Digital Commons Network^™

Toolkit For Mental Health Professionals, Social Workers, And Guidance Counselors Working With Immigrant And Refugee Students, Rojina Maya Mccarthy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this Capstone project is to develop a best practices toolkit for social workers and mental health professionals working with immigrant and refugee students in school setting. The toolkit is intended to be disseminated by The Advocates for Human Rights to social workers, guidance counselors, and other mental health professionals who work with immigrant and refugee children. This toolkit will also be used by the staff in the organization.

Plan B Emergency Contraception: Sampled University Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Natalie Hazel

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to assess and evaluate sampled university students' knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to the Plan B emergency contraceptive. To collect data, a 29 item survey was developed and administered to students in sampled classrooms at Minnesota State University, Mankato campus regarding their knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to the Plan B emergency contraceptive; as well as demographic information. The findings of the study indicated there were some participants who have much knowledge about the Plan B emergency contraceptive. However, findings also showed that there were a number of participants who lacked knowledge …

Victim Blaming, Protests, And Public Space: News Coverage Of The Occupy Wall Street Sexual Assaults, Abigail Barefoot

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Occupy Wall Street was a national protest centered on wealth redistribution and sparked a national dialogue about economic reform. The movement faced internal challenges of crime occurring in the camps including sexual assault; these crimes were covered by news outlets as part of their Occupy Wall Street coverage. This thesis will expand upon previous feminist research on sexual violence news coverage by using a feminist media analysis to examine the coverage of sexual assaults occurring during Occupy Wall Street. Previous feminist research on sexual assault coverage argues that newspapers use myths about rape to discredit the crime and blame the …

The Impact Of Instructions: Perceptions Of Note-Taking And Awareness Of Metacognitive Listening For Esl Students, Ayami Murakami

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Taking effective notes while listening to a lecture is one of the important strategies for students in order to fulfill their academic goals. A number of empirical studies have been done to emphasize its importance; however, much fewer studies focusing on the impact of note-taking instruction have been done. Moreover, not only note-taking strategies but also high listening strategies are required to take notes while listening. The current study investigated the impact of instructions of note-taking and listening on ESL students. A total number of 23 upper-intermediate ESL students experienced training of taking notes and metacognitive listening over a semester. …

University Commitment: Test Of A Three-Component Model, Brittany Davis

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

University commitment is critical to university success, as it positively impacts retention, as well as many other student attitudes and behaviors (Beil, Reisen, Zea, & Caplan, 1999; Tinto, 1987; Tinto, 2006; Woosley & Miller, 2009). Therefore, psychometrically sound measures of university commitment are of great importance to universities. The present study seeks to test the psychometric properties of a newly developed scale of university commitment. This study measured the internal consistency reliability, content validity, and construct validity of the newly created measure. Divergent validity was evaluated by comparing the new measure to the Perceived Academic Achievement Scale (Meagher, 2012) and …

Study Of Touch Gesture Performance By Four And Five Year-Old Children: Point-And-Touch, Drag-And-Drop, Zoom-In And Zoom-Out, And Rotate, Zainab Hamza

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Past research has focused on children's interaction with computers through mouse clicks, and mouse research studies focused on point-and-click and drag-and-drop. However, More research is necessary in regard to children's ability to perform touch gestures such as point-and-touch, drag-and-drop, zoom-in and zoom-out, and rotate. Furthermore, research should consider specific gestures such as zoom-in and zoom-out, and rotate tasks for young children. The aim of this thesis is to study the ability of 4 and 5 year-old children to interact with touch devices and perform tasks such as: point-and-touch, drag-and-drop, zoom-in and zoom-out, and rotate. This thesis tests an iPad application …

Personal Electronic Device Use In Face-To-Face Organizational Meetings: How It Is Perceived And The Factors Influencing Perceptions, Kimber Goodwin

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The use of personal electronic devices by professionals can both increase efficiency and create distractions. Because of this dichotomy, perceptions of the use of personal electronic devices in meetings may be divided. The purpose of this study is to determine how personal electronic device use in face-to-face organizational meetings is perceived, how perceptions are changing over time, which factor has the greatest influence on perceptions, and how this influential factor shapes and guides perceptions. In order to make these determinations, a two-phase study is conducted. In phase one, a content analysis of comments left in response to articles and blogs …

