Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Complex Trauma: Counselors' Self-Efficacy And Treatment, Breeze Valenska Rueda

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory mixed-method study was twofold: to explore counselors’ perceptions and knowledge regarding complex trauma and, assess counselors’ perceptions regarding their level of confidence when working with this population. The study determined what relevant factors were related to counselors’ perceived self-efficacy concerning complex trauma. Although complex trauma is emerging as an important issue, there is limited research regarding counselors’ experiences with complex trauma. The current study explored participants’ perceptions when providing services to individuals with prolonged and cumulative trauma and provided a greater understanding of counselors’ recognition and selfefficacy when working with this population. A …

Early Educator Awareness Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In Preschool Hispanic Populations, Karla Cecilia Vidaurri

Theses and Dissertations

Christensen et al. (2016) highlights how "there are disparities by race/ethnicity in estimated ASD prevalence, particularly for Hispanic children, as well as disparities in the age of earliest comprehensive evaluation and presence of a previous ASD diagnosis or classification, suggesting that access to treatment and services might be lacking or delayed for some children" With an increase in autism prevalence and Hispanic population, there's a crucial demand for effective servicing and referrals for early identification of Autism.

The aim of this study was to analyze how prepared early educators are in identifying children that fall under the category of autism …

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors' Experiences, Perceptions, And Readiness Related To Self-Employment Of People With Disabilities, Deborah Ashley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences, perceptions, and readiness (EPR) of vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) supporting people with disabilities (PWD) in self-employment. While PWD are twice as likely to be self-employed than the general population, self-employment case closure rates within vocational rehabilitation remain historically low around 2%.

Descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistical analysis were used to investigate the EPR of 205 Certified Rehabilitation Counselors across the nation via an online survey, the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Self-Employment Process Survey (VRC-SEPS). The VRC-SEPS consists of demographic items, two Likert-type scales examining experiences and readiness, and a set …

Factors Contributing To Successful Employment Outcomes For Individuals Who Are Hard-Of-Hearing, Sergio Cuevas

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between demographic variables (gender, race and ethnicity, age, level of education, and secondary disability), state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, and VR employment outcomes among individuals who are hard-of-hearing. This study also explored what VR services contribute to employment outcomes for individuals who are hard-of-hearing. Data from The U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Service Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) FY 2014 was used to focus on individuals who are hard-of-hearing. Logistic regression, Chi-square, and Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analyses were used to analyze the RSA-911 dataset.

A Study Of Counselor Trainees' Self-Perceived Competency In Social Justice Advocacy, Mary Ann Rocha

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to examine the social justice advocacy competencies of rehabilitation counselor trainees. The study aims to explore rehabilitation counselor trainees’ self-perceived social justice advocacy competencies. More specifically, counselor trainees’ demographic and training variables will be examined to understand the process of social justice advocacy competency. Also, the study will explore the correlation between social justice advocacy competency and ethical awareness. A convenience sample of counselor trainees who are in a master’s-level or doctoral level rehabilitation counseling program or related counseling program was utilized for this study. In total, 132 counselors in training completed the online …

An Exploratory Factor Analysis: Factors That Influence Employers Disposition To Hire And Retain Persons With Disabilities, Javier Nazario Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the laws that are in place to ensure equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, there continues to be a disparity in employment rates for persons with disabilities when compared to persons without disabilities. Understanding factors that influence employers disposition to hire and retain persons with disabilities is the first step towards developing a guide for professionals that provide direct job placement services to this population in developing an educational intervention plan that is conducive to employers being more receptive to hiring persons with disabilities.

