Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Household Chaos Relates To Cortisol Levels For Children In Head Start Preschool, Mary Ann Blumenthal

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Poverty and related stressors have been demonstrated to negatively impact child development. Few studies to date have investigated the relationship between one such poverty related stressor, household chaos, and its impact on cortisol levels-a biomarker for stress- throughout the day. The present study investigated the relationship between household chaos and cortisol in a diverse sample of 288 children attending Head Start preschool. Household chaos was measured by a standardized parent report measure of chaos in the home. Salivary cortisol samples were obtained during four time points across the preschool day on two days at the beginning of the preschool year. …

Navigating Post-College Career Paths: Perspectives On Career Identity And Self-Efficacy From Autistic Alumni, Maryellen Stephens

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the employment experiences of autistic college graduates, capturing the positive stories of successful alumni in terms of career placement and success. Utilizing qualitative narrative research, the study uncovered the nuanced journey of participants transitioning from completion of their undergraduate degree into the workforce. Drawing upon the frameworks of Self-Determination Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory, the research focused on the motivational mechanisms driving career achievements among autistic individuals. Methodologically, this study involved in-depth interviews with a total of 7 autistic college graduates across a range of ages, genders, and sexual orientations. These interviews allowed …

Cognitive Functioning In Well-Controlled Asthma, Erin Walsh

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Asthma is a common lung disease that impacts lung functioning through inflammatory based mechanisms. Past research suggests that decreased blood oxygenation due to asthma attacks may impair cognitive capabilities (Irani et al., 2017). Moreover, the observed differences in cognition between those with and without asthma may be associated with disease severity or asthma control respectively in asthma populations. The current study explored differences in cognitive functioning between college students with and without self-reported asthma. Sociodemographic data, self-reported asthma severity, and measures of asthma control were collected. The current study did not find significant differences in measures of cognitive efficiency between …

Exploring Perceptions Of Self-Compassion In Individuals With Complex Trauma Symptomology: A Qualitative Approach, Brooke Roseman

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The aim of the present study sought to explore the perceptions of self-compassion through the perspectives of individuals who experience complex trauma symptomology and low rates of self-compassion to inform and enhance trauma treatment. Despite a growing accumulation of studies implicating self-compassion as an integral construct for alleviating symptoms associated with complex trauma, most research designs were quantitative and did not investigate the internal processes occurring within the individual. Based on this gap, the current study expanded the scope of the current literature to include a qualitative thematic analytic approach to better understand the nuances of how this population relates …

Cortisol And Executive Functioning For Young Children Attending Head Start Preschool, Zachary Weaver

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Poverty circumstances impact the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal or HPA axis. Early childhood dysfunction in the HPA axis, marked by irregularities in cortisol, poses risk for the development of key executive functioning (EF) abilities. No studies have investigated the relation between cortisol and performance-based measures of EF in settings such as Head Start preschool that aim to promote positive outcomes for children facing economic hardship. This pilot study examined EF and cortisol for 50 children ages 3 to 5 years, who attended a Head Start preschool. This study was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a sample size less than half …

Waiting On The World (Of Allied Healthcare) To Change: How Undergraduate Preparedness Curriculum Dis/Includes Ability, Brianna Donnelly

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Significant concerns for healthcare practitioners and allied health professionals continue to arise regarding treatment of persons with disabilities. Whether disability exists as apparent or non-apparent, temporary, or chronic, people with disabilities tend to be in poorer health and tend to use health care at a significantly higher rate than people who do not have disabilities. Importantly, the absence of professional training on disability competency issues for health care practitioners is one of the most significant barriers that prevent people with disabilities from receiving appropriate and effective health care. This qualitative narrative analysis explores the inclusion of disability concepts and people …

Diagnosing Market Inefficiency: The Impact Of Consolidation In The Private Health Insurance Market On Healthcare Costs In The United States, Zachary Ising

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study presents a critical analysis of the relationship between the market concentration of private health insurance companies and per capita healthcare costs in the United States. It explores the hypothesis that consolidation within the private health insurance sector, driven by frequent mergers and acquisitions, contributes to a dysfunctional healthcare system characterized by high consumer costs. The study investigates the degree of market concentration in the health insurance sector from 2017 to 2020, focusing on healthcare costs per capita as the dependent variable, and employing independent variables such as market data of health insurers, the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), and the …

Community Cultural Wealth And Its Impact On Pandemic Relief Funding For Small Businesses, Brett Smith

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This dissertation investigates the impact of social, navigational, familial, aspirational, and resistant capital on the ability of small business owners in Pennsylvania to access relief funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily the period from March 2020 to December 2020. Utilizing Dr. Tara Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework, the study explores systemic barriers within relief initiatives and how they affect marginalized communities.

