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Changes to body size and shape have been identified as potential adaptive responses to climate change, but the pervasiveness of these responses has been questioned. To address this, we measured body and appendage size from 5013 museum bird skins of 78 ecologically and evolutionary diverse Australian species. We found that morphological change is a shared response to climate change across birds. Birds increased relative bill surface area, tarsus length, and relative wing length through time, consistent with expectations of increasing appendage size as climates warm. Furthermore, birds decreased in absolute wing length, consistent with the expectation of decreasing body size in warmer climates. Interestingly, these trends were generally consistent across different diets and migratory and thermoregulatory behaviors. Shorter term responses to higher temperatures were contrary to long‐term effects for appendages, wherein relative appendage size decreased after hotter years, indicating the complex selective pressures acting on birds as temperatures rise with climate change. Overall, our findings support the notion that morphological adaptation is a widespread response to climate change in birds that is independent of other ecological traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to provide physical education teachers with the tools to develop and implement challenge course-like activities in their physical education classes. The article also covers environmental considerations for teachers who have the desire to create a challenge-based classroom setting in order to reach a wider and more diverse population of students.

Mobility on the Tyne--Solway isthmus constitutes a gap in our understanding of the planning and functioning of the Roman frontier of northern Britain. Although the inflexible design of Hadrian's Wall appears insensitive to variations in local environment, identification of potential Roman-period fords suggests that securing river crossings was an important influence on military plans. The Roman army exploited established routeways to impose increasingly sophisticated systems to structure movement, initially via a system of forts, fort-lets and towers--the Stanegate--and subsequently using a continuous barrier: Hadrian's Wall. As these measures evolved, so local communities experienced greater levels of military control and inequality. Keywords: Roman Britain, Hadrian's Wall, Stanegate, human mobility, fords, Roman military, Introduction In 1801, the 78 -year-old William Hutton set off on foot to explore the remains of the Roman frontier in northern Britain now known as Hadrian's Wall. By his [...]

The purpose of this article is to share three challenge-based lesson plans that can be implemented by physical educators in their classroom. Each of the lesson examples addresses the three learning domains: psychomotor, cognitive and affective. Additionally, each lesson is aligned with SHAPE America's National Standards for K-12 Physical Education. Challenge-based lessons provide physical educators with the opportunity to address learning outcomes through non-traditional activities that can be easily implemented in the physical education classroom.

Concerns regarding sports officials 'experiences have been prompted by high attrition rates among officials across sports (Hancock, Dawson, & Auger, 2015) and little research has examined sports officials 'work motivations at smaller colleges and universities. Given this attrition, greater understanding of officials' motivations may lead to better recruitment, education, and retention strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine the motivations of a large sample of sports officials from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) using the Self-Determination Theory framework. Participants (N = 1,461: M age = 47.97 years) were registered NAIA officials from various sports who completed an online survey containing demographic questions and a modified Work Extrinsic Intrinsic Motivation Scale (WEIMS: Tremblay, Blanchard, Taylor, Pelletier, & Villeneuve, 2009). Results indicated that less experienced officials were higher on intrinsic motivation and identified regulation, whereas more experienced officials were higher on integrated regulation. In addition, male officials were higher than female officials on integrated regulation, introjected regulation, and amotivation. Empirical support was provided for the notion that sports officials are motivated for largely intrinsic reasons in that small college sports officials displayed primarily a self-determined motivational profile., Sports at all levels remain immensely popular in American society, and qualified sports officials are a key component of the successful administration of these organized sports. Yet, sports officials remain [...]

The objective of this article is to provide background on types of goals, a system for writing goals, and a framework for goal-prioritization that can be implemented in classroom and/or sport settings. Goal-setting is the process of developing a desired outcome to serve as the purpose of one's actions.

