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A practical evaluation method using item response theory to evaluate children’s form of Jumping-over and crawling-under

by Yasufumi Ohyama - October 17, 2024

In order to develop the test battery evaluating the movement of Jumping-over and crawling-under for young children, we measured and videotaped it performed by 350 kindergarten children. After that, 16 movements by body part were assess using three categories of “possible,” “no idea” and “impossible.” Since the change of eigenvalues derived from this data represented a one-dimensional structure having a high homogeneous each other, successively, the parameters of step difficulty and samples were computed using IRT. Among various IRT models, this study used Partial Credit model because obtained data is ordinal and the sample size is few. Then we found the outcomes as follows: 1) The correlation between the two sets of parameters of step difficulty computed from two sets of randomly divided samples was high, so that it can be concluded that the difficulty parameters are not depended on any ability level of samples. Again, the correlation between the two sets of sample parameters calculated from two groups of randomly grouped item parameters was also significant. This fact allowed us to conclude the obtained sample parameters did not depend on any difficulty level of items. 2) As significant difference between ages in obtained thetas was found, it is considered that thetas reflect motor ability that advances with maturity. There was also high correlation between thetas and measurements of Jumping-over and crawling-under. 3) Judging from information function consisting of 16 items, this test is suitable to determine the ability with from middle to a little low level because the information reached around there. 4) A practical estimation and evaluation sheet utilizing thetas by total score based on Zhu and Cole (1996) was developed and the application examples were represented. 5) As a result that the relationship between strictly computed indexes of fitness and the number of aberrant patterns detected in the practical method in this study was examined, the high correlation was found. Judging from this fact, it can be concluded that IRT is useful to estimate and evaluate the movement of Jumping-over and crawling-under.

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Technical Article Business & Management Economics Psychology and Education

A Survey on BeReal among University Students: Focus on Learning Motivation and Privacy Consciousness

by Futa Yahiro - October 24, 2024

The purpose of this study was to determine university students' thoughts on the use of BeReal. After clarifying these ideas, we compared and examined the differences in learning motivation and privacy consciousness by use, non-use, and differences in thinking. The survey population consisted of 368 university students. The survey included “items on thoughts about using BeReal”, “Learning Motivation Scale”, and “Privacy Consciousness Scale”. The results of this study indicated that BeReal is becoming more common among university students, and that many of them are willing to contribute during class.Also, It revealed that university students who use BeReal tend to be less learning motivation than those who do not use BeReal. Furthermore, the group that posts BeReal during class tends to have lower awareness of and behavior to maintain their own privacy than the group that does not post BeReal during class.

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Review Article Others

Methodological examination of methods for analyzing factors that affect home team advantage: from univariate analysis to multivariate correlation models and causal models

by Yasufumi Ohyama - October 7, 2024

While most researchers agree that home advantage (HA) exists in soccer, baseball, field hockey, basketball, and other sports regardless of whether they are collegiate or professional, there is no common view on the relationship between “travel,” “familiarity with the game environment,” and “spectator effect” and the factors derived from them and home advantage. However, there is no common view on the relationship between “travel,” “familiarity with the game environment,” “spectator effect,” and their derived factors, and HA. In other words, unless there are new factors that are not addressed here, it is more appropriate to think of the factors that affect HA, which clearly exists, as “multiple factors that relate to each other and affect it comprehensively,” rather than as “factors that affect it independently. Therefore, a possible methodology for examining HA factors is the use of multivariate analysis, such as multiple regression analysis or logistic regression analysis. Then, when illustrating the findings obtained from correlation analysis, one-way arrows are used to show the relationship between the factors, and the focus shifts from the correlation relationship to the search for causal relationships. When the scope of correlation analysis is extended to include causal relationships, path analysis is used to examine not only direct effects but also indirect effects. Furthermore, as a natural development of the methodology of causal analysis, a new direction is considered to be the analysis of covariance structure, which examines the causal relationships between factors, rather than only the observed variables.

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Article Engineering in General

Evaluation of Revitalization Measures for Central City Areas Considering Changes in Human Flows

by Daisuke Kamiya - September 9, 2024

In recent years, a declining population and an aging and decline have led to a reduction in the vibrancy and economic activity of the city. Various regional cities have taken measures to revitalize their central city areas. However, they have yet to develop a method to quantify the effects of these measures. In this study, using a device equipped with Internet of Things (IoT), we obtained basic data on the number of visitors before the COVID-19 to quantify pedestrian traffic along Kokusai Street. Our findings revealed that the implementation of revitalization strategies led to a notable increase in the number of individuals visiting the area, as well as in the average duration of their stay. This suggests that the implemented measures have the potential to contribute to the revitalization of the area, thereby fostering the creation of a vibrant town center.

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