Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons^™

Adolescent Thc Usage In Virginia: Post-Legalization Challenges And Strategies For Schools, David Naff, Meg Sheriff, Jill Flynn, Marzia Farhana, Kris Herakovich-Curtis, Gerron Scott, Fred Gatty, Priyadarshini Pattath, Diane Williams, Kiana Bradford, Reena Desai, Lauren Powell, Lisa Gwyn

MERC Publications

Recreational marijuana was legalized for anyone over the age of 21 in Virginia in 2021. This research and policy brief explores evidence of the impact of such legalization on Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) usage in PK-12 aged youth, including smoking, vaping, edibles, and dabbing. It addresses the following questions: 1) What are the recent trends in marijuana usage among PK-12 aged youth? 2) What are the impacts of THC usage in schools, particularly after legalization? 3) How can schools and school systems effectively respond to THC usage? 4) What are relevant federal, state, and school division policies that guide responses to youth …

The Landscape Of Advanced Coursework Participation: Understanding Disparities And Intersectionality, Chin-Chih Chen, Chris Parthemos, David Naff, Erica Ross, Virginia Palencia, Beth Fowler, Andrea Herndon, Beverly Fludd-Flanagan

MERC Publications

This population-based study explored students' participation in advanced coursework in elementary schools (gifted/talented programs), middle schools (Algebra I+), and high schools (Advanced Placement) to address enrollment equity. The study identified demographic disparities and the intersectionality of multiple identities to achieve two research aims: 1) to explore how advanced course-taking varies by student demographics, and 2) to understand how disparities in advanced course-taking vary by student demographics and intersectional identities. The findings indicate that disparities in advanced course-taking are related to students’ race, ethnicity, disability status, English learner (EL) status, socioeconomic status, as well as the intersection of these variables. The …

Student-Athletes’ Decision-Making Process For Selecting An Academic Major, Gina S. Pearson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how collegiate student-athletes experience the decision-making process for selecting their academic major at a midsize, Division I university in the Midwest. With four participants from four different sports, this study’s results centered around four research questions: what was most important to the student-athlete when selecting a major, what challenges they ran into, what role others played in their decision-making process, and how the student-athletes’ athletic identity manifested in their decision-making for their major.

Results of this study indicated that student-athletes value the practical application to a career that their major can …

Giving Retakes Their Best Chance To Improve Learning., Thomas Data Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Assessment retakes can improve student learning if educators clear up a few misconceptions and avoid common missteps.

Access Does Not Guarantee Inclusion: An Exploration Of Student Organizations Fostering Belonging For Black And Minority Students At A Faith-Based Institution, Heidi Neely

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Black and minority students often do not persist to graduation and voluntarily drop out due to dissatisfaction with the lack of inclusivity and belonging experiences at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). This research examined the sense of belonging and inclusion for Black students at Southern Cross College (SCC; pseudonym), a private, faith-based institution located in an urban city in the southeastern region of the United States. All students are welcomed at SCC; however, there is an obscure caveat. Students whose identities align with specific diverse characteristics (ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religious belief) may find themselves feeling isolated, excluded, and ostracized from the …

Characteristics Of Effective Postsecondary Advising: How Often To Meet And What To Focus On, Grace Pai, Melissa De Feo

Publications and Research

Using data from a senior exit survey administered at public high schools in New York City, this study explores the relationship between quantity and quality of postsecondary advisement, parental/guardian involvement in postsecondary planning, and students’ likelihood of exiting high school with a full-time college plan. Results show receiving help in completing college applications, along with talking to a counselor and parents/guardians at least 3 times in their senior year, to be salient predictors of college-going.

How A Community Engagement Model Of Near-Peer Counseling Impacts Student Mentors’ College Outcomes, Leigh Mccallen, Neshat Yazdani, Grace Pai, Janice Bloom, Lori Chajet, Michelle Fine

Publications and Research

This study examines how a community engagement model of near-peer counseling impacts counselors’ own college success as underrepresented students in higher education, here defined as one-year persistence in college. Near-peer mentors participated in a program provided by College Access: Research and Action (CARA), which trains young people to support peers in their home communities at New York City public high schools and City University of New York (CUNY) 2-year colleges through critical college application, enrollment, and retention milestones. Aggregated across 4 years of data, our results indicate CARA near-peer counselors are nearly twice as likely to persist in college (p < .001) as peers with similar demographic and academic characteristics not participating in CARA. Findings are replicated for students of color (2.09 times higher, p < .001) and economically disadvantaged students (1.78 times higher, p = .003). Implications for peer mentor program development through public university–community partnerships are discussed.

