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Impacts Of Post-Incarceration Programming For Women's Lives And Local Communities, Megan Greenslade

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Previous research on reentry programming has focused mostly on male inmates and less attention is given to female inmates. In Arkansas, where female reentry rates have recently increased, research is needed to add to the conversation surrounding effective programming for previously justice-involved women, its impact on their lives and behaviors, and how this can influence the likelihood of recidivism. This qualitative study also aims to discover whether reentry programming can have a positive impact on the local community. Residents and staff at a local Northwest Arkansas transitional housing facility for previously justice-involved women were interviewed to analyze the effects of …

Sexual Consent: Conceptualizations, Practices, And Education Among Texas High School Students, Erica Joy Favor

Sociology & Anthropology Theses - Archive

This study investigates high school students’ understanding of sexual consent and healthy relationships. While many studies have investigated practices, concepts, and definitions of consent among college-aged students, this research focuses on adolescents. How do teenagers define consent? With the rise of the #metoo movement, has awareness of consent and its practice changed? This qualitative study interviewed fifteen high school students in Texas, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old. The results of this study are clear: high school students participate in hookup culture despite a lack of education and curriculum of consent practices. This research also sheds light …

The Racial Disparities In The Foster Care System As Explained By Professionals Working Within The System, Vanessa Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Systemic racism leads to Black people being overrepresented in sectors of life such as poverty, homelessness, and incarceration. However, because of this same systemic racism, Black children in the United States are subjected to disadvantages in many aspects of life— one of which is foster care. Children raced as Black are two and a half times more likely than white children to be reported to Child Protective Services resulting in them entering the foster care system twice as often as white children (Miller, Cahn, and Orellana 2012). While past studies have examined the number of children in foster care that …

The Experiences Of The Transgender And Gender Diverse Community On Coming Out At The University Of Arkansas, Taylor Hubbard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Researching the experiences of the TGD community can help better understand the unique struggles this community may face, specifically regarding the unique experiences southeastern United States TGD individuals have encountered. We draw on previous studies regarding the entire LGBTQ+ community and the minimal research on the TGD community. There is minimal research looking specifically at the experiences college TGD students have when coming out in different aspects and the perceptions TGD individuals have about themselves as a result of their experiences coming out. We conducted a survey with 37 respondents as well as 4 qualitative interviews. We present interviews conducted …

Adolescent Dating Violence: Attachment Style And Parents' Unhealthy Marital Relationship As Possible Predictors, Karli Spann

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study tests whether insecure attachment style and parents’ modeling of unhealthy relationships predict adolescent dating violence (ADV) victimization. Also tested was the possible moderating role of secure attachment on the relation between parental modeling of unhealthy relationships and ADV victimization. It was hypothesized that insecure attachment and parental modeling of unhealthy relationships would individually be associated with increased ADV victimization, and secure attachment would attenuate the predicted positive association between parental modeling of unhealthy relationships and ADV victimization. Participants were adolescents (N = 152, M age = 15.61 years, SD = 1.086, 74.3% girls), who completed a survey …

What Are The Economic Barriers For A More Efficient Adoption Equilibrium? Analyzing The Perceived Challenges Lgbtq+ Persons Face In The Adoption Process, Andrew Schoonover

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

From understanding why adoption matters to drilling down why same sex male couples are not adopting at high rates, more questions are raised than answers found. But all of the complexities and intricacies boil down to one umbrella question: How can the economy shift the equilibrium (i.e., current state of adoption in America) to be more equitable, empowering, and efficient for everyone? Specifically, how can policy choices help increase the demand of gay couples to adopt -- helping to close the gap between gay and lesbian adoption rates? The “lowest hanging fruit” policy remedy for this problem is to alleviate …

Mary Julia Workman: Catholic Progressivism In Los Angeles (1900-1920), Jose Castro

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mary Julia Workman was a social activist in the early twentieth century. She was the founder of the Brownson Settlement House in Los Angeles. By the 1900s. during the Progressive Era, Mary Julia Workman, a Catholic activist, led a group of women to help the immigrants that were segregated and discriminated in the growing city of Los Angeles. Although Catholic activism was influenced by the Protestant Progressive ideology, Mary Julia Workman provided social justice to the marginalized. Her Americanization methodology would be focused to learn from the foreigner culture and adapted it to our society. Meanwhile, the Americanization efforts promoted …

How Exposure To Poverty Related Issues In The Classroom Affects Students’ Attitudes And Interactions With Their Social Environment, Rocco Placenti

