Education Commons^™

Cooperative Learning In The Inclusive Physical Education Setting: A Case Study, Wendy Dowler, Roselyn Dixon, Gregg Rowland

Rose Dixon

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the development and implementation of a six-week cooperative learning intervention in a secondary school inclusive physical education class that included a student with a mild intellectual disability. The social interaction behaviours of this student with her peers were the dependent variables for analysis. Participants were a 14year old female student with a mild intellectual disability, 26 of her peers without a disability and the Head Physical and Health Education teacher. Data were gathered through interviews, focus groups, observation and a teacher journal. The following themes emerged from the study and …

Trait Differences In Gender In Technology Use And Study Habits Of Rural Community College Students, Phillip Marc Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting the study was to explore the trait differences by gender of the study habits and technology use patterns of rural community college students. Significant research and data presently exists at the university level specific to study habits and technology use, but little research had been conducted targeting those topics in a rural community college setting.

The following questions guided the research:

1. What were the study habits of rural community college students?

2. How did rural community college students use technology?

3. Were there significant differences, by gender, in the study habits of rural community college …

The Nutrition And Enjoyable Activity For Teen Girls (Neat Girls) Randomized Controlled Trial For Adolescent Girls From Disadvantaged Secondary Schools: Rationale, Study Protocol And Baseline Results, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Deborah Dewar, Clare E. Collins, Ronald C. Plotnikoff, Anthony D. Okely, Marijka Batterham, Tara Finn, Robin Callister

Dr Marijka Batterham

Background: Child and adolescent obesity predisposes individuals to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality from a range of lifestyle diseases. Although there is some evidence to suggest that rates of pediatric obesity have leveled off in recent years, this has not been the case among youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to report the rationale, study design and baseline findings of a school-based obesity prevention program for low-active adolescent girls from disadvantaged secondary schools. Methods/Design: The Nutrition and Enjoyable Activity for Teen Girls (NEAT Girls) intervention will be evaluated using a group randomized controlled …

Mediators Of Weight Loss In The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' Pilot Study For Overweight Fathers, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Clare E. Collins, Anthony D. Okely, Tracy Burrows, Robin Callister

A. D. Okely

Background: A poor understanding of the specific lifestyle behaviors that result in weight loss has hindered the development of effective interventions. The aim of this paper was to identify potential behavioral mediators of weight loss in the Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids (HDHK) intervention for overweight fathers. Findings: The three-month intervention was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial and conducted in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Baseline, three month (immediate post-intervention) and six month assessments were conducted. Recruitment and follow-up occurred between October 2008 and May 2009. The study sample included 53 overweight/obese men [mean (± SD) age = 40.6(± 97.1) …

Cyberbullying: Taking Control Through Research-Based Letter Writingdents, Vicky Giouroukakis Ph.D., Maureen Connolly

Faculty Works: EDU (1995-2023)

According to a 2009 AP-MTV survey of 1,247 people ages 14–24, 50% of those surveyed have experienced cyberbullying (Gatti 1). Victims were twice as likely to need help from a mental health professional and were three times more likely to drop out of school than those surveyed who did not report being cyberbullied (5).Given this alarming social context and in light of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA/Literacy, we—Maureen (a high school English teacher) and Vicky (a teacher educa-tor)—decided to collaborate on a standards-based writing assignment that gives adolescent students strategies to use when they experience bullying …

The Nutrition And Enjoyable Activity For Teen Girls (Neat Girls) Randomized Controlled Trial For Adolescent Girls From Disadvantaged Secondary Schools: Rationale, Study Protocol And Baseline Results, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Deborah Dewar, Clare E. Collins, Ronald C. Plotnikoff, Anthony D. Okely, Marijka Batterham, Tara Finn, Robin Callister

A. D. Okely

Background: Child and adolescent obesity predisposes individuals to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality from a range of lifestyle diseases. Although there is some evidence to suggest that rates of pediatric obesity have leveled off in recent years, this has not been the case among youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to report the rationale, study design and baseline findings of a school-based obesity prevention program for low-active adolescent girls from disadvantaged secondary schools. Methods/Design: The Nutrition and Enjoyable Activity for Teen Girls (NEAT Girls) intervention will be evaluated using a group randomized controlled …

Process Evaluation Of The Hunter Illawarra Kids Challenge Using Parent Support Study: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial For The Management Of Child Obesity., Rachel A. Jones, Janet M. Warren, Anthony D. Okely, Clare E. Collins, Philip J. Morgan, Dylan P. Cliff, Tracy L. Burrows, Jane Cleary, Louise A. Baur

