Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

04.07.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

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Oxford Pitch Competition

Hughes Miller, Strategic Partnerships

Emergency Operations Plan To Sufficiently Support Prison Disaster Preparedness, Nyhrie Love Chapman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency management in correctional facilities is a critical aspect of institutional safety and security. Natural disasters and public health crises have exposed significant gaps in preparedness, leaving incarcerated individuals and staff vulnerable during emergencies. This qualitative study was conducted to examine prison staff members’ perspectives on the effectiveness of emergency operations plans (EOPs) in responding to natural and human-made disasters. Guided by social vulnerability theory and policy implementation and effectiveness theory, this study employed a phenomenological approach to explore staff experiences. Through 12 in-depth interviews, participants described challenges related to resource limitations, training deficiencies, and breakdowns in communication between agencies. …

Methods For Community-Engaged Data Collection And Analysis In Implementation Research, Lawrence A. Palinkas, Benjamin Springgate, Leopoldo J. Cabassa, Michelle Shin, Samantha Garcia, Benjamin F. Crabtree, Jennifer Tsui

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Community engagement is widely recognized as critical to successful and equitable implementation of evidence-based practices, programs, and policies. However, there are no clear guidelines for community involvement in data collection and analysis in implementation research. METHODS: We describe three specific methods for engaging community members in data collection and analysis: concept mapping, rapid ethnographic assessment, and Photovoice. Common elements are identified from a case study of each method: 1) selection and adaptation of evidence-based strategies for improving adolescent HPV vaccine initiation rates in disadvantaged communities, 2) strategies for implementing medication for opioid use disorders among low-income Medicaid enrollees during …

Exploring The Impact Of Internalized Negative Stereotypes On Black Women's Identity Development, Mental Health, And Resilience, Angela Nicole Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stereotypes affect Black women’s self-concept, psychological well-being, and overall mental health, influencing how they perceive themselves and are perceived by others. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black women who have internalized negative stereotypes, such as the angry Black woman and strong Black woman, and explored their impact on identity development and mental health. Intersectionality theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 15 Black women from the Southeast and Southwest United States. Thematic analysis revealed key patterns of resilience such as community support, code-switching, and self-affirmation. Findings also highlighted the …

Medical Social Workers’ Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration Managing Patients With Chronic Pain And Opioid Use Disorder, Alexis Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social work is a complex field, with the roles and responsibilities of social workers often unclear. This ambiguity can lead to low self-efficacy and hinder effective collaboration with other disciplines, which can negatively impact patient care. The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the relationship between the occupational self-efficacy of medical social workers, level of experience and social workers’ perceptions of interdisciplinary collaboration when managing patients with co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use disorder. The theoretical framework that guided this study is Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The conceptual framework for this research is Bronstein’s model of interdisciplinary collaboration. The …

Predictors Of Political Participation Of U.S. Social Workers: The Mediating Effect Of Confidence, Maria Wathen, Rachel A. Young, Amy Krings, Teresa Kilbane

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

What factors are associated with social workers’ political participation, and how does political confidence mediate those relationships? To answer this question, data were collected in 2020 through an original online survey of members of the U.S.-based National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Informed by self-efficacy theory, researchers conducted a structural equation modeling (SEM) path model with political participation as the outcome variable, and political confidence as a mediating variable. Exogenous variables included: one’s self-reported political orientation, belief that social work has a political mandate, gender, and knowledge about how to effectively participate in politics. Results indicate that high political confidence …

The Gulf Coast Lgbt Radio And Television Digitization Project: Providing Equitable Access To Houston’S Lgbtq Broadcast History, Emily Vinson, Bethany Scott

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Initiated in 2020 with a multi-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access, The Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project aimed to digitize and preserve thousands of hours of LGBTQ broadcast history from the Houston, Texas area. Through meticulous inventorying, digitization, redaction, transcription, publication, promotion, and preservation processes, the project team navigated the delicate balance between equitable access and copyright compliance. The selected programs encapsulate decades of LGBTQ life and culture, covering a diverse array of topics crucial to understanding the community’s evolution in the region.

