This research was to assess changes in Great Britain (GB) in the percent coverage of women’s sports in six national and Sunday newspapers (Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Express, Mail and Mirror) between 1984 and 1994. Measurements were taken of all sports articles on the front pages, editorial pages and sports pages for the period 1st-14th July in both years. Data were categorized into male only, female only and mixed articles per day, square centimetres per day and photos per day. There was a decrease in percentage coverage of women’s sport coverage (articles per day down 5.2%; cm2 per day down 5.2%; photos per day down 7.1%) while the overall coverage of sport increased. During the time period the portion of GB Olympians who were women increased by 7% and there was a 3% increase in proportion of sports participants in the general population who were women. An adjustment index is presented which uses population figures and sport participation figures to calculate the proportion of sport participants who are female. This index was used to assess fairness in reporting sport.
Performance characteristics of leather and synthetic basketballs were examined by measuring the basketballs' rebound heights on five types of playing surfaces (Tartan, asphalt, glass, concrete, hardwood). Comparing the basketballs' performance on the basis of their coefficients of restitution (e = height of rebound/height of drop) analysis of variance showed that the leather basketball rebounded significantly higher than the synthetic basketball on all surfaces. To assess the capability of individuals to discriminate perceptually between the balls 30 male and 30 female undergraduates were asked to determine whether basketballs randomly presented 20 times under four different treatment conditions (visual, tactual-kinesthetic static, tactual-kinesthetic dynamic, auditory) were leather or synthetic. Chi squared analysis of their accuracy across all four perceptual modes showed no significant difference. However, analysis by perceptual mode did produce significant differences, indicating subjects were more accurate in identification in the tactual-kinesthetic dynamic and static modes than in the visual and auditory.
Research into the valued characteristics of work placements on Library and Information Studies (LIS) first degree courses in UK universities was carried out by the Centre for Information Research and Training at the University of Central England in Birmingham (UCE). Group Feedback Strategy (GFS) was used to generate and evaluate characteristics from employers, tutors, students and graduates. Results showed that placements were seen as important by all participating groups. A reasonably high level of satisfaction was also recorded for a majority of the valued characteristics, by all groups. This article outlines the research and examines the characteristics which achieved higher satisfaction scores from employers than from other groups. These were: offering teamwork experiences; assessing capabilities; offering training opportunities; giving hands on IT experience; and requiring business confidentiality. Reasons for these differences are proposed and discussed.
TAPin (Training and Awareness Programme in Networks) was an eLib project which ran from 1995 to 1998. Its aim was to provide planned, targeted support in using networked resources to academic staff in Education, Law, and Life Sciences in six West Midland universities. The support was delivered by subject librarians using a model agreed by all participating institutions. Initial training was provided for these librarians, some by other eLib projects. The effects of the project were examined in an impact study, which repeated audits of network infrastructure, and of certain characteristics of academic staff and librarians carried out at the project's inception. Particular attention is given in this article to the impact of the project in respect of networked resources on academic staff attitudes and behaviour; on library and information staff perceptions and behaviour, and on library and information services themselves. The importance of cultural factors in successful institutional exploitation of networked information emerged throughout the audit data.
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