Variations in the constituent year effect in Junior World Championships in Alpine skiing : A window into relative devolopment effects?

While research on the effects of ‘birth month’ is usually referred to as relative age effects, the study of the effects of ‘birth year’ is described as the constituent year effect (CYE). In the present study we examined the impact of the CYE on participation in the Junior World Championship in alpine skiing. Based on previous research, we expected to find increasing numbers of participants the older the age-group, and that the CYE would be stronger in the speed events compared to the technical ones. The sample in the present study consisted of 1188 male skiers and 859 female skiers within the age range of 17 to 21 years at the time of competition. The results show that the number of male participants increased with increasing age, which can be described as a CYE. For female skiers, a CYE was found, but it dissipated two years earlier than for male skiers. The CYE varied with event and was more pronounced the higher the speed of the event. The findings thus suggest that a constituent year effect exists among skiers participating in the FIS Junior World Ski Championship in the alpine skiing championships, and that the effect varies with gender and event, rather unrelated to age. Thus, it seems that the effect may not be a relative age effect, but instead a relative developmentpublishedVersio

Phronesis, praxis and autotelic acts in physical education teaching

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis group) in Sport, Education and Society on 17/06/2019.Available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2019.1629898acceptedVersio

Students’ views on the purpose of physical education in upper secondary school. Physical education as a break in everyday school life – learning or just fun?

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis group) in Sport, Education and Society on 04/02/2019.Available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2019.1573421Previous research shows that students have a widespread understanding about the purpose of physical education (PE), including learning about movement, health and also PE as a break from other school subjects. The present study aims at examining more closely the break perspective in light of interview data from 26 students, whose statements in interviews that focused on PE in upper secondary school in Norway, reveal that the view of PE as a break from other school lessons is also a valid understanding among students when they are approaching the end of PE in their schooling. We have asked what kind of learning the students’ views on PE as a break from other school subject are, or may be, in light of the Norwegian curriculum in PE in upper secondary school and to changes in the 2012 curriculum, which aimed to reduce performance stress and too much hunt for good grades. We present two interpretations of the interview texts – PE as ‘the movement moment’ in everyday school life, and participating in fun activities together with good friends, and a third interpretation, which we describe as a relatively invisible view of knowledge goals among the students about training and lifestyle and critical awareness about sport cultures in the society. We argue that a view of PE as ‘a movement moment’ in everyday school life contributes to modifying the view on PE as a break from other school subjects and to seeing it as a relevant learning perspective. On the other hand, a modified break perspective should be merged with knowledge and critical lenses on training, health, lifestyle and sport cultures in society, so that the students’ views on the purpose of PE all in all contain important knowledge and reflections they should have, according to the Norwegian curriculum in PE.acceptedVersio

Power Cycle Testing of Press-Pack IGBT Chips

In this thesis the power cycling capability of individual press-pack IGBT chips is investigated. Press-pack is a packaging technology used for power semiconductors. For press-packs, both thermal and electrical contact to the semiconductor chip is obtained by the application of force on the package. Press-pack IGBTs is claimed by the manufacturers to be especially suitable for high-power applications with large variations in power output. Power cycle testing is an accelerated lifetime stress test, ideal for assessing the lifetime of components in such applications. In power cycle testing, a component is thermally cycled by on-state-losses from a current repeatedly turned on and off. SINTEF Energy Research have in cooperation with Technical University of Chemnitz developed a 2000 A power cycle tester. Power cycling of press-pack IGBT discs in this tester revealed an unexpectedly short power cycling lifetime. To obtain a sufficiently high current rating, press-pack IGBT discs consist of many paralleled IGBT chips. SINTEFs hypothesis is that changes in the internal pressure distribution, caused by deformation of the press-pack housing during power cycling, have caused a destructive stress level for IGBT chips in certain positions inside the press-pack. To investigate this hypothesis, test equipment for power cycling individual IGBT chips removed from press-pack discs have been developed in this master thesis. Two IGBT chips have been continuously power cycled for a considerable number of cycles under tough conditions. The results supports the hypothesis that the early failure of press-pack discs is caused by excessive stress on chips in certain locations. Since the lifetime of the individual chips was found to be 10 - 50 times longer than that of press-pack discs tested under similar stress, this conclusion is justified

Norwegian upper secondary students’ experiences of their teachers’ assessment of and for learning in physical education : examining how assessment is interpreted by students of different physical abilities

