Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Limits Of Inclusion: Teacher Beliefs And Experience With Inclusion Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Allegra Johnson

LMU Theses and Dissertations

General education teachers are critical contributors to the successful inclusion of students labeled with learning disabilities in general education classrooms. Similarly, teacher beliefs about disability labels significantly influence how teachers include or exclude students labeled with a learning disability in their classrooms. This qualitative study investigated eight secondary general education teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion and their experiences teaching students labeled with a learning disability from a Critical Disabilities Studies perspective. Data were collected using an innovative qualitative method, Q methodology, in order to surface distinct perspectives within the group about inclusion and the experience of teaching students labeled with a …

Uncovering Reasons For Treatment Initiation Delays Among Children With Tb In Lima, Peru, J. Coit, M. Wong, J. T. Galea, M. Mendoza, H. Marin, M. Tovar, S. S. Chiang, L. Lecca, M. F. Franke

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Timely diagnosis and treatment of pediatric tuberculosis (TB) is critical to reducing mortality but remains challenging in the absence of adequate diagnostic tools. Even once a TB diagnosis is made, delays in treatment initiation are common, but for reasons that are not well understood.

Methods: To examine reasons for delay post-diagnosis, we conducted semi-structured interviews with Ministry of Health (MoH) physicians and field workers affiliated with a pediatric TB diagnostic study, and caregivers of children aged 0–14 years who were diagnosed with pulmonary TB in Lima, Peru. Interviews were analyzed using systematic comparative and descriptive content analysis.

Results: We …

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Beijing Lineage And Risk For Tuberculosis In Child Household Contacts, Peru, Chuan-Chin Huang, Alexander L. Chu, Mercedes C. Becerra, Jerome T. Galea, Roger Calderón, Carmen Contreras, Rosa Yataco, Zibiao Zhang, Leonid Lecca, Megan B. Murray

Social Work Faculty Publications

Few studies have prospectively compared the relative transmissibility and propensity to cause disease of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strains with other human-adapted strains of the M. tuberculosis complex. We assessed the effect of Beijing strains on the risk for M. tuberculosis infection and disease progression in 9,151 household contacts of 2,223 culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in Lima, Peru. Child contacts exposed to Beijing strains were more likely than child contacts exposed to non-Beijing strains to be infected at baseline, by 12 months of follow-up, and during follow-up. We noted an increased but nonsignificant tendency for child contacts to develop TB. …

A Positively Selected Fbn1 Missense Variant Reduces Height In Peruvian Individuals, Samira Asgari, Yang Luo, Ali Akbari, Gillian M. Belbin, Xinyi Li, Daniel N. Harris, Martin Selig, Eric Bartell, Roger Calderon, Kamil Slowikowski, Carmen Contreras, Rosa Yataco, Jerome T. Galea, Judith Jimenez, Julia M. Coit, Chandel Farroñay, Rosalynn M. Nazarian, Timothy D. O’Connor, Harry C. Dietz, Joel N. Hirschhorn, Heinner Guio, Leonid Lecca, Eimear E. Kenny, Esther E. Freeman, Megan B. Murray, Soumya Raychaudhuri

Social Work Faculty Publications

On average, Peruvian individuals are among the shortest in the world1. Here we show that Native American ancestry is associated with reduced height in an ethnically diverse group of Peruvian individuals, and identify a population-specific, missense variant in the FBN1 gene (E1297G) that is significantly associated with lower height. Each copy of the minor allele (frequency of 4.7%) reduces height by 2.2 cm (4.4 cm in homozygous individuals). To our knowledge, this is the largest effect size known for a common height-associated variant. FBN1 encodes the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin 1, which is a major structural component of microfibrils. We …

Understanding Ethical Decision-Making In Design, Danielle J. Corple, Carla B. Zoltowski, Megan Kenny Feister, Patrice M. Buzzanell

Communication Faculty Publications

Background: Little is known about how students engage in ethical decision-making, especially when designing in messy, real-life contexts. To prepare ethically competent engineers, educators need a richer understanding of students' ethical decision-making throughout the course of the design process.

Purpose/Hypothesis: This study examines students' intuitive ethical decision-making as it emerges throughout the design process as well as when and how students engage in ethical reflection. Outlining these processes enables educators to better structure and support students' ethical reasoning.

Design/Method: We conducted 103 semi-structured interviews with students in a multidisciplinary service-learning program. To capture how ethical decision-making unfolded over time, we …

Book Review: Hatians, The People That Will Not Go Away, François Pierre-Louis Jr.

Publications and Research

Reviews three books:

• Matthew J. Smith. Liberty, Fraternity, Exile: Haiti and Jamaica after Emancipation. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2014.

• Toni Pressley-Sanon. Istwa across the Water: Haitian History, Memory, and the Cultural Imagination. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2017.

