Attendance Rates, Jamila Teal

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Absence is a normal part of childhood for kids going to school because sometimes life happens. Kids get sick, have family emergencies, the family might have to move, or lack consistent transportation to get to school. The Early Learning Program (ELP) is a non-profit organization that provides education for preschool aged children and focuses on making preschool easily accessible, primarily for low-income families. It is not uncommon for some families to take advantage of the ELP by not prioritizing taking their kids to school and getting them there on time. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the lives of …

Quehacer Del Trabajo Social En El Campo De Salud Mental En Bogotá, Angie Paola Vargas Gualdron, Valentina Cabrera Pérez, Alejandra Valentina Velandia Diaz

Trabajo Social

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo caracterizar el quehacer del trabajo social en el campo de la salud mental en la ciudad de Bogotá, desde allí, aportar a la construcción de conocimiento. Lo anterior comprendiendo que este es un campo poco documentado en el que cada vez hay mayor participación de la profesión - disciplina. Es importante mencionar que el país ha tenido avances significativos en la comprensión y abordaje de la salud mental, lo que se da a partir de la Ley 1616 de 2013 y la reciente Política Nacional de Salud Mental.

Teniendo en cuenta lo anterior, se …

Fostering Success Through Coaching: Perspectives Of Help Seeking Within A Coaching Relationship With Post-Secondary Students From Foster Care, Jamie L. Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coaching, a humanistic approach to growth, has recently been utilized on college campuses as an alternative to standard student service strategies to address the needs of students from foster care. For this dissertation, I have collected interview data from four coaches and five college students who had spent time in the foster care system to explore the perceptions of help-seeking behaviors and coaching within a campus-based university program. The goal was to understand the role of coaching in the students’ help-seeking behaviors. The theories of self-determination and survivalist self-reliance were used to conceptualize my literature review, research design, and data …

School Psychologists And School Counselors’ Perceptions Of Preparation Received For The Provision Of School-Based Mental Health Services, Sherika Mckenzie

Education (PhD) Dissertations

School psychologists and school counselors are increasingly playing an essential role in the provision of school-based mental health services (SBMHS). This is especially true in California. Unfortunately, there are a few studies that have examined how California school psychologists and school counselors perceive their training to provide SBMHS, how they perceive their role in providing these services, and what they regard as their needs for professional development. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which California school psychologists and school counselors believe that their formal pre-service education and later in-service professional experiences have prepared them to …

A Needs Assessment: Exploring The Unknown Needs Of The Homeless Unaccompanied Youth Within A West Texas Independent School District, Amy Grace Weiss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT This exploratory study aims to explore the unknown needs among the unaccompanied youth population within a small urban community in West Texas. This cross-sectional study surveyed a convenience sample of 10 unaccompanied youth attending school within an independent school district. Data were collected using a social worker’s case load during the spring semester of 2020, during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Findings showed a certain level of need within this community, such as emergency shelters and further research on food insecurity for this population. This implies the need for practice and policy on multiple levels to help this population who …

“I Missed A Lot Of Childhood Memories”: Trauma And Its Impact On Learning For Formerly Incarcerated Adolescents In The Age Of Zero Tolerance Policies, Alberto Guerrero

Doctoral Dissertations

The literature makes abundantly clear that trauma has a detrimental impact on students’ academic and behavioral efforts. It also challenges the notion of zero tolerance disciplinary practices being effective in redirecting student behaviors, making schools safer, and creating an environment that is conducive to learning. Yet, our current school climate consists of educators who have not been exposed to trauma-informed learning, while also incorporating disciplinary practices that are both draconian in nature and push students out of their learning spaces. This unfortunate reality is felt even more harshly by students who return to schools following an incarceration. This phenomenological study …

The Effectiveness Of The Implementation Of Social And Emotional Learning Programs Program Evaluation, Cynthia Treadwell

Dissertations

Students today are faced with more challenges due to the nature of the society in which they are growing up. Children are experiencing more depression, anxiety, fear, and hopelessness—which impacts their ability to be successful academically. Social and emotional learning programs have proven to positively provide students with the necessary social and emotional skills. This study found that implementation of programming can have a direct impact on students’ social and emotional skills, as well as their academic success, when it is effectively implemented and adults have a strong awareness of their own social and emotional competency level. This must be …

Mission Adrift: The Impact Of Managerialism On Graduate Social Work Education, Carolyn Hanesworth

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Neoliberal policies have led to the installation of managerialism, or the application of business practices and principles in institutions of higher education. Although much is known about the impact of managerialism on faculty in the overall academy, very little is known about its impact in specific disciplines, particularly in the United States. Using semi-structured interviews, this dissertation investigates how social work faculty experience and negotiate managerialism in the traditional pillars of teaching, service, and scholarship.

