Taking it Outside: Does Moving Class Outdoors Help Students Concentrate?

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Description
Does holding class outdoors have a restorative impact for students? An experimental case study was done at an elementary school in Phoenix to explore this question. A group of 2nd grade students were given a cognitive assessment to measure concentration

Does holding class outdoors have a restorative impact for students? An experimental case study was done at an elementary school in Phoenix to explore this question. A group of 2nd grade students were given a cognitive assessment to measure concentration following exposure to different learning environments, i.e. their classroom and schoolyard. Results indicate that holding class outdoors may have a restorative influence on children's capacity to direct attention.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

The Physical and Mental Impact of COVID-19 and Isolation on Collegiate Athletes Survey - Google Forms

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Description

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how COVID-19 has affected college athletes physically and mentally. A survey with 36 questions encompassing gender, sport, COVID-19 symptom severity, type and duration, return to play factors, perceived social isolation, depression and

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how COVID-19 has affected college athletes physically and mentally. A survey with 36 questions encompassing gender, sport, COVID-19 symptom severity, type and duration, return to play factors, perceived social isolation, depression and anxiety was distributed to all student athletes at Arizona State University. A total of 26 athletes (84.6% female, 15.4% male) who previously contracted the COVID-19 virus participated in the survey, representing a variety of 12 different sports. The study concluded that as student athletes symptom severity increased, symptom duration increased as well. Between one day to 10 months of continued symptoms after returning to sport play was reported by one-third of participating student athletes; however, there was no indication that vaccination status, obtaining a negative COVID-19 test, or obtaining medical clearance prior to returning to sport play after contracting COVID-19 affected if symptoms persisted or not after returning to play. Most (92.3%) athletes reported higher levels of perceived isolation, and as social isolation scores increased, depression scores increased. Abnormal anxiety symptoms were reported by 30.8% of student athletes, and as depression scores increased, anxiety scores increased as well. Study results and further research can be utilized to improve and refine gradual return to play protocols, enhance methods of communication and integration during mass social isolation, and greater assess depression and anxiety prevalence in student athletes.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Hanley Honors Thesis (Spring 2022)

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Description

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how COVID-19 has affected college athletes physically and mentally. A survey with 36 questions encompassing gender, sport, COVID-19 symptom severity, type and duration, return to play factors, perceived social isolation, depression and

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how COVID-19 has affected college athletes physically and mentally. A survey with 36 questions encompassing gender, sport, COVID-19 symptom severity, type and duration, return to play factors, perceived social isolation, depression and anxiety was distributed to all student athletes at Arizona State University. A total of 26 athletes (84.6% female, 15.4% male) who previously contracted the COVID-19 virus participated in the survey, representing a variety of 12 different sports. The study concluded that as student athletes symptom severity increased, symptom duration increased as well. Between one day to 10 months of continued symptoms after returning to sport play was reported by one-third of participating student athletes; however, there was no indication that vaccination status, obtaining a negative COVID-19 test, or obtaining medical clearance prior to returning to sport play after contracting COVID-19 affected if symptoms persisted or not after returning to play. Most (92.3%) athletes reported higher levels of perceived isolation, and as social isolation scores increased, depression scores increased. Abnormal anxiety symptoms were reported by 30.8% of student athletes, and as depression scores increased, anxiety scores increased as well. Study results and further research can be utilized to improve and refine gradual return to play protocols, enhance methods of communication and integration during mass social isolation, and greater assess depression and anxiety prevalence in student athletes.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

The Physical and Mental Effect of COVID-19 and Pandemic Isolation on Collegiate Athletes:
A Survey-Based Study

Description
The purpose of this study was to evaluate how COVID-19 has affected college athletes physically and mentally. A survey with 36 questions encompassing gender, sport, COVID-19 symptom severity, type and duration, return to play factors, perceived social isolation, depression and

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how COVID-19 has affected college athletes physically and mentally. A survey with 36 questions encompassing gender, sport, COVID-19 symptom severity, type and duration, return to play factors, perceived social isolation, depression and anxiety was distributed to all student athletes at Arizona State University. A total of 26 athletes (84.6% female, 15.4% male) who previously contracted the COVID-19 virus participated in the survey, representing a variety of 12 different sports. The study concluded that as student athletes symptom severity increased, symptom duration increased as well. Between one day to 10 months of continued symptoms after returning to sport play was reported by one-third of participating student athletes; however, there was no indication that vaccination status, obtaining a negative COVID-19 test, or obtaining medical clearance prior to returning to sport play after contracting COVID-19 affected if symptoms persisted or not after returning to play. Most (92.3%) athletes reported higher levels of perceived isolation, and as social isolation scores increased, depression scores increased. Abnormal anxiety symptoms were reported by 30.8% of student athletes, and as depression scores increased, anxiety scores increased as well. Study results and further research can be utilized to improve and refine gradual return to play protocols, enhance methods of communication and integration during mass social isolation, and greater assess depression and anxiety prevalence in student athletes.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Exploring Creative Arts and Youth Sports Programming: A Qualitative Study

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Description
Increasing demands of youth sport participation has resulted in a lack of time for youth to engage in non-sport activities associated with positive youth development (PYD; West & Strand, 2016; Witt & Dangi, 2018). Though sport participation has the potential

