Digital Commons Network^™

Rubrics In Use As An Assessment Tool For Elementary Physical Education, Megan Marie Brown

All Graduate Projects

There are many health related benefits of participating in regular physical activity. A well-designed elementary physical education program will promote lifetime physical activity that may reduce the risk of disease. In implementing a quality curriculum for physical education, educators need to take in to account the standards when deciding the direction for their curriculum (NASPE, 2005). According to the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (2008), physical education includes curriculum, instruction and assessment all implemented together. This project addresses the need for meaningful and convenient assessment tools.

Teachers' Perceptions Toward The Secondary Physical Education Program In The State Of Kuwait, Khaled A. Al-Kandari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the perceptions of physical education teachers and supervisors toward the secondary physical education program in eight domains in the State of Kuwait. Stratified and cluster sampling were used to select two schools of female teachers and two schools of male teachers from each district (6 districts); therefore, 24 schools were selected randomly. One hundred thirty-eight physical education teachers were selected and 66 supervisors were selected. A four-point rating scale (i.e., strongly disagree to strongly agree) and open-ended questions were included in the survey. Cronbach's alpha reliability, descriptive statistics, and independent sample t …

Effect Of Handedness On Gross Motor Skill Acquisition Among College Undergraduates, Anthony Paul Parish

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is little applicable research investigating educational adaptation for handedness and even less research dealing with physical skill development. Given that PE teachers and students frequently rely on demonstrations to enhance learning, this study sought to determine if the congruence between teacher and student handedness is important? It was hypothesized that performance and form scores of left-handers that see a right-handed demonstration would be significantly higher than those of right-handers that see a left-handed demonstration.

A lacrosse shot was demonstrated to a group of 69 college-aged participants that were equally split in numbers between male and female and left and …

The Integration Of Technology Within Physical Education Teacher Education: Perceptions Of The Faculty, Helena Baert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, the national Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) standards included a more integrated approach to teaching pre-service teachers about technology and stated that teacher candidates should be able to plan and implement technology infused learning experiences that meet lesson objectives. With the inclusion of the 2008 standards, PETE faculty have the task to create instruction that effectively integrates technology. This study investigated the preparedness for technology integration of 198 teacher educators within nationally recognized PETE programs. The study utilized survey research design to identify current technologies used, analyze current level of technology proficiency in relationship to the level of …

Latent Growth Modeling Of A Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention, Alicia Dea Sample

Dissertations

The health, economic, and social impacts of physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary patterns are quite significant and evidenced by the fact that only 3-4% of American adults follow all the dietary advice recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA; Kohatsu, Robinson, & Torner, 2004), and specific subpopulations, including the rural South, are affected even more drastically (McCabe-Sellers et al., 2007). Furthermore, the majority of the people in the United States do not currently meet recommended amounts of physical activity (PA) and have not since the mid 1980s (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2008). To address the …

Sleep Habits Of High School Students: An Intervention To Improve Them, John Edward Wallace

Doctoral Dissertations

Adolescence is a time of tremendous growth: physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Many experts state that good sleep habits are very important for adolescents and emotional well-being. The few studies of adolescents' sleep habits have reported that many high school-age students sleep less than eight hours when their bodies actually need nine hours a night. Research has found a relationship between shortened sleep duration and chaotic sleep patterns to overall poor school performance.

Sleep problems among adolescents have been found to be associated with anxiety, depression, inattentive behavior, social problems, aggressive behavior, and delinquency. Additional studies indicate that adolescents who …

Employee Health And Fitness Programs Within Educational Settings: An Examination Of Job Satisfaction And Intent To Stay, Jennifer Lea Malouff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are at the frontline of education and student learning; districts and schools are investigating innovated, yet cost-effective, ways to positively address organizational variables such as job satisfaction and immediate intent to stay. The implementation of employee health and fitness program could be a relatively simple way to not only address these issues but also positively impact the health and overall well-being of all employees. Even with the supporting research regarding employee health and fitness programs, gaps and contradictions still exist; future research is necessary in order to draw conclusions regarding program value and justification. The present study therefore sought …

Evidence-Based Practice In Clinical Athletic Training Education, Dorice A. Hankemeier

