Digital Commons Network^™

Disability And Health In African Americans: Population Research And Implications For Occupational Therapy Community-Based Practice, Emily Schulz, Debarchana Ghosh, Eddie M. Clark, Beverly R. Williams, Randi Williams, Lijing Ma, Crystal L. Park, Cheryl L. Knott

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Population-based research and community-based interventions are integral to occupational therapy’s scope of practice, yet they are underdeveloped in actual implementation. Therefore, this paper focuses on some health challenges facing the African American population, guided by the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance Model.

Method: Using data from an observational cross-sectional nationwide telephone survey of African American adults, we examined differences between African Americans who are receiving disability payments (RDP) and those who are employed full time (FTE) on several physical health behaviors and psychosocial health indicators. We further compared the differences between African Americans RDP versus those FTE on those physical health …

Medieval Women, Material Culture, And Power: Matilda Plantagenet And Her Sisters, Mary Dockray-Miller

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing The Political Activity Of Social Workers: A Comparative Study Among Swiss And United States Social Workers, Tobias Kindler, Jason Ostrander

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Various international and national social work ethical principles call social workers to participate in politics, yet not much research exists in the field of a political social work. Little is known about the actual voluntary political engagement of social workers as well as factors influencing their political activity. Especially, few studies with an international comparison focus have been conducted. Consequently, this study used cross sectional survey design to better understand the factors influencing the political activity of social workers in Switzerland (n = 1242) and in the United States (n = 3033). The results indicate that the political activity of …

Trauma And Resilience Among Migrant Children From Mexico And The Northern Triangle En Route To The United States, Georgina Sanchez Garcia, Mark Lusk, Paula Chavez Santamaria

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Children who are forced to migrate to flee violence, extreme poverty, and natural disasters are exposed to trauma in their countries of origin and on the migrant trail. Forced child migrants from Central America and Mexico who flee to the U.S. border are particularly vulnerable. In this qualitative study, we interviewed 76 migrant children from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. We listened to their stories and assessed exposure to adverse events, traumatic stress and child resiliency. While children experienced adversity and trauma, they were protected by high levels of resiliency that is grounded in family, faith, courage and camaraderie.

On The Discourses Of Social Protection Distribution: Insights From Indonesia, Sutiyo Sutiyo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study aimed to discuss the distribution accuracy of Social Protection Programs in Indonesia. Specifically, the main focus was on its connection with deservingness criteria and the selection method. A case study in the Purbalingga district showed the unsuitability of nationally imposed criteria and weaknesses of the centralised selection of beneficiaries. A community-based targeting approach was simulated and could overcome most of the problems. Furthermore, it can be adapted in other localities and developing countries due to its acceptability and accuracy.

Geological And Environmental Sciences - 2022, Dept. Of Geological And Environmental Sciences

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

• Greetings from the Department Chair
• Faculty Updates
• MGS Updates
• MGRRE Updates
• GEOSCIENCES ADVISORY COUNCIL
• 2022 Distinguished Alumni Sara Pearson
• Student Clubs
• In Remembrance of Dr. Alan E. Kehew (1947 – 2022)
• In Remembrance of Dr. Michael Barcelona (1949–2022)
• Awards and Honors, 2022
• Department Graduates
• Publications 2021–22
• Gifts and Donors

Special Tribute To Emily Schulz, Phd, Otrl

OJOT Sponsor Profiles

No abstract provided.

Paula W. Jamison, Ph.D., Otr

OJOT Sponsor Profiles

No abstract provided.

Library Response To Black Liberation Collective: A Review Of Student Calls For Change And Implications For Anti-Racist Initiatives In Academic Libraries, Lumarie Guth, Amy Bocko, Micha Broadnax

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This article examines seven case studies concerning college libraries addressing demands collated by the Black Liberation Collective in 2015. Six years out from the publication of the lists, we evaluate statements issued by the libraries and posted on their websites, the promises that have been made to address inequities, and the ensuing actions the libraries have taken to create a welcoming, inclusive community. In solidarity with the protests’ student activists at universities across the United States and Canada organized into the Black Liberation Collective and held the first #StudentBlackoutOut day of protests on university campuses on November 15 followed by …

Do Students Dream Of Electric Cats (Or Dogs)?: Using Robotics For A Unique Exam Week Activity In The Library, Jonathan Scherger, Juliana Espinosa, Autumn P. Edwards, Chad Edwards, Bryan Abendschein, Patricia Fravel Vander Meer

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

During two nights at the library, students were invited to interact with one of nine robotic animals. Five of the robots look and react like cats, four look and react like dogs. The robots mimic the motions and sounds of live animals, including purring and barking. Students took a stress pre-test prior to interacting with the robots and a stress post-test at the conclusion of their interaction. Faculty from the School of Communication and the University Libraries were on hand to observe the interaction and gather feedback. The aim of this chapter is to demonstrate how a partnership with a …

