Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Nature And Its Place In Professional Counseling: A Qualitative Study Of Expert Views, Experiences, And Future Plans, Matthew V. Bukowski

Dissertations, 2020-current

Recent publications and initiatives within professional counseling indicate a growing interest in the connections between human wellness and the natural world. Despite consistent growth of this trend between the years 2000 and 2021, there has been little dialogue within the profession about the ethical, ideological, and social justice implications of integrating nature therapy with professional counseling and counselor education. This study investigated the views, experiences, and future plans of 10 counselor educators who integrate nature therapy into their professional roles and developed two major themes and 12 subthemes that encapsulate their responses. Participants in the study overall shared a desire …

Experiencing The Pull And Push: Influences On Independent Contractor Motivation And Job Satisfaction, Andrew D. Miller

Dissertations, 2020-current

Over the past few decades, the number of individuals engaging in non-standard employment has been increasing. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the motivation and job satisfaction of independent contractors, the largest form of these alternative work arrangements. Specifically, I examine how the rationale for workers entering contracting work arrangements affect in-role contractor motivation and job satisfaction. Based on a sample of N = 241 adjunct instructors from two universities, I find that the positive relationship between those entering contracting because the work offers autonomy, flexibility and the ability to pursue personally interesting work (pull factors) and their …

The Attraction Of Fear And The Potential Therapeutic Value Of Horror Films, Mari-Peyton Kouchinsky

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Cinematic horror has historically had a negative reputation among its peers even though it is a genre that commercially and financially thrives. There are many different perspectives as to what motivates an individual to willingly expose themselves to horror movies, ranging from psychological and metaphorical confrontation with repressed or socially unacceptable behaviors to fulfilling a somatic, thrill-seeking desire. Whatever the motivation, there is potential for harnessing both the psychological and physical reactions for therapeutic intervention. This paper aims to provide counselors with a synthesis of information on the potential therapeutic value of cinematherapy with horror movies, focusing on the relationship …

The Impact Of Insufficient Sleep And Early Class Start Times On U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Health And Performance, Stephanie Osborn

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Emerging adults face a set of unique obstacles that combine to make getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night a challenge. Internally, adolescents and young adults have a biologically based tendency to go to sleep and wake up later. Externally, they may participate in scheduled activities that wake them up early or keep them awake late. One primary obligation that can contribute to short sleep duration in students is early class start times. Emerging adults attending a civilian college may benefit from the ability to set their bedtimes and class schedule. However, their same-aged peers attending a military …

Multicultural Music Education: Preparedness, Perceptions, And Practice Among Virginia Elementary Music Educators, Benjamin J. Luna

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Benjamin Joel Luna, M. M.

James Madison University, 2021

Supervisor: Lisa M. Maynard

The purpose of this study was to examine the Multicultural Music Education (MME) practices of established (i.e. more than three years of music teaching experience) Elementary Music Teachers in the state of Virginia by examining their responses to a series of survey questions specific to the topic. Participants (N=18) were all current Elementary Music Teachers in the state of Virginia with more than three years of experience.

Participants were asked to use Likert-scale ratings for the majority of the questions but were also given the …

An Exploration Of Knowledge Type And Firm Performance: A Study In The Mlb, Adam E. Lindberg

Dissertations, 2020-current

There is both theoretical and empirical support for the idea that firm-specific knowledge (FSK) has a greater effect on sustained competitive advantage than general knowledge (GK). However, empirical support suffers from several practical and methodological challenges which suggest that the relationships between FSK, GK, and firm performance are even more nuanced than previously considered. Multilevel modeling techniques (polynomial regression and latent growth modeling) were implemented to test these effects on both short- and long-term performance among MLB teams between 2015-2019. Although the results of the hypothesis tests and post-hoc analyses were largely non-significant, they do provide some information that furthers …

Reimagining Racism: It's More Than Black & White, Morgan E. Gunter

Dissertations, 2020-current

Human beings have a set of core needs and inalienable rights. Implicit to such needs and rights are concepts of potential – to become what we are able to become – and dignity – to be regarded and treated as equal. Clearly, these aspirational tenets are still not realizable for many of our fellow beings, both locally and globally. For example, from the standpoint of this dissertation, racial injustice (e.g., racism, hate crimes, discriminatory laws and policies, genocide) has – historically and currently – led to transgenerational trauma and otherizing within communities that are marginalized at multiple levels of analysis. …

Borderline Personality Disorder: A Review And Analysis Through The Lens Of The Unified Theory, Paulihna S. Cechak

