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Student learning in higher education is traditionally assessed and compared using institution statistics (e.g., graduation rate, students' entrance examinations scores and percent of students with jobs or plans to enter... more
Student learning in higher education is traditionally assessed and compared using institution statistics (e.g., graduation rate, students' entrance examinations scores and percent of students with jobs or plans to enter graduate or professional schools after graduation). This practice is no longer adequate to meet the needs of workforce preparation for the 21st century's knowledge-based, global economy. There is a call
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The paper inspects current and past China's monetary policy control by using the original type of McCallum Rule and Taylor Rule and analyzes the future trend of the policy.The results show that both of the two rules fit well with... more
The paper inspects current and past China's monetary policy control by using the original type of McCallum Rule and Taylor Rule and analyzes the future trend of the policy.The results show that both of the two rules fit well with China's monetary policy,and can serve as the implementation guidelines for monetary policy control.By comparing the rule value with the actual value and analyzing the leading period rule value,the paper considers that the steady monetary policy has obtained a good effect,the current monetary condition is appropriate,and tightening cycle should be ended.But the relaxed conditions in short term are not mature.The policy may be finely tuned in the next phase,but the steady orientation won't be changed.
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To make scores from tests designed for special populations exchangeable, the tests must first be equated on the same scale. This study examined the utility of a Rasch model in equating motor function tasks. Using an existing gross motor... more
To make scores from tests designed for special populations exchangeable, the tests must first be equated on the same scale. This study examined the utility of a Rasch model in equating motor function tasks. Using an existing gross motor function data set and a semisimulation design, an artificial equating and cross-validation sample, as well as two artificial tests, were created. Based on these samples and tests, the accuracy and stability of Rasch equating was empirically determined using a standardized difference statistic. It was found that Rasch equating could accurately equate tests and was generalizable when applied to a cross-validation sample. After equating, tests can be compared on the same scale, and interpretation of cross-test scores becomes possible. In addition, with the conversion table and graph generated from Rasch equating, the application of test equating was demonstrated as simple and practical.
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The importance and need to develop international measures of physical activity (PA) have been well described in Booth's paper (Booth, 2000). Booth has also described a recent effort by the International Consensus Group to construct... more
The importance and need to develop international measures of physical activity (PA) have been well described in Booth's paper (Booth, 2000). Booth has also described a recent effort by the International Consensus Group to construct such an internationally agreedupon set of measures, and presented many well-thoughtout measurement challenges for the effort. An internationally agreed-upon set of measures, however, does not mean that a score from one measure from Country A will automatically be equivalent to a score from a measure from Country B and that scores can be directly compared to each other. To do so, measures must be set to the same scale first and the score equivalence among the measures must be established. Fortunately, measurement models and methods derived from educational measurement and cross-cultural research studies are already available for such a need. The purpose of this paper is to introduce some of those models and methods that may be useful for constructing international measures of PA. Similar to Booth's (2000) paper, the description in this paper will focus only on the questionnaire approach I, but many measurement concepts and statistical methods described are applicable to other measurement approaches. To help to fully understand these models and methods, some basic concepts will be described first, including the ways to administer international measures, score equivalence, and measurement bias. Major references for technical details of the methods and procedure, as well as the contents that are beyond the scope of the paper, will also be provided.
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The purpose of this study was to determine if the characteristics of the optimal categorization identified by the Rasch analysis in a previous study can be maintained when the revised scale is applied to the same population. Based on the... more
The purpose of this study was to determine if the characteristics of the optimal categorization identified by the Rasch analysis in a previous study can be maintained when the revised scale is applied to the same population. Based on the results of the previous Rasch analysis, a 23-item exercise barrier scale was modified from its original five-category structure ("Very often" = 1, "Often" = 2, "Sometimes" = 3, "Rarely" = 4, and "Never" = 5) to a three-category structure ("Very Often" = 1, "Sometimes" = 2, and "Never" = 3). The modified scale was then mailed to the original sample (N = 381), of which 206 returned the survey; a return rate 57.5%. The data was again analyzed using the Rasch Rating Scale model. Overall, the Rasch model fit data well and similar change patterns were observed in two category statistics provided by the Rasch analysis. The order of item severity was also well kept and the correlation of item severities generated from two studies was very high, with r = .98. In addition, similar results were also found in respondents' ability estimations, and the correlation between the two studies was moderately high, with r = .68. These results verified that the characteristics of the optimal categorization identified by the Rasch post-hoc analysis can be maintained after the original scale was modified based on such an analysis.
