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EFFECTIVE TEACHING PRACTICES IN ONLINE PHYSICAL EDUCATION: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIDEO FEEDBACK GUIDANCE AND PERFORMANCE
No full textVideo feedback is one of the most common suggestions for online physical education teachers to use. This method can effectively teach motor skill learning in face-to-face settings but lacks the same empirical backing in online environments. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of providing different forms of pedagogical guidance with video feedback in an online environment while students learned two disc golf skills; the spin putt (SP) and backhand throw (BT).
The participants were 43 college students from four different classes at two universities who practiced the SP and BT during four practice sessions. SP and BT techniques were measured in pre (day 1), post (day 14), and retention tests (one week after post). During each practice session, participants used the Flip app to record themselves performing three sets of five SP or BT trials. Participants were randomized into one of three video feedback guidance groups to watch their videos: use a visual cue sheet (VCS), a self-assessment (SA) of their best trial, or received 48-hour delayed teacher feedback (TF).
Results indicate that the SA (M = 22.69, p = .02) and VCS (M = 22.95, p = .02) groups showed a significant increase in BT technique scores at the posttest; all three groups showed a significant increase in SP technique at the posttest; TF group (M = 23.06, p < .001), SA group (M = 15.95, p = .02), VCS group (M = 17.66, p = .01). Only the VCS group was able to maintain these improvements for both skills at the retention test; SP =(M = 23.27, p < .01), BT (M = 20.23, p = .04), and the TF group were able to maintain their improvement for the SP (M = 20.36, p < .01). No significant differences were found among groups at the posttest or retention test; to indicate a more beneficial use of video guidance. In addition, moderating factors from pre to posttest were reported.
Utilizing video feedback in an online setting can positively affect motor performance. Additionally, the findings suggest that pairing video feedback with in-the-moment guidance is the most beneficial for motor performance in an online environment. Ultimately the results help demonstrate that OLPE does not have to be an entirely fitness-based industry; psychomotor learning can be addressed and should be included.Ph.D
Scaling GPA* for complex protein folding pathway simulations
No full textFinding improved protein folding pathway modeling tools is crucial to develop
more potent treatments for disorders caused by protein misfolding. The fast-folding
streptococcal protein G (1GB1), which has alpha-helices and several beta-sheets, can be
used to assess models of protein folding. Pathway prediction is often computationally
expensive and time-consuming, so current research focuses on accelerating Molecular
Dynamics (MD) simulations. To fix the issue of proteins getting trapped in minima, past
methods have imposed an unnatural bias on the potential and kinetic energies of the
simulation environments. Finding unbiased methods for MD simulations was an open
problem and was addressed by (Syzonenko & Phillips, 2020), introducing a combination
of the A* algorithm and MD simulations. The current implementation has storage issues
due to an abundant number of files produced preventing large-scale implementation. A
viable alternative could be the replacement of auxiliary file storage on disk with a keyvalue
data structure for storage. This would prove less burdensome on the file systems.
Instead of relying on GROMACS commands using OS system calls, the MDAnalysis
library, which is based on GROMACS, may be used for simulation commands and
storing coordinates. Once validated on the complex and fast-folding 1GB1 protein, the
approach may be applied to even larger α-β proteins
Examining the Utility of Spatial Analysis of Artifact Distribution at a World War II Aircraft Crash Site
No full textAt aircraft crash sites, the use of geographic information system (GIS) mapping
technologies can allow for a greater spatial understanding of aircraft wreckage (ACW)
distribution and improve the recovery of human remains. Creating predictive models
assists with concentrating efforts and resources in areas likely to contain material of
interest. At a World War II crash site, portions of the roughly 450 x 350 meter site were
systematically scanned via metal detection, sampled, and documented. All ACW was
analyzed based on its original location on the aircraft. The coordinates of positional ACW
and the number of metal detection hits were entered into ArcGIS Pro with other spatial
data. The creation of a detailed distribution map of the aircraft debris field guided
excavation strategies in the third year of the recovery project and demonstrated that
spatial analysis of large aircraft crash sites is an effective tool for maximizing resources
for successful recoveries
10 Reasons for Pre-medical Students to Consider an Internship
No full textInternships are a critical step to take as an undergraduate student to become
competitive for attending a graduate program or finding a career. There are two types of
internships, paid and unpaid, which depend on the level of work being done and which
field is being studied. It is found that pre-medical students tend to complete internships at
a much lower rate than other undergraduates, and the goal of this creative project is to
inform students about the benefits of medical internships. For this project, medical school
admissions committees across the United States were interviewed to gain their insight on
the significance of internships prior to attending medical school. The most significant
reported reasoning was to gain exposure in medicine, which was followed by recognizing
the intensity of the workplace prior to committing a lifetime to the field
Assessing the Predictive Validity of the Short Form Vaping Consequences Questionnaire: Positive Reinforcement Subscale
No full textThis study tested the predictive validity of Positive Reinforcement Subscale (PRS) of the
Short Form Vaping Consequences Questionnaire (S-VCQ). Participants were 37 college
students (age > 18) who vaped at least 3 days a week and have not used tobacco products
daily during the past month. Because four of the five items focus on taste, it was assumed
the sub-scale primarily measures vaping for taste. Using a blind, randomized sniff test as
the criterion, it was predicted that e-cigarette users would be consistent in rating e-juices
flavors similar to their usually used flavor higher in Likability than they would rate other
flavors. The study’s primary hypothesis was that those who were Consistent would have
higher PRS scores than those who were Inconsistent. Analyses did not show significant
differences in PRS scores between those who were Consistent versus Inconsistent.