Dissertations, 2020-current

Abstract

In the field of psychology, there are many different ways to understand or make sense of a phenomenon. Researchers, theorists, or practitioners can approach topics via many different paradigms or schools of thought that guide their general understanding, programs of research or approach to therapeutic practice. Although this diversity of analysis affords some strength in terms of allowing many perspectives, it also brings with it a serious problem of fragmentation. With the countless theories and paradigms, we lack a shared language and meta-theoretical framework that assimilates and integrates the various bodies of knowledge and perspectives into a coherent frame …

Exploring Coaches’ Perceptions Of The Role Of Trauma In Sport Success, Elizabeth Sanborn

Dissertations, 2020-current

Recent research examining the antecedents to success in elite sport have led to claims that trauma is necessary to reach the highest levels of sport. Researchers have utilized theories of post-traumatic growth, stress-related growth, and related terms to elucidate the relationship between trauma and sport success, but have been inconsistent in how they define trauma and growth. The purpose of this study was to explore coaches’ perceptions regarding the relationship between trauma and sport success and how their perceptions may influence their coaching behaviors. An interpretivist phenomenological analysis framework was utilized for the study design and analysis. Ten NCAA Division …

Training Needs And Role Development Of School Psychologists Providing Substance Use Interventions: An Exploratory Study, Kiersten Bell

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Adolescence is the time when many individuals begin to use substances (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) in an exploratory manner. This exploration can have lasting impacts upon a student’s neurological development with wide ranging impacts. Adolescents who use substances may experience greater difficulty achieving academically, increased risk for criminality, and comorbid mental health disorders at an elevated rate. Schools are the location where the majority of students receive mental health support, and a location where substance use interventions can occur. School personnel can be trained to conduct Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) interventions to address adolescent substance …

Uncovering Stories: Investigating Factors That Contribute To Parent Experiences In Eligibility Meetings, Joshua Knight

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Federal guidelines outline school communication with parents as a necessity throughout the special education process. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that parents have the right to participate in their children’s educational involvement, including but not limited to: Individualized Education Program Meetings (IEP), due process proceedings, and any components of evaluation and individual services provided to their child. While law mandates that schools proactively communicate with parents, in many aspects, parents may often feel disconnected from aspects of the special education process, particularly eligibility meetings (Bucknavage, 2007). Further, results of the component selections within the eligibility determination for …

Evaluating Outcomes Of Trauma-Sensitive Trainings In Schools: A Rapid Review, Laëtitia Sakponou

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Trauma-sensitive schools focus on forming supportive relationships and safe spaces which help build resilience in students. School psychologists have been providing professional development opportunities for school personnel. When evaluating a professional development training, collecting data on teacher acceptability is crucial to understanding factors impacting implementation integrity. The present study is a review of existing literature and seeks to understand how teacher feedback is evaluated and what factors teachers report as impacting implementation. Three publications were selected as participants to be analyzed. Synthesized themes found included the importance of providing foundational knowledge, the significant impact of system climate, and the value …

Exploring Perceptions And Needs Of Rural Teachers To Enhance School Psychologists' Advocacy And Support Of Gender And Sexual Minority Students, Emily Walsh

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Gender and Sexual Minority (GSM) students are at a disproportionate risk for victimization in schools. They are especially vulnerable in schools that lack protective policies, have limited access to resources, and exist within conservative and unaccepting communities. These schools may be more common in rural communities. The purpose of the present study was to explore rural teachers’ perceptions of school climate and their readiness and willingness to support GSM students. Recommendations are provided for school psychologists to be able to understand and address their own schools’ needs in providing a positive school climate for GSM students.

Investigating The Self In Self-Report, Samantha L. Boddy

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Self-report items are ubiquitous in social sciences and services and medical centers. However, there is some concern about whether people are able to accurately report about themselves. One well-known source of concern is social desirability bias (SDB) or socially desirable responding (SDR), which involves people providing overly-positive responses about themselves that better align with social norms than might their actual attitudes or behaviors. However, several researchers (e.g., Brenner & DeLamater, 2016; Hadaway et al., 1998) suggest that a person’s identity in the area of interest may bias their responding. Specifically, that people interpret and respond to items in terms of …

Binge-Watching And The Spacing Effect, Michael R. Austin

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Binge-watching, defined as consuming at least three episodes or three hours of video media in one sitting, is an increasingly prevalent behavior in the digital age. But scant research exists investigating how binge-watching affects memory for what was watched. Literature surrounding the spacing effect, defined as superior memory for information presented repeatedly across longer spans of time, would predict a memory deficit for binged material. However, findings from previous unpublished research by Fogler and colleagues do not align with this prediction. To investigate the dissonance, the aim of this research is to replicate and extend the work of Fogler and …

