Experiences of returning to elite alpine skiing after ACL injury and ACL reconstruction

Abstract Aim: To explore the experiences of alpine skiing at the elite level after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction. Design: A qualitative approach where semi-structured interviews were conducted, and an analysis of the manifest content was performed. Participants: Five ski high school students, two male and three female skiers, who had suffered ACL injuries and undergone ACL reconstructions. Results: Seven categories were identified. The participants described their perceived opportunities with regard to returning to alpine skiing after ACL injury and reconstruction as something positive to do with self-belief, being mentally and physically prepared, regaining confidence in their own ability, being given time and using active strategies. In contrast, perceived barriers to a return to elite alpine skiing gave rise to negative feelings, for example, fear, disheartenment, a total lack of or ambivalent confidence in their own ability and the use of passive strategies. Conclusion: The two male skiers returned to alpine skiing. They reported confidence in their own ability, active strategies and support on all levels, as well as enhanced physical ability. The female skiers did not return to their pre-injury level of competitive alpine skiing. They stated a lack of support on all levels, deterioration in their physical ability and two out of three reported passive strategies and no or ambivalent confidence in their own ability. The most important factors were family support, support on all levels, access to a physiotherapist and time given.

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Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Competitive Adolescent Alpine Skiers

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967118766830 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 232596711876683 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Maria Westin ◽

Marita L. Harringe ◽

Björn Engström ◽

Marie Alricsson ◽

Suzanne Werner

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Left Knee ◽

Alpine Skiing ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Alpine Skiers ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Reduced Risk

Background: There is a high risk for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in alpine skiers. To reduce or try to prevent these injuries, intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors need to be identified. Purpose: To identify possible intrinsic and extrinsic ACL injury risk factors among competitive adolescent alpine skiers. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Between 2006 and 2009, a cohort of 339 alpine ski students (176 male, 163 female) from Swedish ski high schools were prospectively observed in terms of ACL injuries. First-time ACL injuries were recorded. In September, prior to each ski season, the skiers were clinically examined according to a specific knee protocol. Results: Overall, 11 male and 14 female skiers sustained a total of 25 first-episode ACL injuries. The majority of injuries occurred in the left knee ( P < .05). Skiers who had participated in alpine skiing for >13 years (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.68-1.00; P < .05) had a reduced risk of sustaining an ACL injury. Eighteen ACL injuries occurred during training, 12 in the technical discipline of giant slalom, and 8 in slalom. Fourteen skiers reported not to be fatigued at all at the time of injury, and 8 skiers reported that they were somewhat fatigued. Conclusion: ACL injuries occurred more often in the left knee than the right. This should be taken into consideration in the design of ACL injury prevention programs. Those who reported a higher number of active years in alpine skiing showed a reduced risk of sustaining an ACL injury. No other factor among those studied could be identified as an independent risk factor for ACL injury.

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Rural Aboriginal high school students' views of their future tertiary education

The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education ◽

10.1017/jie.2020.32 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Jessica Howard ◽

Jacob Jeffery ◽

Lucie Walters ◽

Elsa Barton

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Educational Outcomes ◽

Educational Aspirations ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

School Students ◽

Aboriginal Australians ◽

Relationship Networks

Abstract In the context of a stark discrepancy in the educational outcomes of Aboriginal Australians compared to non-Aboriginal Australians, this article aims to contribute the voices of rural Aboriginal high school students to the discourse. This article utilises an appreciative enquiry approach to analyse the opinions and aspirations of 12 Aboriginal high school students in a South Australian regional centre. Drawing on student perspectives from semi-structured interviews, this article contributes to and contextualises the growing body of literature regarding educational aspirations. It demonstrates how rurality influences a complex system of intrinsic attributes, relationship networks and contextual factors. It offers an important counterpoint to discourses surrounding academic disadvantage and highlights the lived experience of rural Aboriginal Australians.

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Experiential Education and Self-Authorship: An Examination of Students Enrolled in Immersion High Schools

Journal of Experiential Education ◽

10.1177/1053825920980787 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 105382592098078

Author(s):

Meagan Ricks ◽

Lisa Meerts-Brandsma ◽

Jim Sibthorp

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Experiential Education ◽

Education Program ◽

Belief System ◽

Learning Context ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

School Students ◽

Developmental Experiences ◽

Self Authorship

Background: Research shows that people benefit from having an internally defined belief system and identity to guide their decision-making rather than depending exclusively on external authorities to make choices. Less is known about what types of developmental experiences facilitate progression toward self-authorship, which is a way of being where a person depends on their internally defined beliefs to make decisions and direct their future. Purpose: This study examined an experiential education setting and the influence the setting had on high school students’ progression toward self-authorship. Methodology/Approach: We used Pizzolato’s open-ended Experience Survey and semi-structured interviews to examine aspects of self-authorship in high school students attending a semester-long experiential education program. Findings/Conclusions: We found students returning from their semester-long program focused on decisions that had a greater impact on their personally defined, long-term identity rather than immediate decisions. In addition, students showed growth in the three domains of self-authorship—epistemological, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. The results could be attributed to the pedagogical approach of the experiential education program. Implications: Educators who seek to provide experiences that support self-authorship could implement developmentally effective practices situated in an experiential learning context.