Volume 49, Issue 4 (2022)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Malawi's Marriage Law (2015) And Constitutional Amendment (2017): Analysis Of Policy Solutions To Increase Girls' Rights, Linda Chimwemwe G. Banda, Juliana Carlson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Child marriage is a global epidemic that requires policy-level intervention. After almost ten years of organizing and international pressure, the Re- public of Malawi passed the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill of 2015, widely known as the “Marriage Act” and the “Constitutional Amendment” of 2017. At the center of both monumental changes were human rights, justice, and violence targeted at the girl child. Although the passing of these two policies was a historical moment in safeguardinggirls’ and women’s rights in Malawi, there is a paucity written on the approaches used to achieve their enactment. Using Stone’s solutions and human …

Punishment By Another Name? The Welfare State’S Disciplinary Role In The United States And Britain, Kavya Padmanabhan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Scholarship on the changing nature of the welfare state in both the United States and in Britain has revealed how the influence of neoliberal ideologies has heightened the experience of punishment for poor mothers. Through a comparative literature review on the welfare states in the United States and in Britain, this article builds upon prior research to consider how the welfare state’s contemporary focus on discipline may be the product of neo- liberalism and may encourage similarities across different contexts. Furthermore, this article considers how the welfare state’s different agencies may be united in their goals and treatment of poor …

Insistence: The Active Quest Of Citizens For Achieving Their Health And Justice Rights In Mexico, Julia Hernández-Gutiérrez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In Mexico’s public healthcare and justice institutions, where insufficient infrastructure, unnecessary, confusing procedures, and mistreatment are common obstacles to fundamental rights, insistence can be interpreted as an indicator of a citizen’s active quest to ensure their rights are respected. Even if citizen dependence on the State is reinforced on a daily basis within some public institutions, service users are not inactive patients or victims waiting for their turn, but rather are active agents claiming their rights, because access to healthcare and justice cannot be achieved in Mexico without the ability to cope with bureaucratic barriers and the despotic attitude of …

What Do We Know About Access To Public Benefits And Services Among Low-Income Minority Families?: A Scoping Review Of The Literature, Chi-Fang Wu, Steven G. Anderson, Anissa Sheena Chitwanga, Soohyun Yoon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a time of economic crisis following decades of reduced commitments to low-income families, it is critically important to improve our understanding of the obstacles encountered by low-income families attempting to access public benefits and services. Following PRISMA guidelines, this paper offers a scoping review of research published since 2000 that addresses the distinctive barriers encountered by minorities in the United States when attempting to access public benefits. While our review included studies on access to all types of public social welfare benefits, most research during the study period focused specifically on access issues in obtaining various forms of health …

Review Of The Tyranny Of Merit: What’S Become Of The Common Good? By Michael J. Sandel, Edward Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Non-Contractual Relations Between Private Mutual Aid And Government During A Crisis, Roland Zullo, Heather Kiningham

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We examine United Ways 211 call data to test for a non-contractual relationship between a mutual aid nonprofit network and the distribution of federal stimulus checks during the COVID-19 economic recession. Data trends reveal an increase in requests for cash-equivalent relief at the early stage of the 2020 recession, and that the spike in requests from government sources was more than double, proportionately, than for requests from private mutual aid sources. Regression results indicate that the probability of a request for cash-equivalent relief from a government source, as well as United Ways referrals to government agencies, were elevated by the …

Volume 49, Issue 3 (2022)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Digital News Literacy And Social Work: Core Competencies, Cynthia H. Nover

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Digital news refers to online news, television news, and other electronic sources where individuals can gather information about the world around them. As college students increasingly get their news from online sources and comedy television, it is important for students to have appropriate media literacy skills to evaluate content. The relationship between news literacy skills and core competencies of social work education is discussed in this paper, with recommendations for incorporating news literacy in the classroom.

A National Investigation On The Effect Of College Readiness Counseling On Postsecondary Outcomes, Dana L. Brookover, Kaprea Johnson

Journal of College Access

The current study utilized the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, from the National Center for Education Statistics, to conduct a longitudinal investigation into how access to school counseling impacts postsecondary outcomes. Findings indicate that school counselor time spent college readiness counseling, in addition to lower student socioeconomic status and identifying as multiracial, were predictive of lesser odds of college attainment and persistence. The results of the current study offer practice, policy, and training implications.

Medieval Weathers: An Introduction, Michael J. Warren

Medieval Ecocriticisms

Introduction to the first volume of Medieval Ecocriticisms.

