Digital Commons Network^™

Community Members’ Perspectives On A Community-Engaged Process For Supporting Vibrant Greenspaces In Detroit, Alysha D. Matthews, Guilherme Hebling Costa, Karl Erickson, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Amber L. Pearson, Benjamin V. Dougherty

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Greenspaces provide several well-being (Dinnie et al., 2013) and psychosocial benefits (Addy et al., 2004). Community-engaged research affords community partners a voice in the project (Cushman et al., 2004). This study assessed Detroit community members’ perceived benefits of and suggestions for engaging with the community to support greenspaces. Through qualitative analysis, a three-step process for community-engaged planning was revealed. Findings highlight strategies that involve community members in this process to enhance community engagement and well-being.

Conversations In Isolation: A Mixed-Methods, Multi-Perspective Evaluation Of Extreme Electronic Service Learning During Covid-19, Lauren M. Dinour, Jennifer Y. Daclan

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Due to physical proximity constraints imposed by COVID-19, extreme electronic service learning (e-service-learning)—instruction and service offered completely online—allowed for the safe continuation of service-learning experiences. Using a combination of surveys and an autoethnographic approach, this study describes findings of an intergenerational extreme e-service-learning project from four perspectives: students, assisted living facility residents, community partner, and course instructor. Positive impacts were noted on personal, social, and learning contexts among each of the four perspectives.

The Heritage Conversation Partners Project: Virtual Cultural Heritage Exchange In An Anthropology Course, Michael J. Kimball, Karin L. Bates, Miranda Bermudez, Liner Emilce Solarte Chourio, Amanda Consol

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

We describe the structure, benefits, and challenges associated with a virtual cultural heritage exchange (VCHE) between undergraduate students in an applied anthropology class and a group of English language learners (ELL). Using qualitative data collection and analysis methods, the project aimed to teach anthropological methods and perspectives to the students while investigating three research questions: Will a VCHE (1) build social bonds and bridges, (2) improve English language acquisition, and (3) raise “heritage consciousness” (awareness and appreciation of, along with an associated sense of agency toward, cultural heritage) among participants? Results support the research questions and show the effectiveness of …

“There Is Just A Sense Of Joy In This Work”: Drivers Of Faculty Engagement With Community, David C. Ensminger, Mitchell A. Hendrickson, Jon J. Schmidt

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

American universities have been engaged with their communities as long as there have been universities in America. The nature, purpose, and motivation behind that engagement have evolved. This article explores the motivation behind faculty engagement with their communities. We wanted to better understand what compels faculty to participate in and work in the community despite the many and varied barriers that might stand in their way. We explored the why and how of participation with a significant emphasis on the why. This study builds on the work of Wade and Demb[i] and their Faculty Engagement Framework (FEM) described in …

Adapting Research Ethics For All: Training Centers For Independent Living In Community-Based Research, Rtc: Rural, Will Hoard, Krys Standley, Catherine Ipsen

Education

The Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities (RTC:Rural) adapted Research Ethics for All (RE4ALL)—an accessible, participatory training co-created with people with disabilities—to equip Centers for Independent Living (CIL) staff with tailored human subjects research ethics education. Traditional institutional trainings (e.g., CITI) posed barriers for CIL community partners, who needed practical, role-specific guidance for their work on the Rural Health Pathways Program, a study comparing delivery models of a health intervention. The adapted 90-minute RE4ALL session preserved core accessibility features (plain language, visual aids) while addressing CIL staff’s real-world scenarios, such as consent processes …

Pop Culture In Appalachia: West Virginia Pop Culture Conventions, Heather Lauer

Librarian Research

This creative graduate humanities project explores the development, impact, and challenges of pop culture conventions in West Virginia and the implications on the broader Appalachian region. Through in-depth interviews with organizers of eight regional conventions—including HerdCon, Tsubasacon, Causeacon, and the Mothman Festival— I examined the motivations behind organizing such events, the cultural and logistical hurdles faced, and the personal and communal rewards experienced by those involved. By investigating how these events foster community, promote regional tourism, and provide inclusive spaces for fandoms, the project highlights the importance of pop culture in shaping identity and engagement in rural Appalachia. Special attention …

Physical Work Environments: An Integrative Review And Agenda For Future Research, Bukky Akinsanmi Oyedeji, Yea Hee Ko, Sunkee Lee

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This review examines the effect of physical work environments—the dedicated, tangible spaces where employees carry out their professional tasks—on organizational processes and outcomes. We synthesize decades of research across various disciplines using a conceptual framework that defines physical work environments along three key dimensions: ambience, spatial configuration, and aesthetics. These dimensions are analyzed for their effects on both internal stakeholders, such as employees, and external stakeholders, including clients, suppliers, and investors. Our analysis reveals two major themes in prior research: (1) task accomplishment, which focuses on how physical work environments influence physical and mental health, motivation and attitudes, as well …

Smu Celebrates 25 Years Of Its Communityservice Programme During Silver Jubilee Year, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

The first university in Singapore to make community service a graduation requirement commemorates another major milestone in its 25th anniversary. SMU has consistently championed community engagement as a cornerstone of its educational mission.