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No Association Between Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture and Selected Candidate Collagen Gene Variants in Female Elite Athletes From High-Risk Team Sports

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546518808467 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 52-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Einar Andreas Sivertsen ◽

Kari Bente Foss Haug ◽

Eirik Klami Kristianslund ◽

Anne-Marie Siebke Trøseid ◽

Jari Parkkari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

High Risk ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Team Sports ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Acl Rupture ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Genes Encoding ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Background: Several single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in collagen genes have been reported as predisposing factors for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. However, the evidence is conflicting and does not support a clear association between genetic variants and risk of ACL ruptures. Purpose: To assess the association of previously identified candidate SNVs in genes encoding for collagen and the risk of ACL injury in a population of elite female athletes from high-risk team sports. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 851 female Norwegian and Finnish elite athletes from team sports were included from 2007 to 2011. ACL injuries acquired before inclusion in the cohort were registered by interview. The participants were followed prospectively through 2015 to record new complete ACL injuries. Six selected SNVs were genotyped ( COL1A1: rs1800012, rs1107946; COL3A1: rs1800255; COL5A1: rs12722, rs13946; COL12A1: rs970547). Results: No associations were found between ACL rupture and the SNVs tested. Conclusion: The study does not support a role of the 6 selected SNVs in genes encoding for collagen proteins as risk factors for ACL injury. Clinical Relevance: Genetic profiling to identify athletes at high risk for ACL rupture is not yet feasible.

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Should females play Australian football? You’re asking the wrong question…

10.31236/osf.io/3mqpb ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Aaron Fox ◽

Jason Bonacci ◽

Samantha Hoffmann ◽

Sophia Nimphius ◽

Natalie Saunders

Keyword(s):

Gender Stereotypes ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Early Years ◽

High Rate ◽

Sociocultural Factors ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Sports Science ◽

Australian Football League ◽

Australian Football

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been a rising concern in the early years of the women’s Australian Football League (AFLW) – eliciting headlines of a “knee crisis” surrounding the league. There has been a focus on female biology as the primary factor driving the high rate of ACL injuries in the AFLW. Emphasising Australian football as being dangerous for females due to their biology may be misrepresenting a root cause of the ACL injury problem, perpetuating gender stereotypes that can restrict physical development and participation of females in the sport. We propose that that a framework addressing environmental and sociocultural factors, along with biological determinants, is required to truly challenge the ACL injury problem in the AFLW. Sports science and medicine must therefore strive to understand the whole system of female Australian football, and question how to address inequities for the benefit of the athletes.

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Students’ views on the use of tablet computers in education

World Journal on Educational Technology Current Issues ◽

10.18844/wjet.v10i2.3420 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 104-114

Author(s):

Ali Semerci

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Tablet Computers ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Education Students ◽

School Students ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Short Period ◽

Computers In Education ◽

Effective Use

The aim of this study was to explore high school students’ views on the use of tablet computers in education. To achieve this aim, a qualitative research method was employed whereby data was obtained from 16 high school students using one-to-one semi-structured interviews and then, subjected to content analysis. The findings showed that all the participating students expressed a positive attitude towards tablet computers prior to their use in education. However, students stated that, after a short period spent on using the tablet computers, they found that tablet computers affected student–teacher and student–student interaction. A significant number of the students stated that the educational content presented in the Educational Information Network (EBA) Portal was inadequate and inappropriate to their level. Also, in terms of the learning and teaching process, the students raised several concerns. To facilitate the effective use of tablet computers in education, students made several recommendations.Keywords: FATIH Project, tablet computers, technology integration in education, tablet computers in education.

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Anterior Cruciate ligament injuries of the knee:

South African Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.17159/2078-516x/2018/v30i1a5265 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

G Linde Strauss ◽

D Janse van Rensburg ◽

C Grant ◽

A Jansen van Rensburg ◽

M Velleman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Mechanism Of Injury ◽

