Teacher and student perceptions of self-determination

For almost two decades, research efforts specific to self-determination have resulted in the development of curricula, assessments, instructional strategies, interventions, model programs, and proposed quality indicators (Field et al., 1998). Despite the combined efforts and perceptions of researchers, teachers, parents, employers, and college disability service providers related to these important aspects of self-determination research, limited attention has been devoted to understanding the perceptions of self-determination from secondary students with and without disabilities and their general and special education teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher and student perceptions related to self-determination. Teacher perceptions were measured with the Self-Determination Teacher Perception Scale (Hoffman, Field, & Sawilowsky, 2004). Student Perceptions were measured with the Self-Determination Student Scale (Hoffman, Field, & Sawilowsky, 2004). Perceptions from students with disabilities were compared to the perceptions of their general and special education teachers. Results of the chi-square test of independence indicate students and teachers disagree about the students\u27 self-determination skills, behaviors, and attitudes. In addition, the perceptions related to self-determination abilities of eighth grade students with disabilities were compared to the perceptions of eighth grade students without disabilities. Results of the independent t-test indicate no significant difference of perceptions between these two student groups. Finally, special and general education co-teachers\u27 perceptions about students\u27 self-determination skills, attitudes, and behaviors were compared. Results of the dependent t-test indicate no significant difference between general and special education teachers\u27 perceptions about their shared eighth grade students with disabilities. Students with disabilities now receive instruction in general education classes for much, if not all, of the school day. Co-teaching models have emerged to help teachers meet the needs of all students within the general education classroom. Thus, it is important for co-teachers to explore their own as well as their students\u27 perceptions related to self-determination to assist in planning appropriate instruction for this area of the curriculum

Effects of Mowing and Tebuthiuron on the Nutritional Quality of Wyoming Big Sagebrush

Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) is the most abundant and widely distributed subspecies of big sagebrush and has been treated through chemical application, mechanical treatments, and prescribed burning in efforts thought to improve habitat conditions for species such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Although the response of structural attributes of sagebrush communities to treatments is well understood, there is a need to identify how treatments influence the quality of sagebrush as winter food for wildlife. Our purpose was to identify how mowing and tebuthiuron treatments influenced dietary quality of Wyoming big sagebrush in central Wyoming. Two study areas were mowed in January and February 2014 and tebuthiuron was applied in two study areas in May 2014. We constructed 6 exclosures in each of these four study areas (24 total), which encompassed 30 m x 30 m areas of treated and untreated sagebrush within each exclosure. Samples of current annual growth were collected from 18 sagebrush plants from treated and 12 plants from control portions of mowing exclosures during November 2013–2015 and tebuthiuron exclosures during November 2014–2015. Samples were analyzed for crude protein and plant secondary metabolites known to influence dietary selection of sagebrush by sage-grouse and other sagebrush occurring herbivores. Our results suggest mowing and tebuthiuron treatments may slightly increase crude protein concentrations directly after treatments without immediate changes in plant secondary metabolites. Slight increases in dietary quality of sagebrush following treatments coupled with potential trade-offs with loss of biomass associated with treatments corroborates previous research that treating Wyoming big sagebrush may have little benefit for sage-grouse and other sagebrush-dependent wildlife. Future work should evaluate not only how treatments influence sage-grouse habitat use and 2 reproductive success, but how treatments influence other wildlife species in fragile sagebrush ecosystems

Unwrapping school lunch: Examining the social dynamics and caring relationships that play out during school lunch

Students are important stakeholders in school food programs. Yet children’s daily experiences and voices are often overlooked in advocacy around school food. In Canada, where the federal government recently expressed interest in creating a National School Food Program, nearly no research has documented the first-hand experiences of children during lunch. This ethnographic study draws on data collected during 36 lunchtimes in three Canadian schools during a transitional period in a school district’s lunch program. The findings unwrap the powerful role of students’ perceptions of and relationships to food in shaping their social interactions, and their sense of care, connection, and identity. Classroom observations coupled with photos of school lunches demonstrate the wide diversity of foods eaten at school and the nuanced, complex, and sometimes divergent meanings children give to food, school lunch and the people involved in preparing, serving, supervising, and sharing lunchtime experiences. Students demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the food choices and attitudes of their peers and actively marked out their identities vis-à-vis food. Students frequently talked about food as a site of care and support, and both the social relationships and care work that played out were a major part of school lunch experiences. Understanding the intricacies of children’s school lunch experiences, including the relationships, meanings, and values that shape school lunch, will be critical for creating robust school food programs and policies in Canada that better serve the needs of children and reduce rather than reproduce existing health and social inequalities.Peer reviewe

An Approach for Integrating and Analyzing Sustainability in Food-Based Dietary Guidelines

