Education Commons^™

Representations Of Health And Wellness In Children's Literature, Emily Kate Murphy

Honors Program Theses

The term health is multifaceted. Health can refer to one’s physical, spiritual, or mental state, among other things. The goal of this study was to determine how educators can use children’s literature to support students being introduced to healthy habits regarding these aspects at a young age, through children’s literature. A content analysis was conducted over a selection of 16 children’s literature texts. It was organized by thematic categories matching the aforementioned facets of health and assessed through a Likert scale. This analysis resulted in the development of a website intended to serve as a tool for teachers to implement …

The Effectiveness Of A "Patient Discharge Information" Booklet In Patient Education Programs In Saudi Arabia, Amani Mohammed Al Rebeh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of the Patient Discharge Information (PDI) booklet on the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors of participants who were cesarean patients in local hospitals in Saudi Arabia. This study investigated the following two research questions: (1) does the participant have information, resources, and understand basic personal health information regarding her health conditions including diagnosis, treatment, self-care management, medication instructions, normal expected symptoms, dangerous signs and what to do, as well as lifestyle changes?; and (2) how does patient discharge information provided by the hospital make a difference in participants’ knowledge, attitude, and …

Perceived Effects Of Family Status Changes On Male Collegiate Outdoor Recreation Coordinators, Andrew K. Martin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A career as a collegiate outdoor recreation professional is both a challenging and rewarding occupation. It is a position that consists of inconsistent hours as well as extended periods away from home. This qualitative study identified how changes in family status affect an individual’s perception of the position as a collegiate outdoor recreation coordinator. More specifically, the perceived benefits or challenges that occur throughout the family status changes, and what effect, if any, these perceptions had on the individual’s work performance, job satisfaction and career longevity.

Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight individuals who were employed …

A Study Of Cultural Orientation And Attitudes And Meaning Toward Play: A Cross Cultural Investigation Among Emerging Adulthood In The People Republic Of China, Hong Kong, And United States, Winnie Wing-Sze Wong

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine play among emerging adults in the People Republic of China, Hong Kong, and the United States. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the respondents' perceptions of play and their personal cultural orientation. The study also explored the relationship between respondents' perceptions of play's importance and their cultural orientation. Respondents' frequency of play was also studied to determine whether there were relationships between frequency of play, countries of origin, and personal cultural orientation. Finally, the study considered the interactive effects among perceptions of play, play's importance, personal …

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 …

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 …

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 …

A Study Of Elementary Instructors' Teaching Of Forearm Passing As A Part Of Volleyball Instruction, Tsui-Feng Tiffany Yeh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the teaching of forearm passing as a key component of volleyball game performance. More specifically, this study investigated teachers' content knowledge and teaching knowledge (pedagogical content knowledge) related to forearm passing as described by the teachers and manifested in teaching practices in the teaching environment.

Six elementary physical education instructors participated in this study. Several methods were used for gathering different information about forearm passing research including systematic observation, videotaping, field notes, and formal and informal interviews.

The findings revealed that (a) teachers' teaching philosophy significantly influenced their teaching and designing volleyball …

Predicting Ghanaian Pre-Service Teachers' Intention To Teach High-Risk Sexual Behavior Prevention From Teaching Efficacy And Prevention Approach, Joseph Kwesi Ogah

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Youth and adolescents in African Countries have been experiencing high prevalence levels of the outcomes of high-risk sexual behavior (HRSB), such as HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, illegal abortions, and dropping out of school. Education is one means by which HRSB can be reduced among adolescents, but the sensitive nature of sex education and the controversy over which prevention approach to use have made the teaching of HRSB prevention in schools a cautious undertaking. The purpose of this study was to describe (a) pre-service teachers’ efficacy beliefs for teaching HRSB prevention and (b) pre-service teachers’ preferred approach to HRSB prevention, as determinants …

Authentic Assessment In Physical Education: Prevalence Of Use And Perceived Impact On Students' Self-Concept, Motivation, And Skill Achievement, Joseph Kwame Mintah

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The volume of traditional assessments in the public schools of the United States has increased. At the same time, complaints about the use of standardized tests have become louder. The complaints and dissatisfaction have led to a paradigm shift in assessment. Available literature supports the use of alternative assessment. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the type and the extent of authentic assessment used in public school physical education. A second purpose was to investigate physical education teachers' perceptions about the impact of authentic assessment use on students' self-concept, motivation, and skill achievement.

