The gripping coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has imposed dramatic changes to many areas of daily living in all sectors of society across the world. We examined the relationship between perceived stress and health behaviors among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey with measures of psychological stress, physical activity and exercise, and sleep and social connectedness was distributed in June and July of 2020. The survey was completed by 550 college students (mean age: 21.3 ± 3.8 years, 74.2% female, 94.4% Caucasian). Being female and unemployed and having a lower annual income were significantly associated with higher levels of stress. In addition, regression analysis found that reduced exercise and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly predicted the levels of stress of participants after controlling for gender, employment status, and annual income. University officials should aim to implement health-promotion strategies directed at preventing reductions in exercise and sleep duration, especially in those at greater risk of increased perceived stress such as females and economically disadvantaged students.

Research on educational podcasts’ impacts on learning has steadily increased in recent years. Within this research, several issues related to methodology in educational podcast research have been cited. These include lack of detail, lack of reporting reliability, and questionable validity of testing instruments. However, one the theoretical frameworks that guide podcast development processes have received minimal attention. To address the lack of attention to theoretical frameworks within the educational podcasting literature, this paper utilized a conceptual analysis to examine key theoretical frameworks that have been used in empirical studies of educational podcasts. By examining theoretical frameworks used within relevant research, this paper introduces the value of using applicable learning theories to guide podcast development. Three theoretical frameworks are discussed: (a) the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, (b) adult learning theories (e.g., andragogy theory), and (c) a combination of the two. The paper shows both the versatility of educational podcasts and the need for further examination of how different theoretical frameworks may underpin the development of podcasts across unique learning environments.

As most physical education teacher education programs provide little preparatory coursework on disabilities, it is unsurprising preservice physical educators often struggle to effectively include students with disabilities. Given upwards of 95% of students with disabilities are taught in integrated physical education classes, it is imperative teachers are prepared for this inevitability. Though it is moderately understood that preservice physical educators receive little preparation, what remains unknown is what those preparatory courses provide and what the rationale is behind their construction. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine introductory adapted physical education (APE) course instructors’ perspectives towards the purpose of this course, the content delivered, and their rationale for the included content. Based on interviews with seven faculty (4 males and 3 females), three themes were constructed: ‘It is learning that this may fail’, ‘[Our] purpose is to expose them’, and ‘We cover … broad strokes’. These findings highlight APE faculty’s recognition that their course alone is not enough to prepare future physical educators to effectively provide students with disabilities a quality physical education experience. Overall, teachers largely emphasized the practical components of the course and heavily relied on medicalized definitions of disability. The results from this study deepen the understanding of how introductory APE courses are currently being taught across the United States and provide suggestions for ways to improve course development.

Public school administrators in the United States are required to supervise special education services, which include physical education and adapted physical education (APE). Although school administrators supervise and provide resources to support APE services, APE teachers have indicated that school administrators often interfere with their day-to-day practices and instruction. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine school administrators’ beliefs, attitudes, and intentions toward supporting APE within their school. Using a qualitative description approach, guided by the theory of planned behavior, nine building principals from California were interviewed about their perceptions and past experiences with APE. A thematic analysis enabled the authors to construct three interconnected themes: (1) APE teachers and services are valued, yet not prioritized, (2) stakeholders’ support of APE can impact principals’ attitudes and support of APE; yet, many remain indifferent regarding support of APE, and (3) lack of knowledge, resources, and funding prevents principals from providing adequate support to APE services and teachers. These findings emphasize both the support and barriers building principals often contribute to APE teachers’ service delivery. Additionally, these findings highlight the important role administrators have in supporting APE teachers and creating a culture where APE services and teachers are valued. Future research designed to improve attitudes among school administrators toward APE is necessary. Moreover, to provide essential resources for effective APE service delivery, systematic and theoretically driven interventions that link knowledge to fill the APE knowledge gap among school administrators are warranted.

Background: Physical educators often reported being ill-equipped to teach autistic children. Furthermore, autistic children often report having negative experiences in physical education. The physical educator is key to shaping these experiences; however, research examining these educators’ perspective towards teaching autistic children is limited. Aims: The purpose of this study was to explore physical educators’ experiences working with autistic children. Method: A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was utilized by first administering a questionnaire to physical educators about their perceptions towards teaching autistic children, and second, conducting in-depth interviews with a subset of the sample. Results: Survey data revealed that participants perceived that a variety of autistic characteristics challenging their ability to effectively teach autistic children. These challenges were further elaborated on in qualitative data in the theme of ‘autism is a spectrum: an array of challenges’. Moreover, participants discussed strategies employed to effectively work with autistic children (theme 2: ‘best practices’), including the importance of relationship building (theme 3: ‘relationship building is vital’). Conclusions/Implications: Although physical educators are using various evidence-based practices and hold some views that the challenges autistic children face are partly attributed to society and the structures within it, a medical model viewpoint continues to be prominent. Future research should examine how physical educators form their views towards teaching autistic children.

Currently, there is a dearth of research that has examined how podcasts influence kinesiology students’ learning experience. More specifically, research is needed to better understand how different types of podcasts (e.g. open-access podcasts) influence students’ perceptions toward topics that are complex and contextual. One such complex topic that has particular meaning to the fields of physical education and adapted physical education is inclusion. As such, the purpose of this investigation was to explore the way in which listening to a podcast influences how undergraduate students understand inclusion and integration within a physical education setting. Written reflections were collected from 19 undergraduate students and focus group interviews were conducted with 14 undergraduate students. An interpretivist research paradigm was adopted, and a qualitative description approach was utilized to construct three interrelated themes. The first theme, ‘This podcast was very effective’, demonstrated that the participants had generally favorable views towards the effectiveness of the podcast. The second theme, ‘I really didn’t know the difference’, described how the podcast provided new information to the participants concerning inclusion and integration in a physical education setting. The third theme, ‘Creating an inclusive environment for children with disabilities will be a challenge’, portrays participants recognizing barriers to providing an inclusive environment, and whether questioning integrated settings are always the preferred setting. These findings suggest that open-access podcasts are a viable tool to teach complex issues to preservice physical educators.