International organizations, governments, researchers, and activists have proposed the need for deeper integration of sustainability considerations in national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs). Yet, as recent scholarship advances the conversation, questions remain around how to effectively frame and address the interconnectedness of multiple sustainability domains. Little systematic analysis has evaluated how current FBDGs have integrated complex messages about socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable consumption practices with nutrition and health messages. This study had two nested objectives: (i) to examine the validity of an existing sustainable diets framework by assessing how sustainability concepts have been framed and included in national FBDGs available from 2011 to 2019 and (ii) to describe a novel analysis approach that augments an existing framework which integrates sustainability domains and can be adapted for use by future FBDGs. A qualitative content analysis was used to examine sustainability concepts found in 12 FBDGs and supporting documents available in English that were developed for use in 16 countries across Europe, North and South America, and Asia as of 2019-from a global review of those published prior to 2016 and gray literature review of publications between 2016 and 2019. Health domains were the primary frame found across the FBDGs examined, but documents also commonly incorporated agricultural, sociocultural, and economic sustainability principles. Analyzed documents were used to adapt an existing policy analysis framework into a "Sustainability in FBDGs Framework." This proposed framework contributes a novel analysis approach and has five core domains that are interconnected: health and nutrition, food security and agriculture, markets and value chains, sociocultural and political, and environment and ecosystems. This study adds to the growing body of literature related to sustainable food systems and dietary guidelines by presenting how sustainability framing in FBDGs can be used to further develop a comprehensive framework for integrating sustainability domains. While this project helps to validate previous work, further analyses of FBDGs which have emerged since this study and those not available in English are needed to improve the guidance approach described here and for assessing the incorporation of sustainability domains in future FBDGs. This work is useful in informing processes for policy developers to integrate sustainability considerations into their national FBDGs.Peer reviewe

Rape Myth Acceptance: Implications for Counselor Education Programs

Abstract A sexually violent act or rape is committed every 1.9 minutes in the United States (USDJ, 2009, p.1). Blaming the rape victim for their perceived complicity is one component of the construct known as rape myth, a term identified by Burt (1980). This study explored and examined the perceptions, and understanding of sexual violence, rape, and rape myths by master’s level counselors-in-training (n=5). Phenomenology and naturalistic inquiry guided the qualitative design and implementation. Suggestions for implementing rape education and training into counseling curriculums and clinical supervision are provided. Keywords: rape myth, counselors-in-training, phenomenolog

Blood flow response to a postural challenge in older men and women

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to measure blood flow in the carotid and femoral arteries, heart rate and blood pressure in response to postural challenge in older adults. A second purpose was to determine if older men and women have different cardiovascular responses to a postural challenge such as tilt. METHODS: Thirty-seven healthy elderly men and women participated in this study (69–82 years old). All subjects had similar physical activity levels. Postural challenge was induced by a 60° tilt at the level of the waist. Continuous carotid blood flow and femoral blood flow was measured with Doppler ultrasound. RESULTS: Carotid blood flow was significantly reduced 17% in both men and women immediately after tilt (p < 0.001), and by 3.2% two minutes after tilt (p < 0.001). Femoral blood flow decreased 59.4% in men and 61% in women immediately after tilt (p < 0.001), and remained significantly decreased two minutes after tilt by 21% (p <0.001). Heart rate increased by 15% in men (p < 0.001), and 26% in women immediately after the tilt (p < 0.001). Heart rate returned to resting values within two minutes in both men and women. Response to tilt was not significantly related to self-report physical activity levels or to six-minute walk time. CONCLUSION: A postural challenge induced larger changes in the femoral artery compared to the carotid artery. There were no differences between men and women to a tilt table test except for differences in heart rate response. There was no difference in the blood flow responses to postural challenge with physical activity level or between healthy older men and women

Wildlife as Biosamplers: Contaminants in Hair of Elk Harvested Near the Anaconda Smelter Site

The purpose of this research was to test a new way of investigating biological uptake of smelting-related contaminants with a focus on harvested wildlife. Specific objectives were 1) to collect hair samples from elk (Cervus elaphus) harvested in the vicinity of the Anaconda Smelter National Priority List Site in Montana, 2) to analyze the samples using inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and 3) to identify potential elements of concern from the data. Hair samples were collected from 56 elk, and concentration data were processed using a hazard quotient/index approach based on concepts commonly used in fields of ecological and human health risk analyses. Arsenic concentrations in the hair decreased as a function of increasing distance from the Anaconda smelter stack, and 57 % of the elk sampled were identified as animals of concern. For elk harvested within 25 km of the stack, elements of concern were aluminum, arsenic, barium, boron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, strontium, and vanadium. For elk harvested within 76-101.5 km of the stack, elements of concern were aluminum, barium, boron, lithium, and manganese. Hazard indices for uranium, arsenic, cadmium, and lithium were larger by factors of ~17, 9, 7, and 6, respectively, for elk harvested within 25 km of the stack compared to hazard indices for elk harvested within 76-101.5 km