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) concepts are becoming more prevalent in the educational curricula of nursing, medicine, physical therapy, and athletic training. The infusion of EBP in the clinical education experience of students has been slow especially in athletic training. The aim of Project I was to investigate approved clinical instructors (ACIs) experience and implementation of EBP with students through emergent design qualitative interviews. Project II was designed to develop and establish the reliability of the Evidence-Based Concepts Assessment (EBCA) to assess athletic trainers' perceived importance, attitudes & beliefs, knowledge, confidence, accessibility, and barriers of EBP. Project III investigated the importance, knowledge, …

Bringing Physical Education Home: A Handbook Of Fitness Activities For Use Outside Of School, Nicholas Joseph Lombardo

All Graduate Projects

A handbook has been developed to aid in the integration of physical fitness and movement of elementary students beyond the school gymnasium. As more and more evidence points to the need and importance of physical activity being a daily part of children's lives, it is clear that the current requirements of physical education in today's schools are not enough. The handbook consists of six sections regarding the scope of where outside the school these activities can be done: at home indoors, your own back yard, within your neighborhood, surrounding cities, around the state, across the Nation. The targeted population for …

Perceived Effectiveness Of Sports Interventions On Mental Health: Exploring The Perspectives Of Professional Educators, Isais Wellington Smith, Gamaliel Beltran

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine sports interventions among professional educators and how sports as an exercise method can contribute to mental health well being. Sports and exercise in many therapeutic environments may help individuals alleviate symptoms pertaining to depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bi-polar, and many other mental health disorders.

A Multidimensional View Of Childhood Obesity In The United States, Chauncey Duke Hayes

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to review all the contributing factors that lead to obesity in children and to review both prevention and treatment methods that are being implemented in the attempt to combat the epidemic. These factors are continually evolving and include social changes, dietary changes, medical changes, K-12 physical education, and monetary strain in the economic growth within the decades following the 80's, and public perception regarding treatment and perception regarding treatment and prevention of obesity. All have an impact on the current obesity epidemic.

The Effects And Recommendations For Gender Interaction In Physical Education, Angel Castro Jr.

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to review effects of gender interaction in physical education that might contribute to student's participation levels in different learning environments. The review of literature was used to examine the effects of physical education and it was found that most studies suggested a single gendered environment resulted in more class participation.

Delilah The Dinosaur With Type 1 Diabetes: Addressing The Social-Emotional Needs Of The Young Child Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes, Andrea Tuttman Gellerstein

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This independent study is intended to support very young children, ages 4-8, who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and their families. The following work provides a thorough examination of literature regarding the social-emotional effects of type 1 diabetes on the young child and his or her family; the specific developmental challenges that can arise due to an early type 1 diabetes diagnosis; and a detailed review of the current fictional children's literature available to this population. Finally, as a culmination of this research, this project includes an original, fictional story intended to address the social-emotional needs of the young …

The Impact Of Training On Mentor And Student Teachers' Self Efficacy In Physical Education, Ana Lilia Cisneros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Providing support from an experienced teacher through mentoring has been as one way to reform teaching and teacher education. To keep talented beginning teachers in the profession, more than 30 states have implemented some form of mentoring program for novice teacher assistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of formal training on mentor and student teachers' self-efficacy in physical education. The study included eight mentors and seven student teachers in the experimental group receiving training. Three mentor and three student teachers were part of the control group and received no training. All results indicated the mentor …

Development And Evaluation Of A Personalized Normative Feedback Intervention For Hispanic Youth At High Risk Of Smoking, Holly Mata

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite reductions in overall smoking rates, data show that adolescents continue to smoke at higher rates than adults and that adolescents living in the Texas-Mexico border area are more likely than their counterparts living elsewhere in Texas to smoke. While adult smoking in the Paso del Norte Region has decreased significantly over the past decade, area youth smoking rates exceed both state and national averages. Recent estimates report cigarette smoking among El Paso youth in the past month to be slightly more than 28% as compared with 21% among Texas youth participating in the 2009 statewide Youth Risk Behavior Survey …

Relationships Between Exercise Motives And Maintenance Among College Students, Judith Ann Craig

Theses Digitization Project

Summary.

