Indigenous Students' Experiences in Physical Education: A Scoping Review

Positive experiences in Physical Education (PE) throughout one’s childhood encourages life-long interest and participation in exercise and movement, as well as increased mental and physical well-being (Akbar & Tsuji, 2020). However, for many Indigenous students’ this is not the case as these individuals experience much negativity, the most prominent one being racism (McHugh et al., 2019). Therefore, my study aimed to gain a better understanding Indigenous students’ prior experiences in public school PE across Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. A scoping review was conducted guided by Arksey & O’Malley’s (2005) framework, while using a decolonial lens following Linda Tuiwai Smith (2021). Data collection started on May 12th, 2023 and finished on August 19th, 2023. The search strategy identified 41 pieces of literature, after the title, abstract, and full-text was reviewed. And, upon more in-depth analysis a final list of 15 pieces of literature were identified that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study. A descriptive analysis followed by a thematic analysis were conducted examining all 15 pieces of literature. The descriptive analysis identified key descriptors from each piece of literature (i.e., document name, author, country where data was collected, etc.). Some examples of major findings included, 93% of the pieces of literature focused only on high school students and 60% of the pieces of literature were published pre-2012 and none since 2018. Based on the Thematic analysis two overarching themes were identified: (1) Experiencing a cultural disconnect in the PE curriculum and the content being taught; and (2) Connections between students’ and the PE environment. iv The results of this study demonstrate that although research presently exists with regards to Indigenous students’ sharing their experiences in PE, there is still need for considerably more work specifically focused on this topic. Sharing Indigenous students’ experiences in PE may resonate with Indigenous researchers, scholars, teachers and beyond these groups as well. What this research offers is a pathway for future research with Indigenous and minority communities to provide a better understanding of the student experience in PE for current and future educators and administrators

Raising the Bar: Testing Prospective Relationships Between Multidimensional Trait Perfectionism and Undergraduate Academic Achievement

Prospective associations between trait perfectionism and academic achievement among undergraduate students were tested via a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Undergraduate students (N = 316) who were enrolled in the core first- and second-year courses of a social sciences undergraduate program (Mage = 18.01 years, SD = 0.06; 74.86% female) completed surveys on multidimensional perfectionism and authorized the use of institution-verified grades for research. At the between-persons level and in line with previous research, self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) was positively linked with academic achievement whereas socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) was negatively related with academic achievement. At the within-persons level, an increase in academic achievement at the end of students’ first year of university, compared to their own personal mean, predicted an increase in SPP at the midterm of their second year of university, demonstrating that academic achievement may encourage undergraduate students to “raise the bar” via amplifying their perfectionistic tendencies.This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program awarded to Danielle S. Molnar (CRC-2020-00095)

Reinforcement Learning-based User-centric Handover Decision-making in 5G Vehicular Networks

The advancement of 5G technologies and Vehicular Networks open a new paradigm for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in safety and infotainment services in urban and highway scenarios. Connected vehicles are vital for enabling massive data sharing and supporting such services. Consequently, a stable connection is compulsory to transmit data across the network successfully. The new 5G technology introduces more bandwidth, stability, and reliability, but it faces a low communication range, suffering from more frequent handovers and connection drops. The shift from the base station-centric view to the user-centric view helps to cope with the smaller communication range and ultra-density of 5G networks. In this thesis, we propose a series of strategies to improve connection stability through efficient handover decision-making. First, a modified probabilistic approach, M-FiVH, aimed at reducing 5G handovers and enhancing network stability. Later, an adaptive learning approach employed Connectivity-oriented SARSA Reinforcement Learning (CO-SRL) for user-centric Virtual Cell (VC) management to enable efficient handover (HO) decisions. Following that, a user-centric Factor-distinct SARSA Reinforcement Learning (FD-SRL) approach combines time series data-oriented LSTM and adaptive SRL for VC and HO management by considering both historical and real-time data. The random direction of vehicular movement, high mobility, network load, uncertain road traffic situation, and signal strength from cellular transmission towers vary from time to time and cannot always be predicted. Our proposed approaches maintain stable connections by reducing the number of HOs by selecting the appropriate size of VCs and HO management. A series of improvements demonstrated through realistic simulations showed that M-FiVH, CO-SRL, and FD-SRL were successful in reducing the number of HOs and the average cumulative HO time. We provide an analysis and comparison of several approaches and demonstrate our proposed approaches perform better in terms of network connectivity

