Effective Assessments of Integrated Animations to Explore College Students’ Physics Learning Performances

This study dealt with effective assessments of physics animations to upgrade college students’ learning performance. All participants were taken from engineering departments who joined this physics course. All statistic results demonstrated that the physics animated instruction would be to enrich physics texts, to advance positive learning achievement, and to promote the validity of the revised physics instruction with regard to learning attitudes. Assessments of applied animations in this study contributed much to learning results of students’ performance which uplifted students’ physics concepts understanding and learning attitudes indicated by different variances of gender and dispositions.