Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Expansive Properties Of Interpretive Description: An Invitation To Anti-Oppressive Researchers, Mia Ocean, Rose Montgomery, Zoe Jamison, Karon Hicks, Sally Thorne

Social Work (Graduate) Faculty Publications

There is an ever-present need to challenge, create, and expand upon qualitative research approaches in the applied and practice disciplines to avoid repeating mistakes of the past and to realize a research agenda for socially just practice. Toward these goals, anti-oppressive researchers engage with a variety of methodologies to co-produce accounts that reflect a comprehensive understanding of social problems with the people who experience them and to enact solutions for real world change. In this article, we reflect on the manner in which Interpretive Description may be a useful option for anti-oppressive researchers to consider as a methodological approach in …

How Influential Were U.S Political Parties On Voters In The Most Recent Presidential Elections?, Elizabeth Seravello

Political Science Student Work

Party identification has been a part of how we run our elections for more than 100 years and it has been a steady solid influence on who voters decide to elect in U.S presidential elections for just as long. My research specifically examines how party identification affected vote choice in the most recent presidential elections and how that relationship either changed or did not change in the last four presidential election cycles; with the recent polarization of the parties. I compared what party voters registered as in that election to who voters voted for in each election, with the Democratic …

The Role Of Dispositional Mindfulness Against Craving In Trauma Recovery For Oud, Sarah Mathewson, Melanie Somppi, Michael Gawrysiak

Psychology Student Work

BACKGROUND: In 2020, it was estimated that 2.7 million people suffered with an opioid use disorder (OUD). Prior research suggests that dispositional mindfulness can buffer substance use severity and posttraumatic stress. However, further research is needed to clarify the relationships between dispositional mindfulness and craving specifically for those suffering from OUD. Dispositional mindfulness greater awareness and non-reactivity to emotions and internal thought patterns are features relevant to both OUD and posttraumatic stress. Therefore, we hypothesized that dispositional mindfulness would inversely relate to opioid craving and posttraumatic stress symptom severity.

METHODS: This study utilized archival data that collected from an ongoing …

Creating An Inclusive And Accessible Culture: Supportive Management For People With Disabilities, Katie Quirin Manwiller, Sammy Peter, Kiyomi Deards

University Libraries Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Partisan Gender Gap: Why Democratic Women Get Elected But Republican Women Don't (Book Review), Shannon Mcqueen

Political Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Effect Of News Media And Social Media On First Responders, Jane M. Tucker, Michele P. Bratina, Briana Caprio

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Over the last twenty years, technological advances have created the opportunity to disseminate information to millions of end users within seconds. Empirical studies have indicated that this engagement with technology (particularly through social networking sites) has an influence on individual stress. Terms such as “technostress” and “social networking stress” have been invented to describe these conditions. Most studies, however, have not taken into consideration the occupation of the user. The current study investigates the influence of media, news media and social media, on first responders (firefighters, emergency medical personnel, police officers, dispatchers) and their self-reported stress levels. Findings from completed …

Lenopi Basketmaking In Southern New Jersey: A Traditional Skill That Survived Into The Twentieth Century, Marshall Joseph Becker

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Coping With Grief And Loneliness: The Healing Power Of Green Spaces, Jasmin Tahmaseb Mcconatha, Georgina Hanna, Katherine Ford, Carolyn Cusmano, Nicole Lyman

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha, Psychology, with Georgina Hanna, Katherine Ford, Carolyn Cusmano, and Nicole Lyman - Coping with Grief and Loneliness: The Healing Power of Green Spaces

West Chester University Collection Development Policy, Anne Larrivee

University Libraries Personnel and Library History

No abstract provided.