This paper presents a comprehensive case …

Future Of Academic Libraries And Lis Professionals In India, Vinayak Savatagi, Umesha Naik

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries authentically and authoritatively acquire, process, conserve, and make knowledge of all human endeavours accessible to all, regardless of sex, status, religion, race, or colour. Serving the information needs of its users & society as a whole is its principal function. Academic libraries & LIS professionals in India are going through a major transition because of new technology, changing user expectations, & different ways of teaching. In this study, we take a look at what the future holds for university libraries and the people who work in them. Digital curation, data management, or IT expertise are becoming increasingly important for …

No. 39: Considering The Migration And Food Security Nexus In African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Zack Ahmed

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

International migration and food security are still treated as separate policy and research domains, yet they are deeply intertwined in the African urban context. This paper unbundles the nexus between migration and urban food security by examining how migrants and refugees navigate food systems, cope with vulnerabilities, and deploy resilience strategies to mitigate food insecurity. As rapid urbanization reshapes African cities, migrants are becoming actors in informal food economies, both as consumers and vendors. However, economic exclusion, weak social protection, and precarity often expose them to heightened food insecurity. The paper explores how migrant food security is shaped by urban …

No. 38: Informal Female Food Vendors, Covid-19, And Post-Pandemic Recovery In Kisumu, Kenya, Silvia A. Odhiambo, Patrick Mbullo Owuor, Doreen Obondo, Janet Anyango Onyango, Joyce Kiplagat, Elizabeth Onyango

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

While there is substantial literature on the effects of COVID-19 on formal businesses, limited evidence exists on the impacts of the pandemic on informal female-owned enterprises. Additionally, no studies have explored the role of post-pandemic recovery strategies in meeting the unique challenges experienced by the informal food vendors in secondary cities in the Global South. In this paper, we explore the impacts of COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery strategies on female informal food vendors in Kisumu, the third largest city in the western region of Kenya. The study adopted qualitative methods – in-depth and key informant interviews and focus group …

No. 37: Harnessing Diaspora Finance For Climate Resilience In Africa, Eunice Annan-Aggrey

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

As climate change accelerates, the costs of adaptation are rising sharply. This escalation comes at a time when financial inflows to developing countries – such as official development assistance and foreign direct investment – are declining. Meanwhile, the global political climate is becoming unfavourable to sustained climate financing commitments. In this context, the role of remittances in supporting climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries has attracted growing interest. This paper broadens the lens to examine diaspora finance more holistically, encompassing not only remittances but also diaspora investments and knowledge transfer. It explores the potential of these various diaspora finance …

Who Defines The Refugee?: Analyzing The Limitations And Relevance Of The 1951 Un Convention On Global Refugee Protection, Sarah Locke '25

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis consists of three chapters and a mini-fourth. In Chapter One, I examine the historical context of the 1951 Convention and its lasting implications. I discuss the early history of the international refugee law regime and the power dynamics that shaped the UN Convention’s drafting. Using a postcolonial lens, I evaluate how the historical context of the Convention continues to perpetuate inequalities and exclusions today, especially through the myth of difference. In Chapter Two, I address the limitations of the 1951 Convention through a comparative analysis with two regional conventions. By analyzing the definition of refugee in each convention, …

The Role Of Answer Justification In Multiple-Choice Testing: Effects On Performance And Metacognitive Accuracy, Spenser A. Clark, Michellle L. Rivers, Acacia L. Overono

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Student Research

Multiple-choice (MC) tests are widely used in educational settings but have been criticized for promoting passive recognition rather than active retrieval. Our research explores how adding a simple component to MC tests—answer justification—influences test performance and metacognitive accuracy. Across two experiments, university students studied a textbook chapter and completed either a standard MC test (MC-only group) or an MC test requiring them to justify their answers (answer justification group). Participants also provided predictive and postdictive metacognitive judgments. The results showed that the answer justification group significantly outperformed the MC-only group on an immediate test (Experiments 1 and 2) and scored …

35. Protest 2025. Hands Off! Protest [Article & Images], Holly Hudson Hill, Chris Zoeller

LGBTQIA+ Archive Class Projects

Citation: Hill, H. and Zoeller, C. (2025, April 8). Hands Off Protest. Courier, A1 & A4.

