Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

From Larvae To Livelihoods: Examining The Realities Of Black Soldier Fly Farming In Malawi, Emily Herriott

Capstone Collection

Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae offer a cost-effective, nutrient-rich alternative to synthetic fertilizers and conventional feed inputs such as soy, fishmeal, and maize bran in sub-Saharan Africa. In Malawi, where smallholder farmers grapple with declining soil fertility, high input prices, chronic food insecurity, and livestock nutritional challenges, BSF farming is emerging as a promising circular agricultural innovation. Despite its technical promise, the social, economic, and ecological realities of BSF adoption remain underexplored.This study investigates the early implementation of BSF farming in Malawi through the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, focusing on farmer experiences, challenges, and the social and structural processes shaping uptake …

Digital Transformation In Jamaica's Education Sector, Grace Willis

Capstone Collection

Digital transformation in Jamaica’s education sector, significantly spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, represented a seismic shift on this small Caribbean island I call home. This transformation was central to national education reform and involved multiple projects aimed at modernizing educational delivery, infrastructure, and the supporting ecosystem. This study explored the multifaceted implications of these initiatives through qualitative research conducted with ten key stakeholders, complemented by a review of publicly available materials. Interviewees included school administrators, Information Technology (IT) teachers, funding sponsors, representatives from national education bodies, and international development agencies engaged in domestic strategic efforts. Participants were recruited through cold …

Navigating Early Intervention: The Experiences And Impact Of A Parent Coaching Model On Immigrant And Refugee Families In Rural Massachusetts, Emily Pleasant

Capstone Collection

Early Intervention (EI) programs play a critical role in supporting the developmental needs of children from birth to age three. This study explores the experiences of immigrant and refugee families engaging with EI services in rural Massachusetts, focusing particularly on the implementation and effectiveness of parent coaching models. Utilizing a mixed methods design that incorporates both narrative and phenomenological approaches, the research examines how families from culturally diverse backgrounds perceive and engage with EI services. This study discusses what barriers or facilitators they encounter throughout their journeys with Early Intervention. Preliminary findings suggest challenges related to language, cultural differences in …

Learning To Treat The Whole Person: Assessing Spiritual Care Curriculum Inclusion At Faith And Non-Faith-Based Doctor Of Physical Therapy And Master Of Athletic Training Programs In Texas, Tricia Blalock, Heather Hudson, Andrew R. Meyer, Ryan Hebdon

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Given the identified importance of assessing the spiritual domain of health as a component of cultural competence and holistic care in physical therapy and athletic training and the importance that their governing bodies have indicated that spiritual care should play in treating patients, this current study examined how faculty, at entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Master of Athletic Training (MAT) programs in Texas, perceive the importance and inclusion of spiritual dimensions of care in their programs. Methods: We disseminated an online, cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey to a total of 289 faculty members from a total of 27 programs …

Holistic Approach To Managing Grade 3 Vaginismus: An Obg Physiotherapy Perspective, Nagma Khan

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Vaginismus is a condition characterized by involuntary pelvic floor muscle contractions, which can make vaginal penetration painful or impossible. This disorder has both physical and psychological components, often leading to significant emotional distress, anxiety, and relationship difficulties. Effective management requires a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, combining physical therapy with psychological support. This case report examines the treatment of a 29-year-old woman with grade 3 vaginismus, highlighting the role of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (OBG) physiotherapy in improving both physical symptoms and emotional well-being.

Case Presentation: A 29-year-old female presented with grade 3 vaginismus, with a history of severe pelvic floor tension …

Impact Of Occupational Therapy Based Enrichment Program On Children In Transitional Housing, Taylor Lynn Miller, Dana Madalon, Cynthia Haynes

Summer 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Development, implement and evaluation of occupational therapy based enrichment program for children in transitional housing who have previously experienced homelessness.

Team Resilience In The Nba: When Teams Fall Behind, Chloe M. Howell, Nadav Goldschmied

McNair Summer Research Program

National Basketball Association (NBA) games have become more volatile in scoring as the pace of the game has quickened and reliance on the three-point shot has increased. This research analyzes 20-point scoring deficits and the comeback abilities of NBA teams from an archival, as well as team resilience perspective, which is the ability of a team to deal with adversity. The collective experience of challenge by all team members is a process more complex to study than individual resilience due to the diverse interactions between teammates. Another aspect of this study is the context of locale or home versus away …

Immigrant Surveillance In San Diego During A Fascist Era, Jennifer L. Torres Leon

