Francis M. Kozub

Perceived Barriers to Including Students With Visual Impairments in General Physical Education

The purpose of this study was to examine barriers perceived by teachers when including students with visual impairments in general physical education. Teachers (52 males, 96 females) who had children with visual impairments in their physical education classes were surveyed prior to in-service workshop participation. The most prevalent barriers were professional preparation, equipment, programming, and time. A logistic regression analysis, regressing gender, in-service training, number of students with visual impairments taught, masters degree attained, masters hours spent on visual impairments (yes or no), undergraduate hours spent on visual impairments (yes or no), and years of experience failed to indicate significant predictors of professional preparation as a barrier, Model χ2 (6, n = 148) = 4.48, p > .05.

Expectations, Task Persistence, and Attributions in Children with Mental Retardation During Integrated Physical Education

The purpose was to study expectations, persistence, and posttask attributions in 33 children (ages 9 to 15 years) with mental retardation (MR) and 40 children (ages 10 to 13 years) without disabilities during integrated physical education classes. Each of the participants (34 male and 39 females) viewed a video of another child successfully completing a game, responded to a question about expectations, and engaged in this same game alongside a peer. Results indicated that expectations did not differ between children with and without MR, χ2(1) = .35, p > .05. Following each childs request to stop playing, a video of individual performance was displayed and an interview was conducted to determine posttask attributions. Learners with MR were less persistent than peers without disabilities, F(1, 68) = 4.60, p < .5, η2 = .06. Although less persistent, children with MR did not differ on posttask attributions from peers without disabilities, χ2(2) = 3.64, p > .05; χ2(2) = 1.74, p > .05.

Motor task persistence of children with and without mental retardation.

Task persistence by 31 children with and without mental retardation during two challenging motor tasks was investigated. We used a 2 (group) x 2 (gender) MANOVA to analyze trials and seconds per trial. A main effect was found for group affiliation: Children without mental retardation attempted more trials over three sessions. No significant differences were found for seconds per trial, which indicated that all study participants experienced a comparable level of failure in regard to seconds completed before failure. Findings support the hypothesis that children with mental retardation are less persistent at challenging motor tasks than are peers without disabilities. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications.

Using the Snatch and CrossFit Principles to Facilitate Fitness

This article explores a lead-up activity to the snatch that allows for safe participation by students of all ages and is suitable for an introductory CrossFit unit as part of a secondary physical education curriculum.

Using Sandbags to Improve Strength in Middle School Students

Physical educators throughout the United States are charged with helping students progress towards achieving fitness standards (New York State Department of Education, 2008). Weight-training activities improve fitness levels and help to improve sport performance. Introducing middle school students to such activities makes sense because they are likely becoming increasingly interested in their appearance and sports success as they get older. However, some middle school teachers lack the resources for weight training or shy away from strength-training activities for a variety of other reasons. Safety can be an issue if students fail to pay attention to weights or proper spotting techniques. Free weights and machines have heavy metal parts that can injure students who are not paying attention. For this reason, the purpose of this article is to share a unique way of weight training using sandbag trainers (Jones, 2004). This article describes a program for using sandbag trainers, the advantages of using sandbag trainers, recommended lesson formats, and teaching tips for using this innovative activity for improving fitness in middle school students. Sandbag trainers have been used for some time in martial arts and wrestling programs to help athletes develop functional strength with the use of an apparatus that is pliable (like the human body). However, this training method can also be used to safely teach basic lifts such as squats, pressing exercises, and dead lifts (see figures 1, 2, and 3). When teaching basic lifts to adolescents, it is important to adhere to proper form as outlined in reliable resources (e.g., Shepard, 2004). For example, the squat should be done with good posture, head facing forward, joints in proper alignment, and with the chest spread wide. It is important to avoid rounding the back and use the large muscles of the hips and legs. The bench press should be performed with body parts in line, pressing the weight away from the chest while lying down (figure 2). Deadlifts are a third core lift that require proper body position (figure 3) and are explained in great detail in Shepard. Using the softer sandbag trainers increases safety and makes these activities appropriate for properly supervised middle school students.

