Health and Physical Education Commons^™

Does Appearance Matter? The Relationship Of Perceived Body Size And Physical Appearance On Students' Attraction To Physical Activity At Recess, Danielle Belcher

Master's Theses

Drastic declines in recess physical activity (PA) have been observed within recent years (Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2017). Due to recess’ discretionary nature, psychosocial variables associated with PA are predictors of students’ PA levels. Recess is also a time of heightened bullying occurrences (Vaillancourt et al., 2010). Appearance-based bullying is the most common type of victimization that occurs in schools, transpiring more often in children with larger body max indexes (BMI), and possibly altering students’ physical self-perceptions. Physical self-perceptions have been shown to impact PA motivation, however, it is still unknown the extent to which appearance-based bullying, body size, …

The Effects Of Implementing Movement Breaks In Elementary Classrooms, Laura Ford

Master's Theses

This action research project investigated the implementation of movement breaks in a third-grade classroom to enhance academic performance and behavior. The short study aimed to assess whether integrating regular movement breaks into the classroom routine would lead to significant improvements in academic outcomes and behavior, particularly those students diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Over a designated period, movement breaks were introduced at a specific interval during the school day. Data was collected through observations, surveys, and behavior tracking. Surprisingly, the findings revealed that despite the incorporation of movement breaks, there was no significant difference observed in overall academics or behavior …

Sexual Health Education Scope And Sequence, Sara Wadsworth

Honors Projects

Based on a significant amount of prior research, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has been identified to be the most effective method of teaching sexual health education (SHAPE America, 2021; World Health Organization, 2023). Comprehensive sexual health education improves healthy behaviors and outcomes, provides useful information, and is positively perceived by students (Gardner, 2015; Kirby, 2002; Robinson et al., 2022). However, the United States’ current sexual health education has not implemented this ideal method, which is shown through state laws, students’ experiences, underdeveloped skills and flawed understanding of concepts, and – most importantly – a lack of resources for teachers (Foley, …

Resiliency, Mindset, And Academic Performance: A College Athlete's Perspective, Trisha C. Giacomazzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this qualitative case study was the low graduation rates self-reported by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics institutions when compared to the general student population at a small Christian university in the Southern United States. In this study, I sought to acquire a deeper understanding of the degree to which an athlete’s mindset and psychological resilience influenced their perseverance and academic achievement on their path toward graduation. Utilizing semistructured interviews as the primary data collection method, I used purposive, convenience, and snowball selection methods to enlist a total of 10 participants from a pool of 52 …

Mothers' Perceptions Of Stigma: Implications For Early Identification And Treatment For Children With A History Of Prenatal Opioid Exposure, Pamela Jane Holland

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

There is a lack of research that specifies the long-term effects on a child’s language development when prenatally exposed to opioids (Fill et al.,2018; Rutherford et al., 2022). Despite this, children prenatally exposed to opioids are more likely to be referred for, qualify for, and receive therapy services secondary to developmental delays and speech/language deficits. (Kaltenbach et al., 2018). Stigma continues to be a barrier to the initiation of early intervention services for children prenatally exposed to opioids (Levickis et al., 2020; Livingston et al., 2011; Peacock-Chambers et al., 2020). This phenomenological study aims to understand the perceptions of the …

Investigating Sleep Education Criteria In Illinois Public Schools And Its Alignment With Evidence-Based Practices, Bayleigh T. Pasley

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study was to examine high school health curricula regarding sleep prevention and intervention practices and whether instructional content aligned with best practice for this age group. Specifically, the Primary Investigator and her thesis chair developed the Sleep Education and Preventative Practices Checklist/Questionnaire (SEPPC and SEPPQ) as tools to evaluate the sleep content covered in different public high schools across Illinois. The SEPPC and SEPPQ were identical in that they contained 17 different items which looked at different sleep topics reviewed by current literature. The SEPPC/Q contained two main topics: adolescent sleep knowledge (11 topics/items) and …

Effectiveness Of An Inclusive, Small-Group Adapted Aquatics Program On Increasing Vo2max In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Peggy Manuelita Scarborough

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

There is a need to examine the effectiveness of interventions, such as swimming, that are aimed at increasing physical health and developing psychomotor skills in an inclusive setting for children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an inclusive, small-group adapted aquatics program on increasing VO₂max in children with ASD. Participants included two 11-year-old children diagnosed with ASD. The study took place over eight weeks and included a six-week Small-Group Adapted Aquatics (SGAA) program. Participants were assessed for VO₂max using the 20m PACER test during week one and week eight …

Risk Management Perceptions And Preventive Practices Of Athletic Directors From Naia Schools, Yan Gioseffi

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

The increase in the number of incidents associated with sports has led to the rise of litigation, and physical, emotional, and financial damage to stakeholders. Collegiate athletic directors (ADs) have the duty to keep their programs safe.