Wheelchair rugby is a sport that accommodates populations who have reduced arm and hand functions such as individuals with tetraplegia and other individuals who have motor impairment in their four [...], This study investigated the impact of wheelchair rugby participation on three psychological variables, as well as differences between American and Japanese wheelchair rugby players. A total of 84 wheelchair rugby players (58 Americans and 26 Japanese) responded to an electronic survey designed to allow for both post-hoc and retrospective pretest measurements. The results of repeated measures ANOVA indicated a positive effects of wheelchair rugby participation on life satisfaction, self-esteem, and athletic identity. The results also indicated that Americans scored higher than Japanese participants in both pretest and posttest in life satisfaction and self-esteem. Americans also demonstrated greater improvement in life satisfaction. Athletic identity was improved through wheelchair rugby participation but there were no differences between Americans and Japanese. Keywords: Athletic identity, life satisfaction, self-esteem

Institutes of higher learning are tending to reduce the amount of face-to-face teaching that they offer, and particularly through the traditional pedagogical method of lecturing. There is ongoing debate about the educational value of lectures as a teaching approach, in terms of both whether they facilitate understanding of subject material and whether they augment the student educational experience. In this study, student evaluation of teaching scores plus academic outcome (percentage of students who fail) was assessed for 236 course units offered by a science faculty at an Australian university over the course of one year. These measures were related to the degree to which lectures and other face-to-face teaching were used in these units, controlling for factors such as class size, school and year level. An information-theoretic model selection approach was employed to identify the best models and predictors of student assessments and fail rates. All the top models of student feedback included a measure reflecting amount of face-to-face teaching, with the evaluation of quality of teaching being higher in units with higher proportions of lectures. However, these models explained only 12-20% of the variation in student evaluation scores, suggesting that many other factors come into play. By contrast, units with fewer lectures have lower failure rates. These results suggest that moving away from lectures and face-to-face teaching may not harm, and indeed may improve the number of students who pass the subject, but that this may be incurred at the expense of greater dissatisfaction in students' learning experience.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact that athletics participation in both revenue and non-revenue intercollegiate sport had on the engagement of students as measured by the "National Survey of Student Engagement." In addition, the study reported results to the institution's athletics department for application as a tool for program review. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a factorial design using self-reported data from a cooperating institution. The independent variables examined were participation in intercollegiate athletics (athletes vs non-athletes) and the sport type (revenue sports vs non-revenue sports). Measures of student engagement were the dependent variables in the study. Findings: Descriptive analysis revealed that athletes were as engaged as their non-athlete peers and suggested that revenue sport participants were not as engaged as their non-revenue sport counterparts. Univariate ANCOVA analyses uncovered significant differences between both categories of independent variable--athletes/non-athletes and revenue/non-revenue sport participation. Research limitations/implications: The study was limited by the degree to which all participants answered the questions in the "National Survey of Student Engagement" honestly and accurately. Since athletics participation is determined by self-selection, inherent differences among athletes and non-athletes may exist and were not explored in the study. Practical implications: Through examination of institutional data, athletics practitioners may gain information to guide policy and practice. Originality/value: The study illustrates how institutions may capitalize on institutional research data to evaluate, review, and improve specific programs. (Contains 4 tables.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe how one US Midwestern university implements quality principles, based on the value added premise in a teacher preparation program that yields accountability, teacher education standards attainment and ultimately improvement of teacher candidates and overall programs. Design/methodology/approach: Data pertinent to students were gathered in a systematic way as they declared a certification area. This data was used to identify students who needed tutorial support and class advisement to assure successful matriculation, program completion and success on identified critical assessments. The two assessments identified were teacher work sample (TWS) and the national physical education certification examination (Praxis II). Meaningful proactive advisement, data sharing and tutorial testing assistance program were the primary approaches used to improve teacher candidate competencies. Findings: Specific course modifications and curricular redesign resulted in positive results on the TWS and Praxis II. The results have been improved teacher candidate performance on knowledge, skills and dispositions measures. Research limitations/implications: As result of sharing data, a cultural shift occurred within the program. Faculty became more accountable to teacher candidate competency attainment and teacher candidates became more attuned to becoming an effective prospective teacher. Practical implications: Because this particular teacher education programs implemented quality principles, utilized the value added approach to management and systematically used data that yielded positive results, it has become a model for other teacher education programs. Originality/value: This study uses one program to provide examples of how management of accountability and standards attainment can lead to administrative, curricular, candidate and overall program improvement. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures and 1 note.)