Grit, Efficacy, Commitment And Career Planning, Mary Clare Newsham

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This current study advanced understanding of the career goal-setting and relevant goal-related attitudes to the career planning process. Specifically, this study evaluated how career goal commitment, career goal self-efficacy and grit affect career goal structures and effort. A multidimensional career goal commitment scale was developed to differentiate intrinsic (affective) from rational types of commitments. Findings supported affective career goal commitment as consequential to the completeness of career goal structures and in career-relevant effort. Also, career goal self-efficacy was found to predict career planners’ self-efficacy for shorter term performance.

Magnetic Hallway Huddles: Attract And Retain High-Quality Professionals, David Wolff, Carissa Gober, Donna Zerr

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

This presentation was conducted for a national conference about mentoring. The authors discussed Tinto’s Model of Institutional Departure and Schlossberg’s Model for Analyzing Human Adaptation to Transition as theoretical frameworks to explain the transition and retention of university professors. The focus on the study was the three authors who transitioned to the same university during the 2022-2023 academic year. Authors discussed their experiences of the transition and found themes related to the mentoring process that that acclimated them to the institution and influenced their retention.

Power Of A Feminist Identity On Sense Of Self And Purpose, Kerry Diekmann

Adultspan Journal

This study centered on feminist-identified women and the meaning they made from their feminist identity. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis design, eight women were interviewed to understand their lived experience and the influence their social or political identity had on how they experienced and made sense of their world. The overarching finding was that all participants exuded a strong sense of self, which seemed to provide resilience and empower participants to navigate sexism and other injustice. Themes that support this finding include exhibiting confidence and self-advocacy, confronting sexism, and describing a connection between feminist identity and career or activism. Implications …

Bibliography, Aaron W. Hughey

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Aaron W. Hughey.

Bibliography, Lacretia Dye

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Lacretia Dye.

Assessing Academic Advisement Preferences Among Master’S Students: A Modification Of The Prescriptive/Developmental Preference Scale, Marian "Gina" Sample

Theses and Dissertations

Academic advisement plays a significant role in enrollment retention and degree attainment. Little is known, however, about what master’s students want and need from their advisement experience, as most research on advisement preferences has focused on undergraduate students. The Prescriptive/Developmental Preference Scale (Yarbrough, 2010) was designed to assess students’ academic advisement preferences, particularly as they relate to prescriptive and developmental advisement. The author of the PDPS, which was piloted with undergraduate students, found that the instrument had construct validity issues, especially regarding the Prescriptive construct. This study aimed to modify and expand the PDPS to reliably assess master’s students’ advisement …

Best Practices Utilized By School Counselors In Increasing Latino Male College Readiness, Robert Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to identify best practices incorporated by secondary school counselors in California high schools that promote, support, and increase college-going identity and foster a supportive college-going environment for Latino male students. The researcher used a phenomenological qualitative study to capture the best practices and strategies academic counselors utilize to overcome the challenges of increasing Latino male academic achievement and college readiness. The findings of this study suggest that practices such as building supportive and caring environments, developing a college-going culture, increasing college readiness opportunities for Latino males, and targeted support increase college readiness among Latino males. Recommendations from …

Perceptions Of Mental Health Support Services Among South Asian Students, Naina Richards

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES AMONG SOUTH ASIAN STUDENTS

Naina Richards, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2023

Katy Jaekel, Director

This qualitative research study aimed to identify stigmas surrounding mental health that influenced South Asian graduate students’ help-seeking behavior while enrolled in higher education. Findings from this study suggest that cultural stigmas associated with mental illness foster concerning attitudes among South Asian students that equate mental illness with weakness and thus, promote minimization of personal mental struggles to avoid negative labeling and judgement. Recommendations from this study encourage university student support services to …

Career Handbook, Unlv Career Services

Career Handbook

The job search can be daunting and intimidating, but you are not alone in this journey. As you move into the next stage of your professional career, we want you to know that you have the support of UNLV Career Services, the UNLV Alumni Association, and employers who are part of our Rebel Family. We are here to mentor, guide, and walk you through the job search process, and we are invested in your future.