Group Mentoring In A Tenure-Track Environment, Danielle Skaggs, Rachel Mcmullin

University Libraries Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Native Burials In Southern New Jersey: Decoding Tales Relating To Scaffolds And Ossuaries, Marshall Joseph Becker

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Why Science Is Important To Us All: Identity And Environment, Anita K. Foeman

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Anita Foeman, Communication and Media - Why Science is Important to Us All: Identity and Environment

Carrying Accessibility Forward, Katie Quirin Manwiller

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Recording, presentation slides, script, and follow-up questions of the December 1, 2021, ACRL Distance and Online Learning Section Instruction Committee: Carrying Accessibility Forward with speaker, Katie Quirin Manwiller. This past year certainly cast a spotlight on the importance of accessibility in online teaching and learning. Accessibility, however, is more than best practice checklists, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), or legalities. In this forum, Katie Quirin Manwiller, Education Librarian and Assistant Professor at West Chester University, shares her knowledge of disability and accessibility, addressing what the future could hold for universal design for learning (UDL) and practical ways to implement UDL …

Parks And The Pandemic: A Scoping Review Of Research On Green Infrastructure Use And Health Outcomes During Covid-19, Megan Heckert, Amanda Bristowe

Geography & Planning Faculty Publications

Green infrastructure (GI) has long been known to impact human health, and many academics have used past research to argue for the potential importance of GI as a mechanism for maintaining or improving health within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review addresses the question: What evidence, if any, have researchers found of a relationship between green infrastructure use and health during the COVID-19 pandemic? Specifically, evaluating the (a) association of GI use with COVID-19 disease outcomes and (b) association of GI use with other health outcomes as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-two studies were identified that …

Technological And Disruptive Innovations In A Nation's Industrialization And Leadership Development, Jeffrey Yi-Lin Forrest, Zhen Li, Roger A. Solano, David J. Doorn

Economics & Finance Faculty Publications

The turn of this new century has been witnessing the effort of various leading developed and developing countries in their attempt to materialize next round of industrialization by emphasizing on innovations. To potentially provide guidance to such national efforts, this paper explores the relationship between technological innovation and industrialization and the importance of disruptive innovation in the development of a nation's international leadership. By employing the rigor of game theory, this work first looks at key conditions under which an established market invites competition and innovation. On top of such generally true results, it is consequently shown that technological innovation …

Claims Of An Eighteenth Century "Indian School" In Pennsylvania: Origins Of A Myth, Marshall Joseph Becker

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Personalized Depression Prevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial To Optimize Effects Through Risk-Informed Personalization, Jami F. Young, Jason D. Jones, Robert Gallop, Jessica S. Benas, Christie M. Schueler, Judy Garber, Benjamin L. Hankin

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Objective: To evaluate whether evidence-based depression prevention programs can be optimized by matching youths to interventions that address their psychosocial vulnerabilities. Method: This randomized controlled trial included 204 adolescents (mean [SD] age ¼ 14.26 [1.65] years; 56.4% female). Youths were categorized as high or low on cognitive and interpersonal risks for depression and randomly assigned to Coping With Stress (CWS), a cognitive-behavioral program, or Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), an interpersonal program. Some participants received a match between risk and prevention (eg, high cognitive–low interpersonal risk teen in CWS, low cognitive–high interpersonal risk teen in IPT-AST), others received a mismatch …

Creative Coping In Troubled Times: How Can We Enhance Our Resilience And Give Our Battered Coping Skills A Boost?, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha

Psychology Faculty Publications

• Creative activities are one way to cope with stressful circumstances.
• Creative coping is associated with cognitive flexibility and increased well-being.
• Any challenges and engaging activity that leads to a sense of flow can be considered a creative coping activity.