Dsm-Iv-Tr/Dsm-5, An Evidence-Based Comparative Analysis With Focus On The Cultural Context Of Mental Health Illness Of: Bipolar Disorders, Depression, Autism Disorders, Anxiety And Adhd., Claudia Zendejas-Finley

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The DSM-5 presents many changes in the criteria and categories used in the clinical diagnosis of clients. In addition, the proposed changes within the DSM-5 also attempts to address some of the concerns regarding the lack of a contextual assessment process regarding the role of culture within the lives of clients (Warren, 2013). This research aims to create a comparison between the DSM-IV-TR and the DSM-5 of some of the most common diagnosis used by Family Service Rochester including: bipolar disorder, depression, autism disorder, anxiety and ADHD. In addition, this project also intends to develop a comprehensive cultural analysis of …

Implementation Of The Ready! For Kindergarten Program, Sharon Bonnett

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Research has shown that nearly 50 percent of Minnesota children entering kindergarten are not well prepared with the skills necessary to be successful in the kindergarten curriculum (MinneMinds, 2014 ). This gap in kindergarten readiness creates an achievement gap causing students to face significant hurdles to academic achievement (MinneMinds, 2014) which are hard to improve over time. Investment in parent-focused early childhood education programs has been shown to create the heftiest gains for children across a wide range of outcome measures and is a critical step in ensuring that children are prepared for success in school (Neville et al., 2013).

Training And Burnout Among Paraprofessionals Who Work With Children With Ebd, Daniel Boston

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to learn about the experiences of paraprofessionals who are working with children with emotional behavior disorders and, more specifically, their perceptions about the adequacy of training and the burnout they may experience.

College Student Perceptions Of Mental Health Counseling At Minnesota State University, Mankato, Holly Barkeim

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The Counseling Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato offers mental health counseling services to MNSU students that are free, confidential, and conveniently located on campus. Despite the range of services, the affordability and confidentiality, as well as current marketing strategies used by the Counseling Center, services appear to be significantly underutilized by students on campus. This study examines student perceptions of on campus mental health services and barriers that may prevent students from accessing services. The goal of the project is to assist the Counseling Center in improving their marketing strategies to students identified as being underserved.

Developing Trauma-Informed Practice In A Community Mental Health Clinic: In The Child Welfare Context, Kelly Froehle

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

• This project provides direction for working with clients who present at First Street Center for mental health services with a trauma history.
• As child welfare staff work to develop trauma-informed practice, having similar procedures and services at First Street Center may complement services families are receiving from the county as a whole.

A Feasibility Study On A Men’S Cancer Support Group At The Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato Andreas Cancer Center, Nicole Giersdorf

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The Institute of Medicine published a report in 2007 which outlined numerous sources of psychosocial distress that, ideally, should be managed when working with patients with cancer. Typically, they involve a lack of information available to the patient, emotional problems such as depression or anxiety, a lack of transportation and other resources, and disruptions to their daily life. Combined, these factors all contribute to poor adherence to prescribed treatments, and a slower return to health. Attending social support groups is a popular approach to coping with health problems such as these in the United States, and is considered to be …

Impact Evaluation On The Parents Support And Outreach Program (Psop) Olmsted County Child And Family Services, Lucy Matos

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this impact evaluation was to identify critical components that support the work done by PSOP by analyzing the effectiveness in serving all families, and to monitor the relative cost of providing these essential services to the at risk population in Olmsted County.

1. To obtain a sample of cases closed in 2011 and categorize them by type of services / determinations prior, during and after PSOP involvement.
2. To conduct a two-year follow up on PSOP impact; including a) maltreatment report by type and finding, and b) reentry for Child and Family Services by type and intensity (voluntary/involuntary).
3. To …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Pbis): Lessons Learned From The Implementation Process Of An Evidence-Based Program, Tara Mershon

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to assess the implementation process of PBIS in rural, consolidated school districts in southern Minnesota. The ideals of PBIS are in line with GFW Schools mission to foster lifelong learners in a caring environment. GFW schools aspire to promote positive social and emotional behavior and provide all students with a quality education to prepare them for future educational experiences. The recommendations from this project will inform the implementation of PBIS in the GFW School District, which is occurring in the 2014-2016 academic years.