Increasing demands of youth sport participation has resulted in a lack of time for youth to engage in non-sport activities associated with positive youth development (PYD; West & Strand, 2016; Witt & Dangi, 2018). Though sport participation has the potential to increase positive PYD in participants, it is evident that sport participation alone does not generate PYD (Coakley, 2011). A positive environment, space to build internal assets, and continuous intentional, evaluative programs are a few of the components that may facilitate PYD in sport (Petitpas, Cornelius, Van Raalte, & Jones, 2005). When an appropriate development context is lacking, sport participation may actually lead to negative outcomes including intrapersonal (e.g. anxiety due to excessive criticism), interpersonal (e.g. parental pressure or lack of time to participate in other age-appropriate activities), or structural outcomes (e.g. overuse/burnout, cost, or lack of free play) (Witt & Dangi, 2018; Reverdito, et al., 2020). These risks may be particularly pronounced for athletes whose sole activity is sport. One way to address this is to provide non-sport activities as part of a sport program. For example, creative arts activities can enhance self-awareness (Perryman, Moss, & Cochran, 2015), improve communication (Moon, 2007), and decrease psychological distress (Ansari & Lalani, 2014). Further, creative arts can be sport related and built into sport program. Given the value of creative activities in PYD, and the potential lack of creative opportunities for athletes, it is important to examine if such activities are associated with PYD outcomes for athletes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the experience of participation in creative activities for youth athletes, with a specific focus on potential PYD associations. Fifteen current youth sport athletes engaged in an art-based activity, followed by a semi-structured interview. Findings suggest indicators of active engagement in creative art activities are distraction, reflection, expression, and relaxation. Further, when participants were actively engaged in creative arts, they perceived the following three benefits: 1) connection with teammates, 2) empowerment, and 3) positive identity. These findings provide practical implication for youth sport administrators as well as contribute to the limited body of literature on creative arts and youth sport programing.
Date Created
2021
Agent

Community-Engaged Interprofessional Education: Integrated Analysis of Pedagogical Strategies Pivotal to Interprofessional Socialization

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Description
Interprofessional educators increasingly recognize the importance of establishing graduated interprofessional learning strategies to socialize and prepare learners to work in collaborative care environments. Interprofessional socialization (IPS) is the process of bringing students together from different disciplines to learn from, with,

Interprofessional educators increasingly recognize the importance of establishing graduated interprofessional learning strategies to socialize and prepare learners to work in collaborative care environments. Interprofessional socialization (IPS) is the process of bringing students together from different disciplines to learn from, with, and about each other. However, education programs struggle to systematically integrate evidence-based interprofessional learning. Community-engaged learning, a pedagogical tool adaptable to diverse circumstances, offers an opportunity to expand IPS. The purpose of this mixed methods action research dissertation study was to explore the factors that contribute to IPS through participation in a community-engaged learning course and how IPS evolves among early learners. In this study, I explored several factors, including theoretically-grounded and contextually relevant teaching and learning strategies pivotal to IPS. Specifically, I created and facilitated an innovative pilot Interprofessional Education and Community Health course, guided by experiential learning theory, asset-based and critical pedagogy and flow theory. I found that these theoretically guided instructional techniques nurtured the benefits of team-based experiential learning, inspired a community of confident learners through praxis, and promoted optimal engagement in challenging and meaningful health promotion activities. The learner’s diverse backgrounds, meaningful community-engagement, and challenging collaborative assignments contributed to IPS. The shared novel real-world experiences ignited emotional reactions that nurtured their relationships; facilitating their ability to address conflicts. They sustained motivation to participate in community-engaged learning and maintained a consistent strong belief in the importance of working as a team. Whereas, their understanding of interprofessional teamwork, comfort and preference working on interprofessional teams grew over time. Four pedagogical strategies pivotal to interprofessional socialization emerged for use with community-engaged interprofessional education: 1) purposeful community partnerships, 2) structured collaborative written assignments, 3) intentional conversations, and 4) welcoming cultural assets.
Date Created
2021
Agent

Conceptualizing social capital and active transportation to school through a social-ecological model

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Description
Active transportation to school (ATS) has received an increasing amount of attention over the past decade due to its promising health contributions. Most of the existing research that surrounds ATS investigates factors from the physical environment as well as factors

Active transportation to school (ATS) has received an increasing amount of attention over the past decade due to its promising health contributions. Most of the existing research that surrounds ATS investigates factors from the physical environment as well as factors from the individual perspective that influence walking and biking to school. This research attempts to add to the existing knowledge by exploring the impact that social relationships within the neighborhood have on ATS.

A model, based on social ecological theory, was presented and tested to examine elements thought to influence ATS. A logistic regression analysis was run to determine the odds of students walking or biking based on the influence of each construct within the model. Results indicated that the physical and socio-cultural constructs were directly and significantly related to ATS behavior while the construct of safety had an indirect effect. These findings support the idea that there are several factors that operate within and across different ecological levels to influence the mode of transportation to school. Therefore, programs to promote ATS should involve multi-level strategies. In addition to the physical environment, interventions should address interpersonal relationships within the family, school, and neighborhood.
Date Created
2015
Agent