Exploring The Information Needs Of Student Entrepreneurs: A Meta-Narrative Synthesis, Grace Liu

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Drawing upon Wilson’s framework on information needs and user studies, this article investigated student entrepreneurs’ demographics, characteristics, and their fundamental cognitive, affective, and resource needs. Through a meta-narrative synthesis of 15 empirical studies and other related research, this article developed a non-exhaustive taxonomy of 60 information need topics, which hopefully would lead student entrepreneurs to success through (1) enhancing business knowledge and evidence-based decisions, (2) cultivating affective learning and personal growth, and (3) securing diversified support networks and social capital. Besides library support via comprehensive pathfinders and research guides, this study also brought a fresh look at business research consultations …

Telework During Covid-19: Exposing Ableism In U.S. Higher Education, Mia Ocean

Social Work (Graduate) Faculty Publications

Abelism, like the many other ‘isms,’ pervades the rules and norms within the U.S. higher education system. Through a first person narrative, this article explores one person’s perspective and experience with the accommodation process - first, as a person without a dis/ability serving as an Americans with Dis/abilities coordinator and then as a faculty member with a dis/ability. It also documents the miraculous ability to institute telework accommodations within weeks when people without dis/abilities needed it due to COVID-19 and consequently exposes one form of ableism in the U.S. post-secondary educational system. The article concludes with a call to anti-ableism …

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Coping Among Children In The United States: A Meta-Analysis, Sarah Vengen

Social Work (Undergraduate) Student Work

Thorndike included emotional intelligence (EI) when he defined social intelligence (SI) (Sharma, 2008) due to the influence of social and cognitive functions on SI and EI (Schutte et al., 1998). Salovey and Mayer later developed a Four-Branch Model for EI including the following skills: 1) perceiving/identifying emotions, 2) integrating emotions into thought processes, 3) understanding emotions and 4) managing emotions. A meta-analysis on the construct of EI revealed many available methods for evaluating the presence and extent of EI such as the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory and the Wong and Law EI Scale. These scales and questionnaires measure qualities and …

Examining The Experiences Of Community College Students, Melanie Snyder, Bayley Saffier, Abigail Mclane, Colleen Keeler, Zsa Zsa Alston

Social Work (Graduate) Student Work

Community colleges often have low graduation and retention rates but are more accessible to individuals from low- and moderate-income backgrounds due to affordable tuition. Receiving financial aid, such as the Pell Grant, has a positive influence on ability to achieve academic goals. The aim of this study was to investigate impeding and strengthening factors that impacted academic goal attainment in community college students eligible for the Pell Grant. Data was collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with current financially eligible Pell grant community college students (n=62). The research team conducted thematic analysis guided by empowerment and strength-based theories. Participants reported on …

Impact Of Paid Internships For Msw Students, Veronica Gillen, Wendy Myers, Julie Tennille

Social Work (Graduate) Student Work

A review of the literature indicated graduate education debt disproportionately impacts students who are black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), women, and of low socioeconomic status (SES). Required unpaid internships further negatively impact degree completion, quality of life, and perception of graduate program experience. This study focused on the impact of $10,000 stipends awarded to Master of Social Work students in their final year of practicum at integrated care settings as a result of a competitive application process through a grant-funded project. The primary Research Question was to explore differences between graduation rates over the last two years between stipend-funded …

Does It Hurt And Heal? A Qualitative Study Of The Relationships Among Sexual Assault Survivors In Support Groups, Brittni Gettys, Sydney Monaghan, Autumn Greene

Psychology Student Work

Research exploring relationships between trauma survivors is largely non-existent. This study will explore effects of social relationships formed between individuals sharing experiences of sexual trauma through group therapy. Researchers will examine potential buffering and supportive effects, and potential negative effects of vicarious traumatization, that may occur from social support. These complex dynamics are explored through examining relationships and experiences of individuals in support groups; open-ended and semi-structured interviews will be utilized in this qualitative approach. The interviews explore experiences such as: healing effects of group therapy for sexual trauma, the extent to which relationships facilitate healing and trauma recovery, experiences …

Cortisol Relates To Executive Functioning For Children Attending Head Start Preschool, Eleanor D. Brown, Zachary Weaver, Mallory L. Garnett, M. Streich, Geeta Shivde