Currently there are many studies that focus on employers’ attitudes towards hiring and retaining …

Multicultural Counselor Supervision And Perceived Differences On Client Outcome, Andrew Perez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences between counselor supervisors’ and supervisees’ perceptions of the impact of multicultural supervision on client outcome. Counselor supervisors and supervisees may have differences in how much they believe multicultural factors affect client outcome and this study aims to determine what differences exist. These differences are important in understanding how supervisors might better serve supervisees and in turn clients. There were 61 participants in the study that consisted of faculty, counselor supervisors, counselors, and graduate students in counseling-related fields. The current study found that multicultural supervision/competence alone predicted supervisor client outcome. The …

Speech-Language Pathologist's Perspectives On The Efficacy Of Bilingual Education Programs In South Texas Public Schools For English As A Second Language Learners, Alexandra Rosas

Theses and Dissertations

Current research in regard to the assessment and treatment of ESLs is limited. Other problems found within the school setting, is that fact that SLPs have very limited resources and large caseloads. Hence, the fact that previous studies have found that SLPS working the school setting do not feel competent in serving ESL students.

The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of bilingual programs and explore the factors that impact English as a second language learners (ESLs), in public schools across the Rio Grande Valley. School based speech-language pathologists were surveyed for information concerning their perceptions and …

Variables Relevant To Self-Efficacy: Mexican-American High School Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Matilde Barrera Alaniz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to ascertain if a relationship exists between self-efficacy and grade point average (GPA), age, gender, language proficiency, socioeconomic status, and failed grade levels during school career among Mexican-American high school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) residing along the southwestern state of the Mexican border. Moreover, to learn if a relationship exists between motivation and the above variables. This study also observed if a relationship between motivation as measured by the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) (i.e., external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation) and GPA existed; it also observed the correlation between …

Resilience And Social Support Among College Students With Disabilities, Rachita Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

Since the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, individuals with disabilities have found enhanced opportunities in various areas of living. The numbers of students with disabilities in institutions of postsecondary education have also increased in the past few decades; however, despite this increase, the degree completion rates of students with disabilities continue to lag in comparison to their non-disabled peers in colleges and universities. As such, most universities currently have a designated office or department of disability accommodations designed to provide academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Nonetheless, current rehabilitation research is lacking in knowledge regarding interventions …

A Study On The Effect Of Higher Education Branding On Student's College Decision, David E. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

All around us we are inundated by brand marketing. Logos and labels with trademarks surround our lives. With marketing being part of our society, higher education institutions have created a brand marketing scheme all their own. This new form of branding has caused many students to make their decision based on the logo, mascot or social lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to test whether attitudinal brand loyalty has a statistically significant effect on college decision through academic and athletic factors. Based on multiple regression analysis, results show that attitudinal brand loyalty does have a significant effect on college …

Hispanic Bilingual Learners' Perceptions And Educational Experiences Of Spanish-Speaking In South Texas, Isela B. Stephens

Theses and Dissertations

The present study focuses on a subset of data obtained from a larger interdisciplinary project, Proyecto Posible, which investigates how sociocultural and instructional factors predict positive outcomes among Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanic bilingual learners. As one part of Proyecto Posible, interviewers asked learners to speak in their language of preference about their experiences in school and feelings developed during interactions with others, as bilinguals. This study examines the qualitative component on bilingual learners’ perceptions of their own language proficiency in English and Spanish, perceptions of language use across a broad range of contexts including school, home, and community, …

Elementary Educators' Perspective Of Physical Education And The Physical Education Teacher, Jennifer M. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Physical education continues to have the reputation it has had for years of being a subject of marginalization and of least importance in the school curriculum. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of educators of physical education and the physical education teacher in the Rio Grande Valley. The researcher attempts to find, understand, and describe the perceptions of the educator’s view of this subject matter. Statistical significance was set at the .05 level for both tests of analyses. The researcher offers the null hypothesis of no difference between educator’s perception of PE …

An Exploratory Investigation Of Tele-Counseling: Looking At The Power Of Therapeutic Alliance In Improving Wellness, Jorge Rostro

Theses and Dissertations

The present study explored the power of one tele-counseling session to elicit change within post wellness ratings scores and the relationship between clients’ perceptions of relationship, goals and topics, approach and method, and overall session with clients’ wellness ratings. Results indicated that the mean for post-session wellness was significantly greater than pre-test wellness ratings. The standardized effect size, d, was .43, indicative of a moderate effect size. No difference was found between client’s perceptions of predictor variables with post-wellness rating scores. This study adds support for the use of tele-counseling services as one session might have the power to elicit …