This study found that managerialism leads universities to place new and increased demands for productivity, efficiency, and accountability on social work faculty. Respondents report major …

Exploring The Need Of Soft Skills Development In Alternative Education Settings Serving Youth-At-Risk, Ana Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Today’s young 21^st century workforce has so much to offer in an array of industry sectors. Yet, so many are not achieving their full potential with underdeveloped or lack of soft skills. Vulnerable youth-at-risk who have not experienced healthy developmental stages growing up are at a higher risk of not developing soft skills essential for workforce and lifelong success. This study aims to analyze the gap in soft skills development in youth-at-risk who are attending alternative education. Using a Constructivist paradigm, this qualitative research was completed using maximum variation and snowball sampling to capture the full experience and the …

Evaluating The Perceptions Of Preschool Teachers And Administrators On Mental Health Services In The School Setting, Celia Tavarez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health can impact a child’s success in many aspects, including in the school setting. School settings are very often the only place that provide an opportunity for families to be able to receive mental health services for their children. It is imperative that schools meet the mental health needs of the children who attend their schools. This research project examines data and information gathered from educators and school administrators to help us understand their experiences, successes, and/or displeasure about the services that are offered or not offered within the agency they work for. The literature review discusses the definition …

Art Therapy In Public Education, Sophie Edelman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores the history of art therapy in education. By understanding the history it is clear that art therapy has always been a positive force for students. By learning from the successes and challenges in our history we are better able to plan for future programing and expansion of art therapy programs. Because art therapy was developed in part by educators, the history of art therapy itself is linked with the history of art therapy in schools. In today’s application of art therapy in education there are three models most typically used. The research discusses the strengths and …

Art Therapy, Mass Media And Self-Acceptance With Adolescents: A Literature Review, Samantha Leary

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature reviews provides a synopsis of art therapy its potential benefits in combating negative effects associated with social media and adolescents’ sense of self-acceptance. Using art therapy as a mode of self-expression is found to help negate negative effects of social media and provide adolescents with healthy tools to help them develop and grow. Social media provides a wealth of information that can be detrimental to the emotional growth of young adults. In this literature review lack of face to face connection, idealized beauty standards, instant gratification and social comparisons are correlated to depressive symptoms in adolescents. Through the …

Student Wellbeing And Open Studio Process In The School Curriculum, Maria Kim

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study aimed to explore whether Open Studio Process (OSP) increased wellbeing of middle and high school students when facilitated by teachers as a part of the regular art curriculum. It was hypothesized that OSP might increase the sense of wellbeing among middle and high school students as well as facilitating teachers. The research was conducted as a mixed methods study in South Korea where students need preventative interventions for their wellbeing. The researcher trained eight teachers to facilitate OSP and five of them implemented it with their classes for seven sessions. Quantitative data (K-YSR; pre- and posttest) were collected …

A Case Study Of The Experiences Of Black Female Faculty At Research-Intensive Schools Of Social Work, Lashawnda N. Fields

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Representation has improved over the past 40 years among Black female faculty members in social work schools; however, low academic rank and distribution of this demographic across institutions is one way in which predominately White institutions (PWI) of higher education perpetuate racial inequalities. Higher education, in general, continues to result in negative experiences and poor outcomes for Black female faculty members such as time to tenure, low academic rank, and feelings of isolation. However, little is known about the experiences of this demographic in schools of social work, particularly those identified as research-intensive (R-1) Carnegie-designated institutions of higher education. This …

Navigating "Technoference" In The Family System, Kathlynn Sergent

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This integrative literature review explores the increase of technology use in families, with a focus on how technology is disrupting in-person social interactions within the family system. Many studies have been conducted on how technology impacts a couple’s romantic relationship, and only a few have examined the relationship between the parent and child. This review is one of the first to examine how technology may affect the entire family unit from before children to raising adolescents. Each section of the family unit is examined, beginning with before children, followed by the early bonding and attachment associated with infant/childhood, and then …