Exploring The Cultural Humility And Practices Of School Psychologists In Virginia, Bailey Brooks

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This present study investigated the relationship between cultural competency and years of school psychology experience. In addition, this study determined how well school psychologists understand cultural humility. This study aimed to bridge the gap between school psychology research and that of other fields, as well as the paradigm shift from having a cultural competency lens to a cultural humble lens. Results of the present study indicated there is a statistically significant relationship between knowledge of appropriate assessments and interventions for racially and ethnically minoritized students and years of experience. Additionally, no statistically significant relationship was found between other sub-domains of …

Am I Black Enough? – Identity And Belongingness Of Second-Generation African Students, Muna Yusuf

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Over the course of the past few years, research regarding Black students has continued to increase. However, a lot of the research regarding Black students has focused heavily on the experiences and outcomes of African American students. Due to the history in the United States, the term Black has become synonymous with African American, leaving out the experiences of many second-generation African children. This explanatory mixed-methods design study examined second-generation African students’ ethnic identity and sense of belonging within the Black community in their school system. This study also compared reported levels of belongingness in college experiences versus high school. …

Primary Caregivers’ Reports Of Early Literacy Skills And Supporting Children’S Literacy Success Through Home-School Collaboration, Emily A. Smith

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Two kindergarten parents were interviewed about the home literacy environment and effective home-school collaborative practices. Both parents identified as being key contributors to their child’s literacy success through frequently reading to their child, providing access to books within the home, and fostering a sense of learning and reading interest in their child. Both parents gave insights into the communication they have with their child’s teacher and the resources that are provided by the school to support academic or literacy related needs of their kindergarteners. The interest of this study was to obtain the perspectives of kindergarten parents about the current …

Healing Attachment Wounds: Drama Therapy Within An Interpersonal Theoretical Frame As A Group Treatment Modality, Julia Dobner-Pereira

Dissertations, 2020-current

Drama Therapy is an active and experiential form of psychotherapy that is useful for group and individual therapy with a variety of populations (Dintino & Johnston, 1996; Emunah, 1999; Johnson, 2009; Landy, 1996, 2009; Sajnani, 2010). Often, there is ample work within the therapy process on understanding and shifting interpersonal patterns. Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy (Benjamin, 2006; 2018) offers a set of organizing principles emphasizing how early relationship patterns are copied in present relationships with self and other in order to conceptualize and guide treatment, focusing on in-session processes (Critchfield & Benjamin, 2006). The potential for integrating Drama Therapy and interpersonal …

Alcohol Use In Women: Resources And Recommendations For Counselors, Samantha Haling

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The research shows that alcohol use is rising rapidly among women, resulting in devastating consequences that have not been sufficiently explored in counselor education and training. This paper aims to address this by providing a review of the literature which shows that women are more vulnerable to many of the physical and mental health consequences of alcohol use than men, and that they have unique treatment needs and face gender-specific risk factors and barriers to treatment. The review examines the interaction between gender and alcohol use, summarizes the existing research on the physical and behavioral health consequences of alcohol use …

A Qualitative Study Of Resiliency Factors Among Gender And Sexual Minority Students In Schools Without Known Protective Factors, Anna Weaver

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Gender and sexual minority (GSM) students are one of the most vulnerable populations in schools today. Current research identifies numerous protective factors known to positively impact students’ overall outcomes. However, it is still common to find schools that do not allow these protective factors to exist. This study seeks to gain a better understanding of the patterns and pathways of resiliency within the GSM community when known environmental protective factors do not exist. Interviews were conducted with five participants who shared their experiences of access to supports in high school. The goal of this study is to document and describe …

Relation Between Academic Advisor And Cohort Support With Well-Being In Graduate Students, Morgan Delong

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Well-being issues like the limitations of typical treatment protocols and common mitigating factors for mental health problems for graduate students, specifically the importance of therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLCs) were explored. The current study aims to determine if TLCs, individual engagement in the TLCs as well as support of them by mentors and peers, predict overall well-being, satisfaction with the graduate program, and job stress in masters’ students. This study was conducted during COVID-19 which is a limitation.

