Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Utilization Of Mental Health Services At Domestic Violence Agencies In Pennsylvania, Kealsey Mcneil

Social Work Student Research

In this research, I examined the use of mental health services at domestic violence (DV) programs in rural and urban Pennsylvania and agency size. I examined the needs, characteristics, and availability of mental health services for DV survivors across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I looked at DV service use from a variety of sources to provide a well-rounded understanding of the factors that contributed to mental health service use. I used three secondary data sources: the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), Adequacies of Network of Services Provided to the Survivors of Domestic Violence in Pennsylvania–Phase II study, and data obtained from …

School Social Workers Conducting Home Visits: Practice And Perceptions, Sadie K. Kinnarney

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

School districts are serving populations of students being faced with more multiplex sets of individual, school, family, and community level risk factors (Berzin & O’Connor, 2010; Boske & Benavente-McEnery, 2010; Frey et al., 2012; Kelly et al., 2010). Many children are unable to respond effectively to the school setting due to the stress in their family’s lives and the stressors in their home environment (Openshaw, 2008). There is knowledge that social and environmental constraints can negatively affect a child’s role in an educational setting and a student’s capability to learn tends to be challenged if their emotional and physical needs …

Unequal Punishment Of Women And Minorities In The Workplace, Jorden Woodson

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

Forging Identity: Learning About Craft Production And Identity Through The Analysis Of Hand-Made Nails, Linda Zuniga

Anthropology and Sociology Student Research

Nails may not seem exciting. After all, their function is self-evident: nails hold things together. On closer examination, however, nails are quite useful. They can help to determine a site’s chronology, reveal variability in commodity consumption, and reflect the economic activities that occurred in an historic village. Here, I present the analysis of nails from Stoddartsville, a 19th century milling village in northeast Pennsylvania. Different blacksmiths introduce subtle variability into the finished form of a nail, yielding differences in attributes such as nail head length, nail head thickness, and number of head facets. I used these attributes to determine the …

Gaining Insight Into Lithic Technology In Eastern Pennsylvania Through The Study Of An Amateur Collection, Khori Newlander, Linda Zuniga

Anthropology and Sociology Faculty Research

The farm fields of east-central Pennsylvania contain an abundance of artifacts that span much of regional prehistory. Not surprisingly, many of these artifacts have been collected by local amateurs. Here, we analyze an assemblage of projectile points collected from the Kramer Farm in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. We explore how morphometric attributes (e.g., size, shape), indices of retouch, and raw material vary in relation to projectile point type. Our analysis provides insight into projectile point design, lithic resource preferences, technological organization, and land use. Despite the imperfections that often characterize amateur collections and the controversy that surrounds their study, our analysis demonstrates …

Not Just Playing With Toys: Enculturation And Identity In A Historic Village In Northeast Pennsylvania, Amarah Karlick

Anthropology and Sociology Student Research

The archaeology of early industrial communities can yield material evidence of the pervasive, interrelated impacts of industrialization on work and domestic life. Archaeologists and historians investigating industrial communities have increasingly pivoted from a focus on great men and firsts in technological development to the local sociocultural contexts and consequences of industrialization. Here, I use the study of toys from Stoddartsville, a milling village in northeast Pennsylvania, to examine the lived experiences of children during the mid-nineteenth century. I suggest that children learned powerful lessons about identity, especially gender, as they played with toys at Stoddartsville. These lessons cemented the social …

Qualitative Study Exploring The Risk Factors Of Burnout: Pennsylvania Social Work Professionals In Child Welfare, Nicole Ukaegbu

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Burnout is a concern that impacts many professionals in the workplace. This study focused on the risk factors of burnout for social work professionals in Pennsylvania’s child welfare industry. The study was conducted with 10 professionals at children and youth services (CYS) agencies in Pennsylvania, where each of the professionals were interviewed to gain perspective on the problem of burnout. This study used a qualitative approach and was rooted in grounded theory to unravel the findings.

