Outcomes related to academic and social engagement for boys identified by their teachers as being disengaged and requiring tier two instructional supports were investigated when the Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning (Katz, 2012a) was implemented. The mixed-methods study involved twelve grade 3 boys and their teachers in a rural school division in Manitoba, who were divided into treatment and control groups. Students were assessed pre and post intervention for the development of general self-esteem, academic self-esteem, liking of school, enjoyment of school, and engaged behaviour. Ecobehavioral measures of task assigned, groupings, and interactions were also taken. Data were collected and analyzed using both thematic analysis for qualitative data and a MANCOVA for quantitative analysis. The intervention significantly increased students’ engaged behaviour, particularly active engagement and promoted social engagement through increased peer interactions, student autonomy, and inclusivity.

This study is an analysis of the manner in which preparatory school boys construct their masculinities through the sport of rugby. The study is based on interviews with the entire First XV rugby team of Connaught Prep School. Sport and rugby in particular are seen as an important cog in the masculinity-making process for men but this is also true for young boys. Rugby in South Africa is regarded as a sport that real men play. Historically played primarily by white men, it remains a marker of hegemonic masculinity. In their involvement in the Connaught Prep.s First XV, boys affirm the importance of the sport, act out the values associated with the sport and display the skills required to play the sport successfully. The thesis argues that sport, and in particular, rugby, is a central feature of boys. constructions of masculinity. Due to the physical nature of rugby and the hype that surrounds and the support that is given to the sport, it has become part of the hegemonic culture of boys at Connaught Prep School. But hegemonic masculinity is not fixed; it is contested and changes. The 1st XV rugby team and its members are an important part of the process that gives content to the masculinity that is hegemonic at Connaught Preparatory. The boys try and live up to the ideals of masculinity that they see on television, hear from and see in their fathers and find in other boys. In selecting a set of sporty values, these boys perpetuate rugby as the preferred sport and a rugged school boy masculinity as the hegemonic made gender identity of the school. While the 1st rugby team try to aspire to the ideal hegemonic masculinity at the school, they cannot meet the ideal rugby masculinity and this renders them vulnerable. They are vulnerable to physical injury and also to the humiliation of heavy losses against rival teams. Susceptible to these conditions makes their construction of masculinity a delicate and fragile situation to be in. While the boys contribute to hegemonic masculinity they also, at times, undermine it by contributing to a counter hegemonic masculinity. These are the boys that stress playing sport for fun (rather than winning), are caring, and develop friendships through the sport. The findings of this study, brings to light the importance of sport in the development of a young boys. masculinity and the vulnerable and fragile situation these boys find themselves in as a result. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

This thesis is an analysis of the way a small number of grade 12 boys understand violence and how they describe and locate it in the narratives of their own masculinity. Semi-structured interviews with grade 12 boys attending a Technical School in Chatsworth were conducted and analysed in order to establish how these boys relate to violence in their lives and respond to their experiences of violence at home and in school. The school learner population consists of African, Coloured and Indian learners. The current racial composition of the learner population is as follows: 18 % - African, 8% - Coloured and 74% Indian. The entire staff is Indian and the majority are male. This study focuses particularly on physical violence at home and in school. The research also examines what the boys say about violence against the girls at the school. The major findings from the boys' narratives of violence at home are that the perpetrators of physical violence at home were the men. The physical violence experienced by the boys at school among peers has racial overtones. The Indian boys are the main perpetrators of violence and use violence to intimidate, threaten and dominate other boys in school. The African and Coloured boys although capable of violence seem to construct their masculinity in non-violent ways. Teachers are complicit in the enactment of physical violence in school. Physical violence against girls in school is non-existent, however girls are verbally harassed and abused. This study finds that race and ethnicity influences the manner in which masculine identities are constructed in school and that violence is intertwined into the construction of the boys' masculinities. This study will hopefully raise awareness of the importance of including a focus on masculinities in violence intervention strategies. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

Denna studie handlar om pojkars beskrivningar av att använda digitala spel och hur detta kan bidra till språklig kunskapsutveckling i skolans verksamhet. För att få studiens frågeställningar besvarade har intervjuer med fem pojkar i tio års ålder analyserats med utgångspunkt i socialsemiotiska teorier och begrepp. Pojkarnas beskrivningar visar tecken på att digitala spel kan användas som en resurs i utveckling av barns verbala och skriftligt språk. Pojkarna beskriver att utvecklingen av språklig och verbal kunskap kan äga rum dels individuellt och dels i grupp genom att använda digitala spel. Resultatet visar även att skolans verksamhet inte har erbjudit pojkarna möjlighet att använda digitala spel för att utveckla sina språkliga kunskaper.

