No abstract

Abstract-This study determined the driving characteristics of wheelchair users during power wheelchair soccer games. Data for this study were collected at the 28th and 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Nineteen veterans who were 18 years or older and power wheelchair soccer players completed a brief demographic survey and provided information about their power wheelchairs. A customized data-logging device was placed on each participant's wheelchair before power soccer game participation. The data logger was removed at the end of the final game for each participant. The average distance traveled during the games was 899.5 +/-592.5 m, and the average maximum continuous distance traveled was 256.0 +/-209.4 m. The average wheelchair speed was 0.8 +/-0.2 m/s, and the average duration of driving time was 17.6 +/-8.3 min. Average proportion of time spent at a speed >1 m/s was 30.7% +/-33.8%, between 0.5 and 1 m/s was 16.2% +/-34.4%, and <0.5 m/s was 21.4% +/-24.3%. The information from this descriptive study provides insight for future research in the field of adapted sports for people with high levels of impairments who use power wheelchairs for their mobility.

The booming Information Technology sector in India has changed the employee-employer relationship. This article investigates the relationship between career stages and work values, organisational commitment and job satisfaction of employees to gain new insights. 190 employees at various career stages were administered three standardised reliable and valid questionnaires on work values, organisational commitment and job satisfaction. A significant difference in cognitive, affective, and instrumental values was seen across career stages. In addition, career stages were found to have no impact on organisational commitment and job satisfaction.

In recent years I have increasingly been involved with action research at several levels (as a leader and participant on the NARN project and also on other institutional, collaborative and individual research studies). To fulfil my various responsibilities I convened and led the Action Research Consortium (ARC) at the University of Bedfordshire from June 2008 to June 2010. Evaluating the effects of this action provided a research topic and the context for my own personal and professional development, which I present in this paper as a reflective analysis. I focus on the main lessons learned and applied at a management level, through analysing the type of change ARC participants reported and discussed, and that I observed. My insights and recommendations are broadly informed by theories related to action research, Appreciative Inquiry and positive psychology approaches.I argue here that action research can generate continuous improvements in pedagogy - but achieving this ideal for all staff crucially depends on cycles of action research operating in a productive dynamic with their personal and professional development (and this could extend to students). This will not happen by chance, and has not happened as extensively as expected, even though my findings show that the opportunities offered through the ARC were motivating and beneficial for staff who engaged. For the potential impact of action research to be realised in the experience of practitioner-researchers and in the vision of universities, positive conditions must be created to support research-active programmes and communities, underpinned by congruent protocols and values. The recommendations I make here can help to promote and sustain an integral research culture and are therefore relevant to managers, as well as practitioners, who are doing, or thinking of embarking on, action research.

No abstract