The Lived Experience Of Religious Trauma Among Transgender And Gender Diverse People: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Patrick T. Meyer

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Religion has served as a framework to support the psychological well-being of people across cultures throughout human history, yet there is growing scholarly and public interest in how religious institutions and people inflict harm on members through spiritual means. Extant literature demonstrated that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people experience gendered microaggressions in religious spaces, and their social position within the church likely holds unique insights into the subjective experience of religious trauma. Even though research with people who have had adverse religious experiences has increased over time, little is known about TGD people who experience lasting psychological damage due …

Global Studies Initiative Faculty Report: Anthropology 101 Course Redesign, Lauren Anaya

Global Studies Initiatives in Arts and Sciences 2025

No abstract provided.

Understanding Wildfire Risk Perception, Evacuation Readiness And Preparedness Information Awareness In The United States, Dominic Kyei

Theses and Dissertations

Wildfires disproportionately threaten lives, properties, and ecosystems within the U.S. states.Despite varying regional risks and demographic vulnerabilities, factors shaping public preparedness remain understudied. This study analyzes data from the 2023 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Household Survey (NHS), consisting of 507 participants, to identify key predictors of wildfire risk perception, evacuation readiness, and preparedness awareness across diverse demographic groups residing in high-risk states, including California, Arizona, and Florida. Using independent sampled t-test, ordered logistic regression analysis and correlation modeling, the study results indicate that past wildfire experience, preparedness efforts, geographic location, and perceived efficacy shape risk perception, with experienced …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Sexual Health Of Aging Black Men In Rural South Africa, Esihle Lupindo

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation uses survey data primarily from Wave 1 of the Health and Aging in Africa: Longitudinal Study of In-depth Community in South Africa (HAALSI) which was collected in 2015 to study the sexual health of Black men in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa. Broadly speaking, I examine aging men’s sexual health as it related to HIV, well-being, loneliness, social networks and disclosure. The definition that I use for sexual health was coined by MacPhail and Campbell (2001) who define it as “not only sexual practices but also what people know and believe about sex, particularly what they think is natural, …

Stockpiling, Forecasting And Protecting Skills: Skilling As Technique Of Preparedness In Times Of Crises, Rebecca Ye, Yasmin Y. Ortiga

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this comparative and situational analysis, we examine how nation-states use skilling as a technique of preparedness during crisis moments. By analysing two strategically selected country cases, Singapore and Sweden, during a critical phase of a global pandemic, we identify three techniques: stockpiling, forecasting, and protecting skills, and how these were enacted as a means to perform preparedness. Stockpiling skills was observed to take place as a rapid response; forecasting skills was a technique enacted with a view on the longer-term horizon and protecting skills was mobilised as a short-term future technique, where boundaries were assembled around skilling. While there …

The Miseducation Of Model Minorities: The Gospel Of ‘Schoolvation’ And The Myth Of The Schooled Society, Justin Kh Tse

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The ‘model minority’, the phenomenon of some ‘minority’ communities (or some members within them) achieving social and economic advancement despite encountering the difficulties of assimilating into a mainstream society, is often described as a myth, especially as one of the central problematics in Asian American studies. Usually, the modern use of the word myth is pejorative: the model minority in this sense refers to a false empirical description of some minorities and should be quantitatively disaggregated and qualitatively debunked. In this article, I want to explore the model minority as another kind of myth, in the classical sense of mythos, …

The Landscape Of Malignant Transition: Unraveling Cancer Cell-Of-Origin And Heterogeneous Tissue Microenvironment, Ruihan Luo, Jiajia Liu, Tiangang Wang, Weiling Zhao, Yanfei Wang, Jianguo Wen, Hongyu Wang, Shanli Ding, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Understanding disease progression and sophisticated tumor ecosystems is imperative for investigating tumorigenesis mechanisms and developing novel prevention strategies. Here, we dissected heterogeneous microenvironments during malignant transitions by leveraging data from 1396 samples spanning 13 major tissues. Within transitional stem-like subpopulations highly enriched in precancers and cancers, we identified 30 recurring cellular states strongly linked to malignancy, including hypoxia and epithelial senescence, revealing a high degree of plasticity in epithelial stem cells. By characterizing dynamics in stem-cell crosstalk with the microenvironment along the pseudotime axis, we found differential roles of ANXA1 at different stages of tumor development. In precancerous stages, reduced …

