Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ikenga: Symbolism, Spirituality, And Sociocultural Importance In Igbo Traditional Belief Systems, Chinyere Ndubuisi

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

The Ikenga, a noteworthy relic of the Igbo people of southern Nigeria, is examined in this paper as a major art object for a better understanding of African traditional religions and belief systems. Ikenga is a wooden sculpture traditionally made to represent an individual's power, achievements, and spiritual essence among the Igbo. Ikenga is ascribed the embodiment of the relationship between personal action, ancestral respect, and divinity within Igbo mythology. Within the framework of Igbo traditional religion, this paper examines the ontological significance, spiritual purposes, and social consequences of the Ikenga. The symbolic relevance of Ikenga as both a personal …

Language And Culture: Exploring The Links Between Africans And African Americans, Joash J. Gambarage

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

Due to the generational distance between contemporary African Americans and the earliest generations of enslaved Africans, the deep cultural connection between these two groups has not been sufficiently explored. Moreover, much of the existing literature on African culture in the Americas primarily focuses on retentions related to religion, music, food, and language, often missing other critical aspects of cultural continuity within the African diaspora, such as African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Niger-Congo linguistic ties, naming practices, and African epistemologies. This exclusion limits our understanding of how the historical movement of Africans and the persistence of African cultural legacies, have …

Situating Everybody Hates Chris (Ehc): The Appeal Of The Show, Elizabeth Johnson, Donald Culverson

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

"Everybody Hates Chris" (EHC) achieved critical success by employing comedy to address significant social issues, distinguishing itself in early-2000s television. Unlike earlier and contemporary series such as "Moesha," "The Hughleys," and "The Cosby Show," EHC offered a nuanced portrayal of Black family life, engaging an audience often overlooked or misrepresented by mainstream media. This article examines shifts in the television industry from the late 1990s to the early 2000s that facilitated EHC's innovative approach. The series departed from traditional family sitcoms, functioning not merely as entertainment but as a social commentary on the complexities of the family as a societal …

Christian Missions’ Medical Work In The Colonial Ilorin Province, 1900 To 1960, Rasheed Onagun

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

A scarcity of labor and the pursuit of optimal profit maximization led to the colonial government's collaboration with Christian missions to disseminate and expand Western healthcare to the populace. In Ilorin Province and Nigeria as a whole, missions undertook the majority of colonial medical work and public health initiatives. For the first time in the history of Ilorin Province, missionary endeavors introduced Western medicine as an alternative healthcare source to many, necessitating a historical examination. This paper explores existing literature, oral testimonies, and extensive archival documents to analyze the impacts of missionary medical work on the well-being of the people …

Editors’ Note: Introducing The Inaugural Edition

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

No abstract provided.

Civil Discourse: A 3-Part Lesson Plan With Media Literacy Connections, Greg Davis

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This article presents a three-part lesson plan designed to help students develop civil discourse skills through emotional self-regulation, value exploration, and structured debate. Drawing inspiration from Alaa Al-Musalli’s work on “Unteaching Divisive Argumentation,” the lesson introduces students to the emotional dynamics of disagreement, the ethical diversity that underlies opposing viewpoints, and the practice of respectful argumentation. The culminating activity—a classroom debate over a fictitious local law regulating electric bikes and scooters—invites students to reflect on how tone, listening, and self-awareness affect discourse. Integrating media literacy, the lesson concludes with a discussion of memes and online bias, prompting students to evaluate …

Differentiating And Accommodating Ocd And Anxiety In Mathematical Contexts, Madeline F. Gavares

Interdivisional Studies Summer Fellows

Students in mathematics classrooms may experience emotional and cognitive challenges that affect how they engage with coursework and assessments. While math anxiety has been widely documented, less attention has been given to how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), particularly checking behaviors, may influence students’ experiences in math settings. This study explores how students who report math anxiety and those who report OCD symptoms describe their engagement with math tasks and test-taking. Drawing on survey and interview data from students and teachers, this study examines how these experiences are articulated and perceived in academic math contexts, rather than evaluating ability or outcomes. By …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Faith-Based Advocacy Experiences Of Leaders Of Christian Academic Libraries, Melanie Lewis Croft