To meet business owners where they were, and to utilize technologies born as a result of the pandemic, this study utilized Asynchronous Video Interviews (AVI) and online surveys, to capture the lived experiences of these small business owners. Not …

Land Use Policy Impact On Health Equity In Rural America Counties, Shayla Holmes

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This dissertation investigates the relationship between land use policies and health equity in rural American counties. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, the research scrutinizes eight counties across four states, examining publicly available data such as census details, land use policy documents, community health reports, and planning documents. The study is guided by two main research questions: 1) Are there land use policies in rural America that align with the creation of health equitable communities? and 2) Do health equitable communities within rural America feature equity in housing stock? The results from the thematic coding and content analysis of ninety-six …

Community Integration Experiences Of Formerly Homeless Persons With Serious Mental Illness (Smi) Housed In Washington Dc Using The Housing First Model, Gwendolyn Harter

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Two interventions which have been successful in housing and maintaining housing for individuals who have serious mental illness and are classified as chronically homeless are the Housing First Model and community integration. Currently existing models of community integration were created using dated information and definitions, created from a medical model and not a social framework. Therefore, this dissertation used a phenomenological approach to define community and whether, by that definition, the participants feel integrated into the community. This included the interviewees’ experiences with Pathways to Housing DC and transitioning from homeless to housings and the Housing First Model.

Outcomes from …

Arendt And Christianity: On Love And The World, Logan Andrew Daly

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Hannah Arendt criticized the Christian faith for what she saw as an inherent wordlessness or ascetic attitude. She believed this focus on the afterlife was an afront to her political philosophy and kept people from participating in the public sphere. This thesis is a selective exploration of Arendt’s criticisms against the Christian faith and aims to show that there is a way of reconciling the respective belief systems, allowing an Arendtian to benefit from Christian ideas and a Christian to improve themselves with the assistance of Arendtian concepts. The project is split into two chapters. Each chapter focuses on a …

College Students' Emotional Response To Social Distancing Measures During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Diary Study, Jaycie Clerico

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Our qualitative diary study explores the emotional responses of college students to the social distancing protocols in place in the USA during the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the psychological benefit of social connection, it is important to examine how Covid-19 social distancing measures affected well-being. We focused on impacts on young adult college students. As part of an undergraduate senior capstone course at a medium-sized public university in the Eastern USA, psychology seniors were asked to keep diaries of their thoughts and feelings about the Covid-19 pandemic. This offered a unique opportunity to understand their first-person, real-time accounts and reactions to …

Parent Anger Relates To Cortisol Elevations For Children Attending Head Start Preschool, Jamie Gensbauer

West Chester University Master’s Theses

A robust research literature suggests that the impact of early adversity on child developmental outcomes is partially mediated or explained by the physiological stress response functioning. Economic hardship, for example, has been linked to dysregulation in levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as has negative parent emotion expression. Whereas a number of studies have examined links between parent depression and anxiety and child stress levels, the present study is the first we know of to examine parent anger in relation to child cortisol. Participants were 370 children attending Head Start preschool, and their parents or primary caregivers. According to federal …

Delineating A Stream Network At Gale Crater, Mars, On Arcgis Pro: A Geographic Information Systems Approach, Elpidio Guzman De La Cruz

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The northwestern region of the Gale crater experienced flooding in the past. Delineation of stream networks for the northwestern region of Gale Crater, Mars employing geographic information systems (GIS) techniques is applied. The stream network produced by the algorithm in the study traverses the clay unit in Gediz Vallis, and visual HiRISE imagery analysis correlates with a topologic cross section of an inverted river channel of 750 meters wide and 90 meters deep. HiRISE imagery analysis further confirms a sulfate and clay stratigraphic unit in a stream 125 meters wide and 25 meters deep. Lastly, data smoothing procedures in the …

Does Encouraging Use Of Self-Testing In An Introductory Psychology Course Increase Effective Study Behaviors?, James Koppenhofer

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Students continue to use ineffective study strategies in classroom settings. Research suggests the efficacy of student study strategies may be enhanced by learning encouragement interventions. The present study implements a flashcard-oriented learning encouragement intervention in an applied setting and measures its effectiveness through a one-group pretest-posttest design which was used with three surveys. Undergraduates were recruited from two sections of an Introductory Psychology course (n=89) and all students received the learning encouragement intervention. Results indicated that the intervention increased flashcard use, and exam performance was correlated with flashcard use when measured immediately after the intervention. After the intervention …