Research Interests: Psychology, Psychometrics, Item Response Theory, Categorization, Medicine, and 15 moreMotivation, Humans, Business and Management, Applied Measurement of Vision, Goodness of Fit, Female, Classification, Male, Education Systems, Exercise, Mathematical Computing, Aged, Middle Aged, Adult, and Personality Inventory
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Simple, yet sophisticated, Measurement Theory and Practice in Kinesiology is presented without the need to work through rigorous equation sets. The text appeals to a broad readership interested in measurement. Researchers and students can... more
Simple, yet sophisticated, Measurement Theory and Practice in Kinesiology is presented without the need to work through rigorous equation sets. The text appeals to a broad readership interested in measurement. Researchers and students can fathom the conceptual basis for topical measurement techniques and their application, and they are exposed to measurement issues in various physical activity fields. The text grounds readers in measurement basics in an easy-to-understand fashion and is for non-measurement specialists who deal with measurement in various physical activity fields. But it goes beyond simple. It takes full advantage of the advances in computer technology and programming to offer an array of advanced test construction and modeling methodologies to researchers and practitioners. And it describes new methods in handling both large and small data sets. Measurement Theory and Practice in Kinesiology provides a contemporary reference on measurement issues. The authors take both a broad and focused look at measurement issues in the physical domain. Readers learn about the tools that can facilitate their more advanced work, particularly with regard to statistical techniques, and learn practical applications in areas such as educational assessment and preemployment physical testing. The book is divided into four parts. Part I introduces readers to measurement basics, including validity, reliability, and test construction. Part II explores current issues in measurement, including ethical issues, computerized adaptive testing, item bias, and scaling and equating measures. Part III focuses on advanced statistical techniques, including analysis of large and small data sets, analysis of longitudinal data, and structural equation modeling and its applications. In part IV, the authors look at measurement in practice, current issues in physical education, measurement of physical activity, measurement issues in the clinical setting, epidemiology and physical activity, and preemployment physical testing. With this simple yet sophisticated approach, Measurement Theory and Practice in Kinesiology can be used by students in graduate-level introductory measurement courses or as a reference by researchers and clinicians in the allied health professions.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal categorization of a self-efficacy ordered-response scale using the Rasch analysis and compare the performance of the Rasch statistics and parameter estimates with conventional... more
The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal categorization of a self-efficacy ordered-response scale using the Rasch analysis and compare the performance of the Rasch statistics and parameter estimates with conventional statistics. A 50-item scale to measure psychomotor self-efficacy was administered to a total of 2,022 children, including 1,009 boys and 1,013 girls. The data analysis started by collapsing the original five adjacent categories into two, three, and four categories, and a total of 14 data sets were derived. Each of these data sets, including the original one, was analyzed using the Rasch rating scale model, and a set of Rasch model-data fit, category, and separation statistics and parameter estimates, as well as three conventional statistics, were computed and compared. It was found that, instead of the five-category construct designed, the best order of category meanings of the scale in respondents' perceptions was a three-category construct. The Rasch threshold estimates were sensitive indexes in determining the order of the categorization, and that item separation statistics were useful in determining the optimal categorization after its order was confirmed. The commonly used coefficient alpha was found not helpful at all in determining the optimal categorization. The Rasch analysis was demonstrated to be a useful post-hoc analytic approach in determining the optimal categorization of an ordered-response scale.
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This study examined the effects of low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise training with and without wrist weights (0.68 kg·wrist–1) on functional capacities and mood states in older adults (age 68.6 ± 5.6, mean ± SD). Twenty-three senior... more
This study examined the effects of low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise training with and without wrist weights (0.68 kg·wrist–1) on functional capacities and mood states in older adults (age 68.6 ± 5.6, mean ± SD). Twenty-three senior citizens residing in the community were randomly assigned to wrist weight (WW; n = 12) and no-wrist weight (NW; n = 11) exercise groups while 11 matched subjects served as non-exercise controls (NE). Exercise training was performed for 10 weeks, 3 days/week, for 60 min/session and consisted of low-impact aerobic dance (50–70% of maximal heart rate) combined with exercises to promote muscular fitness, flexibility, and balance. Before and after the intervention, each participant’s aerobic fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, static and dynamic balance, skinfold thickness, and psychological mood states were assessed under standardized testing conditions. Exercise training resulted in significant improvements in peak oxygen uptake, lower extremity muscle strength, and psychological vigor (p < 0.05) but did not affect other fitness components (p > 0.05). There were no differences between the WW and NW exercise groups for any of the same variables studied (p > 0.05). No significant pre- to post-test changes were found for the NE control group (p > 0.05). It is concluded that 10 weeks of low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise training of the type that can be considered well-rounded in nature provides a sufficient stimulus to augment aerobic fitness, beneficially affects leg strength, and increases feelings of vigor in older adults. The present observations indicate that the use of light wrist weights has no beneficial or adverse effects on the measured training outcomes.
