Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Baseline Study For A Refugee Children’S Programme In Sudan, Acer India

ACER India

This is a brief report on a project to measure the baseline metrics of UNICEF’s Integration and Mainstreaming of Refugee Children into the Sudanese Education System (IRCSES) programme.

The Experiences Of Religious Students In Counseling Theories Courses, Brian A. Mesimer, Matthew Lyons, Candace Park

Journal of Faith Integration Counseling (JFIC)

We explored the experiences of 10 religious counseling students in their theories course. Analysis using transcendental phenomenology showed that the theory acquisition process is multifaceted, consisting of a variety of affective and cognitive experiences which further student growth.

An Exploratory Study Of Anti-Black Racism In Social Media Behavior Intentions: Effects Of Political Orientation And Motivation To Control Prejudice, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Samantha A. Wilcox, Justine K. Brace, Melissa Anderson

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Considering the widespread prevalence of racist content and opinions on social media, there is a pressing need to understand how users react to such content in ways that might lead them to be drawn into echo chambers of racism, hate speech, and potentially even violence. We conducted an online study to investigate how two individual differences—political orientation and motivation to control prejudice (MCP)—may predispose people to accept anti-Black racism expressed in social media messages. Non-Black participants viewed racist and egalitarian mock social media posts and reported how likely they would be to respond favorably and/or engage in supportive social media …

Political Prioritization For Digital Health And Health Equity Through Global Health Diplomacy, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Sujatha Alla, Bawa Singh

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

[Introduction] We have found the article "Digital health and health equity: How digital health can address healthcare disparities and improve access to quality care in Africa" published in the recent issue to be very relevant and interesting.¹ Qoseem et al have highlighted that there is a great need for continuous advocacy for strengthening the health systems through telehealth promotion and increasing access to healthcare services to achieve health equity.

Uni Scholarworks Readership Snapshot, December 2023, Bepress

Library Documents & Reports (entire collection)

No abstract provided.

Uni Textbook Equity Initiative: Accomplishments To Date [2023], University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Library Documents & Reports (entire collection)

No abstract provided.

Household Chaos Relates To Cortisol Levels For Children In Head Start Preschool, Mary Ann Blumenthal

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Poverty and related stressors have been demonstrated to negatively impact child development. Few studies to date have investigated the relationship between one such poverty related stressor, household chaos, and its impact on cortisol levels-a biomarker for stress- throughout the day. The present study investigated the relationship between household chaos and cortisol in a diverse sample of 288 children attending Head Start preschool. Household chaos was measured by a standardized parent report measure of chaos in the home. Salivary cortisol samples were obtained during four time points across the preschool day on two days at the beginning of the preschool year. …

The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Inhibitory Control Among Emerging Adults, Lindsay Zavislak

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) include household dysfunction, abuse, and neglect, which can significantly impact mental, emotional, and physical health. 61% of the US population have experienced at least one ACE, and one in five adults have endured at least three or more ACEs before the age of 18 (Felitti et al., 1998, CDC, 2021). ACEs may also impact cognitive processes such as executive functions, attention, problem-solving, and language (Dye, 2018). Inhibition as an executive function supports self-control and impulse control, which can range from blocking an unwanted thought, to stopping oneself from engaging in a risky, potentially dangerous behavior (Diamond, …

Cognitive Functioning In Well-Controlled Asthma, Erin Walsh

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Asthma is a common lung disease that impacts lung functioning through inflammatory based mechanisms. Past research suggests that decreased blood oxygenation due to asthma attacks may impair cognitive capabilities (Irani et al., 2017). Moreover, the observed differences in cognition between those with and without asthma may be associated with disease severity or asthma control respectively in asthma populations. The current study explored differences in cognitive functioning between college students with and without self-reported asthma. Sociodemographic data, self-reported asthma severity, and measures of asthma control were collected. The current study did not find significant differences in measures of cognitive efficiency between …

Cortisol And Executive Functioning For Young Children Attending Head Start Preschool, Zachary Weaver

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Poverty circumstances impact the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal or HPA axis. Early childhood dysfunction in the HPA axis, marked by irregularities in cortisol, poses risk for the development of key executive functioning (EF) abilities. No studies have investigated the relation between cortisol and performance-based measures of EF in settings such as Head Start preschool that aim to promote positive outcomes for children facing economic hardship. This pilot study examined EF and cortisol for 50 children ages 3 to 5 years, who attended a Head Start preschool. This study was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a sample size less than half …