McNair Summer Research Program

The following qualitative study examines a new increase of technological surveillance used on immigrants by San Diego’s local law enforcement. Drawing from in-depth interviews of the San Diego Privacy Advisory Board and Trust SD, insights of technological related violations are sanctioned by the San Diego Police Department. This is done through ambiguous language regarding “criminal investigations” and lack of definitive use policy, despite several memorandums and recommendations by the SD Privacy Advisory Board. Present findings reveal a duality of immigrant surveillance instigating hyper-visible tracking and broadcasting an image of their criminality. This study contributes to scholarship or crimmigration and urban …

The Consequences Of Workplace Racial Discrimination: A Scoping Review, Yaritza A. Ortiz, Evelyn D. Sarsar

McNair Summer Research Program

Racial discrimination has been consistently associated with negative mental health outcomes among marginalized communities. Racial discrimination within the workplace has shown to be detrimental to mental well-being and behavioral outcomes, however, there is much less work investigating these links. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to understand the association between workplace racial discrimination and mental and behavioral health outcomes.

Empirical articles were identified using Google Scholar and PsycINFO. The extracted data included, design of the study, the number of participants, ethnicity or race, type of discrimination, mental or behavioral outcome, and the results produced by the data. For the final review, …

Enhancing Client Intake Efficiency In The Removal Defense Program: A Nursing-Led Quality Improvement Initiative, Johnny Linares, Julia Tran Ngo, Daniel Orea, Atheana Yadira Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

This quality improvement project focuses on optimizing the intake process for the Removal Defense Program at a nonprofit immigration legal office serving asylum-seeking clients. The existing intake relied on unstructured, phone-call-based intake interviews that gathered incomplete information, leading to inconsistent documentation, reduced efficiency, and significant client processing delays. A structured, multilingual, and multiplatform new-client admission protocol coupled with the implementation of a client-facing resource guide for waitlist clients were co-developed and implemented using the Lippitt Change Theory framework. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, the study involved staff interviews and observational assessments with staff members from the program. Baseline intake process …

Illness Terminable And Interminable: A Lacanian Exploration Of Medical Assistance In Dying, Matthew Devine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More and more people worldwide are requesting euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide (PAS), or medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Arguments in favor of expanding access to MAiD tend to prioritize the rational, competent, autonomous subject who has the right to make decisions about their body, including their death. Some have argued that this perspective – common in biomedical and bioethical literature – tends to neglect the fact that requests for assisted dying involve a relational structure: a relationship between the subject who requests an assisted death and the Other to whom this request is addressed. After reviewing relevant psychoanalytic approaches to suicide …

Healthy And Successful Aging Outside The Closet: How Outness And Social Support Relate To Health And Aging Concerns, Jessica Segal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to disclose an LGBTQ+ identity is a significant part of many queer lives. A person’s outness can often be tied into their social support whether through their network or available resources. This study investigated how outness, social network, and access to resources relate to older LGBTQ+ individuals’ concerns regarding their care and their aging. A secondary data analysis was conducted using survey data from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The results showed that an increase in one’s social network indicated a decrease in aging-related care concerns; an increase in access to resources indicated a decrease in …

Mca 10100 Oer/Ztc Syllabus, Daniel Gilmore

Open Educational Resources

This is a syllabus for the MCA 10100 Introduction to Media Studies course taught at City College in the Media & Communication Arts department. It is an OER & ZTC compliant syllabus.

Effects Of Treatment Integrity Level And Error Type On Dro Efficacy: A Parametric And Comparative Analysis, Paige O'Neill

Theses & Dissertations

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a strategy commonly used in applied contexts to address challenging behavior but can be difficult to implement with high treatment integrity. Previous research has shown that DRO may be robust despite marginal errors of commission, but the impact of differing degrees of errors and different error types during DRO is still unclear. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a parametric evaluation of treatment integrity level (100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, 20%) in DRO when implemented with combined errors (Experiment 1) and to directly compare error types (commission errors, omission errors, combined …

Should School Board Elections Be Partisan? Analyzing Elite Discourse In The Debate Over The Structure Of Local Elections, Bre'arra M. Long

McNair Summer Research Program

The goal of this research paper is to identify the most prevalent arguments for and against partisan school board elections while also examining what differences, if any, exist between Republicans and Democrats with respect to the way they talk about the issue. The interdisciplinary fields of political science and linguistics provide helpful context to the effectiveness of political communication in smaller scale, yet salient elections in communities where impacts are most directly felt. My interest lies in how the nationalization of politics influences local government and elections, and how language and the media act as conduits for that relationship. It …

Routine Outcome Monitoring With The Youth Outcome Questionnaire-30.2 Self-Report: Creating And Testing An Empirical Alert System And Exploring Informant Discrepancy Patterns, Tate M. Paxton