Psychology Student Work

Background: Approximately 15 million children in the United States grow up in poverty circumstances (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2018), as 24% of all children under the age of 6 live in households with income levels classified as below the federal poverty guideline (Jiang et al., 2016). Recent research has highlighted the impact of early childhood poverty circumstances on physiological systems that respond to stress (Lupien et al., 2001), with implications for typical development in the prefrontal cortex (Hair et al., 2015) and related executive functioning (Blair & Raver, 2016). Method: The present study investigated relations among various components …

Ageism And Perceptions Of Vulnerability: Framing Of Age During Covid-19 Pandemic, Jordan Broussard, Frauke Schnell, Jasmin Tahmaseb Mcconatha, Jacqueline Magnarelli

Psychology Student Work

Media representations of the Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating consequences have shaped people’s fears, anxiety, and perceptions of vulnerability. Social scientists have examined the consequences of how information is “framed.” Framing theory asserts that issues can be portrayed differently by emphasizing or de-emphasizing aspects and information. According to Lakoff (2004) the impact of a message is not based on what is said but how it is said. Theories of framing focus on how the media frames issues, which then structure and shape attitudes and policies. A news article serves as a frame for an intended message. This paper examines the …

Want To Change Perspectives On Social Justice? Academic Courses And Social Movements Matter, Benjamin Wolfe, Kenia Tumbiolo, Keriann Mosley, Sam Miller

Psychology Student Work

Background: Ending systemic racism and other interrelated forms of oppression depends on institutional change, as well as changing individuals’ hearts and minds. The present study examines first the impact of a course focusing on social justice and second the impact of 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical stage of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and increasing awareness of racism and classism. Method: Participants were 139 WCU students (87% female identified, 36% BIPOC): 101 were enrolled in 2017-2019, and 38 in 2020. Measures included the White Privileges Attitudes Scale (Pinterits, Poteat, & Spanierman, 2009) in its original form as well …

Afterschool Music Education Program Linked To Social-Emotional Advantages For Children Facing Economic Hardship, Eleanor D. Brown, Mallory Garnett, Blanca Velazquez-Martin, Suzanne Varnell

Psychology Student Work

Background: The start of the 21st century has hosted decreased access to music education, particularly for children facing economic hardship and children who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) (McMurrer, 2007). This is problematic in terms of arts equity and social-emotional benefits children may gain via music participation. The present study examines the impact of an afterschool music education program on social-emotional functioning for elementary school children facing risks related to poverty and racism. Method: Participants were 503 students who attended public elementary schools: 345 students received the Music Education Program (MEP), whereas 158 students enrolled for comparison …

Examining Student Service Members/Veterans (Ssm/V) College Adjustment And Mental Health Risk-Resilience Factors, Michael Quin, Michael Gawrysiak Ph.D.

Psychology Student Work

Student Service Members/Veterans (SSM/V) are an important proportion of the college student population and may be at risk for unique mental health difficulties in comparison to civilian students. Prior research has indicated that the SSM/V population (1) is at greater risk for depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress (PTS), (2) experiences greater stigma surrounding mental health issues and treatment, (3) is more likely to engage in problematic alcohol/drug misuse, and (4) experiences greater difficulty adapting to college. Currently, there is limited research attempting to identify risk and protective factors that may exacerbate or attenuate the difficulties SSM/V may face. The present …

A Theoretical Foundation Introducing An Innovative Service Delivery Model For Families Impacted By Intimate Partner Violence, Rosa L. Boniface, Stevie N. Grassetti

Psychology Student Work

Trauma confers risk for many psychological difficulties among adults and children. Families who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) may have unique mental health needs because multiple family members have experienced risk due to trauma exposure (either directly or indirectly) and this experience may impact the protective factor of positive parent and child relationships. Currently available therapeutic services target either adult PTS symptoms or child PTS symptoms and the parent-child relationship. This narrow focus provides suboptimal care for families impacted by IPV. A three-pronged treatment approach targeting adult PTS symptoms, child PTS symptoms, and the parent-child relationship may improve psychological …