Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Pandemic Reflections: Stories Of National Ffa Student Leaders During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Theresa Seibel

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were felt by most every individual in the world, and the effects of the pandemic will have implications for years to come. Even still, it becomes necessary to capture the work and impacts of this life experience of those who lived and led during such a time. The National FFA Organization, with its student leadership, continued to deliver its mission of the organization during the pandemic. This project aimed to develop a digital narrative to contribute to the historical record of FFA officers’ experiences in the National FFA Organization during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The …

Examining The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Violent Crime In The City Of Pittsburgh, Brittany Urban

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to examine patterns of Part I crimes [including Part I Person/Violent: Homicide, Rape, Aggravated Assault, and Robbery, and Part I Property: Burglary, Larceny-Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft, and Arson, as defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Standards] in The City of Pittsburgh, framing the COVID-19 pandemic as a major stressor that Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory suggests may lead to increased opportunity for crime, due to the perceived unjustness of the associated lockdown orders and potential incentive for criminal coping (Agnew 1992). This descriptive analysis is based primarily upon …

A Comparison Of M&T Bank And Citizens Bank Net Income Changes During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Alex R. Glasier

Applied Economics Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on every aspect of life, particularly within the world of banking & finance. All banks saw sharp drops in their stock prices and net income, but my hypothesis is that larger, more established banks maintained more stability during 2020 than smaller banks. This paper analyzes the income statements and balance sheets of M&T Bank (an older, more well-established bank) and Citizens Bank (a less-established bank) during this difficult time.

The first part of my thesis describes similarities and differences between M&T Bank and Citizens Bank. I explain how these similarities and differences may …

Validating An Internet Gaming Disorder Measure During Covid-19: Video Game Use, Distance Learning, And Impacts Of Covid-19 On Gaming Behavior, Christin Collie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For most students, playing video games is a popular, enjoyable activity to do in their leisure time. While many people play video games for fun, some do develop problems associated with their play. Excessive engagement in video game play can lead to significant impairment and clinically significant levels of harm. However, there are several important gaps in the research literature which limit understanding of potential harm. First, little is known about the gaming behavior of students, ranging from middle-school to graduate school, specifically as it relates to their reasons for playing video games and their time spent playing. Second, concerns …

The Correlation Between The Covid-19 Pandemic And Nursing Students’ Academic And Professional Engagement And Performance., Jolie Mathilde Komlan

Honors College Theses

Even without the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, nursing schools are recognized as a stressful environment "that often exert a negative effect on the academic performances and psychological well-being of the students" (Gomathi et al., 2017). Exploring the changes this ongoing pandemic has on nursing students' views and perspectives, along with their perceived threats, failures, and successes brought on by this pandemic will provide good insight into further changes that need to be implemented to better prepare nursing students through their programs. To accomplish this, participants within the nursing program were surveyed via a 21-question survey on Qualtrics. A retrospective analysis …

Poly Under Pandemic: A Pilot Survey Examining Cal Poly Slo’S Student Body During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brett Vollrath

Journalism

The following is a survey of Cal Poly SLO students and alumni who had attended the university while major pandemic restrictions were in place. The paper is based around a pilot survey and data set.

The introduction provides background on the problem and how this survey was prepared.

The literature review details research conducted during the pandemic, which was used to guide the survey's focus questions.

The survey section details the questions asked of respondents. Respondents were first asked demographic questions to establish reference points. They were then asked questions on different aspects of student life, such as mental health, …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Undergraduate University Students With Part-Time Jobs, Miguel F. Bernard Bravo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored how the pandemic and the shift to online learning impacted university students’ experiences of learning and working, and how students’ capital and other resources impacted their university experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen undergraduate students who had paid employment in the last 12 months were recruited. In interviews participants were asked about their experiences with work, schooling and balancing the two with the pressures of the pandemic. Students cited financial concerns, as well as challenges with difficulties with online learning, motivation, and isolation. Importantly, this study found that students experiences differed in accordance with their capital and …

“I Hear You”: Exploring The Lived Experience Of Counselors’ Empathic Response To Clients When Conducting Telephonic Counseling During Covid-19, Michael Sickels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dissertation supervised by Dr. Debra Hyatt-Burkhart

This study sought to unearth the lived experience of counselors empathically responding to clients via telephonic counseling during COVID-19. The term empathic response refers to as attending to the emotional and mental state of another person in a way that is attuned with the feelings and meanings of the individual’s experience. There are few studies that have assessed the merits of telephonic counseling, and even fewer that have examined counselors’ empathic response to clients through this medium.