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Youth self-report data using the YOQ-30 has not been specifically examined for use in routine outcome monitoring systems. This study used the YOQ-30 self-report in three endeavors: (1) modeling change trajectories in a large, naturalistic outpatient sample, (2) creating and testing an empirical alert system for deterioration, and (3) exploring the role of informant agreement, both descriptively and in a change trajectory model. Method: The sample consisted of 21,098 adolescents ages 12-17 receiving outpatient mental health care who used the OQ Measures system. Multilevel individual change trajectory models estimated symptom change over time. An alert system was developed on …

Attachment Or Aversion: A Study Of The Effects Of Parental Technoference On Child Emotion Knowledge, Brooklyn Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

Young children's understanding of emotions is heavily socialized by their parents. Through interactions with parents, children learn what emotions look like, when they are expressed, and how they are labeled (Laible, 2004a). Interruptions to interactions between children and parents have the potential to influence the development of children's emotion knowledge. According to the DREAMER framework, how one family member uses media and technology can influence other family members (Barr et al., 2024). Technoference (i.e., digital distraction while with others) is one example of how media might interrupt family life and influence child development as a whole. The current study examined …

The Crucial Role Of Grassroots Social Organizations In Advancing Immigrant Legal Protections And Reshaping Immigration Policy, Isabella Reynolds

McNair Summer Research Program

This research project examines how grassroots social organizations contribute to the advancement of immigrant legal protections and shape immigration policy, with a particular focus on formerly incarcerated migrants in California. I focus on case studies and the personal experiences of organizers from Homies Unidos, Border Angels, and other organizations that operate near the San Diego–Tijuana border region. The study illustrates how these groups provide essential services, mental health support, and community-based initiatives for vulnerable and formerly incarcerated immigrants. By conducting oral histories and ethnography as methods for preserving emotional labor and shared memory, this research challenges prevailing narratives that criminalize …

Nursing Education Leadership Succession Planning: Utilization Of Career Mapping For Professional Development, Reba L. Carethers

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

PURPOSE The focus of this quality improvement project was to identify potential future leaders in the Nursing Professional Development (NPD) department at a large hospital system using a succession planning model, strategy organizations use to cultivate individuals with the potential to assume future leadership roles.

BACKGROUND A gap existed in deliberate career planning within the NPD department. A quality improvement project was developed utilizing evidence-based interventions including development of professional objectives, professional development opportunities, and identification of aspiring leaders in nursing education.

METHODOLOGY Participants developed a career map to outline career goals, created an action plan for their professional development …

Habit Formation Among Individuals Alcohol Use Disorder, Blaire Guidry, Cynthia Haynes

Summer 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project aimed to determine the efficacy of a newly developed and delivered online program that focuses on educating individuals experiencing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) on how to create habits with decreased executive functioning skills. With the rise in substance use and addiction related disorders throughout the United States, the urge to implement various intervention approaches that support long term recovery is crucial (Radesi, 2025). By focusing on habit formation, the goal of this capstone is to educate individuals on how to create habits that promote increased participation in meaningful occupations.

The Anti-Work Attitude Scale: Conceptualizing And Measuring The Resistance To The Institution Of Work, Alayna Del Rosario

Master's Theses

Recent shifts in labor discourse have drawn attention to rising burnout, declining organizational commitment, and diminishing job satisfaction, which challenge traditional assumptions about the centrality and desirability of work. These tensions have given rise to the concept of anti-work, a growing discourse that questions the moral, economic, and psychological foundations of work itself. Despite its cultural relevance, anti-work remains largely undertheorized and unmeasured in empirical research. Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship, this study defined anti-work as a negative critique of work as a social construct, questioning its value, purpose, and impact on individuals and society. Anti-work was operationalized through two higher-order …

Reviewing The Need For Subject-Specific Regional Professional Development Opportunities For Business Librarians, Annette Bochenek, Heather A. Howard

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This paper reviews the need for regional professional development opportunities for business librarians, examining the benefits and drawbacks that business librarians experience when attending national, subject-specific, and regional conferences, from the perspective of the creators and organizers of the Midwest Business Librarian Summit (MBLS). Using information gained regarding what benefits librarians seek when considering conference attendance as well as the obstacles or challenges experienced, this paper offers information about extant regional conferences for business librarians as well as suggestions for developing an in-person, subject-specific regional conference targeted toward business librarians.

Refugee Families: Parental Traumatic Stress And Child Outcomes A Scoping Review, Britta Sedig

Theses and Dissertations

This scoping review synthesizes recent literature (2019-2024) to explore mechanisms linking parental trauma to child mental health outcomes within refugee families. Guided by a systemic and relational focus, 20 studies were identified and analyzed, revealing five central themes: intergenerational transmission of trauma, parenting practices as mediators, parent-child dyadic attachment, family functioning and conflict, and post-migration and acculturative stress. Findings highlighted associations between parental trauma-related symptoms and refugee children's emotional and behavioral concerns. Parenting practices were frequently linked to child wellbeing, with some studies identifying risk factors like harsh discipline and emotional unavailability, and others noting protective roles of intentional caregiving. …

Eco-Emotions And Climate Activism In Adolescents, Julianna Sahoo

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background. Youth are especially vulnerable to climate change, both physically and psychologically. Combatting climate change will require a coordinated, global effort. Understanding the motivations and emotions behind climate activism is essential to coordinate efforts to combat climate change.