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Impoverishment and its presence are the saddest forms of brutality and have long been recognized in the United States (U.S.). The common attitude of Americans is to view impoverishment from individualistic characteristics in which it is believed that individuals will not want to work if aid is offered to them. People’s attitudes towards those in poverty play a part in policy and practice in the American government. Therefore, this study explored how and the magnitude with which students’ connections within their ecological systems and their attitudes shifted after the introduction to an undergraduate course on families in poverty. A qualitative …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Health Insurance Coverage Among Workers In Texas, Trenton P. Overstreet

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of race and ethnicity on health insurance coverage for working age (18-61) adults in Texas. I focus on Texas for three reasons. First, Texas is the second largest state in the United States. Second, Texas is a majority-minority state where Hispanics are the largest ethnic group. Finally, Texas has not yet expanded Medicaid eligibility to individuals with family incomes under 138% of the federal poverty threshold. In this analysis, I use data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a …

Changing Lives Through Art: A Book Review Of Stephen Snow’S Ethnodramatherapy, Johnny Saldana

The Qualitative Report

This book review introduces qualitative researchers to a specialized art form: ethnodramatherapy, the production of a play based on the study of the actions and thoughts of a group of people which aims to have a therapeutic effect on the individuals in the group. Stephen Snow’s Ethnodramatherapy: Integrating Research, Therapy, Theatre and Social Activism into One Method documents his decades-long work and expertise as a Registered Drama Therapist. Ethnodramatherapy is a multidisciplinary blend of qualitative research, mixed methods evaluation, arts-based research, dramatic improvisation for devised theatrical production, autoethnographic introspection, and—most notably—strategic therapeutic goals with selected participants from various populations. Ethnodramatherapy …

Collective, Vulnerable, Nascent (Post) Qualitative Inquiry-Writing, Catherine Thiele, Stephen Heimans, Catherine Manathunga, Suzanne Barry, Benjamin Cherry-Smith, Kristy Farrelly, Terry Grogan, Robyn Kemble, Lisa Mcilwain

The Qualitative Report

As a group of multidisciplinary postgraduate research students and teachers emerging as a “we,” we read, discussed, and then, without planning to do so, responded in writing to the textual provocations of three post qualitative texts. We picture ourselves as a “classing,” a “becoming class” (Meirieu, 2020, para. 1.). We are a study-group-thinking-writing experimentation; vulnerable, wobbling and joyously grappling to (re)shape (our) post qualitative inquiries. The experiment offered a scholarly place to critically, creatively, and softly curate post qualitative questions and wonderings. The writings below offer a lure into our nascent post-qualitative vulnerabilities. The purpose of this paper is to …

Underutilizaiton Of Mental Health Services By Marginalized Populations, Jermaine Bennett, Anna Blum

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Underutilization of mental health services is a serious issue in the United States, particularly among marginalized groups. Previous research has not explored this issue in depth in the Inland Empire nor focused simultaneously on the federal protected classes of race, age, gender, and sexual orientation. This study expands the literature by using Systems Theory and Intersectional Perspective to determine whether there exists a difference in utilization of mental health services between marginalized populations and their non-marginalized counterparts in San Bernardino County. Through a non-probability sampling method, this study recruited 87 adults who completed a questionnaire on their participation in mental …

Improving Social Worker Engagement With Commercially Sexually Exploited Children, Kennisha Lesley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study used a survey to describe social workers’ most pertinent barriers to engaging Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) and sought to identify the most effective practices currently used to improve engagement with this population. The purpose of the research was to assess social worker’s knowledge, preparedness, training, and most effective approaches to improve engagement. Data was collected from thirty participants. Findings were that social workers’ knowledge was relatively high, despite the expressed need for more thorough training to engage and help the population. Social workers provided insight on what interventions and approaches have been most effective when engaging with …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Social Service Providers Who Worked With The Homeless Population, Franco Padilla, Cynthia Jimenez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Minimal research has been conducted to evaluate the effects COVID-19 has had on social service providers and their ability to deliver services to the homeless population during the pandemic. This research study seeks to focus on three areas that include: the mental health of the social service providers, the ability to adapt and provide services to the homeless population through telehealth, and the available resources social service providers were able to access to assist their clientele. To explore the impact of COVID-19 on social service providers who work with the homeless population, a qualitative cross-sectional research study was conducted through …

Promoting Health Equity Among Racial And Ethnic Minorities During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alexandra Viramontes, Deserry Salgado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Racial and ethnic minorities experience disproportionate health outcomes during a pandemic, yet preparedness plans have failed to address the social determinants of health that produce the most severe impact. By examining social workers’ perspectives on the health disparities faced by racial and ethnic minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study provides insight into the ways in which services can be improved in a future health crisis. In this exploratory study, a qualitative approach was utilized where social workers were asked to participate in interviews consisting of open-ended questions. The qualitative data was obtained in the form of interview transcripts, which …