The teachers rated …

Factors Affecting The Self-Perceived Continuing Education Needs Of Certified Athletic Trainers, Marchell Cupett Austin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This purpose of this study was to determine the self-perceived continuing education needs of Certified Athletic Trainers, the factors that affect those needs, and continuing education participation as well as preference for program format. A survey was developed using the domains and tasks depicted by the NATABOC's Role Delineation Study. Respondents rated the importance of their need for continuing education for each task within five domains: prevention of athletic injuries; recognition, evaluation and immediate care of athletic injuries; rehabilitation of athletic injuries; health care administration; and professional development and responsibility. The survey was sent to 2,000 randomly selected Certified Athletic …

Constructing Family Health Histories: Connecting Theory And Practice In The Health Education Classroom, Ragene Dalton Gwin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purposes of this study were to describe how the construction of a multigeneration family health history affected health-related knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and intentions of postsecondary students enrolled in a personal health course; and to determine pedagogical effects of utilizing a multigeneration family health history construction project within that context. This study connects constructivist theory with authentic learning and health education outcomes to better understand what knowledge is important and what instructional methods enhance development of knowledge.

Research questions shaping this investigation included:

1. How does the process of constructing a multigeneration family health history influence health-related knowledge?
2. How does the …

Predicting Adolescent Aids-Related Risk Behavior From Psychosocial Factors: A Replication, Erika Lea Kumerow

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to replicate Hays's (1992) methodology and extend her sample size. Replication of Hays's (1992) results would allow for generalization and would lend support to the path model of sexual activity she proposed.

Subjects for the study were 529 ninth grade students attending four schools in a rural midwestern state. Of the four schools, three were public schools and one was a parochial school. The parochial school was made up of two separate buildings, one located in a metropolitan area and the other in a rural area. Although the buildings were considered to be combined …

Predicting Adolescent Aids-Related Risk Behavior From Psychosocial Factors: A Path Analysis, Sharon M. Hays

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study had two purposes. The first was to develop a model for relating the unique and combined contributions of knowledge about AIDS, attitudes toward AIDS, and several psychosocial characteristics to the self-reported sexual activity of adolescents. The second purpose was to validate the proposed causal paths by studying a sample of ninth-grade adolescents and using the results of a path analysis to revise the a priori model.

The model validation study was conducted among 179 ninth-grade adolescents. A questionnaire involving knowledge, attitudinal, psychosocial characteristics, and self-report behavioral information was administered (spring, 1989). The instrument used combined a questionnaire developed …

Prediction Of Maximal Oxygen Consumption In Boys, Ages 11 To 14 Years: An Investigation Of Field Measurements For Use In Schools, Loran D. Erdmann

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the prediction of maximal oxygen consumption in boys, ages 11 to 14 years, from a shuttle walk protocol and other field measurements appropriate to use in school settings. Maximal oxygen consumption was determined in 67 subjects using a treadmill protocol (M = 52.3 ml^·kg^-1·min^-1, SD = 8.4). Subjects performed an 800-yard shuttle walk as fast as possible on a 20-yard course, with elapsed time recorded. Telemetrically measured postwalk heart rate, height, weight, sum of triceps and subscapular skinfold measurements, body mass index, and exercise frequency were also considered as predictors. Multiple …

The Impact Of A Model Inservice Program On The Components Of Comprehensive School Health Education, Susan J. Koch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Inservice education has been utilized for both professional growth and school improvement in all educational disciplines for more than a century. As the focus of school health education has extended to include the concept of the wellness lifestyle and health promotion, school health educators have employed inservice education as a vehicle for improving the three components of comprehensive school health education: curriculum and instruction, school health services, and the healthful school environment.

One response to the need for professional training of school employees in wellness has been the Seaside inservice model. Initiated in Oregon in 1977, the model is based …

Knowledge And Attitudes Pertaining To Sex Education Courses : A Survey Of A Selected Group Of High School Students, Rebecca Sue Barrionuevo

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate high school students' knowledge and attitudes pertaining to sex education courses. Specifically, the following questions were posed relative to the student's sex and his/her sex education background (in school):

1. How accurately will senior high school students match a given list of eleven sex topics with their respective standard definitions as stated in The Encyclopedia of Sexual Behavior? 2. Given a list of sex topics and a second list of possible sources of information, what "first" sources of sex information will most frequently be identified by senior high school students? 3. To …