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis group) in Sport, Education and Society on 02/11/2020.Available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2020.1842728Teachers’ assessment enhances students’ learning in many situations in physical education (PE). The present study aims to examine the issue of potential unequal assessment of students due to their different physical abilities in PE in upper secondary school, where the research question is: What experiences do students with high or low levels of physical fitness have of their PE teacher’s assessment of and for learning? Individual interviews were conducted with thirteen boys and thirteen girls in the second year in upper secondary school to answer the question. Respondents were recruited on the basis of scores on physical fitness tests (measurement of oxygen uptake). Thirteen respondents scored on the lowest level and thirteen on the highest level of the fitness scale. Two main themes emerged from the analysis, revealing an unequal assessment of learning given to the students in the two groups, but a shared, equal experience of assessment for learning. Unfortunately, assessment for learning was experienced “rarely or never”, and the unequal assessment of learning did not favour the students with low physical fitness, who perhaps need more assessment than the students with high physical fitness. The study contributes new insight into students’ experience of assessment due to unequal conditions for learning. The analysis revealed elements that were lacking in the PE teaching and assessment, especially for the students with low physical fitness. Another finding is that few students experienced that they owned their learning process, even though some students experienced to be in a learning environment, wherein the teacher gave them learning-promoting assessment. The study reinforces the finding in earlier research to integrate assessment for learning in theories of teaching in PE, and from this perspective we support further exploration of assessment for learning as well as the concept of assessment literacy.acceptedVersio

In Pursuit of a Comprehensive Understanding of Expertise Development: A Comparison between Paths to World-Class Performance in Complex Technical vs. Endurance Demanding Sports

A comprehensive understanding of skill acquisition is important for different performance domains, and has practical implications for both sport sciences and public health. The study compared important constraints for expertise development in a physically demanding sport (cross-country skiing) versus a technically demanding sport (freeskiing). Eighteen world-class athletes reported the importance of different constraints for their developmental history subdivided into two age spans: (1) 7–15 years and (2) 16 years until present. The total amount of training did not differ between the groups, but from the age of 16, the cross-country skiers spend approximately 98% of their training specific to their main sport, compared to 75% for freeskiers. No differences were found between the distribution of organized versus non-organized training in main sport, but freeskiers reported a higher amount of unorganized training in other sports after the age of 16. No differences were found in perceived importance of facilities, enjoyment of performing their sport, or the need for early specialization of training. After the age of 16, the cross-country skiers reported a higher need for coach involvement compared to freeskiers. The two sports mainly share common paths to expertise but differ in the need for specific training and coach involvement.publishedVersio

Trivsel i kroppsøvingsfaget blant elever med lavt og høyt oksygenopptak

This study investigate students’ well-being in physical activity, dividing the students into groups of high or low physical fitness based on maximal oxygen uptake. The students had participated in a larger longitudinal project from 8th grade to their second year at Upper Secondary school. In the present study, 26 students at the end of their second year were selected, where 13 students had high oxygen uptake and 13 students had low oxygen uptake. These students were interviewed and fulfilled a survey about their motivation in physical education. The quantitative results indicate no difference in the students well-being. The qualitative results are supporting some of these findings, but these results reveal that the well-being was perceived differently according to students’ physical fitness. Students with high oxygen uptake expected and experienced physical education lessons as exercises to become more fit, being comfortable in most activities. Students with lower oxygen uptake viewed upon physical activity as a practical break during the day, where they could be comfortable and practice on parts of the exercise

The Arctic

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Vaners betydning for valg av middagsmat

