Social Work Commons^™

Ensuring Equity In Education: End Exclusionary Discipline To Protect All Students Access To Learning, Emma Daugherty, Dominika Dyminski, Lacey Erickson, Carly Manderfeld

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

A student's race, disability status and previous history of discipline are leading factors associated with being subjected to exclusionary discipline. This contributes to a negative cycle of discipline for our Black, Indigenous, and other students of color (BIPOC) and students with disabilities. This cycle prevents BIPOC and students with disabilities from learning, growing, and reaching their full potential. Minnesota must disrupt this negative disciplinary cycle by ending subjective disciplinary practices and investing in practices that promote an equity and a healthy school environment for all students.

Understanding Educators’ Perceptions Of Mindfulness On Students’ Academic Skills, Behavior, And Overall Well-Being, Sara E. Gottfried

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Research indicates that academic performance and social and emotional well-being are fundamentally interrelated (Schonert-Reichl, Oberle, Lawlor, Abbott, Thomson, Oberlander, & Diamond, 2015). Given that 13-20% of children in the United States experience social and emotional challenges, schools are required to attend to the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students (Maynard, Solis, Miller, & Brendel, 2017). However, students are often unequipped with the skills to effectively cope with stress and resort to behaviors that cause emotional, mental, and physical suffering, all of which thwart the learning process (Schonert-Reichl et al., 2015). Schools warrant interventions that support the whole student, given …

Promoting Student Success: Bilingual Education Best Practices And Research Flaws, Lillian Fassero

Senior Honors Theses

This paper first determines the benefits which bilingual education offers and then compares transitional, dual-language, and heritage language maintenance programs. After exploring the outcomes, contexts, and practical implications of the various bilingual programs, this paper explores the oversight in most bilingual studies, which assess students’ syntax and semantics while neglecting their understanding of pragmatics and discourse structures (Maxwell-Reid, 2011). Incorporating information from recent studies which question traditional understandings of bilingualism and argue that biliteracy requires more than grammatical and vocabulary instruction, this paper proposes modifications in current research strategies and suggests best practices for transitional, dual-language, and heritage maintenance programs.

The Experiences Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender And Queer Students In Social Work Programs. A Study Report From The Cswe Council On Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity And Expression, Shelley L. Craig, Lauren B. Mcinroy, Michael P. Dentato, Ashley Austin, Lori Messinger

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This online North American study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) social work students (n=1,018) in bachelor of social work (BSW; 24%) or master’s of social work (MSW; 76%) programs explored educational experiences in 126 programs in 44 U. S. states and 7 Canadian provinces. Forty-four percent of students reported limited inclusion of LGBTQ content in classes, yet 64% indicated some degree of support for their LGBTQ identities in their programs. One-third reported homophobic experiences in programs, yet many (63%) were aware of “out” LGBTQ faculty. Overall, students reported fairly low levels of self-assessed practice readiness …

Responding To Trauma: Help-Seeking Behavior And Posttraumatic Growth In A College Sample, Aaron J. Burrick

Honors Scholar Theses

Research indicates that traumatic experiences can impact college students’ mental health, academic abilities, and relationships with peers. Trauma and associated symptoms of PTSD can lower students’ well-being and increase the risk of withdrawing from the university. Research also emphasizes the importance of psychological help-seeking as a way to experience posttraumatic growth. This study examines traumatic experiences, help-seeking attitudes, barriers, and behaviors, and posttraumatic growth in a sample of 168 undergraduate college students. Results indicated an overwhelming preference for informal help-seeking resources and the importance of traumatic severity in the decision to seek help. Additionally, female participants reported greater traumatic severity …

Effectiveness Of Clinical Scenarios In Improving Student Interprofessional Skills And Attitudes, Ashley Peterson, Mike Pelyhes, Laura Cummings, Phillip L. Thornton, Zachary N. Jenkins

Pharmacy and Nursing Student Research and Evidence-Based Medicine Poster Session

Background: “Interprofessional education (IPE) is defined as the process by which individuals from two or more health professions learn with, from, and about each other across the spectrum of their education to improve collaboration, practice, and the quality of health care.” [1] Interprofessional Education has recently gained interest as an important aspect of training in healthcare professions, attracting the attention and support of several key pharmacy organizations. Various models of IPE have been implemented to facilitate collaboration among medical, nursing, pharmacy, and social work students and professionals. One model found to be particularly effective among pharmacy students is a mock …

Racial And Ethnic Diversity In Undergraduate Social Work Programs: How Are Programs In Rural Areas Faring?, David L. Beimers, Brian Warner, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

Social work programs have a long-standing commitment to recruiting and educating racially and ethnically diverse students. However, some programs in rural areas have greater difficulty meeting this commitment. This study examined racial and ethnic diversity within baccalaureate social work (BSW) programs, focusing primarily on student enrollment, faculty, perceptions of diversity, and interventions to attract students. Program directors of BSW programs from 10 Midwestern states were surveyed. Forty-two programs responded. The results indicate that as a whole, social work programs differ in their levels of racial and ethnic diversity. However, BSW programs in rural areas tend to have fewer students and …

Teaching Spirituality In The Classroom: Building Compassionate And Non-Judgmental Conversations With Students, Joan Letendre, Holly Nelson-Becker, Jim Kreider

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This narrative describes the experiences of three social work professors whose lifelong interest in the spiritual realm guided their presentation of material in the classroom that engaged conversation about spiritual and religious beliefs. Specific skills for students to understand and work with their own spiritually and that of clients are reviewed.

Ua35/11 Wku Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku University Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The Western Kentucky University Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers represent work done by students from throughout the university.

• Kesselring, Marcia. Attitudes Toward the Need for Computer Literacy
• Tuck, Janna & Karen Wiggins. Methylation and Confirmation of PGE
• Lewis, Gloria. John Donne's Attitude Toward Love
• Johnson, Linda. International Telecommunications Trade with Japan
• Sharpe, Greg. Precipitation Patterns in Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1980-1985
• Smith, Sandy. Religion and the Media: Alliance or War?
• Bell, Suzanne. Early Secret Involvement of the United States Military in Cambodia
• Scariot, Linda. Parental Divorce and Childhood Emotional Disturbances
• Daniel, Janice. …