Motivational resources, personal characteristics, and grades: an investigation into academic achievement in the UAE.

According to Hattie (2003), student differences account for approximately 50 per cent of the variance in academic achievement. In the current study, ‘student differences’ was disaggregated and two broad categories of predictors, personal characteristics and motivational resources, were formed to investigate academic performance in an EFL preparatory program at a tertiary level institution in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). The category of personal characteristics consisted of SES and gender; the category of motivational resources consisted of psychological variables drawn from Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000). Two studies with two separate cohorts were conducted. In study 1 (N=166), participants had achieved an overall English language proficiency of Band 5 in the IELTS exam, but had failed to gain a minimum score of Band 5 in one of the sub-skills (Reading, Writing, Listening, or Speaking) that compose the overall IELTS score. In study 2 (N=80), participants had failed to achieve the minimum required overall score of Band 5. Participants in study 2 were examined twice: once at the start and once at the end of term. Results indicated that the correlations between motivational constructs in both studies were consistent with the relevant literature. However, in correlation and regression analyses, the direction of the relationships between SES and grades, and between autonomous motives and grades, were contrary to expectations. Recommendations for practice and potential research agendas are discussed

Concepts of illicit drug quality among darknet market users:purity, embodied experience, craft and chemical knowledge

Background Users of darknet markets refer to product quality as one of the motivations for buying drugs there, and vendors present quality as a selling point. However what users understand by quality and how they evaluate it is not clear. This paper investigates how users established and compared drug quality. Methods We used a two-stage method for investigating users' assessments. The user forum of a darknet market that we called 'Merkat' was analysed to develop emergent themes. Qualitative interviews with darknet users were conducted, then forum data was analysed again. To enhance the applicability of the findings, the forum was sampled for users who presented as dependent as well as recreational. Results Quality could mean reliability, purity, potency, and predictability of effect. We focused on the different kinds of knowledge users drew on to assess quality. These were: embodied; craft; and chemical. Conclusion. Users’ evaluations of quality depended on their experience, the purpose of use, and its context. Market forums are a case of indigenous harm reduction where users share advise and experiences and can be usefully engaged with on these terms

Sensory Supplementation to Enhance Adaptation Following G-transitions and Traumatic Brain Injury

Sensory supplementation can be incorporated as online feedback for improving spatial orientation awareness for manual control tasks (e.g. TSAS, Shuttle ZAG study). Preliminary data with vestibular patients and TBI military population is promising for rehabilitation training. Recommend that sensory supplementation be incorporated as a training component in an integrated countermeasure approach