To uncover the lived experience of the target population, the participants of the study were purposefully selected …

Comparing Unmc’S Md-Phd Applications Pre- (2018/2019) And Mid- (2020/2021) Covid-19 Pandemic, Jennifer L. Brady

Public Administration Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

This project seeks to examine how the application pool for the UNMC MD-PhD Scholars Program compares in pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic admission cycles. This is an important contribution to the field of public administration as it informs administrators working in higher education how the global pandemic impacts higher education admission processes and outcomes. Secondly, this research will explore if and how the pandemic has observable impacts on the quality (GPA, MCAT, prior research experiences) and quantity of applications submitted by applicants of the UNMC MD-PhD Scholars Program. These trends contribute to the larger body of research on how the pandemic (among …

Making In The Midst Of Pandemic: The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Two Public Library Makerspaces, Stacey Woods

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on makerspaces in the United States which were subject to public health guidelines and challenged with limited/no access to facilities. This multi-case study examined two public library makerspaces, and addressed these research questions: (1) How did the pandemic affect makerspace operations and access, and the teaching and learning that occurs there? (2) How did makerspace leaders respond to the challenges of the pandemic? (3) How did makerspaces evolve during the COVID-19 pandemic? I developed the Conceptual Framework for Studying the Impact of Pandemic on Public Library Makerspaces which informed the …

Adaptation Of Instructional Strategies And Practices During A Pandemic, Lacy E. York Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the stories of identified, effective middle school teachers as they experienced changes in instructional strategies and practices as a result of an identified crisis, COVID-19. Although there has been little documentation in the literature specifically regarding adapting instructional strategies and practices as a result of crises, crisis management, change theory, mindset theory, adaptation, and teacher effectiveness characteristics became the framework through which to interpret the data.

Data collection strategies included one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with a total of eight participants, two principals and six teachers, who met specific research participation criteria. Analysis of …

Opioid-Related Content On Twitter And The Impact Of Covid-19 Government Stimulus Distribution, Alyssa Seeman

All Theses

The United States has continuously faced an opioid epidemic that has resulted in a severe loss of human life. The coronavirus pandemic began in December 2019 and affected many aspects of daily life. One result of this pandemic was government financial aid in the form of stimulus checks that were directly deposited into peoples’ bank accounts. This study aims to understand better the impact stimulus checks had on opioid overdose rates within America by using content collected from Twitter to gauge public opinion. The sample consisted of a stratified random sample of 600 overall tweets that contained at least one …

What Is The Meaning In This? Teachers' Propensity To Search For Meaning In Life During Covid-19 And The Role Of Meaningful Work, Seterra D. Burleson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The global COVID-19 pandemic has presented notable challenges in teachers’ career paths. In the present study, Super’s life-span, life-space theory was applied to examine the interplay between K-12 teachers’ propensity to search for meaning in life and meaningfulness attributed to their work role (i.e., meaningful work) in predicting career-relevant outcomes in the face of challenging circumstances over the course of a semester. A model was proposed in which propensity to search for meaning in life led to better work and career outcomes, an effect moderated by meaningful work. Longitudinal data from a sample of 617 teachers over eight outcome measurement …

The Space Between Stress And Reaction: A Three-Way Interaction Of Active Coping, Psychological Stress, And Applied Mindfulness In The Prediction Of Sustainable Resilience, Kait M. Rohlfing Phd

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Amid a global pandemic, data was collected to explore the extent to which resilience practices (active coping and applied mindfulness) under varying degrees of stress levels can promote sustainable resilience, defined as the ability to move through challenges in a way that leads to increased positive adaptation to meet present and future challenges. Results did not support the proposed three-way interaction; however, post-hoc analyses indicated that active coping (r = .316) and applied mindfulness (r = .250) were independently predictive of sustained resilience and, when combined, predicted approximately 20 percent (R² = .203) of sustained resilience …

Characterizing And Predicting Canadian Adolescents’ Internalizing Symptoms In The First Year Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Haley Elizabeth Green

