School-based physical education is a critical setting for the promotion of physical activity and health among adolescents. However, enrollment in physical education significantly decreases when physical education becomes an optional subject in grade 11, with only 10% of females and 22% of males choosing to enroll. Limited research has identified individual and social environmental perceived barriers to enrollment in elective physical education. Further, no research has explored perceived individual and social environmental facilitators to electing to enroll in physical education. Thus, the purpose of the study was to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to intention to enroll in elective physical education among a diverse group of female and male adolescents using focus group methodology. <p>Two schools were purposely selected to participate in this study, one with the highest enrollment in grade 11 physical education (57%) and one with the lowest enrollment in grade 11 physical education (33%). By selecting schools with the highest and lowest enrollment, comparisons were made between the perceived barriers and facilitators identified by the participants in a school with high enrollment and a school with low enrollment. However, when participant recruitment occurred, no male students at the high enrollment school indicated they did not intend to enroll in grade 11 physical education. In order to attain sufficient participant recruitment within each required group (i.e., male- no intention group) the school with the second highest enrollment in grade 11 physical education (40%) was included within the study. <p>Grade 10 adolescents (N=63) with either an intention to enroll or no intention to enroll in grade 11 physical education participated in a focus group interview. Focus groups were separated based on gender (female/male) and intention to enroll in grade 11 physical education (intention/no intention). Following the completion of the focus group interviews barriers and facilitators were categorized, using McLeroys ecological model, as individual level (e.g., intrapersonal) or social environmental (e.g., interpersonal, institutional, community). <p> Findings revealed several factors that influenced students enrollment intention. However, differences were minimal between factors reported by students in the high and low enrollment schools. Differences were more prominent between gender and intention. These differences between females and males and between participants who were intending to enroll and participants who were not intending to enroll had consistent overarching themes. At the individual level (i.e., intrapersonal) four factors were associated with enrollment intention: past experience, self-efficacy, personal choice: scheduling, and knowledge. Several social environmental factors (interpersonal, institutional, and community) were also reported. These included parents, friends, teammates/coaches, teacher, course curriculum, and activity opportunities within the community.

School climate has been established as an important construct to measure because of its connections to student psychological, social, and academic outcomes. Existing research has examined school climate in relation to individual (i.e., race and gender) and school level (i.e., teacher characteristics or school size) variables. The current paper presents a cultural-ecological model for research on school climate. The cultural-ecological model of school climate supports future research incorporating a broadened view of culture, extending beyond race and ethnicity, and a more comprehensive examination of ecological contexts such as the family and community in understanding student perceptions of school climate. Within this model, individual, family, school, and community variables that may influence student perceptions of school climate are described and a research agenda is presented for utilizing the cultural-ecological model of school climate in future school climate research and for developing, implementing and evaluating strategies designed to enhance school climate and school performance based on prevention and intervention. The current study examined the relationship between cultural and ecological variables at the individual, school, and community levels and student perceptions of school climate. A multi-level (HLM) model examining the relationships between individual, cultural, and ecological variables and school climate was evaluated. Results of the current study indicated that for the relationship between student and school characteristics and school climate remain relatively consistent for both groups. Specifically, both individual and school variables influenced student perceptions of school climate. However, this data also confirms the need to further examine additional cultural and ecological variables in order to increase our understanding of how such variables are related to perceptions of climate.

Social ecological models are recognized for allowing researchers to examine the influence of multiple factors on behaviour, yet to date relatively little research has simultaneously examined the role of personal, social, and environmental factors on youths’ physical activity, while giving consideration to the role of different types of neighbourhoods. The current study examined the physical activity of 804 youth aged 10 to 16 years residing in urban high density, suburban, or suburban low density neighbourhoods, by exploring relationships between several personal, social, and environmental factors. Findings revealed that all three factors were significant in explaining youths’ physical activity. Differences in participation were found based on gender and neighbourhood; males and youth from suburban low density neighbourhoods were significantly more physically active. Moreover, several variables were found to be important for understanding youth physical activity: sex, age, self-efficacy, encouragement, neighbourhood safety, and the use of a number of neighbourhood facilities.

Social ecological models are recognized for allowing researchers to examine the influence of multiple factors on behaviour, yet to date relatively little research has simultaneously examined the role of personal, social, and environmental factors on youths’ physical activity, while giving consideration to the role of different types of neighbourhoods. The current study examined the physical activity of 804 youth aged 10 to 16 years residing in urban high density, suburban, or suburban low density neighbourhoods, by exploring relationships between several personal, social, and environmental factors. Findings revealed that all three factors were significant in explaining youths’ physical activity. Differences in participation were found based on gender and neighbourhood; males and youth from suburban low density neighbourhoods were significantly more physically active. Moreover, several variables were found to be important for understanding youth physical activity: sex, age, self-efficacy, encouragement, neighbourhood safety, and the use of a number of neighbourhood facilities.

