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COMMUNICATING CULTURE THROUGH CAPOEIRA
Title
COMMUNICATING CULTURE THROUGH CAPOEIRA.
Creator
Georgieva, Desislava, Kenney, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The popularity of capoeira, a dance based in the martial arts and originating among slaves in Sixteenth-Century Brazil, has increased greatly in recent decades as it has spread worldwide as a performance representative of Brazilian history and culture. In 1974, capoeira was declared the national sport of Brazil. Today capoeira academies and competitions may be found wherever Brazilian culture is celebrated and communicated in many major foreign cities. My thesis, through the participant...
Show moreThe popularity of capoeira, a dance based in the martial arts and originating among slaves in Sixteenth-Century Brazil, has increased greatly in recent decades as it has spread worldwide as a performance representative of Brazilian history and culture. In 1974, capoeira was declared the national sport of Brazil. Today capoeira academies and competitions may be found wherever Brazilian culture is celebrated and communicated in many major foreign cities. My thesis, through the participant/observer method and the use of long interviews, examines capoeira as it is practiced in one particular academy far from the art form's place of origin. In the tradition of the cultural studies branch of communication, my thesis analyzes the movements, manners, and fashions of capoeira. I conclude that capoeira constitutes a cultural communication that has evolved from its roots in human slavery, suffering, and rebelliousness to a modern-day expression of athleticism, art, and community-building.
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Date Issued
2005
Identifier
CFE0000716, ucf:46617
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000716
MENTAL ROTATION WITH MARTIAL ARTS EXPERTS
Title
MENTAL ROTATION WITH MARTIAL ARTS EXPERTS.
Creator
Torres, Michael, Sims, Valerie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This research aims to investigate whether expertise, specifically martial arts expertise, is transferrable across domains, which would indicate spatial skills in one task can also apply to a seemingly unrelated one. In this study, reaction time during a mental rotation task was compared between experts and novices. Participants were shown two images and had to decide if the images were the same or mirror reflections. The images were comprised of Shepard-Metzler blocks, people in martial arts...
Show moreThis research aims to investigate whether expertise, specifically martial arts expertise, is transferrable across domains, which would indicate spatial skills in one task can also apply to a seemingly unrelated one. In this study, reaction time during a mental rotation task was compared between experts and novices. Participants were shown two images and had to decide if the images were the same or mirror reflections. The images were comprised of Shepard-Metzler blocks, people in martial arts poses, and people in neutral poses. The results suggest expertise is not transferable across domains. While experts outperformed novices with some of the martial arts stimuli, there was not a significant difference with the neutral poses. Novices performed better than experts with the Shepard-Metzler blocks. This suggests experts may have embodied some of the stimuli to facilitate faster reaction times. Further research must be conducted to investigate if any type of expertise is transferable across domains, which could assist in the development of employee training programs, and to validate the human figures used as stimuli.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFH0004881, ucf:45433
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004881
EFFECTS OF A MODIFIED JUDO PROGRAM ON PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS IN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING AND CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY
Title
EFFECTS OF A MODIFIED JUDO PROGRAM ON PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS IN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING AND CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY.
Creator
Tomey, Keanu L., Garcia, Jeanette M., Fukuda, David H., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a modified judo training program on psychosocial health in both typically developing (TD) and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using a mixed-methods approach. METHODS: The sample consisted of 5 children with ASD and 5 TD children (age=8-11yrs) who participated in 10 sessions of a modified judo program during their typical physical education time for school. Psychosocial factors (enjoyment, perceived competence,...
Show morePURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a modified judo training program on psychosocial health in both typically developing (TD) and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using a mixed-methods approach. METHODS: The sample consisted of 5 children with ASD and 5 TD children (age=8-11yrs) who participated in 10 sessions of a modified judo program during their typical physical education time for school. Psychosocial factors (enjoyment, perceived competence, benefits of PA) were assessed at baseline and post intervention, with completion of all measures dependent upon the level of comfort expressed by the participant. At the end of the program, children took part in focus group discussions centered around their experience with the program, while key school staff participated in semi-structured interviews based on their observations of the program. All focus group discussions and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. RESULTS: Quantitative results for pre and post psychosocial measures showed no significant differences existed between PA self-efficacy (p=.99), PA enjoyment (p=.6), and barriers to PA (p=.27). Qualitative results revealed that the majority of the participants found the program to be enjoyable, with partner centered activities being particularly fun. Suggestions for improvement included increasing the duration and frequency of the judo classes. All children reported a desire to continue participating in the judo classes. Findings from staff interviews indicated that school staff observed improvements in psychosocial health and behavior both immediately following a judo class, and throughout the intervention period. Increased self-confidence was mentioned by all participating school staff members. CONCLUSION: Despite the lack of significant quantitative findings, psychosocial benefits were observed in both TD children and children with ASD, with all participants reporting their desire to continue with the program. Future studies should examine the psychosocial benefits in a judo-training program in larger sample of children over longer durations.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
CFH2000252, ucf:46017
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000252
Outside the Cage: The Campaign to Destroy Mixed Martial Arts
Title
Outside the Cage: The Campaign to Destroy Mixed Martial Arts.
