Factors Related to Physical Education Course Enrollment at the Community College Level

This study was designed to evaluate the factors related to Physical Education course enrollment at a predominately two-year state college operating under a community college model in the state of Florida as it pertains to enrollment declines in electives focused on health and wellness. The mixed-methods study included a survey of current students at the college (n =177) perceptions and reasons for enrolling in physical education classes. Further, a historical data analysis (n = 87,399) of students\u27 institutional records was conducted to investigate the relationship between student success and physical education. Groups included those who took physical education courses and those who had not. Propensity score matching was achieved at \u3c .002 and matching groups totaled n = 3,258. The analysis of the data indicated that there was a relationship between Physical Education course enrollment and some student success metrics (e.g. course completion). Further, a thematic analysis of the student survey data identified factors that influence elective decision-making including: (a) students\u27 focus on self-improvement, (b) degree and career path planning, and (c) personal enjoyment. This study provides insight for researchers and college administrators interested in elective enrollment, particularly with those focused on Physical Education. The metrics and trends identified can guide future research and inform analytical decision points in the collegiate Physical Education space

Exploring the relationship between personality and work values with emerging adults

This study used archival data and analyzed the work values and personality traits of 20 high school juniors and seniors and 25 undergraduates with disabilities. 40 undergraduate students without disabilities were also included in this study. These measures were collected to explore the extensiveness of overlap between personality measurements and work values in emerging adults who are in the transition process and those who have recently transitioned to post-secondary education. A secondary purpose was to see if similar relationships exist between personality and work values in individuals with disabilities as in those without disabilities. Pearson correlations indicate there were significant positive correlations between all seven work value domains when looking at the overall sample. Three personality traits had significant positive correlations with a work value domain. Looking solely at those without a disability, seven of the 16PF primary factors showed relationships with some of the work values. When looking specifically at students with disabilities, only three of the primary factors showed relationships indicating that students with disabilities are seeing themselves and work differently than those without disabilities

THE THREE BLOCK MODEL OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL): ENGAGING STUDENTS IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Outcomes related to student academic and social engagement when the Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning (Author, 2012) is implemented were investigated. Six hundred and seventy-one students from grades one to twelve attending ten schools located in two rural and three urban school divisions in Manitoba took part in the study. Intervention and control groups were assessed pre and during intervention for academic and social engagement. Student and teacher demographics, types of task and grouping structures being assigned were investigated to determine impacts on engagement. Students completed several measures of classroom climate, belongingness, student autonomy, and inclusivity/exclusivity, and a selected sample were observed to obtain detailed information about their engaged behavior. Data were analyzed using repeated measures MANCOVAs. The intervention significantly increased students’ engaged behavior, particularly active engagement, and promoted social engagement through increased peer interactions, student autonomy, and inclusivity

Perceptions of Unintended Adolescent Pregnancy: Associations with College Students’ Neoliberal Beliefs and Type of Contraceptive Problem

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of unintended adolescent pregnancy as associated with level of neoliberal beliefs and type of contraceptive problem. Northeastern U.S. undergraduate college students (N = 72) completed a measure of neoliberal beliefs and were randomly assigned to read about a couple that became pregnant after contraceptive non-adherence or a contraceptive accident. As expected, observers with greater neoliberal beliefs perceived an unintended adolescent pregnancy as more controllable than those with lesser neoliberal beliefs. Additionally, a pregnancy following a contraceptive accident was perceived as less controllable and elicited more sympathy than a pregnancy following contraceptive non-adherence. These findings suggest perceptions of unintended adolescent pregnancy are both context-dependent and related to the observer’s level of neoliberal beliefs. This knowledge can be applied to promote the well-being of pregnant and parenting adolescents in social service, clinical, and school settings through increased awareness and improved attitudes toward these individuals

Effect of Exposure to a Safe Zone Symbol on Perceptions of Campus Climate for LGBTQ Students

This study investigated student perceptions of campus climate after brief exposure to a Safe Zone symbol. Undergraduates (N = 265; 78% female, 80% white, 14% LGBTQ, 18-23 years old) were randomly assigned to read an excerpt from a fictitious course syllabus that either did or did not feature a Safe Zone symbol. Afterwards, participants rated campus climate characteristics for LGBTQ students. Participants who viewed a Safe Zone symbol reported more positive campus climate characteristics for LGBTQ students than those who did not view a Safe Zone symbol. Exposure to the symbol was not associated with perceptions of negative campus climate characteristics. The current results provide initial experimental evidence that displaying Safe Zone symbols can promote inclusive, accepting perceptions of the campus community

THE THREE-BLOCK MODEL OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION IN A HIGH SCHOOL

The role of the school leader (principal) in supporting educational reform is explored through a case study of one high school implementing the Three Block Model of UDL (Katz, 2012a) in an effort to meet the needs of a diverse student population. This case study is a part of a much larger study exploring outcomes for students and teachers of implementing the model with social and academic inclusion as a goal (Katz, 2013). In this article, analysis of the principal’s field notes, photographs, and video evidence is detailed to illuminate a process for supporting inclusive education through teachers’ professional development in universal design for learning. Results indicated the principal’s efforts to provide teachers with professional development, planning time for collaboration, vision, and direct involvement in instructional delivery resulted in positive outcomes for both students’ and teachers’ learning, selfefficacy, and sense of community

Evolving Into the Open: A Framework for Collaborative Design of Renewable Assignments

Open pedagogy reconceives the notion of who creates knowledge and provides a pathway to empower students as creators. Leveraging open education resources in the classroom results in numerous benefits for students, including free access to knowledge, a participatory culture, and opportunities for innovation and creativity (Hegarty, 2015). Open pedagogical design often results in renewable course assignments, which empower students to create authentic resources that can be positioned to have greater impact through time, space, and gravity, particularly as they have longevity, reach, and value (Seraphin et al., 2018). In this chapter, we will highlight a collaborative partnership between library and education faculty which led to the development of open pedagogical design in a teacher education course. Based on our collaborative processes, we also propose a five-step framework to transform an existing assignment into a renewable assignment