An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Faculty With Disabilities In A Research University In The South, Gonzalo Camp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While diversity and inclusion has become a benchmark for universities all around the country, faculty with disabilities remain in the margins of higher education discourse and are a neglected population across the spectrum of academia. This thesis aims at exploring the experiences of faculty with disabilities at a specific research 1 university in the South. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five faculty members who self-identify as having a disability. Four themes emerged from this study: able-bodied lens, fear, social isolation, and coping mechanisms. Building on the existing literature, these findings offer new information to expand the knowledge on the challenges …

An Exploration Of Faculty With Disabilities In Social Work Programs, Kelly Dundon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disability is a unique dimension of diversity, yet structural, social and attitudinal barriers can make meaningful workforce participation difficult for individuals with disabilities. Faculty with disabilities (FWD) are a particularly underrepresented population in academia, and even more so in social work programs. Based on this under-representation and a concern for the lack of attention this population has received, this project will explore a subset of this group. This thesis will focus on faculty with disabilities, first by looking into the scant research pertaining to FWD, then presenting the data from a qualitative study and demographic survey. Implications for policy, practice …

Employing Empathy: Using Video Simulations As An Intervention To Educate Social Work Students, Charles Adam Laffiteau

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A video simulation featuring a Master of Social Work (MSW) student assessing a fictional client, portrayed by a professionally trained student actor, dealing with suicidal ideations was developed to model empathetic and reflective techniques. The video simulation was filmed in collaboration with University of Arkansas Global Campus and is part of an interdisciplinary educational pilot program. This pilot program builds upon traditional role-play scenarios by incorporating experiential learning within the creation of cost-effective simulated interactions that employ student actors as standardized clients. Combining social learning theory and constructivism allows Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students to observe and analyze the …

Central Coast High School Student Scholarship Fundraiser, Alex Beamer

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Central Coast Continuation High School (CCCHS or CCHS) is designed around the philosophy of giving students in danger of not graduating a second chance at a diploma with alternative education strategies. The problem this Capstone aims to remedy is that many of these students cannot access college for a variety of reasons after graduating high school. These students are stigmatized for attending a continuation school, are in low socio-economic (SES) brackets, and lack scholarship access - these issues prevent college access. Consequences of this problem include future lack of access to higher paying jobs, loss of societal potential, and continuing …

Development And Validation Of The Measure Of Perceived Safety In The College Classroom: A Mixed Methods Phenomenological Research Study., Jennifer Ballard-Kang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, safety has become a focus of discussion in the field of higher education as research indicates that college students’ perceptions of safety are related to several indicators of student engagement. Despite increased recognition of the importance of safety, there remains a lack of consensus with regard to its definition and conceptualization in the higher education context. This lack of a conceptualization of safety that reflects the complexity of the construct within the postsecondary context has acted as a barrier to the development of quality measurement instruments that can be utilized by researchers and practitioners to understand and …

Attrition In A Holistic Job Skills Training Program: A Qualitative Study, Jeaniece Silas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today thousands of individuals and families are unemployed or underemployed and are seeking ways to combat poverty and become employed. One way that individuals seek to gain employment is by attending job skills training and adult education programs. However, there are barriers that hinder those individuals from successfully completing the programs. The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of applicants of a nonprofit job skills training program called FaithWorks and explore the reasons why applicants were not able to continue and, or complete the program. This study was conducted, through qualitative interviewing of four participants (N=4) utilizing …

Public-School Systems Are Criminalizing Our Young People: Giving Voice To The Marganilized, Carrie Stoltzfus

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenological qualitative study using Critical Race Theory and counter-storytelling was completed to investigate what K-12 public schools should be doing to keep young people out of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). This study took place in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Interviews were completed with former students of the researcher who were previously incarcerated, educational professionals, and justice system professionals. Additionally, observations of the court systems and document reviews were completed in order to triangulate findings. Themes emerged around factors that lead to incarceration and the preferred practices to support young people to avoid …

The Perceptions Of Foster Care Alumni's Experiences With Four-Year Post-Secondary Institutions: A Case For Capital And Field Advantage, June M. Durio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The focus of this study was to explore, through the lens of Pierre Bourdieu’s constructs of habitus, field, and capital, the post-secondary experiences of foster youth who transitioned out of the Louisiana foster care system. Specifically, this comparable multiple case study sought out to understand how cultural, social, and financial capital influenced the post-secondary educational outcomes of foster care alumni as compared to first-generation and continuing-generation students. Seven common themes emerged from the study: predisposing factors towards post-secondary education; values, knowledge, and skills associated with post-secondary education attainment; informal and formal social networks facilitating post-secondary support; financial resources addressing …

Music Education In A Liquid Social World: The Nuances Of Teaching With Students Of Immigrant And Refugee Backgrounds, Gabriela Ocádiz Velázquez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This integrated-article dissertation explores the multiple ways in which music teachers, community facilitators, and students engage in music teaching and learning in social contexts prone to change due to human mobility. Drawing upon Bauman’s sociological understanding of modern societies as liquid and the larger implications of processes of human mobility in schools and communities, this research focuses on exploring music education as it happens within an increasingly diversifying Canadian society.