This study aimed to explore and understand the practices, perceptions, and experiences of ADs from National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) institutions regarding preventive risk management. As risk management is significantly new in the sporting industry, an exploratory study using a qualitative design, grounded in narrative inquiry was conducted using the D.I.M. Process as a guide to collect data from 10 NAIA ADs …

Primed For Sport Coaching: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study Of A Six-Week Intervention, Pete S. Paciorek

Dissertations

This six-week pilot study was conducted using grounded theory from “What Works in Character Education” (Berkowitz & Bier, 2014) and specifically the “PRIMED for Character Education” framework (Berkowitz, 2021) applied to 11 high school sport coaches. The three key ideas of focus were on whether the PRIMED framework could increase the coach-participants’ commitment to character education, self-efficacy as character educators, and self-identification as Servant Leaders in an effort to “nurture the flourishing of human goodness” (Berkowitz, 2021) of our youth and, in this case, specifically, high school student-athletes.

With millions of youth involved in sport in North America and across …

Finding Uhuru, Joanna Waliuba

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Uhuru is Swahili for freedom, freedom that many victims of gender-based violence do not have. Several studies and articles have reported that Gender-based violence is a normalized global pandemic3. This normalization hides a bigger problem of lack of proper facilities and care services that aid the erosion of gender-based violence. The purpose of my thesis is to design a hub for victims of these crimes. A hub that would facilitate healing for victims and educational resources for the community to tackle the stigma of sexual education and violence. To achieve this, the implementation of trauma-informed care and trauma-informed design governed …

How Art Therapy Can Be Used To Teach Queer Inclusive Sex Education To Queer Youth: A Literature Review, Olivia Souza

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review examines the potential of art-making as a tool to educate and inform queer youth about queer sexual experiences. Many queer individuals lack information about safe and healthy sex due to the exclusion of queer experiences in sex education programs. Current sex programs solely focus on abstinence and heterosexual experiences, leaving queer youth in the dark about what to expect from future sexual experiences they may have and how to practice safe queer sex. Through a search of the literature, it was discovered that there is a gap in research using art therapy in this specific context. Through …

Impact Of Personalized Interactive Storytelling On Suspension Of Disbelief In Clinical Simulation, Audra Renee-Smith Xenakis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature review found suspension of disbelief (SOD) in clinical simulation heavily weighted on educators alone within high-fidelity environments. The project examined a co-created narrative background story applied to a simulated patient’s clinical profile to determine achieving an improved connectedness toward the simulated patient leading to enhanced SOD and enhanced levels of learning and reaction. The studied population was third-semester associate degree nursing students over 18 years of age with prior clinical simulation experience who were not repeating the semester. The research methodology used a quantitative experimental design with cluster sampling, randomization, and post-Likert-scored questionnaires. The intervention group co-created personalized …

Sit Less, Move More: A National Study Of Physical-Activity Behavior And Cancer, Stella O. Nwogugu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Physical activity is associated with lower risks of cancer, the second leading cause of death among Americans. Yet, sedentary behavior is the prevailing lifestyle for about 80% of American adults. Additionally, cancer survivors remain significantly inactive, even though physical activity has been shown to decrease risk of cancer and cancer recurrence, improve tolerance of cancer therapy, and reduce mortality. This research explores the relative impact of personal agency, social support, and key demographic variables on physical-activity behavior for a national sample of adults as well as how these relationships differ for cancer survivors and their counterparts.

Methods: Using the …

Enhancing The Quality Of Life For Senior Citizens: A Facilitator’S Guidebook For Mindful Music And Movement, Shannon Sexton

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Music appreciation and enjoyment enhance well-being throughout the lifespan. The challenges and constraints that people experience as they age can lead to lack of access to music, decreased physical activity, and fewer avenues for creative expression. Group music and movement interventions created for older populations offer opportunities for social connection and improved quality of life. Mindful practices add further benefit when combined with these interventions. Current available programs are scarce and most often do not encompass mixed modalities. In addition, the benefits of these programs do not show long-term sustainability. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the effects …

The Role Of Porn Literacy In Comprehensive Sex Education To Reduce Endorsements Of Gendered Sexual Violence And Support Healthy Adolescent Development, Kiana Harnish