Present Limitations And Future Projections: Food Insecurity, Housing Insecurity And Optimism Among College Students, Amber Obermaier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the last decade, research has identified wide-ranging disparities in access to basic needs among university students. These differences, such as a lack of adequate food and housing during university, provide a negative environmental experience with potential to limit one’s optimism or hope for the future. This research explores how basic needs insecurity and social vulnerabilities among college students are related to subjective assessments of their prospects for the future. The present study utilizes survey data from a random sample of college students (n=300) enrolled at an urban university in the Midwest region of the United States of America. Logistic …

Unequal Treatment: An Exploration Of Immigrant-Related Factors And Likelihood Of Discrimination In The United States, Sophia Woods

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite the rapid and considerable growth of the Latino population in the United States, the continual xenophobic rhetoric surrounding Latino immigration along with the nativist public policies set in place have led to higher rates of discrimination. Latino immigrant discrimination has shown to have consequences on mental health, social isolation, physical health, and trust of law enforcement. Using data from the Pew Research Center, I explored the specific factors associated with Latino immigrants that increase the likelihood of experiencing discrimination in the United States. In line with much of the prior literature, age, ethnic identity, English proficiency, Mexican origin, fear …

Family Disruptions And Maternal Health In Covid Times, Donna Maldonado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

AbstractPrenatal and postpartum women of the border region of El Paso-Ciudad Juarez have been experiencing multiple forms of family disruption due to the twenty-month border closure in an attempt to contain the COVID pandemic, partners having to find jobs far away from home because of economic concerns, and fear of familial disruption due to the threat of deportation of partners or family members. The purpose of the study is to explore the perceived effects of these types of family disruptions and how they are shaping maternal health in COVID times. This project included the analysis of fifteen interviews with pregnant …

Gender Perceptions And Female Students' Academic Engagement And Success In Stem Fields, Rheanna Morgan

School of Social Work Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite an increase of females in higher education and the workforce, fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continue to be male-dominated. One explanation for this trend is the lack of gender representation and counterstereotypical role models to encourage female engagement in these fields at the university level. Previous research has looked at instructor gender, classroom gender composition, and involvement in extracurricular activities as possible factors influencing students' engagement and success in the classroom. However, few studies have investigated how gender perceptions influence female students in STEM fields. This study uses self-report data from a voluntary survey to …

Social (In) Justice, Climate Change And Climate Policy In Western Australia, Naomi Joy Godden, Doreen Wijekoon, Kylie Wrigley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Climate change is a social justice issue, and people who experience disadvantage and marginalisation are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In 2019–2020, the government of the state of Western Australia (WA) held the world’s first inquiry into climate change and health. The Inquiry report, submissions, and hearing transcripts make an important contribution to a small but growing body of evidence that climate change exacerbates and reinforces existing social inequalities in WA in areas such as health, economics, gender relations, and access and inclusion. However, in late-2020, the WA government released its 38-page Climate Policy, with very limited …

Assessing Professionals Working With Latinx Families With Special Needs In Monterey County, Jose Francisco Hernandez Rivera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Special Kids Connect (SKC) is a nonprofit organization serving children with disabilities and their families in Monterey County. This capstone project concentrated on the professionals working with children as part of SKC’s Early Start Intervention Program. The project’s objective was to discover local agencies' professional development training needs that serve Latinx families with disabled children between 2 to 8 years. Seventy-five child-care providers, early intervention service professionals, regional center staff, and school district personnel responded to the survey. They indicated an overall 60 % needed an understanding of systems related to IEPs, Early Start Services, Developmental Screenings, Social-Emotional Screenings, Regional …

Evaluation Of Check-In Check-Out At Harden Middle School, Alondra Escobar

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone was implemented at the Wellness Center in the Harden Middle School, a public school located in Salinas, California. The school has observed a drop in student grades in recent years and adopted the Check-In Check-Out (CICO) program to support students between the ages of 12 and 13 experiencing behavioral issues. To increase the impact of CICO, the school has experimented with customizing the program’s criteria for participation. The Capstone consisted of evaluating the impact of CICO on students’ grades under the participation criteria employed during the spring of 2021 by comparing participants’ grades and behavioral referrals before and …

