As the importance of intercultural competence increases for future professionals, kinesiology faculty should consider internationalizing their curriculum. Faculty can promote intercultural competence through a variety of experiences, including studying abroad, attending international conferences, or adding a virtual exchange component to their classes. Global engagement in the classroom allows students to examine problem solving by scholars globally and enhances soft skills and career readiness skills. Because international travel through study abroad programs poses many challenges, this paper will focus upon an alternative, virtual exchange that can be implemented in any kinesiology or related course. Faculty can implement virtual exchanges with either an international class or a nonprofit organization on a large (e.g., complete course) or small scale (e.g., collaborative project). A sample design and tips for developing a collaborative project in a kinesiology course will be discussed to provide kinesiology faculty with a framework to begin a partnership around international course collaboration.
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Global Engagement in the Kinesiology Classroom Through Virtual Exchange
Pamela Beach, Melanie Perreault, and Leapetswe Malete
Associations Between Parent Perspectives and Motor Competence in Children With CHARGE Syndrome
Pamela Haibach-Beach, Melanie Perreault, Lauren J. Lieberman, and Alexandra Stribing
Children with CHARGE syndrome, an extremely complex, highly variable genetic disorder, are significantly delayed in the onset of their motor milestones in comparison with children without disabilities due to sensory and motor deficits as well as lengthy hospitalizations and reduced physical activity. Currently, the role of parents’ perceptions and participation in the motor development of their child with CHARGE is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between parents’ perceptions and their child’s motor competence, comparing parents of children with and without CHARGE syndrome. Participants included 33 children with CHARGE and 38 children without disabilities. Parents completed the Child’s Movement Skills Research parent survey and children were assessed on their gross motor skills. Parental ratings of locomotor ability and time spent participating with their child predicted the locomotor, ball skill, and total motor skill scores in the CHARGE group. Control group parents’ rating of ball scores predicted ball skill and total skill scores. The results indicate that parents may play an important role in their child with CHARGE syndrome’s motor development. Parents who are more involved with their child’s movement activities can positively influence their motor competence.
The Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Improving Voluntary Activation of the Quadriceps: A Critically Appraised Topic
Cody B. Bremner, William R. Holcomb, Christopher D. Brown, and Melanie E. Perreault
Clinical Scenario:
Orthopedic knee conditions are regularly treated in sports-medicine clinics. Rehabilitation protocols for these conditions are often designed to address the associated quadriceps strength deficits. Despite these efforts, patients with orthopedic knee conditions often fail to completely regain their quadriceps strength. Disinhibitory modalities have recently been suggested as a clinical tool that can be used to counteract the negative effects of arthrogenic muscle inhibition, which is believed to limit the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is commonly accepted as a strengthening modality, but its ability to simultaneously serve as a disinhibitory treatment is not as well established.
Clinical Question:
Does NMES effectively enhance quadriceps voluntary activation in patients with orthopedic knee conditions?
Summary of Key Findings:
Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria and were included. Of those, 1 reported statistically significant improvements in quadriceps voluntary activation in the intervention group relative to a comparison group, but the statistical significance was not true for another study consisting of the same sample of participants with a different follow-up period. One study reported a trend in the NMES group, but the between-groups differences were not statistically significant in 3 of the 4 RCTs.
Clinical Bottom Line:
Current evidence does not support the use of NMES for the purpose of enhancing quadriceps voluntary activation in patients with orthopedic knee conditions.
Strength of Recommendation:
There is level B evidence that the use of NMES alone or in conjunction with therapeutic exercise does not enhance quadriceps voluntary activation in patients with orthopedic knee conditions (eg, anterior cruciate ligament injuries, osteoarthritis, total knee arthroplasty).
Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Adoption of Physical Activity Promotion in the Context of a Statewide Policy: An Innovation Diffusion and Socio-Ecologic Perspective
Collin Andrew Webster, Peter Caputi, Melanie Perreault, Rob Doan, Panayiotis Doutis, and Robert Glenn Weaver
Physical activity promotion in the academic classroom (PAPAC) is an effective means for increasing children’s school-based physical activity. In the context of a South Carolina policy requiring elementary schools to provide children with 90 min of physical activity beyond physical education every week, the purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model of elementary classroom teachers’ (ECT) PAPAC adoption drawing from Rogers’ (1995) diffusion of innovations theory and a social ecological perspective. ECTs (N = 201) were assessed on their policy awareness, perceived school support for PAPAC, perceived attributes of PAPAC, domain-specific innovativeness, and self-reported PAPAC. Partial least squares analysis supported most of the hypothesized relationships. Policy awareness predicted perceived school support, which in turn predicted perceived attributes and domain-specific innovativeness. Perceived compatibility, simplicity, and observability, and domain-specific innovativeness predicted self-reported PAPAC. This study identifies variables that should be considered in policy-driven efforts to promote PAPAC adoption.
An Exploratory Study of Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Physical Activity Promotion From a Social Learning Perspective
Collin A. Webster, Heather Buchan, Melanie Perreault, Rob Doan, Panayiotis Doutis, and Robert G. Weaver
Despite its recommended use, physical activity promotion in the academic classroom (PAPAC) has received little attention in terms of the factors that help to facilitate it. In this study, a social learning perspective was adopted to examine the role of physical activity biographies in generalist classroom teachers’ (CTs) PAPAC. CTs (N = 213) were assessed on their satisfaction with personal K-12 physical education (PE) experiences, perceived physical activity competence, self-reported physical activity, perceived PAPAC competence, and self-reported PAPAC. Structural equation modeling supported the hypothesized relationships between variables. Specifically, PE satisfaction predicted physical activity competence, which in turn predicted physical activity. Subsequently, physical activity predicted PAPAC competence, which predicted PAPAC. The specified model explained 41% of the variance in PAPAC, with PAPAC competence being the largest contributor. This study provides useful information for designing interventions to increase PAPAC, as it stresses the need to identify strategies that improve CTs’ physical activity-related, and PAPAC-related self-perceptions.