Sample characteristics and perceptions may have contributed to these findings
Master Mulcaster's Pageantry of Miseducation in Book One of Spenser's Faerie Queene
No full textThe educational treatises of Spenser’s childhood teacher, Richard Mulcaster, provide context for reading the Redcrosse Knight as an early modern student. The young knight undergoes a journey in Book One of The Faerie Queene (1590) that allegorically represents the humanist education a student of the sixteenth century would have received at the hands of his teachers, especially as outlined in Mulcaster’s Positions Concerning the Training up of Children (1581) and The First Part of the Elementarie (1582). In these two works, Mulcaster describes a child’s education and the stages of error that can deflect the progression of a student’s learning. The educational progressions and digressions outlined in Mulcaster’s pedagogy bring into focus the journey of “anti-education” the Redcrosse Knight is on. The Redcrosse Knight’s “anti-teachers” (Errour, Duessa, Idlenesse, Ignaro, Despaire, etc.) nurse him into temptations that require maturity and insight to detect, which he fails to do. His education must then be redeemed by a (mostly maternal) cast of teachers in the House of Holiness.
Several motifs arise in the source texts—among them hollowness, blindness, and nursing. Spenserians interested in the maturation of the personified virtues have examined these motifs individually in relation to the hero’s trials and growth. My study connects these three motifs to trace more fully the elaborate allegory of the Redcrosse Knight as a badly educated early modern student, who is ultimately redeemed through a reeducation deeply implicated in concerns of language and national identity. A close analysis of Mulcaster’s two pedagogical treatises and particularly Book One of Spenser’s Faerie Queene provides new insights into humanist education as practiced in England during the late sixteenth century. In The Faerie Queene, Spenser portrays Mulcaster’s ideal education (presented as a set-piece pageantry in Positions) through an elaborate pageantry of teachers offering a miseducation ultimately to redeem the process, thus provoking debate on contemporary concerns regarding education and the best means of fashioning those who serve the young nation’s political interests.Ph.D
School Gun Violence, Mental Health, and Labor Outcomes Among Fragile Families and Disadvantaged Communities in the United States
No full textHundreds of thousands of US children have experienced gun violence at their schools in the last two decades. While prior research has analyzed the impacts of school shootings on children's outcomes, much less is known about how parents fare in the aftermath of gun violence at schools or how children's expectations regarding their educational trajectories are affected. I study the causal effects of school shootings on parents and children using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, leveraging variation in the timing of school shootings in parents' cities of residence relative to their randomly assigned survey interview dates. I find that school shootings adversely affect the mental health of parents of school-aged children. Specifically, I find that the mental health index of mothers is 0.100 standard deviations lower following exposure to a school shooting. Heterogeneity analyses also reveal that the mental health impacts on parents are concentrated among families with married parents. Finally, I find that children's exposure to a school shooting negatively impacts their expectations regarding educational attainment. These results suggest that the costs of school shootings extend far beyond the direct impacts on victims who are killed or physically injured.
The challenges of adolescents with learning disabilities do not diminish as individuals mature in age, rather learning disabilities’ effects extend into adulthood. When compared to the physically disabled and nondisabled, individuals with learning disabilities have the lowest educational attainment and subsequently fewer employment opportunities. Because the educational challenges faced by the learning disabled behave as a conduit to inferior employment outcomes, they contend with modest wages in conjunction with their disability. Using the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, I identify adolescents in the eighth grade who received services for disability types, learning and physical. Gender analysis reveals wage gaps between groups, wherein each estimation the learning disabled is the disadvantaged group. Wage regressions indicate that men with learning disabilities incur larger negative effects on log hourly wages due to learning disabilities than women. This research promotes the need for development of coping strategies that aid the learning disabled in higher educational attainment.