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Bootstrapping is a computer-intensive statistical technique in which extensive computational procedures are heavily dependent on modern high-speed digital computers. The payoff for such intensive computations is freedom from two major... more
Bootstrapping is a computer-intensive statistical technique in which extensive computational procedures are heavily dependent on modern high-speed digital computers. The payoff for such intensive computations is freedom from two major limiting factors that have dominated classical statistical theory since its beginning: the assumption that the data conform to a bell-shaped curve, and the need to focus on statistical measures whose theoretical properties can be analysed mathematically. The name "bootstrap" was derived from an old saying about pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps. In this case, bootstrapping means redrawing samples randomly from the original sample with replacement. The key idea, computations, advantages, limitations, and application potential of bootstrapping in the field of physical education and exercise science are introduced and illustrated using a set of national physical fitness testing data. Finally, an example of a bootstrapping application is provided. Through a step-by-step approach, the development and implementation of the bootstrap statistical inference are illustrated.
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The term “Kinesmetrics” was coined by Weimo Zhu in 1999 when he created a new doctoral program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), USA, with a focus to “develop and apply measurement theory, statistics and... more
The term “Kinesmetrics” was coined by Weimo Zhu in 1999 when he created a new doctoral program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), USA, with a focus to “develop and apply measurement theory, statistics and mathematical analysis to the field of Kinesiology.” Since then, a number of Ph.D. scholars in Kinesmetrics have been trained at UIUC, which also regularly hosts visiting scholars from all over the world. In fall 2008, a new Kinesmetrics program was established at Middle Tennessee State University by Minsoo Kang, a UIUC Kinesmetrics Ph.D. graduate, and the International Forum of Kinesiometrics was held at the University of Primorska in Koper, Slovenia, in 2009. Meanwhile, Kinesmetrics scholars/programs in the USA are experiencing many challenges, e.g., reduced faculty positions, limited funding resources, a variety of data characteristics and measurement issues due to the interdisciplinary nature of Kinesiology, etc. After a brief review of the historical background and foundation of Kinesmetrics, this paper focused on the current challenges faced by Kinesmetrics, as a subdiscipline within Kinesiology, and how these challenges can best be addressed. Future directions of Kinesmetrics were also outlined.
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... Qin Zhang (Ph.D., University of New Mexico) is an assistant professor in the Department ofCommunication at ... job stressors have been identified: work overload and role stress (Miller, Zook, & Ellis, 1989; Starnaman ... Journal... more
... Qin Zhang (Ph.D., University of New Mexico) is an assistant professor in the Department ofCommunication at ... job stressors have been identified: work overload and role stress (Miller, Zook, & Ellis, 1989; Starnaman ... Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 35, 117-137. ...
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1. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2000 Jun;71(2):190-4. Which should it be called: convergent validity or discriminant validity? Zhu W. Department of Kinesiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. weimozhu@uiuc.edu. PMID: 10925816... more
1. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2000 Jun;71(2):190-4. Which should it be called: convergent validity or discriminant validity? Zhu W. Department of Kinesiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. weimozhu@uiuc.edu. PMID: 10925816 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. ...
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Setting standards and cutoff scores is essential to any measurement and evaluation practice. Two evaluation frameworks, norm-referenced (NR) and criterion-referenced (CR), have often been used for setting standards. Although setting... more
Setting standards and cutoff scores is essential to any measurement and evaluation practice. Two evaluation frameworks, norm-referenced (NR) and criterion-referenced (CR), have often been used for setting standards. Although setting fitness standards based on the NR evaluation is relatively easy as long as a nationally representative sample can be obtained and regularly updated, it has several limitations-namely, time dependency, population dependence, discouraging low-level performers, and favoring advantaged or punishing disadvantaged individuals. Fortunately, these limitations can be significantly eliminated by employing the CR evaluation, which was introduced to kinesiology by Safrit and colleagues in the 1980s and has been successfully applied to some practical problems (e.g., set health-related fitness standards for FITNESSGRAM). Yet, the CR evaluation has its own challenges, e.g., selecting an appropriate measure for a criterion behavior, when the expected relationship between the criterion behavior and a predictive measure is not clear, and when standards are not consistent among multiple field measures. Some of these challenges can be addressed by employing the latest statistical methods (e.g., test equating). This article provides a comprehensive review of the science and art of setting standards and cutoff scores in kinesiology. After a brief historical overview of the standard-setting practice in kinesiology is presented, a case analysis of a successful CR evaluation, along with related challenges, is described. Lessons learned from past and current practice as well as how to develop a defendable standard are described. Finally, future research needs and directions are outlined.