Inclusion Of Lacrosse Into Physical Education Curriculum, Dongwoon Won

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to review literature about the history, the strategies, and the present situation of lacrosse in the USA, and to examine whether lacrosse is suitable for inclusion in physical education curricula.

The Creation Of Self-Directed Nutrition Education Modules In The Women, Infants, And Children (Wic) Program, Veronica Huff

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to design a series of self-directed learning modules for enrollees in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Riverside County, California. The WIC Program is a supplemental nutrition program that, among other things, provides participants with nutrition education to help them understand the health benefits of choosing more nutritious food. This project features information concerning the problem of food insecurity, the nutrition education of low-income women and children in the WIC program, and the characteristics of adult learners. The objective was to examine the WIC participants' comprehension and willingness to use self-directed learning …

The Value Of Leisure In Coping With Natural Disaster: A Case Study In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Katrina, Germaine Jackson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have witnessed more than their share of cataclysmic events, both natural and human-made. Most notable is Hurricane Katrina, a category 5 storm that ravaged the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi. The infamous history of Hurricane Katrina's devastation stems from a couple of factors. First, the death toll reached what, for Americans, was a shockingly high figure of 1,577 people. Second, and more socially and politically relevant, was the federal government's mismanagement of the crisis.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of leisure services available to adolescents following the traumatic …

Parental Perception Of Childhood Obesity And The School's Role On Prevention And Interventions In Childhood Obesity, Monique Jones

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Childhood obesity is a major health crisis that is becoming an epidemic among children and adolescents. Interventions must begin early and focus on prevention strategies to achieve the goal of increasing quality years of life for today's children and families. Parents with children in a local after school Boys & Girls club were surveyed regarding their perception of childhood obesity, the causes of childhood obesity, and the school's role in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. More than 90% of the participants identified inactivity, poor eating behavior, eating too much, and lack of money to buy nutritious foods as …

Namaste: Pedagogical Methods For Designing Yoga & Art Experiences For/With Teen Participants, Tiffani Olivia Bryant

English Theses & Dissertations

Within this study, teens are asked to analyze yoga studio homepages in relation to their experiences with the practice of yoga. This dissertation research engages the teen girls as participants responsible for co-designing the learning constructs through which they make meaning out of their experiences. This research is rooted in informational design, experiential design, and design practices for a teen demographic through the artifact of yoga.

Participant observation is used to examine how eight teen girls understand yoga as a practice, internalize their experiences with yoga, and thusly communicate what they have learned about yoga and a sampling of digital …

A Comparison Of Face-To-Face And Online Instructional Delivery Methods In Large-Group Settings In A University Undergraduate Wellness Course, Lea Ann Shaddox

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Utilization of online delivery of the lecture component in an undergraduate wellness course is unique and undocumented in research. Wellness courses are traditionally taught with face-to-face lectures plus an activity component. This discipline is distinctive in terms of its activity components that are not conducted online.

The purpose of this study was to investigate two large group face-to-face and online courses to determine if the students enrolled were demographically equivalent and if there were differences in academic achievement in terms of final course grades and between subgroups of students. For the fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters, 1,814 students were …

Effects Of Physical Activity On Physical Self-Concept Among College Students, Jeeyoung Kim

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity on physical self-concept among college students. Physical activity has been promoted as a means of reinforcing self-concept. A sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity are considered to be leading components known to result in obesity.

Implications And Recommendations For Online Physical Education At Secondary Level, Josh Caleb Brannen

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to examine how online physical education courses impact student learning and achievement of fitness and health standards now that budget cuts are leading to the curtailing or elimination of traditional physical education classes at the secondary level of K-12 education.

The Efficacy Of An Intuitive Eating Education Program In A School Nutrition Education Curriculum, Nicole Healy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Childhood and adolescent obesity and eating disorders are increasing at an alarming rate in the United States and they occur at younger ages than previously observed. To combat childhood and adolescent obesity, many school nutrition education programs offer obesity prevention programs. Some of these programs consist of restrictive eating plans for obesity prevention, yet their efficacy has been questioned because an unintended consequence is that they may actually increase eating disorder behaviors. An alternative to programs that focus on restrictive eating is the Intuitive eating approach, which is based on the premise that an adherence to physiological cues in determining …