In the first article, a philosophical research study, I conceptualize the notion of coping with discomfort as a form of response possibly experienced by music teachers. Here, I draw from …

E-Cigarette Consumption In North American Schools, Abdul Hakim Merhi

Major Papers

E-Cigarette use has grown at an unprecedented rate in North America. Studies are being conducted to understand the social and health-related implications of this phenomenon. Teenagers are at the center of the discussion when e-cigarette consumption is researched and examined. Understanding the rate of growth and consumption relative to school settings is important to understanding this phenomenon.

A knowledge synthesis is provided to direct the following questions: (1) Where are teenagers consuming e-cigarettes? And why? (2) What are some current North American policies that address smoking and vaping in schools? (3) Why is the consumption of e-cigarettes school property problematic …

Heart Work: A Phenomenological Analysis Of School-Embedded Program Facilitators In High-Need South Florida Schools, Takia Bullock

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Student misconduct leading to youth violence has been recognized as a major public health problem requiring intervention. To reduce antisocial behaviors, school districts and non-profit organizations promote prosocial behaviors and problem-solving skills. Positive youth development, social emotional learning, positive behavioral intervention support, and conflict resolution programs have been implemented in many school districts; yet problems associated with aggression, poor decision-making, and low student achievement still occur. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study explored the lived experiences of seven school-embedded positive intervention program facilitators implementing programs with conflict management components for at-risk students in high need South Florida schools. Semi-structured interviews were …

A Qualitative Study On The Perceived Value Of Emotional Intelligence Training On Foster Parents, Omar Shere Johnson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of a child in the foster care system rely heavily on the preparedness ofthe foster parent. For decades, researchers and practitioners have written about the challenges that foster children face while in the foster care system and discussed ways to assist them. This research discusses another way to improve the preparedness of a foster child as they go through the foster care system—improving the parenting skills of the foster parent using emotional intelligence. The entirety of this study is the analysis and study of this specific research question, “What perceived impact can emotional intelligence training (IV) have on …

Critical Black Feminist Mentorship: A Review Of A Middle School And University-Sponsored Program For Adolescent Black Girls, Dyann C. Logwood

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation study aims to illuminate the creation of safe spaces for marginalized youth through mentorship initiatives. Likewise, the study examines the roles of mentorship programs in transforming the lives of Black adolescent girls by providing them with tools to change the narratives depicted by society. A qualitative design was employed that used phenomenological interviewing techniques and ethnographic observations to explore the experiences of the Black adolescent girls in one university-sponsored mentorship program. The findings illustrate what is coined through this research—a critical Black feminist mentorship model that emphasizes an intersectional identity development, the actualization of voice, the creation and …

Examining The Efficacy Of A School-Based Mental Health Program In Iowa, Karen A. Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence shows that treating mental health issues positively impacts academic and other life outcomes for students. However, there remains a gap in knowledge specific to academic outcomes and to rural school districts. It is important for mental health providers, educators, and third-party payers to gain an understanding of how treating mental health in the school setting affects student performance. The purpose of this quantitative study, which had contribution analysis as its theoretical framework, was to examine the academic and behavioral outcomes of participating in a school-based mental health (SBMH) program in rural school districts in Iowa. The specific focus was …

Exploring The Cultural Identity And School Efficacy Of Students Through The Lens Of Digital Storytelling, Rachael Mack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Digital storytelling is a modern storytelling method that uses videos, images, and audio to share knowledge, wisdom, values, and personal stories from the point of view of the creator in a 2-8-minute first person narrative. This study explored the cultural identity and school efficacy of students through the lens of digital storytelling. This mixed-methods study consisted of both qualitative and quantitative measures. A survey was conducted using the In-Group Identification Scale, the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, and the School Efficacy Scale as the quantitative measures, and qualitative data was generated from the transcription and analysis of the digital storytelling …