World Changers: Social Justice At The Heart Of Middle School Language Arts Curriculum, Mackenzie Mcclain

Honors Theses

English classrooms, at their best, are safe places for adolescents to critically engage with difficult issues presented in novels and the real world. One such issue is human trafficking, which is expected to soon become the world’s most profitable criminal industry (Knudsen, 2015). Incorporating values and instructional approaches from social justice pedagogy, I have designed a sixth-grade language arts unit plan about human trafficking based upon Francesco D’Adamo’s novel, Iqbal (2003). My purpose was to create resources, such as standards-based learning objectives, text sets, lesson plans, and student projects to use in my own classroom, as well as for teachers …

Covid-19: Coping Strategies Predicting Mental Health Outcomes, Crystal Lim

Honors Theses

The rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths caused are increasing. Studies have been reporting the inclining rate of psychological distress during the pandemic, which calls for attention to how the pandemic has impacted mental health outcomes. Coping strategies are helpful when it comes to predicting mental health outcomes. However, limited studies looked at coping strategies predicting mental health outcomes longitudinally. The study hypothesized that psychological distress would decrease during mid-pandemic and adaptive coping strategies such as active coping, acceptance, positive reframing, instrumental support, emotional support, religion, humor, and planning decrease psychological distress while maladaptive included denial and venting, behavioral disengagements, …

"Incorporating Behavior Analysis To Address Risk Factors For Obesity", Fawzia Khan

Honors Theses

There is a rising prevalence for obesity in the United States. Obesity is associated with health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and other health complications including worsened mental health. Because of this, it is important to look for effective solutions to address risk factors, such as overeating and a sedentary lifestyle, that are associated with obesity. Applied behavior analysis, the application of learning principles to socially significant issues, has potential in addressing factors that lead to obesity. Functional analysis and the antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) model can help explain “cause and effect” relationships between environment and behavior and why and how …

Mercury Emissions From Iron Mining And Copper Mining In The Upper Peninsula, Michigan, Ahmed Al Rahbi

Honors Theses

The wealth in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has been intimately linked with mining, particularly the extraction of iron and copper. Iron was deposited in the Upper Peninsula 1.9 billion years ago (Gogebic and Ranges, 2020), and copper deposits are believed to be 1.1 billion years old (Blakemore et al., 2016). In the Upper Peninsula, mercury occurs naturally in taconite (iron ore) as elemental mercury (Hg⁰), and within the copper ores as “Mercury copper amalgam” (CuHg). When elemental mercury is released from the ores, it oxidizes in the atmosphere to form inorganic mercury (Hg²⁺) (Risher, 2003; …

Healthcare Access Barriers And Proposed Solutions For Limited English-Proficient (Lep) Latinx Patients In Southwest Michigan, Carmen Vinkemulder

Honors Theses

This research study explores the circumstances and experiences of LatinX patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) when seeking treatment in the healthcare system of Southwest Michigan, in addition to proposing solutions to better facilitate this population’s access. The terminology used in this research, LatinX, is an American English neologism used as a genderinclusive term used interchangeably with Latino/a and/or Hispanic. This research provides an overview of the current socio-political legislature and climate of the American healthcare system as it pertains to the LatinX population to spread awareness and identify the barriers existing in our current healthcare model. This study will …

A Review Of Remote Work Evaluation Approaches, Rebecca Allen

Honors Theses

With the introduction of the COVID-19 public health crisis, many United States workers were involuntarily placed in remote working conditions. As a result, it is imperative to understand the varying effects of remote working conditions on employee and organizational performance. Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior Management are two specializations within the field of psychology that recognize the need for understanding these conditions. These two fields hold distinctly different theoretical approaches and as such evaluate the effects of remote work in different ways. Understanding the difference between these assessments is essential for identifying where each journal type may fall short in …

Eyewitness Identification, Alley Chan

Honors Theses

Eyewitness identification often plays a crucial role in the criminal justice system. It can be used to make an arrest, both exonerate and convict suspects, fuel police interrogation, and influence a plea bargaining decision. In the meantime, eyewitness misidentification has contributed to approximately 69% of the wrongful convictions, making it the leading factor in wrongful convictions nationwide. Hence, the central question that will be explored in this thesis is: Why eyewitness testimony is so powerful despite it is prone to error? To answer this question, this thesis will examine the role of eyewitness identification played in the criminal justice system …

Moving Across Rural Spaces: A Content Analysis Of Contemporary Realistic Fiction Picturebooks With Rural Settings, Suzette Youngs, James A. Erekson, Christine Kyser

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Romanticized rural storytelling creates difficulties for rural children in finding mirrors, seeing people like themselves and places like their homes as principal characters and settings in picturebooks. The same romanticism likewise makes it unlikely for picturebook readers in cities and suburbs to find realistic windows into rural life. Despite children’s book publishers’ purposeful increases in realistic representations of children across racial and cultural groups in recent decades, realistic and diverse narratives within rural spaces remain underrepresented, if not invisible. Drawing on critical rural theory (Fulkerson & Thomas, 2014; Williams, 1973) and tenets of nostalgia and the rural idyll (Boym, 2001, …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Pbis): Does Stronger Implementation Relate To More Equitable Student Outcomes In School Discipline?, Stephenie C. Bruce

Dissertations

For this study, I explored the degree of implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework and the existence of disproportionality of formal school disciplinary responses to behavioral occurrences by race/ethnicity, sex, special education status (SPED), and socioeconomic status (SES) of students. Further, I investigated the relationship between a school’s degree of implementation of PBIS and the existence of disproportionality by race/ethnicity, sex, SPED, and SES, and investigated the differences in the existence of disproportionality in schools that fully implemented PBIS and schools that did not fully implement PBIS.

Literature exists on PBIS implementation and, separately, on the …