Oppgavens første spørsmål ”Er vane et entydig begrep, eller står vi ovenfor flere typer av vaner?” er hovedfokus for oppgaven, altså hvorvidt ulike årsaker kan føre til ulike vanetyper, med ulike utfall. Middagen ble valgt for å studere vaner, siden den repeteres daglig og i stabile rammer med en viss grad av variasjon (Khare & Inman, 2006). Problemstillingens andre del, ”i hvilken grad blir middag spist av vane, intensjon og/eller spontant”, fordret at viktige begrep som vane, atferdsintensjon (e.g. Ajzen, 1991) og spontanitet (Beatty & Ferrell, 1998) ble beskrevet. Settingen rundt måltidet regnes som viktig for utforming av folks middagspraksis (e.g. Khare & Inman, 2006; Bugge, 2005). Det gjelder spesielt for vaner, som er atferd med automatiske responser på å møte spesifikke cues, for å oppnå visse mål eller sluttilstander (Verplanken & Aarts, 1999), derfor ble siste forskningsspørsmål ”hvilken innflytelse har situasjon og ønske om variasjon på hvordan valg av middag fattes?” Det ble apriori fremsatt tre hovedtyper av vaner, nemlig frekvensvanen (det hyppige og ubevisste), den regelmessige rutinevanen (vane som det bevisste ideal), hvor også tradisjonsvanen inngår, og sist vane som ubevisste handlinger. For å undersøke dette ble det utført dybdeintervjuer ved hjelp av en semi-strukturert intervjuguide, på et utvalg på 13 personer, som grovt sett representerer tre forskjellige livssituasjoner. Inndelingen i ulike livssituasjoner kastet lys over ulike praksiser og erfaringer, og gav grunnlag for flere typer av vaner. Resultatene viser at alle respondenter har likt middagsideal, nemlig fisk eller kjøtt, potet, ris eller pasta, grønnsaker og / eller salat og saus, og at middagen spises ved spisebordet, hvor alle deltar, og til faste tider. Respondentenes atferdsintensjoner var stort sett også rettet mot oppnåelse av idealer. Resultatet viser at enkelte respondenter har lykkes med sine intensjoner, mens andre greier dette av og til. Intensjoner fungerer som grunnlag for dannelse av rutinevaner, eller bevisste vaner, for flere av respondentene. Gjennom standhaftig utførelse over en viss tid, blir intensjonene utført mer og mer vanebasert (Triandis, 1982). Gode eksempler blant respondenter er å planlegge fisk en eller to dager i uken, for siden å repetere dette fast over tid, slik at atferden blir innlært, og gir hyppig og jevn frekvens, men med høyere grad av bevissthet enn frekvensvaner. Dette gjør disse vanene mindre sårbar for andre hendelser. Respondentenes rutiner kan også være tilpasset høytider og fest. Jula fremstod som klart mest preget av vaner, som opprettholdes av normer og positive forventninger til jula. For enkelte er disse rutinene så sterke at de ville reagert om de ikke hadde fått det de er vant med. Her er lav grad av hyppighet, og likevel med både bevisste elementer og også selvfølgelige og automatiske egenskaper kjennetegn på denne typen vane. Frekvensvaner gjenspeiles ofte i typiske retter i utvalget, nemlig noe enklere, rimelige, hurtige og gode retter med høy grad av hyppighet og stor grad av ubevisst atferd. Disse rettene lages ofte i situasjoner hvor det enten er stort tidspress med følt lav energi, lite penger og / eller kun en eller to personer tilstedet for å spise. Typiske helgeretter er derimot preget av god tid, men med ønske om å slappe av og kose seg. Yngre konsumenter benyttet oftest slike retter, mens eldres praksis er preget av kunnskaper og mange innarbeidede rutiner. Respondentene møtte også på situasjoner hvor de handlet på impuls, nemlig enten ved besøk, innkjøp eller ved utvelgelse av middag etter lysten. Spontane innfall har potensial til å avbryte både intensjonsbaserte og vanebaserte middager. Impulsbasert innkjøp er for de fleste ikke best praksis. Studiens resultater kan være nyttig både for matnæringen, myndigheter og for videre forskning, samt for andre aktører som har behov for større kunnskap om vaner. Studien gir innblikk i menneskelig atferd og tenkemåte angående middager, og også hvordan middagsvaner blir tilpasset ulike situasjoner. Det som først og fremst skiller frekvensvaner fra ulike rutinevaner er hyppighet og grad av bevissthet. Ulike situasjoner, tid og ønske om variasjon spiller en viktig bakgrunnsrolle for om de ulike middagsvalg spises av vane, intensjon eller det spontane. Det virker derfor sannsynlig at det eksisterer ulike typer vaner med ulike årsaker og utfall. Nøkkelord: Vane, intensjon, impuls, variasjon, middag, automatisk, rutine, tradisjon, situasjon, tid, frekvens, dybdeintervju, sosial norm, mora

Power Cycle Testing of Press-Pack IGBT Chips

In this thesis the power cycling capability of individual press-pack IGBT chips is investigated. Press-pack is a packaging technology used for power semiconductors. For press-packs, both thermal and electrical contact to the semiconductor chip is obtained by the application of force on the package. Press-pack IGBTs is claimed by the manufacturers to be especially suitable for high-power applications with large variations in power output. Power cycle testing is an accelerated lifetime stress test, ideal for assessing the lifetime of components in such applications. In power cycle testing, a component is thermally cycled by on-state-losses from a current repeatedly turned on and off.SINTEF Energy Research have in cooperation with Technical University of Chemnitz developed a 2000 A power cycle tester. Power cycling of press-pack IGBT discs in this tester revealed an unexpectedly short power cycling lifetime. To obtain a sufficiently high current rating, press-pack IGBT discs consist of many paralleled IGBT chips. SINTEFs hypothesis is that changes in the internal pressure distribution, caused by deformation of the press-pack housing during power cycling, have caused a destructive stress level for IGBT chips in certain positions inside the press-pack.To investigate this hypothesis, test equipment for power cycling individual IGBT chips removed from press-pack discs have been developed in this master thesis. Two IGBT chips have been continuously power cycled for a considerable number of cycles under tough conditions. The results supports the hypothesis that the early failure of press-pack discs is caused by excessive stress on chips in certain locations. Since the lifetime of the individual chips was found to be 10 - 50 times longer than that of press-pack discs tested under similar stress, this conclusion is justified