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Stability analysis is the primary task for ac microgrids operation. For a Single-Bus MicroGrid (SBMG) including voltage- and current-controlled inverters, the existing impedance analysis methods divide the microgrid into two parts and... more
Stability analysis is the primary task for ac microgrids operation. For a Single-Bus MicroGrid (SBMG) including voltage- and current-controlled inverters, the existing impedance analysis methods divide the microgrid into two parts and judge the stability by whether the impedance ratio of the two parts satisfies the Nyquist stability criterion. However, it would be complicated for the SBMG interconnection system. This paper proposes a single-bus based stability analysis method for interconnected ac islanded microgrids. The main idea starts from each SBMG stability analysis, and then according to the power line topologies among buses and the distribution of loads to derive the reference node voltage for the stability analysis of the entire system. The influence of controller parameters on system stability is analyzed by using the proposed method. Simulation results for interconnected ac islanded microgrids are given and indicate that the stability of the SBMG interconnection system shows different sensitivities to the controller parameters of different controlled inverters.
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The purpose of this study was to apply the hierarchical linear model (HLM) to assess children's changes in swimming skills. A total of 20 children from a preschool swimming programme, 10 boys and 10 girls, were tested by a swimming... more
The purpose of this study was to apply the hierarchical linear model (HLM) to assess children's changes in swimming skills. A total of 20 children from a preschool swimming programme, 10 boys and 10 girls, were tested by a swimming testing battery at the beginning and at the ...
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School factors associated with health-related fitness, using the National Children and Youth Fitness Survey II (NCYFS II) data, have been examined by Pate and Ross (1987), but the hierarchical structure of the data was ignored in the data... more
School factors associated with health-related fitness, using the National Children and Youth Fitness Survey II (NCYFS II) data, have been examined by Pate and Ross (1987), but the hierarchical structure of the data was ignored in the data analyses. The purpose of this study was to reanalyze the NCYFS II data using the hierarchical linear model and reexamine the effects of school physical education (PE) and other factors on children's 1-mile run/walk performance. Only two of five "significant" school factors were confirmed by this study, suggesting that heightened probabilities of Type I errors might have occurred in the previous study. Two confirmed key characteristics of school PE programs that led to improvement of children's cardiovascular endurance were PE specialists and the administration of fitness tests. For a hierarchical data structure, both experimental and observational units should be considered in the data analysis. The hierarchical linear model, which not only provides more accurate individual prediction but also takes group effect into account, proved to be an appropriate analytical model in analyzing the hierarchical data.
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The purpose of this study was to examine, using cluster analysis, the levels of body fatness as defined in the current national programs for children and youth fitness. A total of 1,056 examinees were drawn randomly from the published... more
The purpose of this study was to examine, using cluster analysis, the levels of body fatness as defined in the current national programs for children and youth fitness. A total of 1,056 examinees were drawn randomly from the published data of the National Children and Youth Fitness Study II, with 525 boys and 531 girls, ages 6 to 9 years. Their triceps and medial calf skinfold measures were used for the cluster analysis, including both the kth nearest-neighbor and the Ward's minimum variance procedures. Although multimodal clusters were found at four age groups according to the kth nearest-neighbor procedure, the Ward procedure and plotting of these clusters did not support their existence. It was concluded that the levels of body fatness reported in the current national children and youth fitness programs were arbitrarily defined.