This study examined the effects of pre-exercise carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation on anaerobic exercise performance in adolescent males (n =11; 15.0 ± 0.9 yrs). On separate days, subjects consumed either a CHO or a placebo (PL) beverage followed by 2 Wingate anaerobic tests (WAnT) separated with ten by 10-second sprints. Peak (PP), mean power (MP) and fatigue index (FI) were assessed. Venous blood samples were obtained and analyzed for glucose, lactate, insulin, and catecholamines. A trial by time ANOVA (P < 0.05) was used in the analysis. PP and MP tended to be higher (P < 0.09) in CHO versus PL, and MP tended to decline more in CHO (P < 0.06); Fl for the two WAnT were similar. Glucose concentration significantly increased after CHO consumption and then returned to baseline post-exercise, whereas glucose level remained unchanged over time during PL; similarly observed for insulin. Lactate and catecholamine levels significantly increased over time, but a trial difference was only observed in epinephrine. The tendency for PP and MP to be higher in CHO might suggest a potential ergogenic benefit of pre-exercise CHO although the change in MP over time in CHO and the similarity in Fl might suggest otherwise. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Individuals with NIDDM and low insulin sensitivity (Si) have altered fuel use, which may appear in NIDDM relatives. Adolescent males, six with NIDDM relatives (POS) and six controls (CON), matched for fitness and fatness, participated. Peak oxygen uptake (V02pea), ventilatory threshold (VT) and body composition were measured. Insulin and glucose values were used for Si estimates. Oxygen consumption (V02) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) measurements were made at rest and during exercise at 80,100 and 120% of VT for substrate use. No group differences were found in anthropometric data, V02pea, VT or blood measurements, although fat free mass (FFM) tended to be greater in CON. CON tended to use a higher percentage carbohydrate and a lower percentage of fat than POS, but differences were no longer present after normalization to FFM. Trends towards fuel use differences may suggest metabolic abnormalities are present in POS, but further investigation is necessary. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

This study investigated differences in heart rate recovery (HRR) and the underlying autonomic mechanisms following maximal and submaximal exercise between boys and men. Children are known to have a faster HRR than adults. However, the mechanism responsible for these differences is still largely unknown, but is thought to be due to differences in the autonomic nervous system. Ten boys (10.1 ± 0.8 years old) and ten men (24.2 ± 1.3 years old) completed a supine recovery following a maximal and submaximal exercise bout. HRR was measured as the decline in HR during the first minute of recovery and heart rate variability (HRV) was used to measure autonomic function. Boys had a faster HRR during the first minute of recovery from maximal exercise (p<0.05), but there was no difference in HRR following submaximal exercise (p>0.05). The R-R coefficient of variation and high frequency power were both significantly greater following maximal exercise in boys than men. There were no differences in HRV variables following submaximal exercise. These findings suggest that faster parasympathetic re-activation could be a mechanism responsible for faster HRR in boys compared to men, especially following maximal exercise. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pre-exercise carbohydrate feeding on repeated bouts of anaerobic exercise in pre- and early-pubertal boys. Eleven boys, (10.2 ± 1.3 yrs) maturation stage I and II according to Tanner participated in this study. Peak (PP) and mean power (MP) were examined using 4 repeated Wingate Anaerobic Tests (WAnT) bouts. Two double-blind, randomized trials were performed; a carbohydrate (CHO) and placebo (PL) trial. A two-way (trial by time) ANOVA was used to analyze PP, MP, blood glucose, lactate, heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. PP and MP were not significantly different across trials. Glucose was significantly higher after CHO consumption, but post-exercise responses did not vary between trials. There was no significant trial or time effect and no interaction effect for HR. There was a significant time effect for lactate and RPE. The results suggest that pre-exercise CHO feeding does not enhance anaerobic exercise performance in children, a finding that is similar to outcomes involving adults. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Portrait painting is an art form that has been used by artists for years. I am using the portrait to convey a story. The story follows a boy's process of becoming a man. The discovery of old family photographs initially inspired the project. The rite of passage theme stems from this inquiry into the process of growing up. Several artists inspired my work in the formal and conceptual aspects of my portraits. Those artists include Paula Rego, Chuck Close, and Robert Henri. "Rites of passage" is a phrase that carries with it many meanings and issues. This creative project is both a consideration of the rites of passage theme and an investigation of the painted portrait. / Department of Art