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Most studies of adolescents’ internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic have included few data waves, limiting long-term conclusions about adolescents’ mental health during the pandemic. Collecting only a few waves of data precludes examination of intraindividual symptom variability, which may have implications for adjustment beyond mean symptoms. We characterized mean n = 192 adolescents’ internalizing symptoms from March 2020-April 2021 and used mixed effect location scale models to examine established risk factors as predictors of mean trends and intraindividual variability in adolescents’ internalizing symptoms. Adolescents’ symptoms were relatively stable and low over the first year of the pandemic; severity peaked …

The Effectiveness Of Governmental Policy Measures On Controlling The Spread Of Covid-19: Empirical Evidence From Around The World, Lobna Abdallah Yassin

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid spread of COVID-19 in China and the world dramatically affected the development in China and many countries worldwide. Different governments applied various policy measures to control the virus and prevent its spreading inside their countries. These policy measures combined with this global health crisis have serious consequences on the health system in different countries and the world economy. This thesis aims to quantitatively measure the effectiveness of the governmental policy measures that are taken during the risk management of the coronavirus across different countries on controlling the spread of the virus. Also, this thesis highlights the different policies …

Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Health Behaviors And Mental Health During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review, Kara C. Middleton

Honors College Theses

The Coronavirus pandemic had many negative impacts on healthcare. During the COVID-19 pandemic, specialist care providers closed their offices to reduce transmission. Maternal healthcare was severely impacted. Mothers were unable to receive the prenatal and perinatal care they needed. Other specialist care, such as mental healthcare was severely impacted as well. There was also a lack of prenatal care occurring due to offices being closed. There is an established link between anxiety, depression, emotional eating, and Gestational weight gain. Gestational Weight Gain is associated with a higher prevalence of behavioral health conditions that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grocery Sales And The Pandemic, Joy A. Salentine

Honors Capstones

The focus of this paper is to examine the impact of COVID-19 on grocery sales in the United States. My hypothesis is that periods with higher COVID-19 severity, measured through the number of COVID-19 deaths, will show higher grocery sales, all things equal, due to the increased demand during the unusual circumstances of the pandemic. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, I perform a regression analysis to test my hypothesis. The results confirm my hypothesis by showing that there is a positive and significant effect …

Pandemics And Animal Welfare: A Quantitative Inquiry Into How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas, Kayla N. Desmet

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, industries have been impacted globally. The companion animal care industry has not received much recognition in mainstream news, and though multiple grants have been allocated (Nolen, 2020), limited resources were available to individual facilities such as animal shelters, animal day cares, and boarding facilities. Little is known about the long-term effects of the pandemic on these facilities and how companion animal care may have changed. The purpose of this study was to explore the day-to-day impacts and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the companion animal industry in Northwest Arkansas from …

Social Isolation Interventions For Older, Underrepresented And Vulnerable Americans: A Descriptive Study Of Public Library Outreach Services During The Covid Pandemic, Sally Mathews Inglett

Leadership Education Capstones

The United States entered a state of lockdown in March 2020 in order slow the spread of the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. With this lockdown came mandatory social isolation, which was especially impactful for older, underrepresented and vulnerable Americans. Public libraries acted as community information centers and took on many unexpected roles to benefit the common good. This study identified these interventions through research and survey, and their relationship to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1943). This study also brought to light collaborative relationships between agencies, the redeployment of library staff and resources to meet these needs, the impact of the …

Collegiate Football Players Perception Of The Covid-19 Virtual College Experience, Cole L. Laliberty

Leadership Education Capstones

The world was faced with chaos as the COVID-19 virus surged impacting the lives of everyone around the world. Quickly, nations and states began to lockdown as people were required to stay inside and socially distance from one another. The pandemic changed the lives of collegiate football players’ drastically. It left collegiate football players stranded away from teammates, coaches, families, and resources. The research design was a mixed method design consisting of both qualitative and quantitative data. The data obtained from this research focused on major themes of how collegiate football players perceived the pandemics virtual college experience, the challenges …

Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Health Behaviors And Feelings Of Career Preparedness Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Mary Haggard

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The aim of this study was to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic affected the health behaviors and feelings of career preparedness of undergraduate nursing students. Participants were recruited from the pre-licensure program at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville during the Fall 2021 semester. The final sample consisted of 92 participants. This study used a cross-sectional design, retrospectively measuring behaviors and attitudes pre-pandemic and during the lockdown period. Two-tailed paired t-tests were run on the health behavior sections and feelings of career preparedness sections independently. Results were deemed significant with an alpha value set …

Perceived Sources Of Stress Related To Burnout Amongst Emergency Department Staff Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review, Sydney Craig

