Are we speaking the same language: Exploring meaning construction in a first-year composition classroom.

Data revealed that disjunctions occurred between the teacher's intentions for making the assignments and the students interpretations of the assignments on some level with all three essays. Data analysis also indicated that the written texts which the students produced were shaped by sociocultural influences, personal and educational influences, intertextual influences, and motivational influences.Current studies of writing and literacy are focusing much attention on the construction of meaning through sociocultural approaches and semiotics. This social interactive and meaning constructive perspective involves not only the written text but also what the writer brings to the text and the contextual elements of the writing. This exploratory study had two primary focuses. It investigated how first year college composition students understood and interpreted classroom writing assignments and to what extent the teacher's intentions for the assignments were fulfilled by the students. Also, the study examined how the students constructed meaning from the classroom writing assignments and to what extent these meanings were shaped not only by personal knowledge and investment but also by social and cultural influences as well.The study was conducted in a first year Composition 1213 class at a two year college. Data were collected from the entire class as well as four volunteer student participants and the teacher. Concurrent think-aloud protocols from three essay assignments along with open-ended interviews over each assignment were the primary data sources. The protocol and interview data were collected from each of the volunteer student participants. The teacher also participated in four interviews. Observational and questionnaire data from the entire class and the teacher supplemented the primary data sources

Chronicle (Paterson, NJ) Vol. 32, No. 19, May 8, 1960

Local information pertaining to Paterson, N.J. and surrounding Passaic County. Issues may include events, government, business, political cartoons, engagement and marriage announcements, and birth announcements. This publication was also known as the Paterson Chronicle (1952) and the Paterson Sunday Chronicle (1951-1952)

Body mass index, but not physical activity, is associated with C-reactive protein

Elevated high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is associated with increased risk of future first and recurrent coronary events and has been associated with both high body mass index (BMI) and low physical activity in cross sectional studies. Purpose: To longitudinally examine the effects of BMI and both current and previous-year physical activity on hs-CRP in healthy men and women (N = 109). Methods: BMI and hs-CRP were measured five times (baseline and quarterly) over 1 yr. Current physical activity was assessed 12-15 times during the study via 24-h recall. Previous-year physical activity was assessed using the Baecke questionnaire at baseline. Results: Mean BMI and hs-CRP were unchanged over the course of the study, but current physical activity increased on visit 3. Average hs-CRP was not related to average current physical activity or to natural changes in current physical activity across the five visits. Additionally, current physical activity on any given visit was not associated with hs-CRP on the following visit. When current physical activity, BMI, age, gender, and smoking were included in the statistical model, only BMI was significantly related to hs-CRP (P \u3c 0.001). Average hs-CRP was significantly correlated with average BMI (r = 0.50; P \u3c 0.001) but was not related to previous-year (Baecke) physical activity levels (r = 0.02; P = 0.89). When subjects were grouped by BMI (\u3c25 kg·m-2, 25-29.9 kg·m-2, \u3e30 kg·m-2) hs-CRP was significantly greater in obese (3.2 ± 1.9 mg·L-1) and overweight (2.1 ± 1.7 mg·L-1) than normal weight (1.1 ± 1.0 mg·L-1) subjects (ANOVA P \u3c 0.05). Current physical activity was similar between the three BMI groups at all times, and was unrelated to hs-CRP in all groups, throughout the study period. Conclusion: These data indicate that BMI, but not previous-year or current physical activity, predicts hs-CRP