A. D. Okely

The purposes of this article are to (a) outline findings from secondary or process outcome data of the Hunter Illawarra Kids Challenge Using Parent Support (HIKCUPS) study and (b) inform the design and development of future research interventions and practice in the management of child obesity. Data were collected by means of facilitator evaluations, independent session observation, attendance records, and parent questionnaires. Internal validity and reliability of the program delivery were high. All parents reported positive changes in their children as a result of the physical activity program, the dietary modification program, or both. Most participants completed the home activities, …

An Australian Based Study On The Readability Of Hiv/Aids And Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Trial Informed Consent Documents, Laura Buccini, Donald Iverson, Peter Caputi, Caroline Jones

Don C. Iverson

The aims of this study were to measure the readability of Australian based informed consent documents and determine whether informed consent readability guidelines have been established by Australian human research ethics committees (HRECs). A total of 20 informed consent documents, 10 HIV/AIDS and 10 type 2 diabetes, were measured for readability using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and Gunning Fog Index (Fog). Published guidelines and policy statements of the two local HREC who approved the 20 clinical trials under study where examined to identify whether they had any formal policies/guidelines on the readability of informed consent documents. The two …

Digital Natives: Everyday Life Versus Academic Study, Linda Corrin, Sue Bennett, Lori Lockyer

Professor Lori Lockyer

Access to and use of technology by ‘digital native’ students studying in our universities has been an area of much speculation, though relatively little empirical research. This has led some pundits to call for a radical rethink of how higher education uses technology to deliver education. Others are more circumspect and think it is necessary to hear directly from these ‘digital natives’ about their actual technology practices before jumping to such conclusions. This paper reports on a study that aimed to do just that; the study comprised a survey of the technology access and practices in both everyday life and …

Still Separate, Still Unequal, But Not Always So "Suburban": The Changing Natured Of Suburban School Districts In The New York Metropolitan Area, Allison Roda Ph.D., Amy Stuart Wells, Douglas Ready, Jacquelyn Duran, Courtney Grzesikowski, Kathryn Hill, Miya Warner, Terrenda White

Faculty Works: EDU (1995-2023)

Woven throughout the history of the United States is a narrative of human movement. The story of this country, we argue, is a tale of the constant flow of people across geographic spaces—both voluntary and forced immigrations, migrations, and the settlements of villages, city neighborhoods, and suburban communities. Beginning with Native Americans' ancestors who traversed the Bering Straight, "movement" has been a central, identifying theme of this nation.

The flow of several waves of European immigrants onto colonial shores and across the plains and the haulage of millions of Africans via the slave trade redefined the United States demographically and …

A Study Of Teachers' Use Of Online Learning Resources To Design Classroom Activities, Mimi Recker, Andrew Walker, S. Giersch, X. Mao, B. Palmer, D. Johnson, Heather Leary, B. Robertshaw

Heather Leary, Ph.D.

While much progress has been made on the technical design and development of digital libraries, much less is known about how and why education digital library content and associated tools can support and enhance the activities of educators in their professional work. This article elaborates a conceptual framework that characterizes teachers' practices when using online learning resources (called 'teaching as design'), and a professional development model aimed at increasing teachers' capacity for designing learning activities in the context of authentic practice. Findings from two workshop implementations showed positive impacts on teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and subsequent behaviours using online learning resources. …

A Cross-Sectional Study Of Student Teachers' Behaviour Management Strategies Throughout Their Training Years, Stuart Woodcock, Andrea Reupert

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Despite the importance of behaviour management, many student teachers report being inadequately trained in this area. The aim of this study was to identify the strategies, confidence and reported levels of success in regard to various behaviour management strategies, across 509 first, second, third and fourth year student teachers training to be primary teachers. The most significant differences were found between first and second year student teachers in regard to their use of, and confidence in, initial and later corrective strategies, and between second and third year student teachers in terms of their use of, and confidence in, differentiating curriculum …

Does Study Of An Inclusive Education Subject Influence Pre-Service Teachers' Concerns And Self-Efficacy About Inclusion?, Stuart Woodcock, Brian Hemmings, Russell Kay

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Survey data were collected from pre-service teachers studying at a large regional Australian university. These data were examined with the purpose of determining whether pre-service teachers' views (and concerns) about inclusion and their confidence to teach in inclusive classrooms had changed as a result of studying an inclusive education subject and undertaking a practicum linked to that subject. The results of an analysis based on mean values indicated that the various concerns, namely, resources, acceptance, workplace, and academic standards, did not change markedly as a consequence of the subject and practicum experiences. This analysis also showed a hierarchy of concerns …