Scripps Senior Theses

Due to stigmatization of sex and insufficient sexual education, modern-day adolescents rely on free online pornography as a source of education about sex and relationships. This thesis provides a review of the connections between adolescent porn use and the socialization of sexual violence (SV) and coercion against women, comprehensive sex education (CSE) and healthy adolescent sexual development, and porn literacy (PL) and sexual attitude or behavior changes. Porn literacy aims to equip adolescents with tools to critically analyze sexualied media and messages, to empower them to make informed decisions to engage or disengage with porn and their sexuality in a …

The Effect Of Physical Activity Courses On The Motivation For Physical Activity In College Students: A Scoping Review, Erica Fauste Waizenhofer Hill

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The lack of physical activity and exercise participation has been an ongoing
problem for young adults aged 18-24. Universities and colleges worldwide offer a variety of required and elective physical activity courses for college credit to increase active participation in lifelong healthy lifestyles. This scoping review collected studies on college students’ motivation to participate in physical activity. The courses were taught using methods based on motivational theories. The authors of the studies collected information from the students before and after the classes to gather data on the theoretical framework’s effect on the students, if any. This review compiles this information, …

Status Seeking In Conspicuous Spectator Sports Consumption: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective, Yong Wang

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

According to self-determination theory, people are intrinsically and/or extrinsically motivated to self-regulate their behavior (Deci & Ryan, 2012). Sport fans watch games for intrinsic rewards such as having fun and supporting a team, which, from the identity fusion perspective (Swann Jr et al., 2009), derive from their visceral sense of oneness with a team. Although they can choose to watch games at home, many fans spend money attending expensive games (e.g., major sports) and publicly display their experience. A plethora of sport management literature has addressed the intrinsic motivation for attending games; however, less attention has been paid to the …

Assessment Of Postural, Locomotor, And Physical Fitness Status In Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Alana J. Turner

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Postural control and locomotion deficits can be observed during the early years of childhood development and throughout life. For those with disabilities, these deficits can advance past the development years and into adolescence and adulthood while affecting the quality of life and daily activity. Finding interactive rehabilitative activities to delay or limit these deficits is essential for people with disabilities to improve their quality of life, inclusion, and overall movement. Adapted physical activity/sports like badminton and virtual reality could promote improvements in postural and locomotor status for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy (CP), intellectual …

Investigating Person-Specific Profiles Of Readiness-To-Exercise: Exploring Associations With Hypothetical Experiential Outcomes And Perceived Relevance, Cory Beaumont

Doctoral Dissertations

Autoregulation is a person-adaptive strategy wherein exercise workloads are adjusted to match one’s readiness (e.g., acute mental, physical, perceptual state). Prior work demonstrated that structural features of readiness profiles (i.e., which factor(s) are most important) differ across individuals. As this work relied on mathematical modeling, research is needed to understand the informational utility of person-specific profiles (PSPs) of readiness. Purpose: Model heterogeneity in PSPs of readiness (Aim 1), explore associations between PSP factor scores and forecasted experiences to hypothetical muscle-strengthening exercise (Aim 2), and explore participants’ perceptions of relevance and utility regarding their PSP (Aim 3). Methods: For …

Understanding The Occupational Socialization Of Tennis Coaches: Using A Grounded Theory Approach To Explore Reasons For Entering The Coaching Profession, Charles Provencio

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Sport coaches are among the most critical employees in the sport industry and regularly practice sport management activities including facilitating participation, managing athlete, organizing events, and promoting products and services. Interestingly, little is known about why individuals choose to pursue a career as a sports coach and how they might be acculturated into their profession. The general purpose of this study was to build on these works and to continue exploring the theorized elements of the process of acculturation within occupational socialization. To accomplish this, the specific purpose of this study was to explore and understand the perceptions and experiences …

A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one …

Trauma Healing With The Neurosequential Model Of Therapy And Bal-A-Vis-X, Becky Johnston

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Stigma related to childhood trauma is shifting with the help of advancements in the understanding of neurobiology and interventions that are proving to be effective for healing. There are immense costs and consequences for survivors of childhood trauma and their loved ones that were not so long ago considered irrelevant and the notion that kids bounce back from adversity was previously popular in the psychological community (Perry & Szalavitz, 2017). The broad strokes of Dr. Bruce Perry’s clinical intervention model, The Neurosequential Model of Therapy (NMT) describes a trauma-sensitive, sequential approach to changing the stress response within mental health counseling. …

Outdoor Pursuits And Outdoor Learning At Rural Maine Schools: A Positive Outlier Approach, Lauren E. Jacobs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the barriers and facilitators to outdoor learning and outdoor pursuits (OPs) in some of the most rural isolated K-12 schools in Maine. The purpose was to understand why some of these schools incorporate a lot of OPs and outdoor learning into their curriculum while other schools do not. Outdoor pursuits and outdoor learning in school settings are worthy of study because they provide students with opportunities to increase physical activity, benefit from time in nature, and make important connections to local culture (Lim et al., 2017; Schafft, 2016; Trembley et al., 2015).