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Emergency departments (ED) are usually considered high stress environments. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying challenges such as frequent exposure to the novel virus, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), being over worked and underpaid, and the uncertainty surrounding the overall trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in an increased level of burnout for ED staff, especially nurses. This study involves a meta-analysis of current literature surrounding ED burnout including incidence rate and causes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because studies indicate upwards of three fourths of ED staff reporting increased stress and burnout, finding ways to …

Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Examining The Relationship Between Perceptions Of Covid-19 Vaccine Safety And Intention To Receive It Among African Americans In Mississippi, Tija L. Johnson

Honors Theses

In March of 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic due to the ongoing spread of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 disease. While scientific developers were seeking to understand the biochemical mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, political and public health leaders implemented non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing measures, to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. As the world began to adjust to the new realities, the race to create an effective vaccine was on. With the later development of the COVID-19 vaccine, receptiveness to the vaccine across the world varied, and in the United States, vaccine hesitancy was an …

Supply Chain Disruptions During The Pandemic And Ways Food And Beverage Companies Are Looking To Find Stability, Jacob Merz

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

In March 2020, the world was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and is still dealing with its repercussions. This paper examines how the pandemic has had an impact on the food and beverage industry. In this study, there are three disruptions highlighted by industry professionals and online articles. The professionals within the supply chain industry cited in this research are Jane Gringer-Flinn, Director of Customer Solutions at Coca-Cola, Whit Calhoun, Senior Director of Logistics at The Fishin’ Company, Judy Thorne, Senior Director Distribution Services at Tyson Foods, and Bill Carver, Senior Director at J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. The three …

Social Workers’ Experiences During Covid-19, Maija Slisco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify personal and professional challenges that social workers faced while working in-person with clients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This research utilized an exploratory qualitative design. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight participants. Participants were MSW postgraduates recruited through convenience sampling methods. Data was collected via in-depth interviews to identify universal challenges social workers experienced. Through thematic analysis of open coding, the following five semantic themes emerged: safety concerns/risks, ethical professional dilemmas, decreased ability to engage in self-care/increased acquisition of unhealthy habits, loss of connection, and emotional distress Through axial coding, it was found …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Social Workers’ Ability To Provide Services, Victoria Fuller

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As the COVID-19 pandemic has widely impacted society, it significantly limited social workers in performing their work. This qualitative study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted social workers’ ability to provide services to their clients, to learn how they overcame obstacles, and what advice they would offer for future crises. The study provides future social workers and policymakers with the benefit of firsthand knowledge of barriers and adaptations discovered, in efforts to support vulnerable client populations. The data was collected through interviews of social workers who worked at human service agencies near the northern region of Los Angeles County, …

Preschool And The Pandemic: Perspectives On Remote Schooling From Parents And Teachers, Annie Mudick

Child Development Theses

The pandemic affected many different aspects of family life, including children’s education. This thesis will explore the experiences of preschool children ages 3-4 over 2020 and 2021 through interviews with both teachers and parents from the beginning of the pandemic through the current time of spring 2022. The first section addresses how teachers interviewed felt about the use of online education in a preschool setting and examines the different factors that either promoted or hindered student participation and teachers’ feelings about the past two years. The second section considers how parents felt about their and their child’s experience with remote …

Pandemic And Substance Use: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Vanessa E. Ermilio

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The COVID-19 Pandemic called individuals to stay at home which may have impacted individuals to become not only physically, but socially isolated as well. With social isolation, comes an increase in mental health complications which may lead to an increase in substance use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential association between COVID-19 social isolation and substance use among college students.

Method: The present study’s data was collected from a public, four-year university located in Southern California. The survey was disseminated through instructors at the university and students were incentivized with extra course credit to participate. …

The Impact Of The Covid Pandemic On First Year Students' Locus Of Control, Self-Efficacy And Well-Being, Alexandra E. Bishop

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

Locus of control, self-efficacy, and well-being are well-studied personality concepts, but the change in these variables, and their relationships, over extremely stressful and uncontrollable periods, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, has not been assessed. The current study evaluated change in locus of control, self-efficacy, and well-being, as well as their relationships with one another, in a sample of students by comparing current data to data collected before the Covid-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized that locus of control would become more external, self-efficacy would increase slightly, and well-being would decrease. Results revealed that locus of control became significantly more external, while …