Four risk factor themes, nine risk factor subthemes, and two additional findings themes were generated during the data analysis process. Findings from the 10 …

Social Work Supervision Education: Pennsylvania Social Workers Reflect On Education And Supervisory Competence, Morgan Ann Daugherty

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Supervision is an essential component of social work education and ongoing professional development for those employed at all levels of practice, having been identified as a protective factor against compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary trauma. Supervision education encompasses the direct training of students in how to be a supervisor to include knowledge, skills, and abilities of effective application. Supervision education is taught via multiple methods such as supervision education courses, supervision education embedded into the curriculum, post-degree certificate programs, continuing education coursework, including field educator training and on-the-job training. With vague competency expectations outlined by the Council on Social Work …

School Social Work And Autism Competency: A Mixed-Methods Assessment Of Pennsylvania School Social Workers, Jami Imhof

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which currently affects 1 in 44 individuals in the United States. Autism manifests as symptoms that impact the areas of communication, social interaction, and behavior (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Symptoms may create challenges in the school setting, requiring social work intervention. School social workers must be knowledgeable about autism as well as how to best support autistic students. A mixed methods study was conducted among 84 school social workers in Pennsylvania to understand current autism knowledge via an online survey. Ways in which social workers have learned about autism, as well as …

Social Work Best Practices In Schools: Effect Of Family-Focused Case Management On Rural School Students’ Success, Sheryl L. Mcklveen

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Rural families and children have historically been challenged by a lack of public investment in their communities. Over generations, such deprivation created cycles of pervasive, persistent behavioral health and well-being disparities that negatively impact contemporary families and children, and threaten the socioeconomic future of America (Branson, 2019; Showalter et al., 2019; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). The purpose of this dissertation was to build a model of school social work best practices employing strategies intended to break cycles of unmet needs by reducing social determinant of health (SDOH) risks in rural environments, thereby enhancing the health and …

Relational Connections For Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care: A Policy Content Analysis, Heather Miller

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Social work professionals and policymakers are faced with the dilemma of older youth exiting foster care each year with poor outcomes, lacking resources and supports that make successful transitions a challenge. Research suggests that youth who have a supportive relationship with a consistent and trusted adult to help navigate the transition to adulthood supports a youth’s successful transition from care. The Federal John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, initially birthed from the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and revised through the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, provides states with funding and guidance …

Assessing Clinical Social Workers’ Self-Efficacy Regarding Perinatal Mental Health Disorders, Ashley Sullivan

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation sought to explore social workers’ perceived levels of knowledge, self-efficacy, and awareness of perinatal mental health. This study looked at how identifying as a parent, different social work licensures, and having additional training on perinatal mental health affect social workers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and awareness responses. Utilizing a quantitative survey, this dissertation found having additional training on perinatal mental health to have a significant impact on social workers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and awareness.

Exploring social workers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and awareness of perinatal mental health allows for self-reflection of one's own ability to assist this vulnerable population. Continued research in this …

Without A Village: Motherhood, Child Care And Covid-19, Bailey Higgins

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

As part of a feminist hermeneutic phenomenological study, mothers of children who had not yet entered kindergarten and who had used child care outside of the home during the COVID-19 pandemic were interviewed about their experiences of motherhood, use of child care, and COVID-19 after the US lockdown orders were lifted in late 2020. Informed by the matricentric feminist perspective, which promotes the enfranchisement of mothers, the study aimed to inform social work practice for mothers and advocacy for employed mothers of young children.

Exploring the experiences of mothers was completed by collecting narratives utilizing a semi-structured interview. Findings from …

Liberating Self: An Autoethnographic Inquiry Into Black Male Mental Health, Phillip J. Roundtree Sr., Dsw, Lcsw, Ms

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

This autoethnography offers a first-person perspective on Black male mental health experiences. It incorporates personal narratives and academic research to explore the intersectionality of race, gender, and mental health, as well as the impact of historical and contemporary systemic racism and discrimination on Black males' psychological and emotional well-being.

The Black Liberation Psychology theoretical framework and Africana Studies Conceptual framework examined how cultural norms, hip-hop culture, stigma, and societal factors, including racism, discrimination, and stereotypes about Black masculinity, shape Black male mental health experiences. The study also highlights Black males' development of coping mechanisms and resilience strategies to navigate these …

“We're Not Thriving, But We're Trying.” Exploring Undergraduate Students' Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kelly Smith

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Undergraduate college students found their lives upended when Covid-19 pandemic mitigation efforts mandated them to leave their school settings and continue their education on virtual platforms. Research on the pandemic and related mitigation efforts has found undergraduate students to be negatively impacted. Today’s undergraduate students are primarily made up of Generation Z who are identified as having a higher reported incidence of mental health issues and have been described as less resilient when compared to other generations. Resilience is integral to undergraduate students’ mental health and educational persistence. This study sought to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on …

2023-06-03 Pca Policy Manual, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Policy Manual

No abstract provided.