A Flood Tale of Two Cities: St. Catharines and London, ON

The world's growing state of climate change has caused natural disasters to increase significantly. Flood disasters have risen in Ontario and require municipalities to implement flood-resilient measures to create a safer environment for their residents. This research follows a mixed methods approach to compare flood resiliency and determine if the Government of Ontario’s Five Flood Resilience Priorities are being implemented in St. Catharines and London. Four findings are highlighted: firstly, neither municipality satisfies the five flood resiliency priorities the provincial government set out. Secondly, St. Catharines is more vulnerable to flood disasters. Thirdly, London’s basement flooding program is executed exceptionally well compared to St. Catharine’s. The latter needs many improvements to create a more flood-resilient community. Lastly, homeowners in each municipality have varying perspectives on where responsibility for flooding lies. These findings show that, while both cities need to work towards improving their flood resiliency, St. Catharines needs additional improvements

Scoping Review of Environmental and Sustainability Education in Teacher Education: Historical Context of Research and Preliminary Results

The paper is a collection of data preserved from original research on a scoping review for ESE-TE. The original research in tables and figures have been preserved for a historical context. The original paper was presented at two conferences: World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) and Environmental Education SIG of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) by the two leading authors (Douglas D Karrow and Susan Maureen Docherty-Skippen). The third Author (Rob Blom) summarised the document and added relevant details such as a preface and a preamble. Rob and Doug will be published in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE) in the special issue Making an Impact – UN Sustainable Development Goals and university performance.To identify the international trends in environmental and sustainability education in teacher education (ESE-TE) research, we (Doug and Susan) report research from a scoping literature review. Different from international literature reviews in ESE that have examined policy issues, sustainability pedagogies, and how ESE is embedded in TE curriculum, our study focuses on all aspects of ESE relevant to TE. We screened 2,142 research articles spanning over five decades and 81 countries. Of the 788 articles deemed eligible (i.e., English-language, peer-reviewed, pre-service/in-service teacher education that explicitly mentioned ESE-TE research), data from 637 studies have been included in this study. Our research analysis included quantifying the geographic, temporal, and methodological trends, and a qualitative exploration of the research problems/context themes. While 82% of the research articles we examined were empirical, the most prevalent problems investigated across all of the studies centred on the themes of TE commonplaces (34%), competencies and literacy (20%), and awareness (16%). While no definite conclusions may be drawn until the complete data set has been analysed (a forthcoming paper), preliminary findings suggest a disparity of ESE-TE research in Asia, South and Central America, and Africa. Preliminary results also suggest that more research in the context of TE praxis is needed

Uncovering millennia of wildfire occurrence during the Holocene at local and regional scales in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Northern ecosystems are experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate change compared to the rest of the globe, primarily due to Arctic amplification. Ongoing climate change is projected to lead to increases in the frequency and severity of wildfires in the boreal forest. Records of past wildfires in the Northwest Territories, Canada, are spatially limited and temporally short, making it difficult to assess the impacts of wildfires on a long-term basis. Using paleolimnological techniques, including the analysis of macroscopic charcoal, pollen, temperature reconstructions and solar insolation values, local and regional scale wildfire and vegetation histories were constructed for the Northwest Territories. For the local scale study, the charcoal record produced from lake 18-YK-16 (unofficial name) recorded 36 wildfire events during the past ~9,500 years before present (BP), and from lake 18-YK-20 (unofficial name), 62 wildfire events were recorded during the past ~10,300 years BP. For both lakes, wildfire events increased in frequency ~8,000 and ~5,500 years BP, corresponding to the presence of spruce (Picea spp.) and increasing temperatures. Additionally, for 18-YK-16, a third peak in wildfire activity coincided with the Medieval Climate Anomaly 800-1200 CE. Fire occurrence declined during the middle to late Holocene (~5,500-600 years BP) which is a period of climatic cooling. For the regional scale study, wildfire activity was limited during the Late Pleistocene to early Holocene, due to receding glaciers and a lack of vegetation on the landscape. Between ~7,000 years BP and ~5,500 years BP, wildfire activity in the North Slave Region was frequent due to the expansion of fire-prone Picea and higher temperatures. Regional wildfire activity declined throughout the Neoglacial period (~4,500 years BP); however, local-scale wildfires were occurring which can be attributed to the expansion of Pinus ~4,500 years BP in addition to local scale bottom-up and top-down controls. Wildfire activity remained low up until the late 20th century, which can be correlated to increasing temperatures and anthropogenic activities. Long term implications of wildfire activity suggest that with continued warming of the climate, wildfire frequency and severity will increase

