Access to an Outdoor Classroom and Changes in Classroom Environment: Elementary School Teachers� Perspectives

The current climate of education is focused on student outcomes. Outdoor and Environmental Education have been shown to positively impact academic achievement, classroom environment and culture, as well as increased engagement and motivation (Desmond, Grieshop & Subramaniam, 2002; Lieberman & Hoody, 1998; Volk & Cheak, 2003). The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between access to an outdoor classroom and changes in classroom environment. Teachers from two elementary schools in a moderately small community in Oklahoma completed the Teacher Version of the My Class Inventory � Short Form (Sink & Spencer, 2007) once in the September and again in February. Teachers at the treatment school had access to an outdoor classroom and teachers at the comparison school did not. Due to demographic differences between the two schools, first, pre-test differences were analyzed using a Mann Whitney U. There were no statistically significant differences in pre-test scores on the scales of competitiveness, difficulty, or peer relations between the treatment and comparison schools. There was a statistically significant difference in pre-test scores of satisfaction; however, this statistical difference was no longer present among the post-test scores. Based on the literature that shows outdoor education can be related to positive changes in classroom environment and student academic achievement, this change in satisfaction scores could be attributed to access to an outdoor classroom (Desmond, Grieshop & Subramaniam, 2002; Glenn, 2000; Lieberman & Hoody, 1998; Volk & Cheak, 2003). There were no statistically significant differences in post-test scores on competitiveness, difficulty, or peer relations. However, descriptive data illustrates a larger picture of the use and benefits of the outdoor classroom at the treatment school, further supporting previous literature about the impact of outdoor education and environmental education. This study paves the way for future research on the relationship between outdoor education and the indoor classroom environment.Education (PhD

Recreation Experience Preference Among First-Year College Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the link, if any, between recreation experience preference and demographics or type of event among first-year college students at Oklahoma State University. The researcher investigated the recreation experience preferences of first-year college students who chose to participate in freshman-based, outdoor-oriented programs provided by the university. A modified version of the Recreation Experience Preference scales provided by Driver (1983) along with a questionnaire about demographic information was administered to volunteers following each event. There was no significant difference in Recreation Experience Preference Scales scores based on demographics or type of event. Low participation rates adversely affected analysis. There were, however, interesting trends in items consistently chosen as important or unimportant to the participants. Domains that showed high mean scores among the participants were (1) Achievement/Stimulation, (2) Learning, and (3) Escape Personal-Social Pressures. "To experience new and different things" had the highest mean score, which indicates that learning is very important to these participants. On the other hand, domains that showed low mean scores among the participants were (1) Escape Physical Pressure, (2) Risk Reduction, and (3) Autonomy/Leadership. "To be alone" had the lowest mean score, indicating that it was least important to the participants, which is consistent with Tinto's model that suggests social integration is essential.School of Teaching and Curriculum Leadershi

COVID-19 prevalence and mortality in patients with cancer and the effect of primary tumour subtype and patient demographics: a prospective cohort study

Background Patients with cancer are purported to have poor COVID-19 outcomes. However, cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases, encompassing a spectrum of tumour subtypes. The aim of this study was to investigate COVID-19 risk according to tumour subtype and patient demographics in patients with cancer in the UK. Methods We compared adult patients with cancer enrolled in the UK Coronavirus Cancer Monitoring Project (UKCCMP) cohort between March 18 and May 8, 2020, with a parallel non-COVID-19 UK cancer control population from the UK Office for National Statistics (2017 data). The primary outcome of the study was the effect of primary tumour subtype, age, and sex and on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) prevalence and the case–fatality rate during hospital admission. We analysed the effect of tumour subtype and patient demographics (age and sex) on prevalence and mortality from COVID-19 using univariable and multivariable models. Findings 319 (30·6%) of 1044 patients in the UKCCMP cohort died, 295 (92·5%) of whom had a cause of death recorded as due to COVID-19. The all-cause case–fatality rate in patients with cancer after SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly associated with increasing age, rising from 0·10 in patients aged 40–49 years to 0·48 in those aged 80 years and older. Patients with haematological malignancies (leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma) had a more severe COVID-19 trajectory compared with patients with solid organ tumours (odds ratio [OR] 1·57, 95% CI 1·15–2·15; p<0·0043). Compared with the rest of the UKCCMP cohort, patients with leukaemia showed a significantly increased case–fatality rate (2·25, 1·13–4·57; p=0·023). After correction for age and sex, patients with haematological malignancies who had recent chemotherapy had an increased risk of death during COVID-19-associated hospital admission (OR 2·09, 95% CI 1·09–4·08; p=0·028). Interpretation Patients with cancer with different tumour types have differing susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 phenotypes. We generated individualised risk tables for patients with cancer, considering age, sex, and tumour subtype. Our results could be useful to assist physicians in informed risk–benefit discussions to explain COVID-19 risk and enable an evidenced-based approach to national social isolation policies