School-based physical education is a critical setting for the promotion of physical activity and health among adolescents. However, enrollment in physical education significantly decreases when physical education becomes an optional subject in grade 11, with only 10% of females and 22% of males choosing to enroll. Limited research has identified individual and social environmental perceived barriers to enrollment in elective physical education. Further, no research has explored perceived individual and social environmental facilitators to electing to enroll in physical education. Thus, the purpose of the study was to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to intention to enroll in elective physical education among a diverse group of female and male adolescents using focus group methodology. <p>Two schools were purposely selected to participate in this study, one with the highest enrollment in grade 11 physical education (57%) and one with the lowest enrollment in grade 11 physical education (33%). By selecting schools with the highest and lowest enrollment, comparisons were made between the perceived barriers and facilitators identified by the participants in a school with high enrollment and a school with low enrollment. However, when participant recruitment occurred, no male students at the high enrollment school indicated they did not intend to enroll in grade 11 physical education. In order to attain sufficient participant recruitment within each required group (i.e., male- no intention group) the school with the second highest enrollment in grade 11 physical education (40%) was included within the study. <p>Grade 10 adolescents (N=63) with either an intention to enroll or no intention to enroll in grade 11 physical education participated in a focus group interview. Focus groups were separated based on gender (female/male) and intention to enroll in grade 11 physical education (intention/no intention). Following the completion of the focus group interviews barriers and facilitators were categorized, using McLeroys ecological model, as individual level (e.g., intrapersonal) or social environmental (e.g., interpersonal, institutional, community). <p> Findings revealed several factors that influenced students enrollment intention. However, differences were minimal between factors reported by students in the high and low enrollment schools. Differences were more prominent between gender and intention. These differences between females and males and between participants who were intending to enroll and participants who were not intending to enroll had consistent overarching themes. At the individual level (i.e., intrapersonal) four factors were associated with enrollment intention: past experience, self-efficacy, personal choice: scheduling, and knowledge. Several social environmental factors (interpersonal, institutional, and community) were also reported. These included parents, friends, teammates/coaches, teacher, course curriculum, and activity opportunities within the community.

An ecosystem always involves some implicit relations between habitat environment and inhabitants, whose reciprocal links can not be identified easily. Three sets of ecological monitoring data were analyzed in this study, including coral reef, algae (Thalassia hemprichii Aschers) in Kenting National Park, and Formosan landlocked salmon (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus) in the basin of Chichiawan Stream. Two data-oriented analysis techniques, which are Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) and Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH), were applied to retrieve the embedded patterns from these data sets. Eventually, for each data set, a forecasting model based on the technique of combined forecasting were developed, which is to integrate the results from HEP and GMDH, for improving the overall modeling precision. The results of this study show that the data-oriented analyses, such as HEP and GMDH, are useful for finding valid information from the ecological data. Furthermore, the combined forecasting technique can really improve the performance of model prediction even for the ecological research. In order to acquire the most important habitat environmental factors affecting the inhabitants, this study also performed sensitivity analysis of the models. The contributions of this study are to identify effective knowledge for future ecological research and to provide reasonable suggestions for formulating conservation strategy.

Domestic violence is a global issue, and despite awareness of the issue increasing, the prevalence to which women are being physically and mentally abused is increasing. This study aimed to qualitatively investigate the impact of cultural barriers on the provision of aid to victims of abuse from the perspectives of social workers within a domestic violence care organisation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Social workers within the organisation were interviewed to examine their personal experiences of working with clients from different cultural backgrounds and the results were analysed using the ecological model and the intersectional theory, as well as using earlier research conducted on the issue. The findings showed that the culture of a client can have an effect with regards to abused women seeking help, though the practices of the organisation were generally not impacted based on the cultural background of a client.