Understanding the Dimensions of Climate Change Misinformation

Climate change misinformation (CCM) is emerging as one of the most pressing barriers to climate action. Referring to false or inaccurate information about climate change, CCM threatens to cast confusion on both the severity and existence of climate change. As CCM has permeated into mainstream news and social media platforms, it can now reach larger audiences and decrease support for climate change mitigation practices and policies. To combat CCM effectively, more work is needed to understand it as one unified concept. This major research paper focuses on filling this gap by identifying the dimensions of CCM through an inductive content analysis of peer-reviewed literature. Utilizing an inductive approach, five overall dimensions of CCM were synthesized: attributes, psychology, politics, disinformation, and responses. These dimensions establish the necessary foundation to understand CCM as one concept, increase global resiliency to CCM, and develop strategies that focus on eliminating CCM in the future

Campbell Family Fonds

Charlotte St. John, daughter of Alpheus St. John and Charlotte Phelps, one of nine children, of which four died in infancy. Charlotte was the granddaughter of Oliver Phelps and Abigail St. John. She married Jerome Beamer Oille on 3 March 1857. Jerome B. Oille and Charlotte St. John had two daughters, Harriet Oille and Elizabeth Oille. Harriet Oille married John J. Banfield Elizabeth Oille married John Samuel Campbell. The Oille family were established in the Niagara region since the late 1780s. The Oille family surname is alternatively also spelled Oil, Oill, Eil or Oehl. In 1795, Nicholas Oille petitioned the government for the title to 100 hundred acres. Oille states that he has been in Upper Canada for seven years and he has a wife and five children. At the writing of the petition, Nicholas Oille had already improved 300 of the 400 hundred acres he had originally been granted on Lots 6 & 7 in Concession 1 & 2 in Pelham Township. George Nicholas Oille (1817-1883) was one of twelve children George Nicholas Oille and his wife Eve Decker. He owned and operated a large machinery and foundry business along the Welland Canal in St. Catharines. He was joined in his business by his brother Jerome Beamer Oille. Harriet Oille was the daughter of George Nicholas Oille and Eve Decker. She lived with her brother George Nicholas Oille in St. Catharines. Harriet Oille died unmarried in 1884. Lucius Sterne Oille (1830-1903) was a medical doctor practicing in St. Catharines. He received his license to practice medicine in 1858 from Sir Edmund Walker Head. He was instrumental in creating the Water Works Commission and the Niagara Central Railway. He served on the local city council and served as mayor of St. Catharines in 1878. Lucius S. Oille owned many properties in St. Catharines, one of which was the land on which The Grand Central Hotel and Sanatorium Company of St. Catharines was built ca. 1896. Oille was one of the significant shareholders of the company. When Dr. Oille passed in 1903 the bulk of his estate was inherited by his niece Elizabeth Campbell. John Samuel Campbell (1860-1950) was a graduate of the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall. During his university years John began his military career first in "K" Company, Queens Own rifles and then later as Commanding Officer of the 19th Lincoln Regiment from 1906 to 1910. Upon his return to St. Catharines John Campbell served as secretary in the St. Catharines Garrison Club, a social club for military men begun in 1899. After being called to the Bar, he became a partner in the firm of Campbell and McCarron and was appointed to the bench in 1916, serving until retirement in 1934. Judge Campbell served as an alderman for several terms and was the mayor of St. Catharines in 1908 and 1909. He also served as the first chairman of the St. Catharines Public Utilities in 1914. John S. Campbell married Elizabeth Oille in 1889. Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of Jerome B. Oille and Charlotte St. John, was active in her community. Particularly in the local women’s needlework guild. The family home "Cruachan" was located at 32 Church St. The home was demolished around 1955 for the construction of the new federal building. Cruachan is the battle cry for Highland clans Campbell and MacIntyre. John S. Campbell and Elizabeth Oille had two sons, Harold Montgomery Campbell and John Colin Armour Campbell. Harold Montgomery Campbell and his wife Ella Stobie had a son, Malcolm Stobie Campbell. Andy Campbell is the son of Malcolm Stobie Campbell and Mona McPherson. The archives were in his possession until November 2023 when they were deposited in the Brock University Archives. The Grand Central Hotel and Sanatorium Company of St. Catharines Limited was incorporated on 27 February 1896. Elizabeth Oille Campbell was the major shareholder, with John S. Campbell, William Cooke, John Henderson, J. Albert Mills and Lucius S. Oille being minority shareholders. The company held regular meetings and conducted the business of the hotel. The hotel was leased to various proprietors over the years and the main floor shops were leased as retail space. Some of the hotel proprietors were R.J. Hannah and the Misses Pauwels and Mackie. In 1928 the company underwent a name change to the Lincoln Hotel Company. The hotel building was sold in XXXX after which the company dealt mostly in investments with the Campbell family being the main shareholders. In 1973 the Lincoln Hotel Company was dissolved and the remaining assets dispersed.The textual materials of the Campbell and Oille families. Includes correspondence, clippings, land transaction documents, and business records, including minutes, invoices, correspondence, and certificates