The Happiest Place On Earth: A Grounded Theory Of Fulfillment In Mixed-Orientation Marriages, Isadora Ferreira De Melo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mixed-orientation marriages (MOMs) are often misunderstood. There is a general cynicism in research literature and in the broader culture regarding the relational viability of same-sex attracted (SSA) individuals who marry someone of the opposite sex. However, there exist couples in MOMs that are resilient and attain satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to better understand how MOMs might become successful. By interviewing maritally satisfied mixed-orientation couples, the Model of Relational Self- Determination in Mixed-Orientation Marriages was developed. This model is separated into five stages that are organized around the experience of disclosure of the SSA spouse’s sexuality. Depending on …

Assessing Need And Acceptability Of A Youth Mentoring Intervention For Adolescents With Autism By Adults With Autism, Kai Y. Gunty, Lindsey Weiler, Angela Keyzers, Rebekah Hudock

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Background: Adult mentors can positively influence development, yet youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have too little access to adult mentors who can provide role modeling, guidance, and support. Furthermore, neurotypical adult mentors (i.e., adult mentors without ASD) may not understand the day-to-day realities that youth with ASD face and the social world they navigate. Therefore, it is possible that adults with ASD may be particularly well-suited as mentors for youth with ASD.

Method: Six semi-structured focus groups of four to seven people each explored the need for a mentoring program to bridge the gap between the supports youth with …

Encore Intergenerational Vaccine Corps (Pre- And Post-Service Survey: Topline Results), Halvorsen J. Cal, K. Megan Collier

Brown School Faculty Publications

Between May 2021 and April 2022, volunteers with the Encore Intergenerational Vaccine Corps were asked to complete a pre-service survey upon joining and post-service survey upon exiting the program. (Those still volunteering in April 2022 were asked to complete the post-service survey.) The primary objective of these surveys was to assess changes in how volunteers viewed people from different generations after their experiences in this intergenerational volunteer program. Secondary objectives included changes in engagement with people from other generations and views on public policy, public health, and social issues. Volunteers’ experiences in the program were also assessed in the post-service …

The Effect Of Early Cross-Race Socialization On Black Lives Matter Attitudes, Elizabeth Popovich

Honors Theses

The present study investigated the effect of early cross-race socialization within the family, school, and neighborhood on current support for Black Lives Matter and anti-racist attitudes. Specifically, this study will examine the variables of whether participants’ families talked about race and the diversity of schools and neighborhoods. 98 female participants, 36 male participants, and 2 n.a. participants were recruited from the University of Richmond’s Introduction to Psychology class (N= 136) and were asked to complete an anonymous survey on their attitudes regarding Black Lives Matter. Based on the results, there was no clear influence of early cross-race socialization on current …

Wrongful Conviction Compensation In The United States, Brenda I. Morel

Honors College Theses

Although the United States has signed a United Nations agreement that stipulates that all wrongfully convicted individuals have a right to compensation, not all states have compensation laws. In addition, it is not guaranteed that exonerees living in states with compensation statutes will be compensated. This thesis examines the scope of wrongful conviction compensation statutes across states. Furthermore, it examines whether exoneree characteristics, as identified by the National Exoneree Registry, map onto state-level differences in laws and effectiveness in compensating exonerees. I compile two sources of data to link individual exonerees with their state of conviction.

Patient And Family Engagement: Bridging Together Interprofessional Practice And Patient- And Family-Centred Care, Yuchen Gao, Sylvia Abonyi, Pamela Downe, Krista Baerg, Heather A. Ward

Patient Experience Journal

Patient and family engagement as part of the health care team is increasingly recommended to meet the objective of providing safer and more coordinated care, as well as enhancing patient satisfaction. This project explores both health care professionals’ and patients and families’ experiences with patient- and family-centred care (PFCC) and interprofessional practice (IPP). Data were collected through individual interviews with 29 health care professionals and 17 patients and families on medicine and pediatrics at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Inductive coding and thematic analysis outcomes are presented using qualitative description. We used communicative action theory to interpret the gap that …

Intergroup Dialogue: Affecting Real Change, Lauryn Hulett

Honors Projects

Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is a course adapted from The University of Michigan. In this Honors Project, a systematic literature review is done from eleven sources in hopes to theorize best practices and areas of improvement amongst applications of Intergroup Dialogue.

Stress And Social Support Of Foster Parents During Covid-19, Carlie Mcniff

21st Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2022)

Foster parents provide crucial care to hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S., and with their role comes a variety of challenges. They face a great amount of stress which is why the turnover rate is high, and there is a critical need for more foster parents. Uncertainty is a large component of the foster care system, and the COVID-19 pandemic heightened this. It is unknown how stress that foster parents have experienced during this time was affected, and this study seeks to explore that. Additionally, this study focuses on types and sources of social support of foster parents …