The Effects Of A Six-Week Mindfulness Intervention Designed For Adolescents On Emotion Regulation And Perceived Stress In College Students, Theodora Malinowski

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

College students are a vulnerable population to developing mental health problems. Without adequate emotion regulation abilities and adaptive coping skills to manage stress, college students are at risk of experiencing negative mental and physical health outcomes. Mindfulness has been shown to improve mental and physical health. Unfortunately, many mindfulness interventions are developed with the needs of adults in mind. Some features of common mindfulness programs, such as cost and required length of daily practice, make the interventions difficult for most college students to access. The present study investigated the effects of a six-week mindfulness intervention (Learning to BREATHE) that was …

Evaluating Assertiveness, Support, And Gameplay Patterns By California Rural County Departments In Acquiring Budgetary Resources, Janet Dutcher

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Local and state laws require municipal budgeting before elected officials in a public setting. But preceding this, many decisions unfold privately, where department heads and executives compete over proposals to legislators about who gets what of scarce resources. This dissertation explores this private aspect of public budgeting, hypothesizing that greater assertiveness receives deeper cuts but more significant budget growth. In contrast, proposal support minimizes budget cuts because legislators adopt what executives recommend. This dissertation demonstrates that county budgeting in California rural counties shows the same dynamics as previous federal and state budgeting studies. Those dynamics include using non-technical gameplay strategies …

Navigators As A Means Of Overcoming Administrative Burdens: A Quantitative Study Of State-Administered Federal Assistance Programs, Jonathan Sternesky

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Administrative burdens are the psychological, compliance, and learning costs experienced by individuals interacting with public entities that may shape and reshape their relationship to citizenship and/or access to benefits and rights. It has long been hypothesized that third-party entities, designated as navigators, could be leveraged to mitigate the impact of administrative burden costs on citizens. For effective delivery of service, easing administrative burden costs in application processes may increase applicant likelihood of successfully navigating the bureaucratic process towards a desired end.

This research used data from recently implemented assistance programs in two separate state-level jurisdictions to conduct logistical regression analyses …

Succession And Workforce Planning In Small To Mid-Size Academic Libraries In The United States, Kaci Resau

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study sought to explore the use of succession and workforce planning in small to mid-size academic libraries in the United States. Utilizing Paula Singer’s 2010 definition of succession planning, sixty-three library leaders from across the United States shared their knowledge and expertise in one-tone interviews on the library’s efforts to create “continuity in key positions, develop intellectual and knowledge capital for the future, and encourage individual advancement.” The study uses the traditional model of public administration, new public management, and new public service to explain the findings. The participants’ perception of succession planning was positive. Though not all participants …

Progression And Protectiveness Of Social Bonds And Play In A Captive Group Of Western Lowland Gorillas, Madeline L. Vandevere

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The current study aims to bring to light the critical role that play has on healthy development, not only for nonhuman primates, but also for humans. In addition to building the literature concerning social and play development among gorillas and humans, this study also hopes to promote the observation and welfare of captive gorillas. The present study conducted longitudinal observational research of a troop of captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) to gain insights into primate play development and how it relates to social bonding and zoological enrichment. The study followed the early infancy and juvenile years …

A Case Study Of Cross-Sector Collaboration In Community Schools In Central Pennsylvania, Jesscia Knapp

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

As societal problems become increasingly complex, organizations are more frequently embracing collaborative problem-solving methods to address issues that a single organization could not successfully solve alone. One such wicked problem is the state of education in the United States, particularly in low-income communities and school districts. The community school model is a method of education reform that requires cross-sector partnerships in order to be successful. This study examined the factors that led to successful cross-sector partnerships between Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania (CISPA) and two partner school districts in the implementation of the community school model in Pennsylvania. The results …

Unbounding Rationality: Observing And Mitigating K-12 Public Education Administrators’ Cognitive Bias, Julie K. Mesaros

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Humans tend to simplify complex decisions by employing cognitive bias(es). Cognitively biased decision-making by public administrators can be adversely consequential for public organizations, public employees, and the public interest. Given the historical scope of experimental research on cognitive bias in the social and physical sciences, public administration scholars should continue to advance such research across various public sectors. This dissertation study responded to the long-ago call of Herbert Simon for empirical research situated in specific public or political contexts. This qual-QUAN mixed-method study had two main aims: (1) explore decisions that K-12 public education administrators make in personnel management and …