• Victor Figueroa. Prophetic Visions of the Past: Pan-Caribbean Representations of the Haitian Revolution. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2015.

Sas Data Curation Primer, Qiong Xu

Publications and Research

This primer was created as part of the "Specialized Data Curation" Workshop #3 held at Washington University in St. Louis, MO on November 5-6, 2019. Exploring SAS application and how researchers generated, stored, and shared their SAS data sets, this work summarized the key features of SAS data and explained how to curate SAS data in institutional data repositories. This primer can be used as a manual for research data curators or librarians to document SAS data for the purpose of data preservation and sharing.

Examining The Moderating Role Of Coping Strategies In The Relationship Between Team Role Alignment And Employee Well-Being Outcomes, Justine Moavero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Individual well-being outcomes like engagement and burnout can have a major impact on employees and their performance. As a result, the organization itself may experience serious repercussions, financial and otherwise. Teams have become ubiquitous within modern organizations, with operations largely consisting of workers that engage in various levels of teamwork. As such, factors of team dynamics might influence well-being outcomes by either improving or exacerbating the occupational health of the employee. Research has demonstrated that team roles are foundational and enacted within every team; however, there is little existing literature assessing the impact of team role alignment on employee well-being. …

The Power Color: Does Shared Decision Making Between Physicians And Patients Differ By Race, Vernon Headley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Objective: Shared Decision-Making (SDM) as a clinical approach allows patients and physicians to discuss the best treatment options for the patients' improved health outcomes. Over the past two decades, SDM has improved the quality of health by reassuring patients that they have a voice when considering treatment options. The objective of this study is threefold: to examine parents' perceptions of engaging in SDM with their physicians about their treatment options; to engage in the SDM process when their children's mental health conditions were the subject of SDM; and to assess the comfort level of parents engaging in SDM, based upon …

Marijuana Use Among Adults In The United States: Comparing Correlates Of Use, Assessing Impact Of Education, And Evaluating Use And Health Amid Justice-Involved Populations, Corey Pomykacz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Over the past two decades, there have been significant changes in state-level policies (i.e., decriminalization, medicalization, legalization) in the U.S. regarding marijuana use. Prior research has found a relationship between marijuana policies and decreased perceived risk as well as increased prevalence of use. In light of these historical shifts, the public health implications of marijuana use deserve increased attention by researchers so that we can discern patterns of use, evaluate risk, and inform intervention. This dissertation has three aims: (1) investigate how correlates of use prevalence versus use frequency vary; (2) offer a theoretical explanation as to why more education …

Maladaptive Personality Traits And Acute Psychological Distress In Individuals With Head And Neck Cancer, Christopher Spencer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Personality disorders (PD) and related traits are associated with and predictive of medical outcomes. One mechanism whereby this may occur is through the interaction of PD traits and distress during treatment of chronic illness, especially in cancer. The majority of head and neck cancers (HNC) are caused by alcohol and tobacco, the disordered use of which is prevalent in those with PDs. This study examined how PD traits relate to distress for individuals during and after treatment of HNC (32.8% in active treatment). A sample of 137 individuals (70.8% male; median age 66) with a diagnosis of HNC from a …

Family Mass Homicide: An Investigation, Alec Szalewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Operationalizing mass murder consistently has yet to be achieved. Mass homicide definitions often use time and space, but other key factors (e.g., victim count) vary widely across literature and agencies. Because of this, the current study argues for a mass family homicide definition of two or more victims, not including the offender, with no method of killing requirement. The purpose of using this victim count derives from the average family size and how many victims can be killed before an entire family annihilation. Next, using the suggested definition, three exploratory logistic regression models were run to further the understanding and …

The Mediating Role Of Leader-Member Exchange: Leader Personality And Information Sharing, Hillary Chandler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study investigated the mechanisms that facilitate information sharing, specifically, how leader personality may affect leader-employee relationship quality and employee information sharing behavior. Those who share information with their leaders and coworkers contribute more to their team and improve performance on an individual, team, and organizational level (Wang & Noe, 2010). This research examines the relationships between leader personality, employee perceived leader-member exchange quality, and employee information sharing. Responses (n = 81) from undergraduate students who work at least 20 hours a week were used in study analyses. Surveys used to collect data for this study covered employee perception of …

Social Connectedness And College Student Alcohol Use: Understanding The Role Of Alcohol Expectancies, Social Anxiety, And Need To Belong, Mark Crisafulli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Despite recent decreases in college alcohol use, alcohol related harms continue to occur at high rates and currently available interventions do not work as well as previously thought. Research has found sociability expectancies to be particularly important in predicting risky alcohol use, and expectancy challenge programs that target these expectancies can be effective in reducing heavy drinking. Little is known, however, about how other social variables might contribute to the influence of expectancies in promoting alcohol use. The current study used structural equation modeling to test models of alcohol use examining how need to belong and social connectedness fit into …

