Education Commons^™

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Feasibility Of Tower Garden Implementation In Pre-Kindergarten 4-Year Old Classrooms, Kaitlyn Sills

Honors Theses

Explicit nutrition and gardening education for preschool-aged children is on the decline as health concerns increase (Fryar et al., 2018; Malden et al., 2019). Though the health, social-emotional, and academic benefits of hands-on gardening education are evident in research, many barriers to integration exist that inhibit teachers from implementing gardening into their classrooms (Burt et al., 2018; Heim et al., 2009; Gatto et al., 2011; Lineberger et al., 2000). Tower Gardens, otherwise known as hydro- and aeroponic, vertical gardening systems, offer an alternative to the space and time required for traditional gardening. However, the body of literature surrounding the impacts …

The Effectiveness Of Injury Prevention Programs On Injury Rates In Girl’S High School Basketball, Alexander Griffen

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of And Experiences With Body Image, Natallie Noel

Honors Theses

Adolescents experience a broad range of physical and emotional changes and begin looking to peers and social media to determine what their bodies should look like through the lens of society. This process of adolescents beginning to visualize themselves is known as body image. These include physical competence, motivation, self-esteem, and confidence through the way the teachers interact with students, develop positive learning spaces, and develop and implement intentional instruction and programs, thus, providing a space where adolescents begin to develop a healthy perception of their own body (Kerner et al., 2017). However, the breadth of literature on body image, …

A Qualitative Exploration Of A Kung Fu Character-Based Intervention And Third-Grade Students’ Perceptions, Kameron Shook

Honors Theses

Students are experiencing higher levels of stress in and out of the twenty-first century classroom. Stress can affect a student’s ability to interact with their peers, interact with their teacher, and interact with the material they are learning. Different interventions involving physical activities related to martial arts have been successful in improving student empathy and confidence in an anti-bullying intervention (Law, 2004; Rajan, 2015; Twemlow et al., 2008). However, few studies have addressed utilizing physically active standards-based lessons rooted in martial arts alongside focus vocabulary words as a means of developing the whole child, inclusive of the social, emotional, physical, …

Psychological Effects And Treatment Of An Injury On An Athlete: Suggested Treatment Plan For Athletic Trainers And Physical Therapist, Odell Miller

Honors Theses

Injuries that force athletes to lose participation in their sport and or training have a tremendous impact on their mental health. Mental health issues can be detrimental, but often times go unnoticed. For example in 2010, Kenny McKinley, a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, was found dead after killing himself with a gun. After suffering a knee injury, he had become progressively depressed. Investigators reported that there are statements saying that McKinley didn’t know what he would do without football. According to NCAA’s Sports Science Institute (2017), the psychological response to injury can trigger mental health issues such as: …

The Effects Of Exercise On The Cognitive Function Of Patients With Alzheimer’S Disease, Amanda Savitski

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is America’s most common neurodegenerative disease affecting over 5.4 million Americans (Fernández et al., 2017). A literature review was completed to assess the possible relation between physical activity and the progression of AD. Articles were collected from various peer-reviewed, published journals using the available databases of Western Michigan University library which included PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the National Institute of Health (NIH). Keywords used for the database searches included “Alzheimer”, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, “neurodegeneration”, “aging brain”, “exercise”, and “physical activity”. Based upon the literature reviewed, aerobic exercise appears to slow the progression of AD and possibly reverses it slightly …

The Importance Of Athletic Trainers At The High School Level And Barriers To Hire, Nathan Southerington

Honors Theses

The goal of the study is to unveil the significance of the athletic training profession at the high school level and identify any barriers that restrict high schools from employing athletic trainers (ATs). While ATs are a commodity in collegiate and professional sports, many high schools around the nation struggle to employ these health care professionals. Surveys were sent to both superintendents and athletic directors (ADs) throughout the state of Michigan, to establish common hindrances to hiring athletic trainers in secondary schools. The survey covered topics such as common barriers to hiring ATs, reasons they prefer to hire ATs, school …

Mirror Therapy, A Pain Management Therapy, Gabriella Andrews

Honors Theses

This project was undertaken to explore the use of mirror therapy (MT) as a palliative for stroke patients and amputees experiencing phantom limb pain. MT is a relatively new treatment and while it has limited research, it is starting to be used more within the rehabilitation setting. Research suggests MT has beneficial effects occur with phantom limb pain as well as post-stroke patients. This study will explain the history, uses, and research behind MT not only as a form of therapy but also a non-medicinal pain reliever.

Included are interviews from physical therapists (PT) and occupational therapists (OT) along with …

An Examination Of School Shootings And Mental Health: A Comparative Case Study, Emily Kaufman

Honors Theses

School shootings have become more relevant in our society over the past few decades, yet the debate over the cause of these shootings never seems to reach a conclusion. The current study looks at the connection between mental illness and school shootings, as well as the roles that media, gun control, violence, and masculinity play in the common phenomena. Prior literature has debated over the main causes of school shootings, but many researchers state differing opinions regarding the motivations for perpetrators. This study found that severe mental illness is the main cause of school shootings, and while mental illness may …

Lacuna: Transcendence Of The Human Body Through The Space Between, Anica Bottom

Honors Theses

This essay examines the author’s choreography, Lacuna, and research integral to its representation. During the choreographic process, experimentation of how the human body moves in relation to different architectural space was observed. In collaboration with the cast of dancers, cohesion of personal experiences in particular locations was evaluated: specifically, investigation of how environments has the ability to trigger habits or patterns of movement from both past and present experiences. A closer look at how the body responds on a visceral level to the physical and emotional sense of place is described. Although the choreographic piece, Lacuna, came to …

Health Educators’ Perceptions Of Factors Related To The Implementation Of School-Based Sexual Education, Kari Ellis

Honors Theses

Mississippi is one of the leading states in both teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection rates. In an effort to limit these rates, Mississippi passed House Bill 999 in 2011. This bill mandated sexual education in public schools throughout the state. However, since the passage of the bill there have been many factors that impact the way this curriculum is taught. To better understand these factors, how they affect educators, and how schools are addressing them, this study surveyed educators who taught some form of sex-related education curriculum from 2011 to 2016. The findings show that educators believe many factors …

The Effects Of Physical Activity And Movement On Learning, Alexandria Lemos

Honors Theses

After performing research into the effects of physical activity and movement on learning, I was asked to present my findings at a school-wide colloquium. This gathering was well-attended by students and faculty members alike. The university professors seemed highly interested in what I had discovered and asked many in-depth questions. The majority of the questions dealt with the same major issue: implementation.

No one questioned whether the presented information was true or not. The questions that came were how it would be possible to incorporate movement in the classroom in ways that were not distracting from the content. While the …

Drug Addiction In Youth: The High School And College Level, Shirley Anne Percy

Honors Theses

In a world undergoing enormous transitions, where familial and social supports are eroding and established beliefs are gradually being demolished, it is natural that many will try to modify their awareness--to ease the uncertainties of the day, to avoid psychic pain, to achieve pleasure, to find faith. The old gods falter; the old goals seem pointless. What is left but to chemically dull the senses or, alternatively, create new illustions, new utopian worlds? So it has been in every period of stress; so it is today.

Man changes his world enormously but himself minimally. He has created instant news, transportation …

Physical Education For Today's Youth, Susan Ann Todd

Honors Theses

I have dealt with the future trends in health and physical curricula and the problems young people face in physical education today. Each adult had their own ideal of recreation in their time of youth, but today's youth has a will and wisdom all its own. Thus, they must be permitted to see health and recreation in the future as something to look forward to. We must work to make this possible.