27. Dragaganza 2025: Building A Brighter Future [Poster, April 2025]

LGBTQIA+ Archive Class Projects

A poster promoting the draganza event presented by UNI Proud

Woman-To-Woman Marriage In West Africa: A Vanishing Tradition Of Power And Agency, Bright Alozie

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In lieu of an abstract, here is an excerpt: Marriage in west Africa has played a central role in shaping aspects of society, and has evolved over time. While traditional heterosexual unions dominate discussions, a lesser-known but significant practice – woman-to-woman marriage – has existed for centuries. In my research, I examined this institution, which allows a woman to assume the role of a husband by marrying another woman. There’s evidence of woman-to-woman marriage in more than 40 societies across west Africa, including the Igbo of Nigeria, the Frafra of Ghana and the Dahomeans of present-day Benin.

Examining The Success Of Qanon, Zoe Hanrahan

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

In this paper I use rhetorical criticism to explore the rhetorical techniques that aid in the dissemination and continued belief in QAnon, an expanding political conspiracy theory that originally centered around former President Donald Trump fighting powerful Satanic pedophiles. Several practices have made the spread of its ideas remarkably effective. The anonymity of QAnon’s source prevents questioning, making it harder to disprove their proposed theories, and the support of politicians and influencers increases the perceived truthfulness of QAnon’s ideas. Multimedia coverage, especially on mainstream social media platforms, spreads the beliefs to a wide audience. Vague language leaves the messages open …

Risk, Vulnerability, And Resilience In “Natural” Disasters: A Hurricane Katrina Case Study, Scarlett Oaks '25

Honor Scholar Theses

With the rapid rate of climate change, major weather events and natural disasters are predicted to become more commonplace. An understanding of the factors to a community’s economic and social rebuilding can foster resilience against future disasters, even with a changing climate and the slow implementation of climate policy. Hurricane Katrina caused billions of dollars in damages and nearly 2,000 casualties when the storm reached New Orleans in 2005. The lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina can inform resilience efforts and identify gaps in preparedness and protection. An investigation of the historical inequalities that persisted in New Orleans reveals that neoliberal …

No Vaccine? Why Not: Causes Of Vaccine Hesitancy And How Governments Can Stop It, Alexander (Alec) Mccarty '25

Honor Scholar Theses

Vaccine hesitancy is a term that has entered the spotlight since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. With concerns about efficacy, safety, and individual choice, many people have developed a hesitancy toward receiving any vaccine, creating concerns for public and global health. Through responses from local and state health departments about their actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and through analysis of state vaccine rates based on political affiliation, this study suggests that vaccine hesitancy is a current issue that is likely politically motivated. States that are Republican affiliated have lower rates of vaccine uptake, and in turn they have higher …

Blue Chairs And Broken Minds: The Troubled Teen Industry’S Legacy Of Abuse, Macie Barker '25

Honor Scholar Theses

The Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) operates under the veil of rehabilitating adolescents with behavioral challenges. However, evidence reveals a system rife with abuse, manipulation, and inadequate oversight. From the infamous blue chairs of Straight, Inc., to the isolation tactics of WWASP program, this industry has maintained a facade of treatment while subjecting youth to severe abuse. This paper explores the history, recruitment tactics, institutional failures, survivor recovery journeys, and legal battles that define the TTI. Advocacy movements, including Breaking Code Silence and WWASP Survivors, have emerged to combat industry malpractice and push for policy changes to protect vulnerable youth. Additionally, …

Racial Trauma, Psychosis, And Double Consciousness, Brianna A. Baker

Publications and Research

Key Points

• Black distress is often misdiagnosed as psychosis instead of recognized as a response to racial trauma.
• Double consciousness may explain how racism causes cognitive and emotional strain in Black individuals.
• Racial discrimination is linked to paranoia, dissociation, and hallucinations in Black communities.