Cpt Vs Pe For Ptsd? Literature Review On Efficacy Of Cpt And Pe Based On Gender, Chronicity, And Race/Ethnicity, Christelle C. Sackey

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition that can be diagnosed on veterans who have been exposed to traumatic events. PTSD not only has negative physical symptoms, but it also compromises veterans’ chances of living a productive live. Efforts to find effective treatments for PTSD has led to the development of a few form of therapies, including Prolonged Exposure(PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) which have received special attention for military related PTSD. After more than 20 years of research, it has been proven that CPT and PE are the best treatments of choice for PTSD. However, …

Training And Burnout Among Paraprofessionals Who Work With Children With Emotional Behavioral Disorders, Jenna Robinson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

To assist the Waseca school district in addressing the training and self-care needs of paraprofessionals, keeping the overall mission in mind of empowering students to succeed in the academic environment, this project examined the training received and factors related to subsequent professional burnout among paraprofessionals in Waseca schools.

Expanding ‘Family Education’ Programs For Intensive Residential Treatment Services (Irts): A Study Of Minnesota Irts Programs, Abby Sharp

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS) programs provide mental health treatment to adults with a Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI). The programs are required by the state of Minnesota to offer family education and support to clients and their families while the clients are receiving IRTS treatment. The purpose of this project was to assess IRTS programs across the state, and in conclusion, provide an expansive family education program at Horizon Homes, Inc. IRTS program in South Central Minnesota.

Responding To A Community Need: Mobile Crisis Program Training Manuals, Kelsey Tollefson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a training curriculum for the South Central Mobile Crisis Program, which is a part of Horizon Homes, Inc. Continued education and training is required for all mental health professionals, mental health practitioners, and rehabilitative staff. Because of the requirements outlined in Minnesota statute 256B.0944, 256B.0624,and the Department of Human Services, all staff within this program must receive at least thirty hours of crisis-related training prior to working with clients.

Implementing Pbis In A Rural Junior High School: Reducing Negative Behaviors And Gaining Future Teacher Buy-In, Kelly T. Vourlos

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) improves student outcomes including higher graduation rates, improved classroom behaviors and management, less discipline referrals, increased student engagement, improved academic performance, increased faculty retention, and an overall better school experience for staff and students. Staff buy-in can be difficult to obtain, but is critically important for school-wide success of PBIS. The purpose of this project was to investigate if a short-term exposure to PBIS-like intervention would change buy-in for junior high school teachers in Belle Plaine School District and evaluate their opinions about PBIS, along with comparing student incident reports before and throughout the …

The Impact Of Race And Ethnicity On Sexual Violence: A Case Study On Underserved Populations In Minnesota, Lindsay Bolstad

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Sexual violence in Minnesota impacts hundreds of thousands of lives and costs billions of dollars each year. This qualitative case study describes how victims that are people of color experience sexual violence at disproportionately high rates and face additional barriers when seeking legal, medical, and mental health and crisis advocacy services in Minnesota. The methodology employed includes secondary data collection using books, scholarly articles, and archival data. Individual interviews and a focus group interview were used to collect primary research. The voluntary interview participants were advocates that provide services for victims of sexual violence in Minnesota. The interviews were audio-recorded …

"My Baby Is A Dog": Exploration Of Pet Parent Identity, Lacey Y. Boston

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This quantitative research examined dog owners (n = 100) regarding their relationship with their pets. After beginning to treat her own dog as a child she questioned what happens when a human child enters a family and what impact that has on the pet owners' identity. The researcher hypothesized that having children under the age of 18 in the home would impact dog owners' identity and salience based on their relationship with their pet. She created 13 questions for the survey which operationalized the concepts of identity salience and prominence. By surveying 100 dog owners and asking them about certain …

Physical Environment And Women's Physical Activity Behaviors, Beth Ann Brisky

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study was developed using the Ecological Model (Stokols, 1992). The purpose of this study was to determine women's perceptions of the physical environment and the relationship between perceptions and physical activity behaviors. The study also analyzed women's non-motorized transportation behaviors, including walking and cycling to get from place to place. An email was sent to 526 female Minnesota State University, Mankato employees to ask them to participate in an electronic survey. The survey was developed using two of Sallis's (2013a, 2013b) instruments, Neighborhood Quality of Life Study survey and Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale-Confirmatory Factor Analysis survey. The survey consisted …

