The Psychosocial Benefits of Sport Participation During COVID-19 Are Only Partially Explained by Increased Physical Activity

The purpose of this study was to determine whether physical activity (PA) increases were responsible for the improvements in mental health and quality of life (QOL) seen among adolescents who returned to sport during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescent athletes were asked to complete a survey in October 2020 regarding demographic information, whether they had returned to sport participation (no [DNP], yes [PLY]), school instruction type (virtual, in-person, hybrid), anxiety, depression, QOL, and PA. Anxiety, depression, QOL and PA were compared between PLY and DNP using least squares means from linear models adjusted for age, gender, and instruction type. Mediation analysis assessed whether the relationship between sport status and anxiety, depression, and QOL was mediated by PA. 171 athletes had returned to play, while 388 had not. PLY athletes had significantly lower anxiety (3.6 +/- 0.4 v 8.2 +/- 0.6, p < 0.001) and depression (4.2 +/- 0.4 v 7.3 +/- 0.6, p < 0.001), and significantly higher QOL (88.1 +/- 1.0 v 80.2 +/- 1.4, p < 0.001) and PA (24.0 +/- 0.5 v 16.3 +/- 0.7, p < 0.001). PA explained a significant, but relatively small portion of the difference in depression (22.1%, p = 0.02) and QOL (16.0%, p = 0.048) between PLY and DNP athletes, but did not explain the difference in anxiety (6.6%, p = 0.20). Increased PA is only responsible for a small portion of the improvements in depression and QOL among athletes who returned to sports and unrelated to improvements in anxiety. This suggests that the majority of the mental health benefits of sport participation for adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic are independent of, and in addition to, the benefits of increased PA.

EPILOGUE

In this commentary, we summarize the findings of the seven included studies that examined implicit language aptitude from various perspectives and highlight issues to be resolved in the validation of this new construct in second language research. We start by providing an overview of the contributions of the studies. We then identify the lack of convergent validity of the measures of implicit aptitude reported in the included studies and problematize the equally varied nature of the measurement of implicit knowledge—the outcome variable of aptitude research—and related concepts. In particular, by drawing on empirical evidence and theoretical claims, we attempt to clarify the relationships between implicit and explicit knowledge, implicit and explicit learning, and implicit and explicit instruction. Next, we draw attention to the interactions reported by the included studies between aptitude and outcome measures and between aptitude and instruction type, emphasizing the value and importance of interactional research. We conclude by making recommendations for future research.

Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Instruction for a Complex Assembly Task

This study compares the use of a marker-based AR instruction with a paper instruction commonly used in manual assembly. Hypotheses were tested as to whether the instruction type affects assembly time, number of errors, usability, and employee strain. Instead of student participants and artificial assembly tasks (e. g. Lego assemblies), the study was conducted with 16 trainees in a real workplace for the assembly of emergency door release handles in rail vehicles. Five assembly runs were performed. Assembly times and assembly errors were determined from recorded videos. Usability (SUS) and strain (NASA-TLX) were recorded with questionnaires. After a slower assembly at the beginning, the AR group assembled significantly faster in the fifth run. The comparable number of errors, usability and strain make marker-based AR applications interesting for knowledge transfer in manual assembly, especially due to the easy entrance and low costs.

Library Anxiety Among Marginalized University Students in Northeast India

Objective – Library anxiety experienced by students has been discussed extensively for many decades. While the phenomenon is widely recognized, little attention has been paid to seeing its specific effect on marginalized sections of the society. The study attempts to understand the library anxiety experienced by students at three different universities in Assam. Assam is the only state in Northeast India to have private, state, and central universities. These universities draw their student populations from several different hill states in Northeast India, all of which face significant socio-political-economic challenges. Methods – A stratified random sample technique was used for the study. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed equally among the three universities in Assam and found 119 questionnaires were fit for analysis. The study adopted the modified and validated version of the Bostick Library Anxiety Scale developed by Anwar, Al-Kandari, and Al-Qallaff (AQAK) in 2004, with 32 item statements and 4 categories. The questionnaire is divided into two parts: Demographic Variables and the Library Anxiety Scale. The categories used for the study were: Category 1 (Staff Approachability) – 11 statements; Category 2 (Feelings of Inadequacy) – 6 statements); Category 3 (Library Confidence) – 8 statements; and Category 4 (Library Constraints) – 7 statements. Results – The study hypothesized that factors such as gender, the language of instruction, type of university, and caste or community do not influence library anxiety among Northeast India students. However, the study's findings suggest that type of university influences library anxiety among students and its three constructs. Tezpur university students experience a higher level of library anxiety. Although no overall significant difference in the level of library anxiety was observed among students across gender (p=0.278, p> 0.05), the language of instruction (p=0.023, p> 0.05), castes and communities (p=0.223, p> 0.05), there was a significant difference in one construct of library anxiety among students based on gender (feelings of inadequacy), the language of education instruction (staff approachability), caste and community (feelings of inadequacy). Conclusions – Results from the present study provided compelling evidence to suggest that many students, irrespective of their gender, the language of instruction, type of university, discipline, and caste or community experience library anxiety. The difference levels of library anxiety among independent variables indicate a critical lack of information literacy skills. Overall, library anxiety scores among the students were moderate; some categories such as staff approachability, the feeling of inadequacy, and library constraint are the attributes of the students' anxiety. However, the findings of the study also suggest that students are confident in using the library. They are optimistic, enthusiastic, and keen to use library resources.

Penerapan Model Pembelajaraan Kooperatif Tipe Explicit Instruction Dalam Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar IPA Siswa Kelas IV SD

This study aims to describe the application of the explicit instruction cooperative learning model in improving science learning outcomes for fourth-grade students of SD Inpres 4/82 Biru, Tanete Riattang District, Bone Regency. The approach used in this research is a descriptive qualitative approach with classroom action research. The focus of research, namely the application of the Explicit Instruction type cooperative learning model and student learning outcomes. The research setting was SD Inpres 4/82 Biru, Tanete Riattang District, Bone Regency. The research subjects were all students in grade IV SD Inpres 4/82 Biru, Tanete Riattang District, Bone Regency, totaling 17 students consisting of 11 male students and 6 female students. Data collection techniques and procedures used were tests, observation, and documentation. The research data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis techniques, namely data reduction, data presentation, data verification, and concluding. The results showed that there was an increase in learning outcomes in each cycle. The results of the first cycle were in the moderate category (C) and increased in the second cycle with the good category (B). This study concludes that the application of the Explicit Instruction type cooperative learning model can improve the results of fourth-grade students' science learning outcomes SD Inpres 4/82 Biru, Tanete Riattang District, Bone Regency.

Object combination in mental simulations

Studies on the presence of mental simulations during language comprehension have typically focused only on single object properties. This study investigates whether two objects are combined in mental simulations, and whether this is influenced by task instructions. In both experiments, participants read sentences describing animals using a tool in some way. After each sentence, they saw an image of a cartoon animal holding a tool, and they indicated whether the animal (Experiment 1) or the tool (Experiment 2) was mentioned in the previous sentence or not. The shown image completely matched, partially matched, partially mismatched, or completely mismatched the preceding sentence. In total, 90 Dutch psychology students took part in Experiment 1, and 92 students took part in Experiment 2, both experiments were pre-registered. The results suggest that mental simulations indeed combine multiple objects during language comprehension and that this is not influenced by task instructions. Regardless of the instruction type, participants always responded quickest in the complete match condition compared to the partial match condition, suggesting that language comprehension leads to the creation of a complete mental simulation.