Creator
Doeg, Andrew, Crepeau, Richard, Sacher, John, Solonari, Vladimir, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This is an early history of Mixed Martial Arts in America. It focuses primarily on the political campaign to ban the sport in the 1990s and the repercussions that campaign had on MMA itself. Furthermore, it examines the censorship of music and video games in the 1990s. The central argument of this work is that the political campaign to ban Mixed Martial Arts was part of a larger political movement to censor violent entertainment. Connections are shown in the actions and rhetoric of...
Show moreThis is an early history of Mixed Martial Arts in America. It focuses primarily on the political campaign to ban the sport in the 1990s and the repercussions that campaign had on MMA itself. Furthermore, it examines the censorship of music and video games in the 1990s. The central argument of this work is that the political campaign to ban Mixed Martial Arts was part of a larger political movement to censor violent entertainment. Connections are shown in the actions and rhetoric of politicians who attacked music, video games and the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the grounds that it glorified violence. The political pressure exerted on the sport is largely responsible for the eventual success and widespread acceptance of MMA. The pressure forced the sport to regulate itself and transformed it into something more acceptable to mainstream America.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004675, ucf:49870
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004675
THE IMPACT OF MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS IN THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH LITERATURE ACROSS FIVE DISCIPLINES
Title
THE IMPACT OF MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS IN THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH LITERATURE ACROSS FIVE DISCIPLINES.
Creator
Routhier-Martin, Kayli, Killingsworth Roberts, Sherron, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Mindfulness meditation programs, benefits, and outcomes were examined through research previously conducted and published by professionals within five differing disciplines: health and wellness, psychology, elementary education, exceptional education, and medicine. The goal was to find common themes within the differing disciplines in order to gather information about the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation program to be used in an elementary classroom. In this thesis, the chapter of...
Show moreMindfulness meditation programs, benefits, and outcomes were examined through research previously conducted and published by professionals within five differing disciplines: health and wellness, psychology, elementary education, exceptional education, and medicine. The goal was to find common themes within the differing disciplines in order to gather information about the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation program to be used in an elementary classroom. In this thesis, the chapter of Health and Wellness is a review of literature that tells the benefits found within meditators, which are not found within non-meditators. The chapter of Psychology explains the social-emotional needs of students, the causes of stress and anxieties amongst students, and the benefits that meditation provides in order to counter the negative effects of stress, anxiety, poverty, etc. The chapter of Elementary Education reviews research literature on the existing mindfulness meditation programs within the United States. This chapter also describes the implementation of such a program in an elementary school, as well as the documented data of the outcomes of the programs. The chapter of Exceptional Education is a review of the research literature on the benefits mindfulness meditation has on students with exceptionalities, such as specific learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. The chapter of Medicine is a retelling of previously published scholarly articles that list the neurological benefits of meditation, and also references the negative side effects to the currently prescribed medications that are being used in the treatment of ADHD.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFH0004877, ucf:45424
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004877
Mirrors and Vanities
Title
Mirrors and Vanities.
Creator
Salas, Leslie, Rushin, Patrick, Poissant, David, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
"Mirrors and Vanities" is a multi-modal collection which showcases the diversity of working in long and short storytelling forms. Featured in this thesis are fiction, nonfiction, graphic narrative, and screenplay.Using unconventional approaches to storytelling in order to achieve emotional resonance with the audience while maintaining high standards for craft, these stories and essays explore the costs inherent to the subtle nuances of interpersonal relationships. The fiction focuses on the...
Show more"Mirrors and Vanities" is a multi-modal collection which showcases the diversity of working in long and short storytelling forms. Featured in this thesis are fiction, nonfiction, graphic narrative, and screenplay.Using unconventional approaches to storytelling in order to achieve emotional resonance with the audience while maintaining high standards for craft, these stories and essays explore the costs inherent to the subtle nuances of interpersonal relationships. The fiction focuses on the complications of characters keeping secrets. A husband discovers the truth behind his wife's miscarriage. A girl visits her fianc(&)#233; in purgatory. A boy crosses a line and loses his best friend. Meanwhile, the nonfiction centers on self-discovery and gender roles associated with power struggles. A schizophrenic threatens to ruin my mother's wedding. I rediscover my relationship with my father through food writing. Sword-work teaches me to fail and succeed at making martial art. The title work of the thesis is a collaged story highlighting the tribulations of a physicist fixated on recovering his lost love by manipulating the multiverse. The multi-modal format implicates the nebulosity of physics theories and how different aspects of the narrative can be presented in various formats to best suit the nature of the storytelling.Through the interactions of characters in mundane and extraordinary circumstances, the works in this thesis examine the consequences of choice, the contrast between reality and expectation, coming of age, and the Truth of narrative.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004745, ucf:49789
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004745