Does One Bad Phish Spoil The Whole Email Load?: Exploring Phishing Susceptibility Task Factors And Potential Interventions, Dawn Sarno

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Phishing emails have become a prevalent cybersecurity threat for the modern email user. Research attempting to understand how users are susceptible to phishing attacks has been limited and hasn't fully explored how task factors influence accurate detection. Even further lacking are the existing training interventions that still have users falling victim to up to 90% of phishing emails following training. The present studies examined how task factors (e.g., email load, phishing prevalence) and a new form of intervention, rather than training, influence email performance. In four experiments, participants classified emails as either legitimate or not legitimate and reported on a …

Working Memory In Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Investigation Of Short-Term And Central Executive Memory Components Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Samuel Eckrich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an early onset, highly heritable, chronic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by underdeveloped/deficient executive functions, particularly those entailing working memory (WM). Substantial research exists documenting WM deficits in pediatric age range ADHD and their relation with adverse learning outcomes; however, relatively little is known concerning the extent to which deficient WM processes reflect underlying deficiencies in hemodynamic functioning (OxyHb). This is the first study to use a movement-tolerant neuroimaging tool—functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)—to investigate hypothesized prefrontalOxyHb differences between children with ADHD and typically developing (TD) children while they complete memory tasks differing in cognitive processing demands (e.g., …

Do Medical Students' Assessments Of A Patient's Pain Vary Significantly With Gender And Year Of Medical Training?, Catherine Phamduy

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Chronic pain is a common ailment among US adults and can lead to high cost of healthcare when not treated effectively. Unfortunately, studies show that characteristics of the patient population and physician may also influence their treatment of patient pain. Increased years of medical training is associated with a decline in empathy, which may be measurable by a decline in physician’s assessment of patient’s pain. Doctors with the least experience tend to underestimate their patient’s pain. However, very little is known about medical students’ assessment of patient-reported pain. The objective is to determine the significant differences in medical students’ perceptions …

Gender Identity And Gender Inclusivity: Lesson Plan For Virginia And U.S. Government, Kristina Lee

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

Lesson plan for use with the document Gender-Inclusive Library Workgroup Report. Designed to promote high school level discussion around gender-neutral spaces and policies. Aligns with VA SOL GOVT.1. Includes opening activity for students, articles for discussion, and project outline.

Divergent Immune Responses In Behaviorally-Inhibited Vs. Non-Inhibited Male Rats, Kerry C. Michael, Robert H. Bonneau, Rebecca A. Bourne, Ladara Godbolt, Michael J. Caruso, Christine Hohmann, Sonia A. Cavigelli

Psychology Publications

Stable behavioral traits (temperament, personality) often predict health outcomes. Temperament-specific differences in immune function could explain temperament-specific health outcomes, however, we have limited information on whether immune function varies by personality. In the present study, we examined the relationship between a basic behavioral trait (behavioral-inhibition vs. non-inhibition) and two immune responses (innate inflammation and delayed-type hypersensitivity, DTH) in a rodent model. In humans, behavioral inhibition (fearful temperament) is associated with altered stress physiology and allergies. In laboratory rats, the trait is associated with elevated glucocorticoid production. We hypothesized that behavioral inhibition is associated with glucocorticoid resistance and dampened T-helper 1 …

"Good Job, But Bulgarian": Identifying "Bulgarian-Ness" Through Cultural Discourse Analysis, Nadezhda Sotirova

Communication, Media, and Rhetoric Publications

By using cultural discourse analysis and ethnography, naturally occurring talk and interviews were examined for local constructions of “Bulgarian-ness” in order to formulate explicit and implicit cultural propositions about being “Bulgarian,” and cultural premises about being (“Bulgarian-ness” as problematic) and emotion (anger, frustration) as connected. This article illustrates the notion of the phrase as a local cultural symbol within Bulgarian discourse that evokes deep cultural meanings for a way of being (“Bulgarian-ness” and the West/East dichotomy), emotions (frustration, hopelessness), and a social world (the “Bulgarian situation”) as continuously negotiated in relation to conceptualizations of “Balkanism.”

There And Back: Vindicating The Listener's Interests In Targeted Advertising In The Internet Information Economy, Caitlin Jokubaitis

Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts

Targeted advertising — the process by which advertisers direct their message at a specific demographic — is neither a recent1 nor an irrational phenomenon.2 One industry executive has proclaimed it the “rare win for everyone” because it serves producers, advertisers, and consumers alike. It should be no surprise that the Information sector of the online economy — particularly new and social media platforms with robust access to consumer data — has structured revenue streams to benefit from targeted advertising. These platforms generate “substantially all of [their] revenue from advertising,” which in turn rely on active user engagement.