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Developing a question to address or study is the first step of any scientific research. Being able to identify a good research question, which could address a major social problem or a scientific mystery, is therefore essential to the... more
Developing a question to address or study is the first step of any scientific research. Being able to identify a good research question, which could address a major social problem or a scientific mystery, is therefore essential to the success of any research study or project. For graduate students and young scholars, being able to identify such a question or research line could greatly increase their likelihood of being successful in their scholarship and professional career. Thus, it is not surprising that we often hear “complaints” from graduate students and young scholars that they have a hard time finding a good research question. To address this need, we created a new section called “Top 10 Research Questions” in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, in which we invite a known expert or a group of top scholars to provide a review on a specific research area/topic in kinesiology and list the top 10 research questions they think the field needs to address. The 2 “Top 10 Research Questions” articles published in this issue, related to physical activity and bone health in children and adolescents (Janz, Thomas, Ford, & Williams, this issue) and assessing physical activity and its contexts using systematic observation (McKenzie & van der Mars, this issue), respectively, are excellent examples of this section. Since the December 2013 issue of Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, we have published 9 “Top 10 Research Questions” articles.With 1 more being published online and slated for the upcoming June issue, 10 sets of “hot” research questions covering a variety of topics have been generated and presented to the field (listed in the following paragraphs in the order in which they were published):
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More and more people are going on diet in China.Similar to the failure rate of 95% in foreign countries,the weight-losing efforts of the most people in China end in failure.Why those people of strong will who have spent a lot of efforts... more
More and more people are going on diet in China.Similar to the failure rate of 95% in foreign countries,the weight-losing efforts of the most people in China end in failure.Why those people of strong will who have spent a lot of efforts in losing weight cannot achieve success? To answer this question,we must know what obesity is,why people get fat,how to define failure of losing weight,what changes of body and consciousness take place in losing weight,what is the min reason for failure of losing weight and what is the secret of a few successful people in losing weight.The article discusses the above questions according to the latest research results abroad.It recommends some scientific ways for losing weight properly.
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By experiment setting that is developed by the authors and based on the theory of uniform design, uniform experimental study on permeable coefficient in 19 samples from the aquifer under high stress indicates that the permeable... more
By experiment setting that is developed by the authors and based on the theory of uniform design, uniform experimental study on permeable coefficient in 19 samples from the aquifer under high stress indicates that the permeable coefficient and effective stress can be ...
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Part I. Tai Chi Basics Chapter 1. Art and Practice of Tai Chi Chapter 2. Basic Posture Part III. Tai Chi Forms Chapter 6. Forms for Cardiovascular Health Chapter 7. Forms for Stress Relief and Low-Back Health Part III. Tai Chi Routines... more
Part I. Tai Chi Basics Chapter 1. Art and Practice of Tai Chi Chapter 2. Basic Posture Part III. Tai Chi Forms Chapter 6. Forms for Cardiovascular Health Chapter 7. Forms for Stress Relief and Low-Back Health Part III. Tai Chi Routines Chapter 10. Six-Form Routine Chapter 11. Twelve-Form Routine.
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Introduction. This study aimed to examine the effect of a 5-week preparatory training period on arm explosive strength, isometric hand grip strength force and multiple choice time responses among elite male judo contestants. Material and... more
Introduction. This study aimed to examine the effect of a 5-week preparatory training period on arm explosive strength, isometric hand grip strength force and multiple choice time responses among elite male judo contestants. Material and methods. Eleven senior male judokas were enrolled to the study twice, i.e. before and after a 5-week preparation to a competition. During these sessions judokas performed in a randomized order three tests separated by 15-minute intervals for recovery: (i) the test of series of maximal motions performed separately and vigorously by left and right upper extremity. These type of motions (jerks) are usually part of some offensive actions (throws) in a judo struggle. The jerks were evoked by two types of light stimuli, during which concurrent measurements of time movement and maximal strength generated by left or right hand during the test were conducted, (ii) multiple visuo-motor time responses to series of 49 various consecutive light stimuli, (iii) ma...
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Objective: it is to describe the dose-response relation between moderate-to-strong physical activity(MVPA) and obesity risk in youth.It can help to understand the optimal amounts of physical activity needed to reduce the risk of obesity... more
Objective: it is to describe the dose-response relation between moderate-to-strong physical activity(MVPA) and obesity risk in youth.It can help to understand the optimal amounts of physical activity needed to reduce the risk of obesity in youth.Methods: Height,weight,and dietary supplements were measured among American youth.Physical Education(PA) was measured using Actigraph accelerometers over 7 days.Fractional polynomial regression modeling was used to fit the dose-response curves between MVPA and obesity risk in youth.Results: The likelihood of obesity decreased in a curvilinear manner with increasing minutes of MVPA.At 15,30,35 and 60 min/d of MVPA the risk ratios for obesity were 0.46,0.20,0.13,and 0.10,respectively,in comparison to 1 minute of MVPA.Conclusion: A modest dose-response relation was observed between MVPA and obesity in youth.