Service learning literature focusing on participants and programs in an academic setting is extensive. However, there is a lack of research looking at the experiences of employees in a corporate setting. The purpose of this inquiry was to understand how employees experience corporate service learning and to explore how well existing literatures on service learning and volunteerism serve the corporate service learning experience. Using interpretive phenomenology and the Four Frame Organizational Model (Bolman & Deal, 1997) to frame the inquiry, the experiences of employees in a retail store (N= 9) participating in service learning were examined. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with program participants. Seven themes were evident in the findings of the inquiry: skill development, health (sub-themes of self-esteem and empowerment), job satisfaction, improved workplace relationships, bridging into the community, social responsibility and challenges. The findings of this inquiry suggest that employee involvement in a service learning experience can stimulate a sense of social responsibility. Another important finding of the inquiry was that pairing service activities with health activities was a positive combination that contributed to personal and community health. Finally, there was evidence that service learning can help build social capital in the workplace. This inquiry supports research in the area of service learning in the corporate setting to more fully understand the potential of this pedagogical strategy. The development of educational resources for companies wanting to build service learning programs is also important if these initiatives are to be effective in the workplace.

A higher prevalence of eating disorders has been found in athletes compared to those in the normal population. As such, it is important to understand the environment that may place athletes at greater risk including understanding the coach's role. The purpose of this study was to measure Canadian university coaches' knowledge and confidence of eating disorders in athletes. Using a web-based survey, head coaches completed questions that included information about demographic factors and knowledge of the condition. Confidence in their knowledge was measured as certainty in the correctness of their responses for each question. As a partial replication and extension of a previous survey developed and administered by Turk, Prentice, Chappell and Shields (1999), seven interviews were also conducted with coaches of female and mixed gender teams to add richness in description to the survey data. Overall, female coaches and male coaches of female and both male and female athletes had higher knowledge scores than those coaching male athletes only. The coaches in the present study also had higher overall knowledge and confidence scores than the coaches surveyed by Turk et al. (1999). When relationships were examined between demographic factors and knowledge and confidence scores, previous experience with an athlete with an eating disorder was associated with a higher overall survey score as well as knowledge and confidence in dealing with a number of the subscales measured. Interview data from coaches highlighted a high level of knowledge and concern regarding eating disorders in athletes. However, conflicting evidence found from the interviews points to the need for better education programs, pre-participation examinations to screen for potential problems, and an implementation of an eating disorder policy by athletic departments.

The prevalence of diabetes and obesity in Aboriginal populations across North America is a cause for concern. Regular physical activity has been shown to mitigate these risk factors. Despite this, there is a limited body of research that assesses the physical activity behaviors of Aboriginal people in Canada. Further. no studies have applied Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to determine the social and cognitive motivations of Aboriginal peoples to engage in physical activity. The purpose of this mixed method research was to determine the physical activity behaviors and motivations of a population of First Nation adults. Data collection consisted of the completion of the TPB questionnaire (N = 53) as well as focus group interviews (N=12) to determine the physical activity behaviors and belief-based perceptions, as per the TPB, of First Nation adults as they relate to engaging in physical activity. The research was conducted with participation of the Westbank First Nation, an Okanagan Nation band located near Kelowna. British Columbia. Quantitative analysis using hierarchical regression was used to determine the motivations of First Nation adults to engage in physical activity. Qualitative data analysis methods were used to construct themes representing motivations for physical activity common to the research participants. Results offer partial support for using the TPB to understand the motivations of Westbank First Nation adults. Further. Westbank First Nation adults have unique beliefs and meanings related to physical activity compared to the general population.

The literature suggests that many teachers are burning out and are stressed and unwell. Health promotion in the school setting with a focus on students is becoming more and more prevalent. However, research has not adequately investigated the effects of health promotion in the school setting focused on the teachers. This study explores the experiences of the teachers who took part in the “Step It Up” program which is a pedometer program including goal setting and teams. This is a mixed methodology as the data was collected using semi structured interviews, open ended questionnaires and a document review of the step logging records. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed according the Colaizzi procedures seeking the barriers and the benefits of the program as experienced by the teachers. Through data analysis, the benefit main themes were; motivation, awareness and social support. The barrier themes found were; step logging, time management and goal setting. In conclusion with the recommendations and modifications suggested in this study, the “Step it Up” program is feasible in the school- setting.