Mri Scan ◽

Chi Square ◽

Valgus Stress ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Abstract Background and problem statement Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are common among athletes and the general public. These injuries may lead to significant absence from activity with an associated financial and social burden. No definitive association has been described between mechanism of injury and pathology to enable us to put preventative measures in place in order to limit these injuries. Aim To determine whether there is an association between the mechanism of injury and the pathology seen on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Methods This was a cross-sectional analytical study. Eighty seven male patients with an ACL injury, who had an MRI scan of the knee within the last two years participated in this study. Participants were contacted to give consent that their information be used in this study. The mechanism of injury and the pathology seen on the MRI scan was noted and categorised into different mechanism of injury groups and associated pathology groups. Statistical analyses included summaries of the data and a test for association between mechanism of injury and pathology. Since there were multiple pathology responses to each mechanism, a modified version of the chi-square test for independence was used. A 5% level of significance was specified. Results MRI scans of ACL injuries indicated that the mechanism of a solid foot plant with rotation of the knee has a greater tendency to be associated with medial meniscal injuries (77%), and also a 54% possibility to be associated with lateral meniscal injuries. A solid foot plant with a valgus stress on the knee showed a higher incidence of associated medial collateral ligaments (MCL) injuries (41%) and femoral bone bruising (62 %). These two mechanisms of injury are the most common in ACL injuries and contribute to the clinical significance found in this study. The p-value was however not statistically significant (p=0.44, chi-square value=20.27, df=45) for any association between pathology and mechanism of injury. Conclusion Some injury mechanisms causing ACL injury were more common than others and also had more associated pathology. The most common mechanism of injury noted is a solid foot plant with either rotation of the knee or valgus stress on the knee. Strengthening tissue structures involved in those movement patterns that cause these mechanisms can possibly limit ACL injuries in athletes and the general public. Key words Anterior cruciate ligament injury, mechanism, association, pathology, MRI scan, prevention.

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A Study on Reducing the Sleeping in Class Phenomenon in Japanese Universities through Student Motivation

International Journal of Higher Education ◽

10.5430/ijhe.v7n3p79 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 79

Author(s):

Kei Mihara

Keyword(s):

High School Students ◽

University Students ◽

English Education ◽

Vocabulary Test ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

School Students ◽

Daily Routines ◽

Study Results ◽

Group Interviews ◽

Questionnaire Surveys

Sleeping in class is a common phenomenon among students in Japanese universities. There are several possible reasons for this: tiredness from daily routines such as commuting, difficulty concentrating in 90-minute classes, or a lack of motivation to study. As for English as a foreign language (EFL) classes, it is possible that university students are not as motivated as high school students, considering that English education in Japan is generally aimed at preparing students for university entrance examinations. The main purpose of this study is, therefore, to examine ways to prevent students from sleeping in class by improving their motivation. Based on the results of questionnaire surveys and focus group interviews, this study seeks to identify ways in which student attention and alertness in class can be improved. The participants in this study were asked to take a vocabulary test before completing exercises in their textbook. After four weeks, follow-up research was conducted using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The study results showed that taking a vocabulary test at the beginning of class is an effective method of motivating students, but that motivation alone cannot prevent university students from sleeping in class.

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Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in Australian football: should women and girls be playing? You’re asking the wrong question

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine ◽

10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000778 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. e000778 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aaron Fox ◽

Jason Bonacci ◽

Samantha Hoffmann ◽

Sophia Nimphius ◽

Natalie Saunders

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Injury ◽

Early Years ◽

High Rate ◽

Acl Injuries ◽

Sports Science ◽

Australian Football ◽

Women And Girls ◽

Anterior Cruciate

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been a rising concern in the early years of the women’s Australian Football League (AFLW), eliciting headlines of a ‘knee crisis’ surrounding the league. There has been a focus on female biology as the primary factor driving the high rate of ACL injuries in the AFLW. Emphasising Australian football (AF) as being dangerous predominantly due to female biology may be misrepresenting a root cause of the ACL injury problem, perpetuating gender stereotypes that can restrict physical development and participation of women and girls in the sport. We propose that an approach addressing environmental and sociocultural factors, along with biological determinants, is required to truly challenge the ACL injury problem in the AFLW. Sports science and medicine must therefore strive to understand the whole system of women in AF, and question how to address inequities for the benefit of the athletes.

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Analyzing Foreign Language Test Anxiety among High School Students in an EFL Context (Note 1)

Journal of Education and Learning ◽

10.5539/jel.v5n4p190 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 190

Author(s):

Esim Gursoy ◽

Tuba Arman

Keyword(s):

High School Students ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Test Anxiety ◽

Test Validity ◽

Foreign Language Learning ◽

Teaching Methodology ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

School Students ◽

Affective Factors

With the increasing need to learn languages as a result of globalization there is a great demand on the part of the learners to communicate in a second/foreign language, which is also supported downwards by the governments and upwards by the parents. Among the many aspects of foreign language learning, affective factors are researched a lot as they are dependent on contexts, individual differences, cultural background, teaching methodology etc., which cause a variation in the results. The current research focuses on test anxiety as one of the major affective factors. Thus it aims to identify the level of test anxiety and its relationship with gender, grade level, and academic achievement. Moreover, the causes of test anxiety were investigated according to students’ own perceptions. A test anxiety scale and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the qualitative and quantitative data. The overall results showed that the participants had a moderate level of test anxiety. Females were found to be more anxious than males only in some aspects; low achievement scores provoked test anxiety with regard to a few items, and 9th graders were found to be more anxious than the 10th graders. According to participants’ own perceptions, test validity, time limit, teacher attitudes, test techniques, proctors, length of the test, testing environment and clarity of test instructions were the causes of test anxiety.

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