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the faith-based advocacy experiences for library leaders at Christian institutions of higher education. The theory guiding this study is spiritual leadership theory, which demonstrates how library leaders connect library resources and services to the advancement of the mission and goals of a Christian institution of higher education. The central research question asked, What are the lived experiences of library leaders in Christian institutions of higher education who have engaged in faith-based advocacy? Participants in this study were those who served as the primary administrator of an academic library within a …

Transmogrifying Coding Into A Social Studies Technology Tool: Using Participatory Design With Engineers And Social Studies Educators To Design Data Visualization Tools For Social Studies Data Literacy Education, Bahare Naimipour, Jessica Zhang, Tamara Shreiner, Mark Guzdial

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Our work aims to inform, design, and create data visualization tools that are meant to be integrated specifically into social studies classes. In this essay we discuss the use of participatory design methods to learn what social studies teachers (both pre-service and in-service) want in their classrooms and test the usability of real tools with these participants. Through this approach we iteratively engage our users, and they inform the design and development of learning tools for the learning and instruction of social studies data literacy. Using a social construction of technology lens, we describe the scaffolding embedded in our tools …

Listening To Learn: Preservice Teachers’ Voice On What Matters Most In Their University Preparation Programs, David Wolff, Scott Klimek, Elizabeth Y. Dale

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This study explores the perspectives of preserviceteacher candidates on the topics in education they perceive as the most important and urgent as they prepare for their first year of teaching. Utilizing quantitative methodology, the study aims to identify and prioritize educational topics sixty (n = 60) preservice teacher candidates believed were critical to their professional development. Participants are asked to rate the topics based on two criteria: urgency and importance. Each topic is rated on a scale from 0 to 5, where 0 indicated unfamiliarly with the topic, 1 indicated low urgency or importance, and 5 indicates high urgency …

Collaborating With Our Ai Research Companion: Exploring The Use Of Microsoft Copilot To Conduct Inductive And Deductive Coding In Qualitative Research, David Wolff, Melissa Wolff, Mark Diacopoulos

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Higher Education faculty balance time in teaching, scholarship, and service, along with many other duties in their roles (Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, 2024). In our efforts to be stewards of our time and craft, faculty look for ways to be more efficient in these areas. With the increase of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our personal and professional lives, this paper discusses the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), Microsoft Copilot, as an analytic tool in the qualitative data analysis process. Qualitative data was collected from transcripts of recorded meetings and an online journal that included text and …

Exploring Stress And Mindfulness In Central Asia: Perspectives Of English Language Students In Uzbekistan, Laurie A. Wolfe, Rakhmatullo Akhmedov

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Stress is a growing concern among university students worldwide, yet little is known about how stress is conceptualized and experienced within Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan. This study explores how Uzbek university students understand and experience stress, identifies the primary sources of stress in their daily lives, and examines their perceptions of mindfulness as a potential stress‑reduction strategy. Participants were 60 students, primarily Muslim women, at a large public university in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Open‑ended questions on a post‑intervention survey were analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive coding. Students most frequently described stress in emotional terms, including irritability, sadness, and …

Embedding Evaluation For Continuous Improvement In A Cohort-Based Doctoral Residency Model: Evidence From An Ed.D. Program, Monica J. Weir

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership Program at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) includes two required summer residency weeks that serve as signature components of the doctoral experience. Given their central role in supporting academic milestones and scholarly community, program faculty have embedded systematic evaluation into residency design to support continuous improvement. This article describes a multi-phase, utilization-focused evaluation framework examining residency preparation, implementation, and participant experience. The evaluation designer collaborated with program faculty to design pre- and post-residency week instruments that elevate doctoral student voice and support faculty-led reflection. Preliminary findings indicated strong value placed on peer …