Ethics Of End-Of-Life Care: Alzheimer's And Assisted Dying, Callan Plant '25

Honor Scholar Theses

Assisted dying and euthanasia are hotly contested end-of-life care options that present pressing dilemmas concerning patient autonomy, relief of suffering, and the misapplication of these delicate medical procedures. Access to and prohibition of these options is predicated on years of legal history, including continuous adjustment, and is actively contested in many places. Each country where at least one of these options is accessible, such as the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, possesses largely similar restrictions and guidelines, with notable exceptions. Through the examination of data in countries that allow access to assisted dying, euthanasia, or both, it is possible …

Democracy In Discourse: Presidential Addresses And The Public's Understanding Of Governance In The 21st Century, Knole Ihle '25

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis explores how presidential crisis rhetoric shapes public understanding of democracy in the twenty-first century. Through a comparative analysis of George W. Bush’s address following the September 11 attacks and Donald Trump’s speech at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it examines how presidents construct national identity, justify political action, and frame civic participation. Drawing from classical rhetorical theory, Bitzer’s rhetorical situation, Burke’s dramatistic pentad, and McGee’s theory of “the people,” the study argues that crisis rhetoric is not simply a reaction to events but a means of redefining the crisis. It also considers demagogic rhetorical strategies—such as emotional …

The Landowner As Change Agent In Rural Modernization: An Ecuadorean Example, Gene N. Franckowiak

The Geographical Bulletin

In an era of impressive governmental and institutional support for rural modernization plans in developing countries, the privately financed, small-scale project can easily escape attention. A concentration of private funds and individual effort in small communities or single farms may occur for a variety of reasons ranging from humanitarian to pragmatic. Recognition may not be solicited if such gestures are designed to supplement existing law or correct difficult social problems in an environment of national political instability. Some landowners may react quite positively to highly localized problems to assure smoOlh functioning of agricultural systems where production is labor intensive. These …

News From Our Chapters By Michael L. Thaller, Robert M. Ward

The Geographical Bulletin

This year marks the beginning of the inclusion of chapter news formerly included in the International Newsletter within an expanded BUlletin. Chapter news was selected to provide chapters with hopefully interesting, new or unusual ideas. Many chapters that reported full and active years, but did nothing particularly unique will not find their news reported here. The editor wishes to thank all those who submitted news items for the Newsletter and hopes that those who do not find their chapter's news here will not feel that this negatively reflects on what were in many cases active and successful yearly programs. Further …

Drivers And Impediments In The Adoption Of Artificial Intelligence By Academic Libraries In Nigeria, Oluyinka Titilope Afolayan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by academic libraries globally is not without its challenges despite its diverse benefits for efficient library operations and services. This paper examined the drivers of AI adoption and the likely impediments in its adoption by academic libraries in Nigeria. The methodology adopted for this paper was a documentary/literature review search to determine the trends and patterns in the extent of AI adoption by academic libraries globally and in particular Nigeria. This paper discussed the concept of AI, application areas of AI, and impediments to the adoption of AI categorized under institutional, personal and technological …

Deconstructing The Afd: An Analysis Of The German Right-Wing Populist Political Party, The Alternative For Germany (Vchc Poster), Elizabeth A. Breckenridge

Research and Creativity Symposium

The Alternativ für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) (AfD) is a far-right populist party that has quickly grown in power within the past decade, particularly in Eastern German states, due to its emphasis on nationalization, populist rhetoric, and attraction to voters’ fears about immigration and cultural change. The AfD has managed to mobilize strong voting support within five years, gaining parliamentary seats in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) in 2017, and is now considered the main opposition party to the established parties. The AfD is the first right-wing party to gain significant voting attention since 1945, capitalizing on the rise of right-wing …

Drag-A-Ganza: Pink Pony Princess [Poster], University Of Northern Iowa. Gender & Sexual Services. Uni Proud.

UNI Proud Documents

UNI Proud 2025 Dragaganza poster.

28. Dragaganza 2025: Pink Pony Princess [Poster, April 5, 2025], University Of Northern Iowa

LGBTQIA+ Archive Class Projects

A pink, blue, and purple poster advertising the UNI Proud Drag-A-Ganza. Poster contains 'pink pony princess' text and the image of a pink disco ball.

Reading The Rainbow Together: A Workshop On Lgbtqia+ Themes And Identities In Library Collections, Alicia G. Vaandering, Amanda Melilli, James W. Rosenzwing

Public Services Faculty Presentations

Although libraries are facing a substantial increase in book challenges that disproportionately target queer books, many librarians have had limited opportunities for professional development in understanding queer representation in library collections. In this workshop, participants will use the Rainbow Representation Rubric to analyze queer narratives and identities in brief example texts (book reviews and picture books). The presenters will guide participants in discussions that prepare them to support their communities by developing collections that capture the true diversity of queer experiences.