School climate has been established as an important construct to measure because of its connections to student psychological, social, and academic outcomes. Existing research has examined school climate in relation to individual (i.e., race and gender) and school level (i.e., teacher characteristics or school size) variables. The current paper presents a cultural-ecological model for research on school climate. The cultural-ecological model of school climate supports future research incorporating a broadened view of culture, extending beyond race and ethnicity, and a more comprehensive examination of ecological contexts such as the family and community in understanding student perceptions of school climate. Within this model, individual, family, school, and community variables that may influence student perceptions of school climate are described and a research agenda is presented for utilizing the cultural-ecological model of school climate in future school climate research and for developing, implementing and evaluating strategies designed to enhance school climate and school performance based on prevention and intervention. The current study examined the relationship between cultural and ecological variables at the individual, school, and community levels and student perceptions of school climate. A multi-level (HLM) model examining the relationships between individual, cultural, and ecological variables and school climate was evaluated. Results of the current study indicated that for the relationship between student and school characteristics and school climate remain relatively consistent for both groups. Specifically, both individual and school variables influenced student perceptions of school climate. However, this data also confirms the need to further examine additional cultural and ecological variables in order to increase our understanding of how such variables are related to perceptions of climate.

The focus of this research relates to physical activity (PA) among populations at risk for inactivity. Two studies were completed. Study 1 was an exploratory study examining the relationship between health literacy (HL) and PA as they relate to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) constructs. Study 2 was an action research-based project in partnership with the staff and students of an alternative school. In Study 1 participants (N=65) completed measurements including the REALM to assess HL, and accelerometers to establish PA levels. The results of this study showed that even after controlling for covariates HL and PA are significantly linked (r = 0.37, p < 0.01), however, the TPB constructs were not found to mediate this relationship. However, Perceived Behavioural Control (r = 0.29, p < 0.05) and Intention to Exercise (r = 0.29, p < 0.05) were significantly linked to HL. Of particular interest, Difficulty Reading was cited as a significant barrier to PA for those with lower levels of HL (r = 0.37, p < 0.01). Finally, HL was found to be a significant moderator of the Education-PA relationship. Study 2 contained two components. First, focus groups with community partner organization (CPO) members to establish issues of relevance to them related to PA, to gather suggestions for incorporating PA into CPO programs, to gain an understanding of the barriers experienced by the community members, and to receive input regarding their current feelings and knowledge surrounding PA. Second, a process evaluation was conducted with administration to gauge how the CPO had progressed over the first academic year, using the TRACE process evaluation tool. The findings from the focus groups were organized by socio ecological level into PA facilitators and inhibitors, and were used to plan a new PA program for the school year. A repeated measures survey and process evaluation tool were used to assess these program objectives for the initial year. Perceived HL scores increased from baseline (M = 20.71,SD = 4.29) to follow-up (M = 22.58, SD = 5.15 ); t(-2.44), p < 0.05, as did perceived understanding of the importance of PA from September (M = 4.46 , SD = 1.60) to June (M = 5.54 , SD = 1.67); t(-3.06), p < 0.01. There was an increase in total minutes of MVPA among students as well, although this trend merely approached significance, from September (M = 526.60, SD = 557.63) to June (M=817.0, SD = 674.69), t(-1.97), p = 0.06. The evaluation tool revealed that the community was “Half Way There”, and identified areas where improvements could be made. These findings are relevant to creating equitable and comprehensive promotion and education of physical activity in the future and to understanding the mechanisms involved in PA disparities. These findings also support the need for health promoters and researchers to work with communities known to be at risk for low HL, and using action research methods to create locally relevant program development and research. / Graduate

abstract: Using a simple $SI$ infection model, I uncover the overall dynamics of the system and how they depend on the incidence function. I consider both an epidemic and endemic perspective of the model, but in both cases, three classes of incidence functions are identified. In the epidemic form, power incidences, where the infective portion $I^p$ has $p\in(0,1)$, cause unconditional host extinction, homogeneous incidences have host extinction for certain parameter constellations and host survival for others, and upper density-dependent incidences never cause host extinction. The case of non-extinction in upper density-dependent incidences extends to the case where a latent period is included. Using data from experiments with rhanavirus and salamanders, maximum likelihood estimates are applied to the data. With these estimates, I generate the corrected Akaike information criteria, which reward a low likelihood and punish the use of more parameters. This generates the Akaike weight, which is used to fit parameters to the data, and determine which incidence functions fit the data the best. From an endemic perspective, I observe that power incidences cause initial condition dependent host extinction for some parameter constellations and global stability for others, homogeneous incidences have host extinction for certain parameter constellations and host survival for others, and upper density-dependent incidences never cause host extinction. The dynamics when the incidence function is homogeneous are deeply explored. I expand the endemic considerations in the homogeneous case by adding a predator into the model. Using persistence theory, I show the conditions for the persistence of each of the predator, prey, and parasite species. Potential dynamics of the system include parasite mediated persistence of the predator, survival of the ecosystem at high initial predator levels and ecosystem collapse at low initial predator levels, persistence of all three species, and much more. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Mathematics 2017