The road to career success is not always as easy as we might hope. You may encounter setbacks and struggles throughout the next few years, …

Inclusive Practices In Catholic Education: A Restorative Realignment, Carla Vellutini

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Catholic schools need to examine the barriers to, benefits of, and interventions needed when implementing inclusive practices into their institutions. Catholic schools are experiencing an increase in enrolled students identified with learning and behavioral needs; however, they frequently lack resources and expertise to provide the necessary support for these students and their families to succeed. Research studies identify teacher attitudes and perceptions regarding inclusive practices as vital factors to create successful culture change.

A single group pretest-posttest design, incorporated into this action research study, measured the attitudes and stress of teachers before and after a 14-week long intervention for eight …

Addressing School Bullying Since The Onset Of Covid-19: A Merc Research And Policy Brief, David Naff, Morgan Meadowes, Kim Dupre, Alicia Gaston, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Christina Tillery, Makeba Lindsay D'Abreu, Lauren Powell, Deanna Fierro

MERC Publications

Among the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is a shift in the nature and intensity of school bullying, perhaps symptomatic of the rapid changes and stressors that PK-12 students have endured since 2020. In this MERC research and policy brief, we explore how school bullying has changed since the onset of COVID-19 as well as research-based strategies for how educators and division leaders can best respond to it. The brief answers the following questions: 1) What is the nature of school bullying since the onset of COVID-19? 2) Which students have been particularly impacted by bullying since the pandemic? …

The Transition Into Higher Education For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Tj Estabrook

Masters Theses

There are more students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in higher education now than ever before and these students need to be supported in ways that will guarantee their success. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of six students with ASD as they transition into higher education through the use of semi-structured interviews. What was discovered is that students with ASD typically overestimate the difficulty of academics and underestimate the amount of social interaction they will encounter at the college level. These students are able to identify aspects of themselves that help them to succeed …

The Role Of Time Perspective In The College Major Selection Process, Anders C. Voss

Masters Theses

This phenomenological study examined the experiences of formerly undeclared college sophomores as they navigated major selection and how their time perspective influenced their decision-making process. This study applied time perspective theory to the issue of major selection for college students, an undertaking that offers a new perspective on the professional practices of academic advising and career services on college campuses. This study utilized semi-structured interviews of four female-identifying formerly undeclared students. Participant responses revealed that negative future time attitudes and a lack of future orientation can both contribute to behaviors that defer career decision-making. In contrast, professional staff and faculty …

Undocumented Students’ Voice, Mtss, And School Counselors’ Mental Health Advocacy: A Transformative Mixed Methods Study, Oliver Camacho

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Many young undocumented students are experiencing mental health issues in K-12 schools. Researchers have found a myriad of psychological stressors that add to the complexity of being an undocumented student in the United States. Educators have noted an increased concern in undocumented students expressing concerns of fears at school, acculturation stress, migratory stress, heightened reports of depression, increased anxiety, and a proclivity towards emotional and behavioral problems. There is limited research that reviews mental health supports in schools for undocumented students that includes the voices of school counselors and undocumented students in a transformative paradigm. This study seeks to inform …

Bibliography, Monica G. Burke

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Monica Galloway Burke.

Identifying Success Strategies For Hmong American Students In Higher Education, Jason Xiong

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Hmong Americans' postsecondary completion rates remain low when compared to other Asian ethnic groups. As the Hmong population continues to grow, so does the need for intervention to increase the total number of postsecondary graduates. Many Hmong Americans are first-generation college students and continue to face challenges and barriers that prevent them from being successful in higher education. “Forty-seven and a half percent of Hmong adults (25 years or older) reported having attended college, but not earning a degree” (National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, 2011). Without a college degree, Hmong Americans face limited resources …