Building Minnesota's Teacher Workforce From Within: Policy Recommendations To Expand Grow Your Own Teacher Pathways In Minnesota, Jennifer Maras

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Minnesota faces persistent teacher shortages driven by declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs, high early-career attrition, retirements, demographic shifts, and barriers to entering the profession. Traditional recruitment efforts alone are insufficient to meet the state's long-term workforce needs. This white paper proposes Grow Your Own (GYO) teacher pathways as a sustainable workforce development strategy that cultivates future educators from within Minnesota's own schools and communities. Rather than relying primarily on external recruitment, GYO initiatives intentionally develop local talent by creating accessible pathways for high school students, paraprofessionals, career changers, and community members to become licensed teachers.

Grounded in current workforce …

From Framework To Praxis: An Examination Of Integrated Comprehensive Systems (Ics) Equity Reform And Black Student Engagement, Heather L. Dunham

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

For over two decades, the Integrated Comprehensive Systems (ICS) framework (Frattura & Capper, 2007) has sought to promote systemic equity by addressing the organizational structures and practices that shape student outcomes. Despite its promise, few studies have examined ICS implementation in practice, particularly its impact on Black student engagement and academic success. This qualitative case study investigates a racially diverse Midwestern middle school that adopted ICS to shift outcomes for Black students. Grounded in the ICS framework—conceptually informed by Critical Race Theory and Disability Studies in Education—data from interviews, observations, and achievement records reveal that ICS can disrupt racialized routines, …

Re-Reading The World: Why Critical Literacy Must Accompany The “Back To Basics” Movement, Carl Bryan

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Recent literacy reforms in the United States have prioritized systematic phonics as part of the “science of reading,” backed by extensive evidence on the importance of phonemic awareness and decoding for early reading development. While these skills are essential, narrowing literacy to mechanics alone overlooks its broader cultural and civic purposes. Drawing on Freire’s (1970/2000) conception of literacy as both “reading the word and the world,” this paper argues for a balanced framework that integrates foundational instruction with comprehension, knowledge building, and critical literacy. Building on the work of Luke (2000) and Vasquez (2014), it positions literacy as both a …

Emotional Sobriety As Liberation: A Critical Pedagogy Of Resilience, Carl Bryan

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper extends the Reclaiming Model of trauma recovery by examining what follows critical consciousness when trauma persists and systems remain largely unchanged. Building on Reclaiming My Story, which framed healing as a Freirean act of reclaiming authorship through naming harm, dialogue, and praxis (Bryan, 2026), this paper addresses how reclaimed consciousness is sustained under ongoing emotional, relational, and structural strain. Drawing on critical pedagogy, trauma scholarship, and a first-person case narrative, it reframes post-trauma survival not as incomplete recovery but as ongoing praxis. The analysis challenges resolution-based and individualizing models of healing by conceptualizing emotional sobriety, relational regulation, …

Kinds Of Evidence Cited By Councilors In Municipal Council Sessions: The Case Of Santa Fe, Cebu, Philippines, Junald D. Ango

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

This paper explores the practice of evidence-based policymaking (EBPM) in the municipal council of Santa Fe, Cebu, Philippines. Data for this study is based on a content analysis of the minutes of council sessions and committee meetings from July 2022 to August 2024. The use of evidence in policymaking has caught on among policymakers in the Philippines, at both the national and local levels. However, few studies have examined policymakers' use of evidence in municipal governments, especially those in smaller, less urbanized towns. In the case of the Municipality of Santa Fe, at least 13 kinds of evidence were cited …

Open The Case, Detective! A Story-Driven Game Approach To Combat Human Trafficking In Hospitality, Aili Wu, Wei Wei, Lu Zhang