This qualitative exploratory study investigated the implementation of team-building activities into an elementary Physical Education Program. The participating teacher was from an affluent school district and her class consisted of twelve grade four students and seventeen fifth graders. It was proposed that a team-building (TB) initiative, with a teacher facilitator being supported and coached by a knowledgeable instructor, would help identify specific enablers and barriers that existed and provide insights into how to promote team building implementation by classroom teachers. It was also proposed that the study would enable the teacher to reflect on her actions and decisions made as a team-building facilitator to scaffold teacher awareness, growth, and future change. The “researcher,” also referred to as teacher coach, and participating teacher met initially to decide how they wanted the study to proceed and it was explained that the participating teacher had the liberty of guiding and directing the study in ways she deemed suitable and believed fit. Decisions were made that the teacher coach would visit on-site every second week to facilitate team-building activities with the fourth and fifth graders to aid in the facilitation of activities by the participating teacher. The on-site visits were digitally photographed and video-recorded to help build upon the study and work to uncover underlying data and themes. The teacher coach and participating teacher met pre-study, mid-study, and post-study to reflect at length upon the experience and to explore concepts and ideas that arose from the teacher’s reflective journal entries. Data was analyzed using NVivo and CMap, which formulated the following emergent themes: teacher and student development, fostering and enriching classroom and school community, “Ahah!” moments, the TB experience, and insights into a teacher-friendly TB manual. Recommendations for research and practice were considered and presented for researchers and educators.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a new teaching model, Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), can influence participants’ understanding of learning and change their practice. This practitioner action research took place over one semester and included four physical education (PE) teachers. Two participants taught using the TGfU model and two participants used their typical practice. Collaboration within a professional learning community encouraged a recursive process of learning of critical aspects of practice. The results of this study indicate that teacher change in PE is possible through the introduction of a new teaching model. The new model enabled a deep analysis of beliefs and led change in practices. For example, the teachers more fully realized the significance of modifying the game (TGfU core idea) to meet their students’ ability levels. In particular, how modifying games is most effective when the students decide how the game will be modified, select the criteria for success when playing the game, and are involved in their own formative assessment.

Rehabilitation of athletic injuries may include both physical and psychological components. When an athlete becomes injured they look to healthcare professionals to help them through their rehabilitation. These professionals are part of the social support network and among them are Canadian certified athletic therapists (CAT(C)). The aims of this qualitative study were to explore the role of a CAT(C) in the social support of an injured athlete by: (a) describing the nature of the therapeutic relationship between the athletic therapist and athletes; (b) exploring the social support provided by athletic therapists; and, (c) exploring how they perceive their preparation for the social support of an injured athlete. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit two male and two female Canadian certified athletic therapists, who had worked in a university setting, and were in good standing with the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association. Data were collected using webcam or telephone interviews. Findings were consistent with previous studies with health care professionals. CAT(C)’s played an integral role in dealing with the social support aspects of injury. Athletic therapists embraced their role in the social support of athletes and reported using strategies to enhance the therapeutic relationship, providing four dimensions of social support (emotional, esteem, informational and tangible) and acting as a communication link with other members of their social support network. CAT(C)’s acknowledged their limitations in the psychological side of injury due to only a small fraction of their educational curriculum preparing them for this aspect of injury. Experience was a key factor, and increased their comfort level.

This investigation examined the acute physiological demand associated with a typical Freeride Mountain Bike (FMB) ride. Measures of cardiovascular strain (heart rate, RPE) and neuromuscular fatigue (quarter squat and handgrip MVICs) were assessed in 22 experienced mountain bikers during an observed ride on Mt. Fromme in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The ride involved an initial ascent of 350 vertical meters over horizontal distance of 5.93km, (mean duration 46.61 min). The descent covered a 350m loss in elevation through intermediate to expert level trails spanning a horizontal distance of 4.24km, (mean duration 28.55 min). Heart rate monitoring was continuous. Blood Lactate was assessed pre-ride, at the top of the ascent (mid-ride), and following the descent (post-ride). RPE was assessed mid-ride and post-ride. Handgrip and quarter squat MVICs were taken pre-ride and post-ride. An a priori alpha of .05 was set for all statistical tests. Both measures of neuromuscular strain decreased pre-post ride, equal to 2.8% in quarter squat MVIC and 6.1% and 4.3% in handgrip MVIC for the right and left hands respectively. Blood lactate increased from rest to mid-ride and decreased from mid-ride to post-ride. The mean heart rates (- 80% PHRmax) and RPEs (-14.5) associated with the ascent and descent were not significantly different. The acute physiological and ride pattern data indicate that FMB satisfies the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines for increasing cardiovascular health and fitness.