Students' Academic and Social Transition to New Graduate Programs in Physical Education Teacher Education.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to describe and explain master students’ academic and social experiences during the transition to teacher education master programs. This study is based on the theory of transition that supports the understanding of students’ transition to graduate studies as they connect to the academic supports needed to cope with the demands of advanced training in physical education. The participants were eight teacher education master students from two institutions who participated in a descriptive-qualitative design. The data sources were a demographic questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, and the program of graduate study. Results in themes related to (a) competing agendas, (b) hesitant to ask for help from professors, and (c) time management shock. To better support teacher education graduate students, we encourage academic departments, administrators, faculty, and all students to learn how to view themselves as playing various roles, such as academic advisors and graduate students.

Pursuing a Lifetime of Healthful Physical Activity through Falling and Rolling.

to support the national physical education standards. Specifically, the focus of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NASPE, 2004) is to ensure that physically educated persons are “[p]ursuing a lifetime of healthful physical activity” (p. V). These can include adults who choose to engage in martial arts, judo, and a host of other crosstraining activities that require the ability to fall and roll safely. The trend supporting these nontraditional activities comes from a report by the Sport & Fitness Industry Association (2012), which has found that there are 5,037,000 people participating in martial arts in the United States. Teaching learners foundational skills for these types of activities could occur in gymnastics, self-defense, or even as a thematic academic integration unit centering on force absorption, all of which can incorporate falling and rolling into the secondary school curriculum. The basic movement concepts associated with falling and rolling are needed for many dynamic adult activities. This is the case any time the activity, either by intent or accident, involves safely transitioning from a standing position to the ground quickly. Failure to teach these skills in school physical education could result in a barrier to successful participation in many adult physical activity options later in life. By Francis M. Kozub and John T. Hogan “Pursuing a Lifetime

‘Grip and Drop’ Physical Education to Promote Independent Participation for Children with Low-Incidence Disabilities

This article provides a useful activity for adapted physical educators to use when programming for students with low-incidence disabilities. The goal of the activity is to promote movement that is fun and builds upon skills needed for independence. With the help of a task analysis, the game “grip and drop” can help children develop grasping, releasing, reaching and midline crossing skills. These skills are necessary for children with low-incidence disabilities to succeed in tasks of daily living. Additionally, modifications and lesson extensions are provided for the development of a unit plan for learners served in either integrated or more restrictive settings.

New Graduate Entry: Students' Transition to an Adapted Physical Education Graduate Program.

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain master of arts students’ academic and social experiences during the transition to an adapted physical education (APE) graduate program. In this study, we used the theory of transition, which allowed us to understand students’ transition to graduate studies and to assist them in connecting to the academic support needed to cope with their changing circumstances. Seven APE master’s students (3 men and 4 women) participated in the study, which had a descriptive-qualitative design. The data sources were a demographic questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, and the program of graduate study (archival record). Interview data were analyzed using a constant comparative method, and results in themes related to (a) difficulty in academic transition to the graduate program, (b) relationships with program faculty, and (c) experiential learning. To better support APE graduate students, we encourage academic departments, administrators, faculty, and all students to learn how to view themselves as playing various roles, such as academic advisor, graduate student, graduate assistant, and fellowship graduate student.

Chiqui-traca-ban-tau: Movements and Creativity Expression without Limits.

Chiqui-traca-ban-tau is a creative dance activity that can be enjoyed by a wide range of children. It is also a game that provides teachers with a physical activity option that promotes higher-order thinking and remembering skills necessary to support learning in the Common Core. The game involves each child taking a turn leading a four-beat movement of his or her choice. Each child then copies the movement and the next child takes a turn. As children take turns the movements are added to the sequence, and each child repeats the movements in the order in which they were presented. The game culminates with each childs movement in sequence and all using the phrase Chiqui-traca-ban-tau to help them remember the four-beat rhythm. Extensions of the activity include adding equipment, movement concepts, or having students use four beats with two different movements. Activity extensions are aligned with the cognitive taxonomy to facilitate learning.