The Effect of Subthreshold Vibration on Lateral Reactive Balance

Previous research has indicated that subthreshold vibratory noise improves standing balance control in a diverse range of populations (i.e., young adults, older adults, and persons with diabetic neuropathy). However, there is limited literature examining whether these effects extend to reactive balance contexts. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was aimed at determining whether vibratory noise input changes postural responses to unexpected ML perturbations. The secondary purpose was to replicate improvements in standing balance control that have been previously reported. Twenty-five participants (10 male and 15 females) were recruited for this study. In all trials, participants stood quietly with each foot on top of a rubber pad embedded with vibrating tactors, with their eyes closed and wearing headphones. The vibrating tactors were positioned such that it would stimulate the skin of the first and fifth metatarsal heads, as well as the heel. During the surface translation trials, participants were instructed to recover their balance in response to unexpected leftward and rightward support surface translations. During the standing trials, participants were asked to stand quietly. Reactive balance control was quantified using kinematic and spatiotemporal measures of the stepping response whereas static balance control was quantified using center of pressure measures. Results indicated that there were no discernable effects of vibration in reactive or static balance control measures. These findings suggest that the application of vibratory noise to the foot sole does not affect reactive or standing balance measures in younger adults. To identify the efficacy of vibratory noise in reactive balance, replication using older and clinical populations should be examined to determine if beneficial effects are confined to individuals that display worsened balance from decreased somatosensatio

Coding as a Literacy Practice in Adult Learning Communities

This study considered how computing courses for adult learners might be customized to effectively address their reasons for learning to read and write computer code. The view of coding as a literacy practice is the key theme in this study. Street’s (2006) ideological model of literacy along with the perspective of computational participation, are theoretical models used to explore coding as a literacy practice (Kafai & Burke, 2017). Through the vehicle of action research, this study focused on analyzing the delivery of an introductory web languages coding course for female immigrants. This study drew from both the student and teacher perspectives. The study used student feedback collected from online class survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The study also incorporated the teacher’s field notes, a course summary report, and the Teaching Perspectives Inventory survey results (Collins & Pratt, 2011). Findings from this study include these areas of insights: 1) students’ views on the benefits of learning coding, 2) the language and communication challenges students faced, and 3) an overview of some effective teaching tools and approaches. Based on these findings, there is a discussion that considered possible issues related to student engagement in learning web language coding. Included are sections on implications for practice and future research