Methods. This research uses survey data collected from first and second year undergraduates (n=521) at a private, urban university in California in the Fall of 2022. Youth were surveyed on emotions related to climate change, activism, compassion, eco-anxiety, and well-being.

Results. Experiencing positive emotions had a stronger relationship with environmental activism compared to negative emotions.

Conclusion. Results suggest climate change communications should …

The Protective Role Of Resilience In Indirect Aggression Perpetration And Victimization, Amelia Klass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between resilience and indirect aggression, specifically relational and social aggression, utilizing a sample of 104 females aged 18–22. Indirect aggression, characterized by behaviors such as social exclusion, gossip, and manipulation, is associated with significant emotional and interpersonal difficulties. Using a theoretical basis that includes gender schema theory, social learning theory, and social information processing theory, this study investigates whether resilience has a significant relationship in both the perpetration of and victimization through the use of indirect aggression. Participants completed self-report measures, including the Adult Resilience Measure – Revised and the Young Adult Social Behavior Scales …

Adding Varying Degrees Of Performance Feedback Components To The Taped Problems Intervention, Alyson C. Honaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Math fact fluency, the ability to quickly and accurately solve one-digit by one-digit math problems, is a common challenge for many school-aged children. Difficulties with fluency often lead to reliance on inefficient strategies, hindering progress in more advanced math skills. Evidence-based interventions like Taped Problems Intervention (TPI) have demonstrated effectiveness in improving math fluency. However, research suggests incorporating behavioral components such as Performance feedback (PF) and goal setting/reinforcement (GS/R) may enhance its effectiveness. The present study used a multiple-probe across-task design to evaluate the effects of three variations of TPI on the subtraction fluency of five elementary students in a …

Breaking Barriers: The Political Journeys Of Elected Female Leaders, Erica Lynn Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite increasing participation, women have remained significantly underrepresented in elected political office. Existing literature on women elected to political positions highlights persistent gender disparities in representation, access, and political influence. Scholars have examined the structural, cultural, and institutional barriers that women face when seeking and holding public office. While recent research has increasingly focused on intersectionality and the diverse experiences of women in politics, gaps remain in capturing their personal narratives and day-to-day realities. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine the experiences of women currently serving in political positions to understand how prior career opportunities influenced …

Exploring The Role Of Accessibility In Enhancing User Experience: Trends, Challenges, And Opportunities Across Digital Platforms, Adiba Khan

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Accessibility was a fundamental aspect of enhancing user experience (UX) across digital platforms, ensuring equitable access to information and services for a diverse range of users, including individuals with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments. As digital products became increasingly central to education, commerce, and communication, the need for inclusive design grew. This study explored the intersection of accessibility and UX, with a specific focus on how accessibility-driven design improved usability, user satisfaction, engagement, and the overall quality of digital interactions. Grounded in Agile project management principles, the research examined how early integration of accessibility into the software development lifecycle …

Identifying The Experiences And Perceptions Of School Psychologists On Racial Disparities In Autism Spectrum Disorderidentifying The Experiences And Perceptions Of School Psychologists On Racial Disparities In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anna Marie Paolicelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates the experiences and perceptions of school psychologists who identify as experts in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regarding racial and ethnic disparities in ASD identification. Utilizing a convergent embedded mixed-methods design grounded in Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR), the study explores how school psychology practices may have contributed to recent changes in ASD outreach and assessment, as well as persistent disparities, particularly for Black children with co-occurring intellectual disability (ID). Thirteen credentialed school psychologists with extensive experience in diverse educational and clinical settings participated in semi-structured interviews and binary survey items. Findings reveal perceived progress in ASD awareness and …

Beyond A Monoracial Paradigm: Parents Practicing Racial Humility In The Racial Socialization Of Mixed-Race Children, Katherine Johnson

Sociology

Interracial parents face unique challenges in racially socializing their mixed-race children, but this socialization is imperative to their overall well-being and self-esteem. Using critical multiracial theory, the author argues that the interracial parents included in this study overwhelmingly understand the harm of promoting a monoracial paradigm of race when raising their children. They demonstrate this by implementing racial humility in their socialization practices to support and encourage the formation of a positive racial identity in their children. Drawing upon in-depth, semistructured interviews with 19 sets of interracial parents in the United States, the author identifies four themes related to how …