ICHRIE Research Reports

Executive Summary: Human trafficking is a pervasive global crime that significantly impacts the hospitality industry, with several major hotel chains facing lawsuits for human trafficking negligence. As a highly sensitive issue that is often misunderstood, it poses challenges for hospitality businesses to effectively educate their customers. Meanwhile, existing interventions remain limited and largely rely on passive methods, highlighting the need for interactive interventions to help individuals respond effectively. This research addresses these challenges by proposing and testing a story-driven detective game as an interactive alternative. In the game, hospitality customers play the role of a detective investigating a trafficking case …

The Role Of Perceived Academic And Peer Support In Mitigating Imposter Syndrome Among Adhd Students, Eden Morley Dr

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in higher education is associated with significant executive functioning deficits and performance inconsistencies. These challenges, alongside heightened rejection sensitivity, may predispose students to the Imposter Phenomenon (IP)—the persistent belief that one’s success is undeserved. While social and academic supports are known to buffer psychological distress, their specific role in mitigating IP within the ADHD student population remains under-researched.

Objectives: This study investigated the severity of IP among undergraduate students with ADHD and examined the protective roles of Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Perceived Academic Support (PAS), while exploring gender as a potential moderator.

Methodology: A cross-sectional …

Are Extension Agriculture Programs Hitting Their Target With Military Veterans?, Adam Ingrao, Craig W Carpenter, Michael Lotspeich-Yadao, Charles M. Tolbert

Journal of Extension

The desire to support military veterans has led to a variety of targeted Extension programs, but the types and availability of these programs vary substantially. After reviewing the size and diversity of the U.S. veteran population, we examine one of the main USDA programs targeting veterans: the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development program. We then use matrix analysis to categorize veteran support programs across other program areas. Finally, we compare these programs with veterans' needs, as described in recently conducted veteran focus groups, and conclude by highlighting gaps and opportunities for improving Extension programming for veterans, including substantially improving program …

Presence Without Exposure: Feminist Pedagogy In The Home-As-Classroom, Kristy Kelly

Feminist Pedagogy

This commentary reflects on teaching during and after COVID-era remote instruction, when the classroom moved into students’ homes and “presence” became equated with visibility. Drawing from a course-based study conducted with students, I describe how patterned differences in men’s and women’s experiences of online participation illuminated the unequal costs of being seen—costs shaped by privacy, domestic constraints, and the risks of interpretation. I argue that feminist pedagogy requires decoupling engagement from visual exposure and designing participation around those most vulnerable to surveillance and stigma in online spaces. The essay outlines practical shifts—camera-optional norms, modality-equivalent participation, structured breaks, and low-stakes entry …

Access Intimacy In The Feminist Classroom: Co-Creating Course Policies, Expectations, And Access Measures As Feminist Disability Praxis, Krystal Cleary

Feminist Pedagogy

In this essay, I outline an activity to foster access intimacy (Mingus, 2011) in the feminist classroom through students’ co-creation of course policies, expectations, and additional access measures. This activity transforms the classroom into a praxis laboratory wherein students analyze the normative structures that shape their hyperlocal classroom context and practice building environments characterized by interdependent solidarity rather than atomized competition. As feminist disability praxis, this activity centers the knowledge of disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent scholars and students; in doing so, it customizes the classroom to a diversity of learners and builds adaptability for responding to unforeseen challenges into …

Toward An Integrated Framework For Character Education: A Comparative Analysis Of Character.Org’S 11 Principles, The Jubilee Centre Character Education Framework For Schools, And Primed For Character Education, Liliana Borrero

Dissertations

Abstract

Character education is widely recognized as an essential component of schooling; however, it lacks a coherent framework that draws on the shared conceptual ground underlying the current dominant frameworks. This qualitative study systematically compared three influential character education frameworks: Character.org’s 11 Principles for Schools, the Jubilee Centre’s Framework for Character Education in Schools, and PRIMED for Character Education. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which these frameworks converge and diverge in their conceptualizations of effective character education and to assess the feasibility of integrating their cross-cutting elements into an integrated framework. Using thematic analysis …

The Primary Care Brief Intervention Competency Assessment Tool (Bi-Cat): Examining Reliability And Validity, Arielle Guillod