Resilience Of The Black Woman: Thriving Through Storytelling, Kimberly R. Miller

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The study explored how storytelling develops resilience in Black women, enabling them to thrive after overcoming adversity. Storytelling can be conducted in a variety of ways, such as through writing, interaction with others, and self-analysis, however, this study will focus on the value of informal oral storytelling through the interactions with others. Studies reveal that Black women are disproportionately impacted by inequities concerning equal rights, employment, equal pay, education, discrimination, affordable healthcare and housing, criminal justice, and voting rights. Despite these inequities, Black women are significant contributors to the workforce, economy, and society, demonstrating resilience. There is limited research that …

Navigating Identity Uncertainty: Identity Distress During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alan Meca, Kelsie K. Allison, Julia Passini, Taryn Veniegas, Bethany Cruz, Linda G. Castillo, Seth J. Schwartz, Byron L. Zamboanga, Minas Michikyan, Melissa Bessaha, Pamela C. Regan, Kaveri Subrahmanyam, John Bartholomew, Brandy Piña-Watson, Miguel Ángel Cano, Charles R. Martinez Jr.

Psychology Faculty Publications

The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have only recently begun to be explored. Among college students, who were faced with sudden and unprecedented changes and challenges, it is likely that COVID-19 detrimentally impacted the establishment of a sense of self, a key developmental task of the college years. However, no research has examined the relationships among COVID-19 related worries, identity distress, and psychological and academic adjustment. To address these gaps in the current study, we examined the prevalence of identity distress, the relationship between COVID-19 related worries and identity distress, and the direct and indirect associations between COVID-19 related …

Mind Wandering In Daily Life: A National Experience Sampling Study Of Intentional And Unintentional Mind Wandering Episodes Reported By Working Adults Ages 25 – 50, Paula C. Lowe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Numerous researchers have investigated thinking that drifts away from what the individual was doing, thinking that is known as mind wandering. Their inquiries were often conducted in university lab settings with student participants. To learn about mind wandering in the daily life of working adults, this experience sampling study investigated intentional and unintentional mind wandering episodes as reported by working adults, ages 25–50, living across the United States. In this age frame, work and family responsibilities have increased in complexity and overlap. Using a smartphone app, participants were randomly notified to answer experience sampling surveys six times a day for …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Recent High School Graduates Regarding Pk-12 School Safety Measures Considering Increased Occurrences Of Mass School Shootings: A Q Method Study, Marie Farjian

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School violence and mass school shootings are increasing at an alarming rate in our nation (Arnold, 2015; Ash & Sanders, 2018; Baird, Roellke, & Zeifman, 2017; Beland & Kim, 2016; De Apodaca, Brighton, Perkins, Jackson, & Steege, 2012; Duplechain & Morris, 2016; Elliott, 2015; Gerard, Whitefield, Porther, & Browne, 2016; Haan & Mays, 2013; Jonson, 2017). Institutions of learning that were once deemed safe and sacred have turned into metaphorical and literal battlegrounds (Jonson, 2017). As a result of the increased risk of mass school shootings many states have implemented laws to assist in implementing more rigid safety measures within …

Assessing Transfer Student Acclimation And Help-Seeking, Dylan Haase

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

Adoption And Use Of Plagiarism Software By Postgraduate Students In Universities In South-West, Nigeria, Olusegun Adebayo Opesanwo, Hannah Okon Anwana

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Over the years, there has been an increase awakening on plagiarism and the need to curb it, especially among postgraduate students. Hence, the need for them to have a good knowledge of plagiarism software.

This study investigates the adoption and use of plagiarism software among postgraduate students in universities in South-west Nigeria. Employing a survey research design and random sampling, thirty-four postgraduate students from each of the universities were selected.

The findings of the study revealed a moderate level of awareness among the respondents regarding the availability of plagiarism software. The frequency of use was also found to be low, …

Characteristics Of Effective Postsecondary Advising: How Often To Meet And What To Focus On, Grace Pai, Melissa De Feo

Journal of College Access

Using data from a large-scale senior exit survey administered at public high schools in New York City, this study aims to parse out what quantitative and qualitative characteristics of postsecondary advising are most influential in predicting students’ likelihood to attend college. We apply a broader conceptual framework for postsecondary advisement that includes school-based college advising as well as parental advisement on college and career planning. Results from logistic regression analyses show receiving help in completing college applications, along with talking to a counselor and parents/guardians at least 3 times in their senior year, to be salient predictors of college-going.