2023-11-03 Cumulative Report, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.

2023-08-12 Board Meeting Agenda, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.

2023-06-03 Cumulative Report, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.

2023-06-03 Board Meeting Agenda, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.

2023-01-23 Meeting Minutes, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.

2023-08-12 Cumulative Report, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.

2023-11-03 Board Meeting Agenda, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.

The Ongoing Search For Democracy: A Comparative Analysis Of Racial Equality In Cuba And The United States, Michael T. Siderio Jr.

Honors Student Research

This Capstone Project is structured as a comparative analysis of the fight for racial equality for Afro-Cubans in Cuba and how it compares to racial equality for African Americans in the United States, specifically focusing on contemporary issues relating to employment and economic opportunities, as well as police brutality. Historical background will be given on each topic within the scope of racial equality, and a comparative analysis on how they are similar and how they differ will also be provided. The overarching goal of the research on historical background and doing the comparative analysis is to synthesize both respective movements …

Art: The Beautiful, Relieving Agent For Mental Illness, Stella G. Newmoyer

Composition Exemplars

Art: the Beautiful, Revealing Agent for Mental Illness is aimed to present a thorough analysis of the relationship between art and mental illness. With this proposal, I show the hidden meanings behind some art works, The Starry Night and Kaleidoscope Cat V11, and how the importance of creation gives to others. Creation allows people with mental illness to express their personal experiences liberally on a medium, to potentially release their tension they may hold inside their mind. As my research proposal demonstrates, art provides individuals with a sense of unattachment from reality, by allowing them to freely express their mental …

Belonging And Banding Together: Perspectives And Insights Of Newly Recruited Ell Musicians, Edward Luckey, Edward Luckey, Edward Luckey

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to bring forward the lived experiences of English Language Learner (ELL) musicians who were new to the band program as of the Spring of 2021. This study was born out of previous coursework and reflection where it became apparent that more must be done to provide access to our band program for students who are in our ELL program. Therefore, the research question that guides this study is “What are the lived experiences of ELL band students?” The methodology is primarily a pursuit of the stories and lived experiences of the ELLs via a …

Belonging And Banding Together: Perspectives And Insights Of Newly Recruited Ell Musicians, Edward Francis Luckey, Edward Luckey, Edward Luckey

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to bring forward the lived experiences of English Language Learner (ELL) musicians who were new to the band program as of the Spring of 2021. This study was born out of previous coursework and reflection where it became apparent that more must be done to provide access to our band program for students who are in our ELL program. Therefore, the research question that guides this study is “What are the lived experiences of ELL band students?” The methodology is primarily a pursuit of the stories and lived experiences of the ELLs via a …

Final Grant Paper, Andrew Dunn, Matt Hatfield, Jasmine Vera

MPA Professional Seminar, Capstone Projects

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is a state agency within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which helps to promote and enhance education for all levels, including higher education institutions and universities throughout the state (About PDE, 2022). One of the greatest and most substantial ways the PDE does this is through their grant funding efforts and programs they make available to eligible institutions and organizations. While they offer a variety of different grant opportunities to help students and learners throughout the state, the particular grants that the researchers focused on for review and analysis are the following: “It’s On …

Analysis Of School District Funding And Educational Outcome, Damilola Fola Owolabi, Innocent Alozie, Micheal Sprague

MPA Professional Seminar, Capstone Projects

According to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, about 58% of funds received by K-12 school districts throughout the state come from local taxes, while only 38% came from the state (Pennsylvania Department of Education [PDE]. This study aims to investigate what impact if any, Pennsylvania state funding has on educational outcomes in K-12 districts. The three main educational outcomes this study focuses on are Graduation Rates, Test Scores and Postsecondary rates. In addition to state funding, other socio-economic and socio-demographic factors (number of housing units, households with single parents with children, median age, households with no internet access, rural/urban dwellers …

Pennsylvania Department Of Revenue: Workplace Environment Study, Nicole Ohlinger, James Digber

MPA Professional Seminar, Capstone Projects

The research in this study was conducted to provide the Department of Revenue with proven and documented best practices for their workplace environment study. This was accomplished by completing a focus group session with members of management to gather their perspectives about the current climate on diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as promotions within the department. A survey was also administered to the Department of Revenue employees. The survey was intended to capture employee’s perspectives on the current diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and their expectations for the future.

Outcomes/Results:

There are four primary recommendations for the Department of …