Unintentional Falls is the second leading cause of nonfatal injuries in the United States (U.S.). Sedentary behaviors are at an all-time high in schools leading to children not engaging in enough physical activity throughout their school day. Physical education and recess opportunities have decreased in school for the past ten years, leading to…

Advances in the use of technology in the classroom have not changed the fact that handwriting remains a primary occupation of students throughout their educational careers. A recent study stated that "up to 27% of children in elementary school are reported to have handwriting problems" (Steinhart et al., 2021, p.2). Despite this fact,…

The overarm throw is a difficult multi-limb task because the overarm throw requires synchronized dexterity of the entire body. Research has determined that the inability to throw hinders children's participation in physical activities. The dynamic systems theory, which describes the interactions and processes that manipulate development, framed…

Americans have experienced declining health for decades (National Center for Health Statistics, 2019) and these poor health outcomes may be the result of increased sedentary behavior at school, work, and home (Keadle, Conroy, Buman, Dunstan, & Matthews, 2017). Intervention to reduce sedentary behavior may be needed in each of these settings,…

Learning prepositions is very important for students with an intellectual disability to engage in functional communication behaviors. In addition, it is important for the students with intellectual disability to engage in physical activity at school because they spend the majority of their waking hours during weekdays at school. One way to…

Technological advancements and increased screen time has increased sedentary activity and altered the brain development of children. With the reduction of PE and recess in schools, increasing sensory stimulating physical activity can be pivotal in cognitive and behavioral development. Activities such as rolling and spinning enhance the sensory…

This study examines the use of mastery motivational climate in an inclusive physical education setting. Mastery motivational climates (MMC) are grounded in achievement goal theory and the TARGET principles. Research has found mastery motivational climates to be effective for children with disabilities' skill acquisition. The purpose of this study…

This dissertation examines the efficacy of peer tutor training in adapted physical education (APE). A peer tutor evaluation form was created to assess the skills of untrained peer tutors (n = 12). Once skills were assessed, a peer tutor training protocol was created. The protocol was implemented in a peer tutor training program. After peer tutors…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the EMBRACE Spanish support intervention for at-risk dual language learners and to determine which verbal and nonverbal characteristics of students were related to benefit from the intervention. The first study examined oral language and reading characteristics and the second study…

The proposed study examined the effects of behavioral fluency in oral motor imitation on echoic behavior in elementary children with autism. A multiple baseline multiple probe design was employed across students. The researcher examined (a) what are the effects of acquisition and behavioral fluency in a component oral motor skill on the composite…

Developmental dyslexia is a specific impairment of reading ability in the presence of normal intelligence and adequate reading instruction. Current research has linked dyslexia to genetic underpinnings, which are identifiable. Furthermore, there are cognitive processes that are influenced by unique genetically programmed neural networks that…

The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of aural and kinesthetic rhythm skill development in elementary school-age children. In this study, I examined my curriculum model for rhythm understanding, which included creating and implementing assessments of movement skills in meter and rhythm. The research questions were: 1.…

The purpose of this study was to develop three school-based assessments and determine the content validity for each assessment. The School Activities and Participation Analysis-Elementary (SAPA-E) measures functional movement performance in children with physical disability attending the elementary school, and the School Activities and…

Quality elementary physical education programs recognize the changing development and movement abilities of children (NASPE, 2007). Educational dance within these programs provides opportunities to engage in developmentally appropriate rhythmic activities. Research to date provides modest information for physical educators regarding what rhythmic…

The purpose of this study was to explore the possible causes that might contribute to the disproportionate percentage of English language learners ELLs with special education individual education plans (IEPs). Elementary school classroom teachers from school districts that exhibited high growth in the percentage of ELLs with IEPs during 2007-2010…