This study employed a comparative …

Examining Consent Education As A Preventative Measure For Sexual Violence, Harassment, And Bullying In Adolescents, Alexis Olson

Counselor Education Capstones

This paper is an examination of consent education in K-12 schools in the United States. Each state determines its own consent education policies. Most states do not require consent education despite high rates of adolescent sexual activity and increasing rates of sexual violence in adolescents. This paper examines the integration of adolescent sexual violence, harassment, and bullying. Considerations of current research shows an increase in adolescent experiences of sexual violence and connections to sexual harassment and bullying. Additionally, this paper explores consent education through classroom guidance lessons and cross-curricular implementation. Examination of consent education as a preventative measure for sexual …

Trusting Your Bearings: Outdoor Navigation And The Link Between Perceived Competence, Actual Skill, And Flow State In The Adirondack Region Of New York, Daria Stacy

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived competence and flow theory in the activity of outdoor navigation. This relationship was examined at beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert skill levels of navigation, targeting a population in the Adirondack Region due to its challenging, thickly forested terrain. The study used a multi-method approach encompassing both quantitative and qualitative data. Surveys were administered to examine beginner, intermediate, and advanced navigators following a formal navigation course at SUNY Cortland’s Outdoor Education Practicum at Raquette Lake or an Advanced Map and Compass Bushwhack Course or Map and Compass Fundamentals Course …

“In The Skin I’M In…I Represent A Different Version Of What Help Looks Like:” Black Women Sport Psychology Professional’S Experiences In Applied Sport Psychology, Sharon R. Couch

Doctoral Dissertations

Black Feminist Applied Sport Psychology (BFASP) is a culturally inclusive theoretical framework for centering Black women’s experiences in applied sport psychology (Carter et al., 2020; Couch et al., 2022). For the past two decades, (White) Feminist applied sport psychology professionals (FASPPs) described the experiences of Black women as unique but were overlooked in research and participant pools due to the prioritization of White women's and Black male sport experiences. (Carter & Davila, 2017; Carter & Prewitt-White, 2014; Gill, 2020; Hyman et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to explore the life and work experiences of BASPPs (i.e., faculty, …

Creating A Backyard Buzz: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Using A Video Infographic To Increase Knowledge About Mosquito Populations And Diseases In Tn, Caroline M. Barnes, Rebecca T. Trout Fryxell, Cristina Barroso, Julie Andsager

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Body Dissatisfaction In Division Iii Collegiate Male Athletes: An Exploratory Study, Andria Merrill

Master's Theses

Given the paucity of literature investigating body dissatisfaction in collegiate male athletes, more work is necessary to establish the extent and consequences of that phenomenon in this population. The purpose of this study was to explore body dissatisfaction in collegiate male athletes participating in varsity sports at SUNY Cortland. The specific aim was to determine the prevalence of body dissatisfaction in collegiate male athletes and other intra-individual factors that may exist within varsity men's sports. Thirteen participants completed electronic surveys for the Weight Pressures Scale for Male athletes (WPS-M), the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS), and the Body Esteem Scale …

An Exploration Of Postural Control In Young Adults, Paul Franzese

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify any differences in time to boundary (TTB) among collegiate baseball players and a control group during quiet standing. Participants were 64 apparently healthy men, including 23 position players, 22 pitchers, and 19 control subjects. Testing consisted of two, individually randomized 3-minute quiet standing trials on a force plate, one with eyes open, and one with eyes closed. Average time to boundary values in anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions were calculated and a series of 2x3 (vision, group) repeated measures ANOVA were performed. Results include a difference in TTB in all groups …

Eat Well, Be Well: Basic Needs Initiative's Online Hub For Nutrition Education, Misha Moseley

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Basic Needs Initiative at California State University, Monterey Bay is a department that provides students with food, housing, and wellness resources. Over half of the university's students experience food insecurity, and over 85% use non-academic resources to learn about nutrition. This project adds a dietary health section to the department’s website to increase students’ access to nutrition education. It addresses the micro-level agency problem that too few students eat a healthy, balanced diet. Unhealthy eating is a risk factor for food insecurity, so the project indirectly addresses the macro-level health problem that too many college students in California experience food …