Millions of parents in the United States suffer with depression. However, parental depression is not isolated to the individual, but spills over into the family unit. Adolescents may be especially vulnerable to parental depression because adolescence is a key transitional period into adulthood. It is during this time adolescents began to explore boundaries and establish behavior. Parental depression stands to adversely affect the behavior of adolescents through negative parenting and lack of emotional support. This paper examines the associative differences in adolescent risky behavior due to the timing and onset of parental depression. My results show that history of maternal depression and recency of depressive episode is positively correlated with adolescent risky behavior. Specifically, I find that recency of maternal depression, when the child is 15 years of age has greater correlation than the mother's overall history of depression to adolescent risky behavior. Also, I find that recency of paternal depression is correlated with a 14.5 percentage point decrease in GPA of adolescents; a stronger correlation to GPA than maternal depression. Considering how parental depression impedes healthy development in adolescence is imperative to understanding the behavior in adulthood and provides a basis for potential policy interventions in regard to adolescent development.Ph.D
An Examination of the Relationships between Physical Activity and Mental Health among High School Youth in Tennessee
No full textSeveral research studies have examined the relationship between physical activity and mental health among adults in the United States. However, no published study has extensively explored the relationship between physical activity and mental health among adolescents in Tennessee. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between physical activity and mental health when considering age, sex, race, and BMI. Data from the 2019 Tennessee Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS) was analyzed to calculate descriptive statistics for physical activity, signs and symptoms of depression, screen time, and suicide ideation and quantify the relationship between Physical activity and mental health. The study found a significant positive relationship between physical activity and signs and symptoms of depression. However, contrary to previous literature, no significant associations were observed between physical activity and suicide ideation, screen time and suicide ideation, and screen time and signs and symptoms of depression.M.P.H
The View sub specie aeternitatis and Consolation: Parallel Themes in the Old English Boethius and Selected Medieval English Literature
No full textThe ninth-century Old English Boethius, commissioned by Alfred the Great, is an adaptation of Boethius’ s The Consolation of Philosophy. The appearance of new scholarly editions in recent years has helped medieval scholars better understand Anglo-Saxon educational interests and the primary concerns of Alfred’s kingdom of Wessex as a land besieged by Viking invasions and tremendous loss. Focusing on the themes of consolation and the view sub specie aeternitatis (from the aspect of eternity) addressed in the Old English Boethius through a dialogue between Wisdom and the fictional narrator, Boethius, this dissertation treats the text as a stand-alone literary work comprised of concepts that resonate in Old and Middle English literature. Exploring thematic parallels in the Old English Boethius, the Old English poems “The Seafarer,” “The Wanderer,” “The Dream of the Rood,” Beowulf, and other literary works, this study illustrates that the universal themes found in Boethius are reflected in the selected literature. As does the fictional Boethius, the kings, warriors, and other literary characters throughout these works remember through memory, dreams, and reason the source of divine goodness, the value of wise choices for the greater good, and the need for equanimity as they navigate earthly suffering and loss. The themes of consolation and the view sub specie aeternitatis are also present in the later Middle English poem Pearl as a grieving father comes terms with his daughter’s death, further demonstrating that the Boethian themes are echoed in selected Old and Middle English literature throughout the Middle Ages and illustrate the universality of human suffering and the need for consolation.Ph.D
The Great Flight: Political Corruption as a Trigger for Mexican Emigration
No full textPolitical corruption is a phenomenon that has plagued most societies. However, its
contribution as a push factor in modern Mexican and Central American migration
research must be addressed. Despite public opinion data such as LAPOP's Americas
Barometer illustrating the frequency and disdain of civilians' interaction with petty
corruption and gross distrust in the executive and legislative branches of government,
research in the field remains relatively unexplored. The Migration Policy Institute has
added to limited cross-sectional research in the field by demonstrating that corruption
contributes at least to some extent to emigration desires. This study utilized structured
interviews to measure the extent to which political corruption influenced emigration for
ten immigrants from Mexico and Central America. It found that US foreign policy serves
as a significant pull factor by encouraging migrants to immigrate and permanently settle
in the US. Additionally, the study found that although corruption was not the primary
factor motivating emigration, it was an underlying factor in migrants' search for safety
and security in the United States