Mediators Of Weight Loss In The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' Pilot Study For Overweight Fathers, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Clare E. Collins, Anthony D. Okely, Tracy Burrows, Robin Callister

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Background: A poor understanding of the specific lifestyle behaviors that result in weight loss has hindered the development of effective interventions. The aim of this paper was to identify potential behavioral mediators of weight loss in the Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids (HDHK) intervention for overweight fathers. Findings: The three-month intervention was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial and conducted in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Baseline, three month (immediate post-intervention) and six month assessments were conducted. Recruitment and follow-up occurred between October 2008 and May 2009. The study sample included 53 overweight/obese men [mean (± SD) age = 40.6(± 97.1) …

The Ethical Commitments Of Health Promotion Practitioners: An Empirical Study From New South Wales, Australia, Stacy M. Carter, Christiane Klinner, Ian Kerridge, Lucie Rychetnik, Vincy Li, Denise Fry

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this article, we provide a description of the good in health promotion based on an empirical study of health promotion practices in New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia. We found that practitioners were unified by a vision of the good in health promotion that had substantive and procedural dimensions. Substantively, the good in health promotion was teleological: it inhered in meliorism, an intention to promote health, which was understood holistically and situated in places and environments, a commitment to primary rather than secondary prevention and engagement with communities more than individuals. Procedurally, the good in health …

Weight Change In Control Group Participants In Behavioural Weight Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review And Meta-Regression Study, Lauren Waters, Alexis B. St George, Tien Chey, Adrian E. Bauman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Unanticipated control group improvements have been observed in intervention trials targeting various health behaviours. This phenomenon has not been studied in the context of behavioural weight loss intervention trials. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-regression of behavioural weight loss interventions to quantify control group weight change, and relate the size of this effect to specific trial and sample characteristics. Methods Database searches identified reports of intervention trials meeting the inclusion criteria. Data on control group weight change and possible explanatory factors were abstracted and analysed descriptively and quantitatively. Results 85 trials were …

Study Protocol: Using The Q-Steps To Assess And Improve The Quality Of Physical Activity Programmes For The Elderly, Ana I. Marques, Maria J. Rosa, Marlene Amorim, Pedro Soares, Antonio Oliveira-Tavares, Rute Santos, Jorge Mota, Joana Carvalho

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Aging is one of the most important and obvious phenomenon observed in our society. In the past years, there has been a growing concern in designing physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people, because evidence suggests that such health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the ageing process. Accordingly, a growing body of literature points to the importance of a sound approach to planning and evaluation in order to improve the quality of PA programmes. However, while numerous PA programmes have been designed for the elderly in recent years, their evaluation has been scarce. Quality management processes …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating The Effect Of Pycnogenol And Bacopa Cdri08 Herbal Medicines On Cognitive, Cardiovascular, And Biochemical Functioning In Cognitively Healthy Elderly People: The Australian Research Council Longevity Intervention (Arcli) Study Protocol (Anzctr12611000487910), Con K. Stough, Matthew P. Pase, Vanessa Cropley, Stephen P. Myers, Karen Nolidin, Rebecca King, David Camfield, Keith Wesnes, Andrew Pipingas, Kevin Croft, Dennis Chang, Andrew Scholey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background One of the major challenges associated with our ageing population is the increasing incidence of age-associated cognitive decline, which has significant implications for an individual's ability to lead a productive and fulfilling life. In pure economic terms the costs of ageing reflects decreased productivity and engagement with the workforce. The maintenance of brain health underpinning intact cognition is a key factor to maintaining a positive, engaged, and productive lifestyle. In light of this, the role of diet, including supplementation with nutritional and even pharmacological interventions capable of ameliorating the neurocognitive changes that occur with age constitute vital areas of …

The Health And Development Of Children Born To Older Mothers In The United Kingdom: Observational Study Using Longitudinal Cohort Data, Alastair G. Sutcliffe, Jacqueline Barnes, Jay Belsky, Julian Gardiner, Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To assess relations between children's health and development and maternal age. Design Observational study of longitudinal cohorts. Setting Millennium Cohort Study (a random sample of UK children) and the National Evaluation of Sure Start study (a random sample of children in deprived areas in England), 2001 to 2007. Participants 31 257 children at age 9 months, 24 781 children at age 3 years, and 22 504 at age 5 years. Main outcome measures Childhood unintentional injuries and hospital admissions (aged 9 months, 3 years, and 5 years), immunisations (aged 9 months and 3 years), body mass index, language development, …