Virtual Manhood Acts Within Social Networks: The Enactment Of Toxic Masculinity On Reddit, Christian D. Haase

Dissertations, 2020-current

Toxic masculinity (TM) has emerged as a label for the western hegemonic masculine ideal, which is generally defined by the pressure for boys and men to be aggressive and dominant, restrict emotional expression, and marginalize women and others that do not adhere to these values (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005; Kupers, 2005). This phenomenon increases the risk for male identified individuals to engage in general acts of bigotry, especially gender-based violence (APA, 2018; Baugher & Gazmararian, 2015; FBI, 2007; Feder, Levant, & Dean, 2010). A contemporary touchpoint associated with proliferating TM ideologies is participation in online anonymous “toxic technoculture” social network …

Exploring How Interpersonal Childhood Trauma Impacts Emotional Development, Kathleen Hobbs

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Our earliest interactions in life lay the foundation of how we relate to ourselves and others throughout adulthood. When a child experiences abuse and neglect that is relational in nature, referred to as interpersonal childhood trauma, research shows that they are at a much higher risk to display emotional difficulties that have been found to contribute to extensive health consequences throughout the lifespan. Less has been documented however regarding exactly how this kind of trauma influences emotional development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the current research that exists on the relationship between interpersonal childhood trauma and emotional …

Examining A Trauma-Based Etiology For Psychosis, David Comer

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Psychosis has been traditionally viewed through a biological lens, resulting in a narrative of the disorder that does not allow room for therapy. By applying a trauma-informed lens, psychosis can now be thought of as a trauma-based developmental disorder. This impacts how we explain the symptoms of these disorders, and how we view them overall. It also has implications for future treatment, advocacy, and research. This paper examines the bio-psycho-social symptoms of psychosis and offers trauma-informed explanations of the symptoms. Implications for Counselors are examined, as are potential limitations of this current line of research.

Social Security Reform: How To Prevent The Program's Bankruptcy, Allison C. Edwards

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Social Security, the United States’ largest federal entitlement program, provides old-age and disability protection to over 64 million Americans. However, rigorous evaluations indicate that the program will reach insolvency by 2035. This means that there are projected cash-flow shortfalls through which tax revenue alone will soon be insufficient in covering the annual program cost. Researchers suggest that the exhaustion of the Social Security trust funds is explained by (a) demographic shifts that depress the worker-to-beneficiary ratio and (b) financing imbalances caused by program deficits. My research addresses methods for ensuring the solvency of the Social Security program by exploring the …

Minorities And Authoritarianism In The Middle East: A Case Study Of Muslim Alawites In Syria, Maher Al Tayara

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Why are some minorities in the Middle East less inclined to support democratization or political liberalization efforts? Here, I examine if and how minorities differ in their support for democratization from the majority groups in the Middle East. I will analyze why some minorities prefer to support authoritarian regimes over supporting democratization. I examine how the religion of a minority affects its preference for regime type. I will also examine how historical backgrounds and international patronage affects those preferences. I will identify two historical moments in the Middle East that played a role in shaping those preferences: the post-World War …

Battling Youth Unemployment In France: Can Macron Put Young People To Work?, Adriana C. Bolivar

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

High unemployment has been a persistent struggle for the French economy, especially over the last 30 years under presidents Mitterrand, Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande, and now Macron. In recent years, this problem has particularly plagued young workers making them the “lost generation” of Europe. This paper studies the history of youth unemployment in France and assesses the impact of government policies and cultural norms on young workers. Additionally, it highlights the trade-off between workers’ rights and economic growth in an attempt to draw attention to the importance of culture and context in development.

The factors that have driven French structural youth …

Addressing Climate Induced Displacement: An Analysis Of Protection Policies For Environmental Migrants, Meredith R. Lawing

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

One of the fastest growing populations of displaced people are those forced to migrate because of climate change, but under current international legal agreements they receive no protections or support. In response to the lack of security and stability provided to climate displaced populations and host countries, supplementary agreements have been proposed at the international level to address the gaps in existing policy. The purpose of this analysis is to identify policy agreements intended to support environmental migrants during times of displacement, evaluate the policies’ effectiveness, and determine what issues they address regarding climate induced displacement. All of the policies …

Identifying Rater Effects For Writing And Critical Thinking: Applying The Many-Facets Rasch Model To The Value Institute, Yelisey A. Shapovalov

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Performance assessments require examinees to carry out a process or produce a product and can be designed to have high fidelity to real-world application of higher-order skills. As such, performance assessments are highly valued in higher education settings. However, performance assessment is vulnerable to psychometric challenges that threaten the validity of scores due to the subjective nature of the scoring process. Specifically, raters must exercise judgement to provide scores to examinee work, which may be impacted by rater effects, or systematic differences in how raters evaluate performance assessment artifacts. Research has indicated that performance assessment may never be fully free …