Factors That Affect The Decision-Making Process Of African American Students, Marcella Genise Dial

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There is only a 9 % representation of African American students on colleges campuses across the country compared to 72.9% of Caucasian students. There are many reasons that affect African American students' decisions to participate in higher education. Colleges across the country are making strides to recruit minority students. However, in order for colleges to increase their minority enrollment, particularly with African American students, they must understand the factors that affect African Americans students' decisions to participate in higher education. Personal, economic, academic, and social factors were examined to understand African American students' reasons for enrolling or not enrolling in …

An Investigation Into The Effect Of Power On Entrepreneurial Motivations, Jack Reed Durand

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The effects of power have been shown to exhibit a wide variety of effects on an individual's psychology. The present study explored power, as a form of resources control, and its effects on an individual's tendency to seek out entrepreneurship or entrepreneurial environments. According to various definitions of entrepreneurship, it can be argued that the process of entrepreneurship would represent a form of gathering power around oneself in the form of various resources. Attempts were made to determine whether a relationship existed between the experience power, and an individual's subsequent response to seeking entrepreneurial environments. The present study was able …

Knowledge Of Hpv, Perception Of Risk, And Intent To Obtain Hpv Vaccination Among Sampled Male University Students At Minnesota State University, Mankato, Lia Lambert

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the U.S. HPV is known to cause many types of cancers such as cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. A preventative measure, the HPV vaccine, is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for both boys and girls. Since past prevention efforts primarily focused on female vaccination it is uncertain if males are aware of HPV, its effects and preventative measures. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge level of HPV, perceived risk of HPV and intent to obtain HPV vaccination among …

Landscape And Impervious Surface Mapping In The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Using Feature Recognition And Decision Tree Techniques, Philipp Nagel

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and Impervious Surface Area (ISA) are important parameters for many environmental studies, and serve as an essential tool for decision makers and stakeholders in Urban & Regional planning. Newly available high spatial resolution aerial ortho-imagery and LiDAR data, in combination with specialized, object-oriented and decision-tree classification techniques, allow for accurate mapping of these features. In this study, a method was developed to first classify LULC using an object-based classifier, and then use the resulting map as input for a decision-tree model to classify ISA in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area in Minnesota. It was …

The Influence Of Father-Child Relationship On Adolescents' Mental Health, Yea Seul Pyun

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There is a lack of studies focused on fathers despite of the growing attention on the importance of father's role in children and adolescents' mental health. The current study examined the influence of father-child relationship on marginalized adolescents' internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors. Participants were 48 adolescents recruited through the Youth Voice community program, who completed self-report questionnaires. The results indicated that adolescents who had better relationships with their fathers had lower levels of internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors. Older adolescents had higher symptoms of internalizing problems than younger adolescents. However, age was not associated with internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive …

Experiences And Perspectives Of Clinical Supervisors In Cross-Cultural Supervision: The Impact Of Supervisor Race And Ethnicity, Masahiko Sato

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative study explored experiences of racial and ethnic minority supervisors in cross-cultural supervision in the counseling related fields in the U.S. or Canada. Five supervisors from different countries of origin participated. Both their general experiences in supervision and the ways in which the racial and ethnic minority supervisors managed cultural discussions and the supervisors' own needs were examined in supervision. The phenomenological study sought to describe the essence of the racial and ethnic minority supervisors in cross-cultural supervision and identified several themes grounded in their experiences: (a) distinct experiences as racial and ethnic minority supervisors; (b) managing diversity issues …

An Outreach Program Case Study: Assessing And Imparting Social Capital, Autumn Lynn Thompson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

College outreach programs have been on the rise in the past couple of decades. They hope to help historically underrepresented students (first generation, low income, and minority) aspire to and prepare for higher education. However little research has been done on the effectiveness of these programs and more specifically which components are most effective for increasing student enrollment and retention. This study addresses this lack studying the effectiveness of social capital in college outreach programs, in an effort to move towards more evidence based research and practice. The study uses qualitative methods and in-depth interviews to directly investigate social capital …