Dissertations

Within primary care, the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model integrates behavioral health services into medical settings through brief, population‑based interventions delivered by behavioral health consultants (BHCs). Although effective performance in this role requires competencies distinct from traditional mental health practice, few psychometrically sound tools exist to assess clinical skills in primary care. The Brief Intervention Competency Assessment Tool (BICAT) is commonly used for this purpose but lacks published evidence supporting its reliability and validity. This dissertation examined the psychometric properties of the BICAT across two studies. Study 1 evaluated factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity in a heterogeneous …

Promises Fulfilled: 114-Year-Old Alelia Murphy’S Life Of Faith And Resilience, Jacqueline B. Koonce

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Alelia Murphy was the oldest living person in the United States, turning 114 in July 2019 until her death in November 2019. She and her family credit her longevity to her faith in God. This premise is explored through her words as she stated she had not seen everyone she needed to see and compared that statement to Simeon from the Bible who did not die until he saw the Messiah. Alelia Murphy also had not seen everything. She was seeing the relative success of her much admired, former President Barack Obama, and she had just met me, her great …

Rural Women Rising To Leadership Positions: The Influence Of Their Christian Faith And Shepherding Style, Jose Carbajal, Bonita Sharma, Cherhonda Brown, Teresa Tarver, Emily Powell

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Purpose. Men maintain the ability to exercise authority and gain a competitive edge in leadership positions, while women persistently endure adversity within the patriarchal system, deeply rooted in their religious beliefs and path of faith. This study explores how women’s faith influences their pursuit of leadership positions and whether their upbringing, especially from a patriarchal perspective, deters them from having leadership aspirations. Methods. We used a qualitative method to understand the lived experiences of women in leadership positions and how faith influenced their leadership ascension. We conducted semi-structured interviews with thirty-four (N = 34) female leaders in top …

Our Children Are Sacred: Faith, Disability Justice, And Educational Hope, Charles E. Becknell Jr., Pricella Morris, Monique Matute-Chavarria, Deirdre A. Williams

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

This manuscript examines how Black families interpret dis/ability through faith, caregiving, and communal life using Sacred Narrative Inquiry (SNI), a collaborative approach that treats family stories as sources of sacred and cultural knowledge. Grounded in disability theology and informed by Black liberation theology and Womanist epistemology, the study explores how families understand dis/ability as sacred and embodied, shaped by struggle, endurance, and hope. Through shared storytelling and collective interpretation, the analysis identifies recurring patterns of early moral formation, embodied knowledge that precedes institutional recognition, faith as a sustaining practice under constraint, and moments of recognition that affirm dignity and interrupt …

God > Grit: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivating Factors For Black Male Students Previously Labeled “At-Risk”, Marcia J. Watson-Vandiver

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

This phenomenological study examines the intersections of faith, learning, and racialized experiences in K-12 schooling. In doing so, this research explores the experiences of Black[1] males in U.S. public schools who were once labeled academically or behaviorally “at risk.” Here, at-risk is a term that typically applies to students “in jeopardy of progressing academically due to circumstances that may impact educational performance” (MSDE, 2018). While the purview of academic, school discipline, and behavior discourse are saturated with conversations on racial disparities, the exigent problem still remains. As such, this research provides a nuanced probe into intrinsic and extrinsic motivating …

Navigating Identity, Finding Belonging: Exploring Muslim Students’ Experiences In Higher Education, Milie Majumder

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

This phenomenological, qualitative study explores how institutional experiences contribute to Muslim students’ sense of belonging in higher education institutions on the West Coast of the United States. The data presented are drawn from a subset of a larger dissertation study conducted in May 2024. Using an informational survey with open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews, the study examined students’ perceptions of belonging. The sample included 23 survey responses and 10 in-depth interviews. Grounded in the Minoritized Religious and Spiritual Campus Climate (MRSCC) framework, the study examines how participants interpreted the adequacy of institutional accommodations for their religious and spiritual needs and …