The Impact Covid-19 On The Healthcare Industry’S Systems And Policies: A Case Study, Jameyshia Franklin

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

People worldwide experienced some impacts from the 2019 Coronavirus at various degree. The healthcare industry worldwide was significantly affected by the high volume of patients being infected with the Coronavirus. The COVID-19 virus brought on several challenges for the healthcare industry and the federal government in the United States. Hospitals operated under severe circumstances to treat sick COVID-19 patients and keep their employees safe from contracting the disease. Government mandated social distancing, mask wearing, and cancelation and closing of services to assist with stopping the spread of the virus. This study aimed to identify how the pandemic affected the healthcare …

Descriptive Analysis Of Open Government Practices Of Four Mid-Sized Cities In New York State, Brian Bray

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The conceptualization and implementation of open government practices have evolved over the years, encompassing numerous actions that increase transparency, participation, and collaboration. While states mandate some open government practices for municipal governments, they also often implement optional forms independently. This paper examines how four mid-sized cities implement two such optional forms: government boards and open government data.

This study was conducted in three stages. In the first stage, the author used the Democracy Cube framework, a theoretical model developed by Fung (2006), that categorizes various approaches to public participation in government decision-making along three dimensions. This model served as the …

Community Violence And Adolescent Aggression: The Moderating Role Of Perceived Parental Support, Giemaly Soto

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Prior research suggests that perceived support protects youth from externalizing problems that are typically associated with exposure to violence. The current study examined the extent to which perceived parental support (PPS) moderated the relationship between exposure to community violence and aggression among 130 high school students (78% Black/African American; 63% female; M age = 15.78), most from low-income families, in communities characterized by concentrated poverty and high rates of violent crime. This cross-sectional study utilized baseline data from two earlier studies evaluating a cognitive-behavioral, preventative intervention group for high school students living in or attending schools in low-income, urban neighborhoods …

Term Limits: An Argument For The Senate, Deanna Ferry

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

In this research study an argument is made to impose term limits on Senators serving in the United States Congress. It looks to explore historical data to prove effectiveness of self-imposed limits, real time data of sitting Senators to offer a modern perspective, and examples from other imposed term limits for sitting elected officials to demonstrate their benefit to constituents. The data utilized in this study is applied through organizational theory and quantified based on results and responses from both primary and secondary sources. Historical sources are applied as well through the literature review focusing on three primary themes emerging …

The Perceptions, Barriers, And Facilitators To Seeking Mental Health Help In College Student-Athletes (Pbas-Mh And Pfas-Mh): A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study, Margaret Hunt

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 10 NCAA student-athletes reported feeling so depressed it has been difficult to function (NCAA, 2020). Despite this, student-athletes are significantly less likely to seek mental-health help than their non-athlete peers. The present study sought to develop and validate the Perceptions of Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Help in Student-Athletes (PBaS-MH) and the Perceptions of Facilitators to Seeking Mental Health Help in Student-Athletes (PFaS-MH) surveys in college student-athletes, as well as determine predominant barriers and facilitators they experience with seeking mental health help. A convergence mixed-methods research design was conducted to triangulate results. The surveys …

Books We Should Actually Burn: Why History Textbooks Are Best Left On The Shelves, Troy Everly

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This Critical Action Research (CAR) thesis combines my personal experience and the research of others to investigate the problems surrounding history textbooks. American History textbooks do a poor job of holistically explaining the past and often default to what publishers consider “safe” or “neutral” points of view. Textbooks present history from a white-male perspective lifting those stories while disregarding, discounting, white-washing, or ignoring the contributions, impacts, or experiences of people of color. After analyzing this concern I will discuss solutions and alternatives to history textbooks and why I have concluded that it is best practice to leave these books on …

Centering Consumer Dignity Within Volunteer Operations, Meghan Loftus

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Volunteerism has become so commonplace in the United States that it is often considered the third sector of our economy. To maximize output and stretch every dollar, many nonprofit agencies rely on volunteers to assist with the provision of their direct services. This unfettered access to their service population, without the same trainings and safeguards as implemented with paid staff, potentially create the opportunity for these volunteers to violate the dignity of the nonprofit consumer, either intentionally or unintentionally. The purpose of this study is to explore this phenomenon and determine if it is in fact a shared experience. Through …

Sustaining Equitable Child Welfare Policies In Foster Care: Perspectives From Non-Profit Support Professional And Their Role In Multidisciplinary Policy Collaboration, Shirley Dews

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the sustainability of equitable child welfare policies in foster care. This research examines the unique perspectives from frontline workers and support professionals.