Effects Of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Administration On Human Encoding And Recall Memory Function: A Pharmacological Fmri Study, Matthijs G. Bossong, Gerry Jager, Hendrika H. Van Hell, Lineke Zuurman, J Martijn Jansma, Mitul A. Mehta, Joop M. A Van Gerven, Rene S. Kahn, Nick F. Ramsey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Deficits in memory function are an incapacitating aspect of various psychiatric and neurological disorders. Animal studies have recently provided strong evidence for involvement of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in memory function. Neuropsychological studies in humans have shown less convincing evidence but suggest that administration of cannabinoid substances affects encoding rather than recall of information. In this study, we examined the effects of perturbation of the eCB system on memory function during both encoding and recall. We performed a pharmacological MRI study with a placebo-controlled, crossover design, investigating the effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) inhalation on associative memory-related brain function in 13 …

The Astute Health Study Protocol: Deliberative Stakeholder Engagements To Inform Implementation Approaches To Healthcare Disinvestment, Amber M. Watt, Janet E. Hiller, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, John R. Moss, Heather Buchan, Janet Wale, Dagmara E. Riitano, Katherine Hodgetts, Jackie M. Street, Adam Elshaug

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Governments and other payers are yet to determine optimal processes by which to review the safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of technologies and procedures that are in active use within health systems, and rescind funding (partially or fully) from those that display poor profiles against these parameters. To further progress a disinvestment agenda, a model is required to support payers in implementing disinvestment in a transparent manner that may withstand challenge from vested interests and concerned citizens. Combining approaches from health technology assessment and deliberative democratic theory, this project seeks to determine if and how wide stakeholder engagement can contribute …

A Self-Study Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy And Reflective Practice, Audrey Cohan Ed.D, Andrea Honigsfeld Ed.D., Ingrid Spatt

Faculty Works: EDU (1995-2023)

This article describes a collaborative self-study implemented to improve and refine three teacher educators’ instructional practices to better assist their teacher candidates in developing culturally responsive pedagogy and becoming reflective practitioners. The self-study is situated in three theoretical frameworks: Banks’s (2005) framework for multicultural education, Gay’s (2000, 2002, 2010) framework for culturally responsive practice, and the four pillars of the Dominican tradition at Molloy College (Donovan, 2004). This work contributes to the expanding research base of reflection and diversity in teacher education and refines articulation of the methodology of self-study. Findings reveal a need to hone and deepen personal reflective …

From Co-Teaching Partnership To Mentoring: Innovative Ways To Build Teacher Capacity, Andrea Honigsfeld Ed.D., Vicky Giouroukakis Ph.D., Maria G. Dove Ed.D.

Faculty Works: EDU (1995-2023)

Picture a high school class that has English language learners (ELLs) from diverse cultural backgrounds with varied academic abilities and language proficiency levels. Now imagine that this class is being taught by a team of two teachers: one content-area teacher (English) and one English as a Second Language (ESL) specialist. Both teachers work together successfully to provide individualized instruction and support their students' language acquisition and content learning. The students are interested and actively involved in the lessons and are making consistent progress in terms of acquiring language proficiency an content knowledge.

Collaboratively Partnering Schools And Colleges: A Classroom-Based Staff Development Model, Audrey Cohan Ed.D, Andrea Honigsfeld Ed.D., Vicky Giouroukakis Ph.D., Jacqueline Nenchin Ph.D.

Faculty Works: EDU (1995-2023)

The English language learner population on Long Island, New York, has been growing each year. As recently as 2010, over 28,000 Limited Language Proficient students (about 42% in New York State) have been enrolled in schools on Long Island (NYSED, 2010). Responding to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students can be a challenge for general education teachers with little or no background in second language acquisitions, even if they genuinely wish to embrace ELLs and offer strong instructional supports.

A Teaching And Learning Model: A World Sociology Evidenced By Linking Common Social And Societal Realities Through The Reciprocity Of Thinking And Feelings, Marjorie Schiering Ph.D.

Faculty Works: EDU (1995-2023)

This paper is designed to assist in the comprehension of learners’ being multi-faceted persons who are unique. Discovering the whole individual is incumbent upon realizing the teaching/learning environments. This is respective of academic and socio-societal factors, which establish who one is as a learner and teacher. The author proposes and explains the concept of each individual being one who thinks and feels simultaneously with reciprocity existing within and between these two skills—so strongly that it is often difficult to separate one from the other. It’s proposed that each of us experiences an interconnectedness and, in many cases, an interdependency with …