Service learning literature focusing on participants and programs in an academic setting is extensive. However, there is a lack of research looking at the experiences of employees in a corporate setting. The purpose of this inquiry was to understand how employees experience corporate service learning and to explore how well existing literatures on service learning and volunteerism serve the corporate service learning experience. Using interpretive phenomenology and the Four Frame Organizational Model (Bolman & Deal, 1997) to frame the inquiry, the experiences of employees in a retail store (N= 9) participating in service learning were examined. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with program participants. Seven themes were evident in the findings of the inquiry: skill development, health (sub-themes of self-esteem and empowerment), job satisfaction, improved workplace relationships, bridging into the community, social responsibility and challenges. The findings of this inquiry suggest that employee involvement in a service learning experience can stimulate a sense of social responsibility. Another important finding of the inquiry was that pairing service activities with health activities was a positive combination that contributed to personal and community health. Finally, there was evidence that service learning can help build social capital in the workplace. This inquiry supports research in the area of service learning in the corporate setting to more fully understand the potential of this pedagogical strategy. The development of educational resources for companies wanting to build service learning programs is also important if these initiatives are to be effective in the workplace.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:45:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMSS.pdf: 2402278 bytes, checksum: b5d3ffa41bbea13a4abce412c7fd57af (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-02-23 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / Knowing if the dissertations and thesis, after the defense, generated other kinds of publications that reached of a broader way the population-target of the studies carried out, it s intimately related to social relevance of the searches produced in the postgraduate studies. It s believed that this study can contribute to areas of Special Education and Physical Education, in the sense of making possible to scientific community having a knowledge more systematic about the social validity and, principally, the application of the knowledge produced in the field of the master s degree and doctorate of these areas in this country. This study main to analyze scientific publications derived from dissertation and thesis in Physical and Special Education that had resulted in articles, books and chapters of books with thematic towards people with special needs. For the development of the study was adopted a methodology divided into the following fazes: a)The constitution of the theoretical corpus of the research was carried by literature revision on: production of the scientific knowledge in the areas of Physical Education, Special Education and Science of the Information; science, scientists and scientific knowledge; scientific communication; scientific publication; valuation of the scientific production and reflections concerning the evaluation of the after-graduation; b) Identification of Postgraduate Programs studies in Physical Education and Special Education; b) data collection in the Capes site, at the NUTESES and PPGEEs; c) databases elaboration for systematization of the collected data; d) Description and analysis of the results carried through to the light of the theoretical reference. The results had shown that 58% of publications generated for the thesis and thesis had been published under the article form, followed by chapters (29%) and books (13%). These confirm what the previous literature references indicate, or either that, the publication channel more used by the researchers to promote their works is the scientific article publication in periodic. / Saber se as dissertações e teses, após a defesa, geravam outros tipos de publicações que atingissem de uma forma mais ampla a população-alvo dos trabalhos realizados, está intimamente relacionada à relevância social das pesquisas produzidas na Pós- Graduação. Acredita-se que este estudo poderá contribuir para as áreas de Educação Especial e Educação Física, no sentido de possibilitar à comunidade científica ter um conhecimento mais sistematizado sobre a validade social e, principalmente, a aplicabilidade do conhecimento produzido no âmbito dos mestrados e doutorados destas áreas no país. Diante disso, este estudo teve como objetivo principal analisar as publicações científicas derivadas de dissertações e teses em Educação Física e Educação Especial que geraram artigos, livros e capítulos de livros com temática voltada para pessoas com necessidades especiais. Para o desenvolvimento do estudo foi adotada uma metodologia executada nas seguintes fases: a) constituição do corpus teórico da pesquisa, realizada através da revisão de literatura sobre: produção do conhecimento científico nas áreas de Educação Física, Educação Especial e Ciência da Informação; ciência, cientistas e conhecimento científico; comunicação científica; publicação científica; avaliação da produção científica e reflexões acerca da avaliação da pósgraduação; b) identificação dos Programas de Pós-Graduação em Educação Física e Educação Especial; c) coleta de dados no site da Capes, no NUTESES e PPGEEs; d) elaboração de bases de dados para sistematização dos dados coletados; d) descrição e análise dos resultados realizadas à luz do referencial teórico. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que 58% das publicações geradas pelas dissertações/teses foram publicadas sob a forma de artigos, seguidas dos capítulos (29%) e livros (13%), confirmando o que indica a literatura de referência, ou seja, que o canal de publicação mais utilizado pelos pesquisadores para divulgar seus trabalhos é a publicação de artigo científico em periódico.