Descending Asymmetry In Proximate, Mobile And Digital Care: Chinese Older People Grandparenting Across Distance Within China And Overseas, Catriona Stevens, Rachel Murphy, Yu Huang, Loretta Baldassar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article juxtaposes cases of grandparents who provide care for their grandchildren in two broad types of migrant families: (1) families where some members have migrated from the Chinese countryside to larger cities and (2) families where some members have migrated from China to Australia. By examining the proximate, mobile and digital forms of their grandparenting care labour, this article demonstrates the surprising durability and stability of care repertoires across distance and class. Despite the great differences of their migration geographies and family resources, these families nonetheless all demonstrate remarkably similar repertoires of caregiving articulated with reference to similar cultural …

The Formation Mechanism Of Irrational Online Comments From The Perspective Of Dual Systems Theory, Xuefen Wang, Lei Guo, Liyan Chang, Zejiao Jiang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] To explore the internal formation mechanism of unplanned irrational online comments is of great significance to promote the governance of cyberspace and the control of user behavior.

[Method/process] Based on the dual-system theory, the study constructed a model for the formation mechanism of irrational online comments, and revealed how online disinhibition and the spiral of silence affect individual internal states to stimulate irrational comments through empirical analysis.

[Result/conclusion] Research reveals that: compared to mild irrational comments, aggressive irrational comments are more likely to be unplanned behaviors, the cognitive-emotional preoccupation with online comments is the main driving factor for irrational …

Babaeng Frontliner At Covid-19 Sa Pilipinas: Batayan Para Sa Isang Epektibong Tugon Sa Pandemya Na Nakatuon Sa Gender, Arianne Nicole N. Fernando

Social Sciences and Development Review

While the mortality rates for men are higher, the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hit women differently. This qualitative study examines the experiences of eight Filipina frontliners who continued to work during the General Community Quarantine in Metro Manila. Respondents were selected through purposive sampling. The primary data collection method was in depth interview. Phenomenological study was utilized for data analysis. The research resulted in three major themes which emerged out of the experiences shared by the female frontliners (1) there exists a problem in safety and transportation among female frontliners; (2) stress develops from a high-risk work task; …

Ritual And Sacred Space: The Role Of Ritual In Shaping The El Shaddai Community, Joven B. Makiling

Social Sciences and Development Review

This study aims to examine the role of ritual in shaping sacred space and community within the El Shaddai fellowship. Using an ethnographic approach, observations were conducted over five consecutive Saturdays at Amvel City, Parañaque City, to identify and describe the rituals performed during the group’s weekly gatherings. The research found seven primary rituals, referred to as “spiritual activities,” which serve as essential components of the members’ spiritual lives. Additionally, the study highlights the role of the stage as a “sacred space” that functions as the focal point of ritual performance. The analysis reveals that ritual is not only a …

Experiences Of Ba Sociology Students From A Philippine State University: Recruitment, Retention, And Future Aspirations, Mark Anthony M. Quintos, Minami O. Iwayama

Social Sciences and Development Review

Sociology as an undergraduate program in the Philippines has expanded significantly. A total of 49 higher educational institutions offer an undergraduate degree in Sociology; 20 of which are in Luzon and 8 are in Metro Manila. Despite this growth, Sociology departments face challenges in recruiting and retaining students amidst a competitive academic landscape. This study was conducted with students from a Philippine state university, exploring their motivations for enrolling, reasons for staying, perceived strengths and weaknesses of the program, and their post-graduation plans. The insights gained from this research could guide future improvements to Sociology programs to better meet the …

Analyzing Focus Groups Through Poetic Dialogues: Enhancing Participant Engagement And Representation In Program Evaluation, Catherine E. Sanders, Alexa J. Lamm, Jori N. Hall, Abigail Borron, Maria Navarro, James C. Anderson Ii

The Qualitative Report

Evaluating programs in rural communities can present challenges when large, observable successes, such as infrastructure additions, are limited due to resource challenges. These successes are often quantifiable and easily identified by external stakeholders. However, there are often intangible and social impacts that should be captured as successes of rural community-focused programs that may not fit the more quantitative methodology. Arts-based methodologies, like poetic analysis, can help capture the diverse impacts of a program, while also centering the voices of program participants in the evaluation itself. This study examined the use of poetic dialogues, an application of poetic transcriptions for focus …

