Monica Lininger

An examination of the impact of changes in federal policies on the landscape of educational research in the USA

In the past decade, there has been a dramatic shift in US federal policies toward the use of experiments and high-quality quasi-experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, practices, and policies. From a funding perspective, the effects of the policy shifts are clear given the dramatic increase in the number of experiments launched in the field. In this study, we examined the effects of the policy shifts on published literature, which is critical given the goal of building a body of knowledge on which to base educational policies and practices. We found little evidence of change in the frequency of published experiments among a sample of top journals in the field from the pre- to post-policy eras. However, there were a large number of experiments published in the newly established Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness during the post-policy era.

From Planning to Implementation: An Examination of Changes in the Research Design, Sample Size, and Precision of Group Randomized Trials Launched by the Institute of Education Sciences

Abstract This article examines changes in the research design, sample size, and precision between the planning phase and implementation phase of group randomized trials (GRTs) funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. Thirty-eight GRTs funded between 2002 and 2006 were examined. Three studies revealed changes in the experimental design. Ten studies showed decreases in the total number of groups randomized, whereas 18 studies showed increases. In five cases, the decreases in the number of groups randomized were large enough to decrease the precision of the study. However, in the majority of the studies, the precision was relatively unchanged from planning phase to implementation phase. The consistency in the precision between the planning phase and implementation phase highlights the importance of planning adequately powered studies.

Iliotibial band syndrome in the athletic population: Strengthening and rehabilitation exercises

ILIOTIBIAL BAND SYNDROME (ITBS) IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF LATERAL KNEE PAIN IN RUNNERS. STRENGTHENING OF THE ABDUCTORS, MORE SPECIFICALLY THE GLUTEUS MEDIUS, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO DECREASE THE INCIDENCE OF ITBS. THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WILL DISCUSS STRENGTHENING AND STRETCHING EXERCISES FOR THE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SPECIALIST AND THEIR ATHLETES.

Utility of FMS to Understand Injury Incidence in Sports: Current Perspectives

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a popular movement screen used by rehabilitation, as well as strength and conditioning, professionals. The FMS, like other movement screens, identifies movement dysfunction in those at risk of, but not currently experiencing, signs or symptoms of a musculoskeletal injury. Seven movement patterns comprise the FMS, which was designed to screen fundamental movement requiring a balance between stability and mobility. The 7 movement patterns are summed to a composite FMS score. For an instrument to have wide applicability and acceptability, there must be high levels of reliability, validity, and accuracy. The FMS is certainly a reliable tool, and can be consistently scored within and between raters. Although the FMS has high face and content validity, the criterion validity (discriminant and convergent) is low. Additionally, the FMS does not appear to be studying a single construct, challenging the use of the summed composite FMS score. The accuracy of the FMS in screening for injury is also suspect, with low sensitivity in almost all studies, although specificity is higher. Finally, within the FMS literature, the concepts of prediction and association are conflated, combined with flawed cohort studies, leading to questions about the efficacy of the FMS to screen for injury. Future research on the use of the FMS, either the composite score or the individual movement patterns, to screen for injury or injury risk in adequately powered, well-designed studies are required to determine if the FMS is appropriate for use as a movement screen.

Statistical Primer for Athletic Trainers: The Essentials of Understanding Measures of Reliability and Minimal Important Change

OBJECTIVE   To describe the concepts of measurement reliability and minimal important change. BACKGROUND   All measurements have some magnitude of error. Because clinical practice involves measurement, clinicians need to understand measurement reliability. The reliability of an instrument is integral in determining if a change in patient status is meaningful. DESCRIPTION   Measurement reliability is the extent to which a test result is consistent and free of error. Three perspectives of reliability-relative reliability, systematic bias, and absolute reliability-are often reported. However, absolute reliability statistics, such as the minimal detectable difference, are most relevant to clinicians because they provide an expected error estimate. The minimal important difference is the smallest change in a treatment outcome that the patient would identify as important. RECOMMENDATIONS   Clinicians should use absolute reliability characteristics, preferably the minimal detectable difference, to determine the extent of error around a patients measurement. The minimal detectable difference, coupled with an appropriately estimated minimal important difference, can assist the practitioner in identifying clinically meaningful changes in patients.

Principles of Statistics

Understanding the results and statistics reported in original research remains a large challenge for many sports medicine practitioners and, in turn, may be among one of the biggest barriers to integrating research into sports medicine practice. The purpose of this article is to provide minimal essentials a sports medicine practitioner needs to know about interpreting statistics and research results to facilitate the incorporation of the latest evidence into practice. Topics covered include the difference between statistical significance and clinical meaningfulness; effect sizes and confidence intervals; reliability statistics, including the minimal detectable difference and minimal important difference; and statistical power.

Changes in Self-Reported Concussion History after Administration of a Novel Concussion History Questionnaire in Collegiate Recreational Student-Athletes

Research has shown that exposure to a concussion definition (CD) increases self-reported concussion history (SRCH) immediately, however, no research has been performed that examines the effects of exposure to a CD on SRCH over time. Collegiate recreational student-athletes (RSAs) have limited access to monitoring and supervision by medical staff. As such, recognition of concussion symptoms and need for medical management oftentimes falls upon the RSA. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a novel questionnaire on the SRCH of RSAs. A two-part questionnaire was sent to RSAs participating is sports with a greater than average risk of concussion at a university in Arizona. Data from 171 RSAs were analyzed to assess the change in RSAs’ suspected concussion estimates pre- and post-exposure to a CD and concussion symptom worksheet, as well as over the short-term (2.5 months). Approximately one-third of RSAs reported an increase in suspected concussion estimates immediately following exposure to the questionnaire, but the change was not maintained over the short-term. The results suggest that a single exposure to a CD is ineffective at increasing short-term SRCH estimates.