The Internet Information …

The Role Of Language Education In Peacebuilding: The Case Of Cyprus, Maya Hunter

Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Values, Risks, And Power Influencing Librarians' Decisions To Host Drag Queen Storytime, Diana Floegel, Sarah C. Barriage, Vanessa Kitzie, Shannon M. Oltmann

Information Science Faculty Publications

This paper reports preliminary qualitative findings from a survey of public library staff who work at libraries that have and have not hosted drag queen storytimes (DQS), a popular but contested children's program. Three constructs—values, risks, and power—are developed to describe how individual, library, and institutional forces combine to determine whether DQS occur. Findings contribute to limited scholarly work on DQS by including locations that have not hosted DQS and by engaging critically with how institutional forces shape library staffs' decision-making around DQS. It is critical to understand factors contributing to this decision-making to inform contextually appropriate strategies for encouraging …

Association Of Working Therapeutic Alliance And Psychopathy In Civilly-Confined Sex Offenders, Kearie Ann Newman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past decade, researchers have focused attention on the therapeutic alliance (TA) and its impact in treatment outcomes. The literature on TA has been focused primarily on its impact on the client’s participation, the accomplishment of goals, and treatment completion. However, very little of this research includes individuals who have psychopathy. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative survey study was to explore the relation between the level of psychopathy (high versus low) and TA ratings of 16 therapists and 64 clients in the population of convicted civilly-confined male sex offenders. Bordin’s theory grounded the study. Data were gathered from …

Strategies To Mitigate Negative Social Media Communications In Collegiate Athletics, Jennifer A. Parks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Harmful social media communications in collegiate athletics are challenging, compelling athletic administrators to implement strategies to mitigate costly damage to the university. Grounded in framing theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies some collegiate athletic administrators use to mitigate negative social media communications by their student-athletes and coaches that may cause problems resulting in reputational damage to the brand, negative publicity, financial loss, sanctions, and fines for the university or college. Participants were 4 collegiate athletic administrators located in the southeastern United States, who had a social media policy and strategies to successfully mitigate …

Motivation And Organizational Commitment Differences Between Generational Cohorts Of United States Police Officers, Madysen Rose Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A problem workplaces face is motivating their personnel and fostering employee commitment for all generational cohorts. These concepts have been studied in office settings; however, limited knowledge exists for United States street-level police officers. It is imperative to study the field of law enforcement, as it is one of the most stressful and dangerous occupations facing adversities and the expectation to maintain high motivation and performance standards to ensure safe communities. This study used a quantitative design with t-tests and regressions to examine whether there are differences in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation by generational cohort of police officers. Theoretical framework …

The Long-Term Biopsychosocial Effects Of Children Reared In Blended Families, Kerene T. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Family dynamics have experienced an immense transformation in the last 4 decades. Children are less likely to live in a 2-parent household with parents that are both biologically related to them due to various factors. Blended families (especially the children) face many adversities during the initial stages of formation and rarely receive specialized intervention when compared to nuclear families. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the long-term biopsychosocial effects experienced by young adults who lived in a blended family household. In addition, what services or interventions were offered to newly established blended family systems were also …

Rural Teacher Perceptions Of Trauma On Youth, Tracey Faye Whetstone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an exploration of teacher experiences and perceptions in working with trauma-exposed students in a rural school district and what is needed to best support student academic and psychosocial success. The substantial long-term effects of trauma exposure cause many children to face behavioral and academic challenges in school, yet teachers are often unaware or untrained concerning trauma-informed care. There is little research regarding how teacher experiences with trauma-exposed students are perceived. This study explored teacher insight with rural trauma-exposed youth in terms of awareness and how they narrate these experiences in response to trauma-related issues. Grounded in trauma …

Impact Of Interviewers’ Personal Bias On Hiring Of Law Enforcement Applicants, Richard W. Diffley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals posing a risk to the community who pass preemployment interviews represent a problem for law enforcement departments and their communities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the shared experiences of participants regarding hiring biases that may exist among individuals tasked with interviewing law enforcement applicants. Argyris’s organizational learning theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 4 participants who had experience interviewing applicants for placement in a law enforcement department.Data were analyzed to identify themes.Biases included participants’ interpretation of applicants’ appearance, body language, ability to handle stress/pressure, preparedness for the …

The District Of Columbia And Gun Control Laws: Homicides And Social Impacts, Richard Ghislain Mbakop

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The District of Columbia has one of the toughest gun laws in the United States, yet the city has one of the highest homicide rates in the nation and much of this gun violence is concentrated in the southeastern part of the city. The framework for the study was comprised of (a) the psychological theory based on many arguments, such as labeling weapons as symbols of male superiority and power, and (b) the social contract theory. Finding the perceptions about the relationship between gun control laws and homicide rates in Washington D.C. was the essential aim of the study. …