Navigating Identity Tensions And Emotional Struggles: Indonesian Pre-Service Teachers In The Teaching Practicum, Afrianto Daud, Minh Hue Nguyen, Raqib Chowdhury

The Qualitative Report

Despite the critical role of teaching practicums in teacher education, little is known about how pre-service teachers navigate emotional tensions in Indonesia. In this study, we aim to explore the nature of tensions and emotional struggles pre-service teachers face and their coping mechanisms. Seven pre-service teachers from the English Education department at an Indonesian public university were purposefully selected. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews before the practicum and a focused group discussion after the program. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to capture rich, in-depth accounts of participants’ experiences, while thematic analysis provided a structured approach to …

K3) Religious Tourism In A Key Textual Perspective: Spiritual Authenticity And Cultural Heritage, Ninfa Pagano, Walter Spezzano Aulet Serrallonga

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Over the last few decades religious tourism has emerged as a growing, relevant sector in international tourism industry. It is estimated that approximately 300 million visitors per year go on pilgrimages and the global number continually increases (Syngh & Bhuyan, 2024).

The purpose of the present study is twofold: first, as major pilgrimage destinations strategically employ tourism discourse (Dann, 1996; Maci, 2020), this paper critically examines English tourism discourse as used on the official website Jubilee 2025. Second, it investigates how religious tourism itineraries, promoted on the website, are discursively framed to engage international visitors (Wodak & Meyer, 2015). Indeed, …

From Awareness To Action: A Guide To Uphold Human Rights, Erica Jensen, Emma Indart, Emilyn Watkins

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Human Rights Violation - Full Issue June 2025, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

J2) Impact Of Tourism On Corsican’S Religion, Pierre-François Marchiani

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

In the 60s Corsica underwent a transformation with the rise of tourism and a new influx of population. Since then, the importance of tourism on the island has only increased to reach in 2023, 3 millions visitors, for only 350.000 inhabitants, and 39% of the Corsica’s GDP . The sheer volume of visitors is having a real impact on the Corsican way of life, not only economically but also culturally and perhaps religiously. At least that’s what we’re going to question in this communication.

9 out of 10 Corsicans claiming to be Catholic, quite quickly the Church of Corsica took …

"The Number One Culprit Is Apathy": How Adventist Church Leaders In The Nad View Success And Failure In Evangelism, René Drumm, Petr Cincala, Tara Hargrove, Linda Crumley

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

This presentation highlights findings from a qualitative study on evangelism in the NAD from the perspective of conference and union officers. Participants identified successful evangelism as involving careful preparation, cultural adaptability, and the creation of a church culture where evangelism becomes a way of life. Failure occurs when church members lack commitment and involvement.

Transforming Care: An Academic And Community Symposium On Transgender Care And Experience, Alison Sutton-Ryan, Kimberly Van Vulpen

Transforming Communities

Background: Transgender experience is often excluded from education and training. An emphasis has been often placed on sexual identities instead of gender differences rendering transgender care invisible in the healthcare system (Gahagan & Colpitts 2017). Lack of education and training has created significant barriers to accessible gender-affirming care, contributing to disproportionately high levels of discrimination for transgender individuals seeking medical services (Redcay et al., 2021). Purpose: The Interprofessional Education Symposium on Transgender Care and Experience was an innovative initiative developed by the newly formed Transgender Interprofessional Care Team (TICT) at a medium-sized suburban university. This collaborative team, comprising key …

G2) Religious Tourism Experiences, Heritage And Digitalization: An Italian Case Study, Donatella Privitera

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

New technologies play a crucial role in sharing knowledge about religious heritage with tourists and local communities, particularly in geographically marginal areas. Digital tools can be employed in two main ways to enhance sensory experiences at a destination: (1) by actively stimulating one or more senses through technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), haptic devices; and (2) by organizing and disseminating information about available sensory experiences using applications, virtual guides, and interactive maps. Digital innovations not only facilitate access to information and knowledge about heritage but also introduce new experiential dimensions. From a supply-side perspective, they help …

Belonging, Identity, And Reintegration In India: Two Generations Of Us Women Return Migrants, Jenna Sikka

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines how generational differences among Indian returnee women shape their experiences of reintegration into Indian society, highlighting how migration and return are embedded in broader socio-historical, cultural, and gendered contexts. Focusing on two cohorts- women who migrated before India’s 1991 economic liberalization and those who migrated after- the study draws on qualitative interviews to explore how returnees navigate the tensions between values acquired abroad and the social expectations they face upon returning. The older cohort of returnee women, many of which were influenced by Gandhi’s ideals, often view their reintegration as a process of reconnecting with familiar values, …