Exploring Perceptions Of Self-Compassion In Individuals With Complex Trauma Symptomology: A Qualitative Approach, Brooke Roseman

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The aim of the present study sought to explore the perceptions of self-compassion through the perspectives of individuals who experience complex trauma symptomology and low rates of self-compassion to inform and enhance trauma treatment. Despite a growing accumulation of studies implicating self-compassion as an integral construct for alleviating symptoms associated with complex trauma, most research designs were quantitative and did not investigate the internal processes occurring within the individual. Based on this gap, the current study expanded the scope of the current literature to include a qualitative thematic analytic approach to better understand the nuances of how this population relates …

Waiting On The World (Of Allied Healthcare) To Change: How Undergraduate Preparedness Curriculum Dis/Includes Ability, Brianna Donnelly

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Significant concerns for healthcare practitioners and allied health professionals continue to arise regarding treatment of persons with disabilities. Whether disability exists as apparent or non-apparent, temporary, or chronic, people with disabilities tend to be in poorer health and tend to use health care at a significantly higher rate than people who do not have disabilities. Importantly, the absence of professional training on disability competency issues for health care practitioners is one of the most significant barriers that prevent people with disabilities from receiving appropriate and effective health care. This qualitative narrative analysis explores the inclusion of disability concepts and people …

Community Integration Experiences Of Formerly Homeless Persons With Serious Mental Illness (Smi) Housed In Washington Dc Using The Housing First Model, Gwendolyn Harter

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Two interventions which have been successful in housing and maintaining housing for individuals who have serious mental illness and are classified as chronically homeless are the Housing First Model and community integration. Currently existing models of community integration were created using dated information and definitions, created from a medical model and not a social framework. Therefore, this dissertation used a phenomenological approach to define community and whether, by that definition, the participants feel integrated into the community. This included the interviewees’ experiences with Pathways to Housing DC and transitioning from homeless to housings and the Housing First Model.

Outcomes from …

Land Use Policy Impact On Health Equity In Rural America Counties, Shayla Holmes

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This dissertation investigates the relationship between land use policies and health equity in rural American counties. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, the research scrutinizes eight counties across four states, examining publicly available data such as census details, land use policy documents, community health reports, and planning documents. The study is guided by two main research questions: 1) Are there land use policies in rural America that align with the creation of health equitable communities? and 2) Do health equitable communities within rural America feature equity in housing stock? The results from the thematic coding and content analysis of ninety-six …

Power To Elect: Voter Perception Of Accessibility In North Carolina, Kristi Langford

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

North Carolina has been the subject of controversy surrounding voting rights for many years. Those controversies include voting ID laws, voter intimidation at the polls, and systematic changes to early voting times, dates, and locations. The North Carolina General Assembly has been accused of gerrymandering the district maps to dilute the vote of Democrats and people of color. This study looks at how registered voters in North Carolina perceive their access to voting despite the controversies. Two hypotheses were tested: those in North Carolina who were people of color or of lower socio-economic standing would feel they have a higher …

Child Welfare Social Workers: Socially Situated Bureaucrats At The Forefront Of Systemic Racism In Practice, Christina Lau

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Anti-Black racial bias in child welfare systems was explored in this qualitative study employing an anonymous online survey and virtual interviews with child welfare professionals from around the U.S. This applied research re-examined the persistent problem of racial disproportionality in child welfare intervention rates for Black children from underrepresented perspectives of social workers in the field. The research questions asked for participants’ observations of the mechanisms through which racial bias impacts families involved with child welfare systems, and what roles individual professionals take when striving to promote equity as street-level bureaucrats. Interpretive description methods were used to develop a conceptual …

The Role Of Reward Probability And Dispositional Mindfulness On Substance Use In Trauma-Exposed Individuals, Sam Wayne

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Background: In 2020, 93,331 people died from drug overdoses (CDC, 2021), a 32% increase from the year prior and the largest figure recorded in a single year. Understanding the risk and resilience factors are crucial to taking steps towards slowing this trend. Robust research identifies trauma exposure as a risk factor for substance use. Emerging research suggests that dispositional mindfulness and reward probability as risk-resilience factors for substance use. The current study examines two of these potential factors: dispositional mindfulness and reward probability. Method: In a cross-sectional design, residents of a drug rehabilitation program who endorsed opioid use (n …

January 2024 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean’S Office Communications Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the January 2024 (Volume 2, Issue 6) Library & Learning Newsletter.

Impediments To Peace: In Response To ‘The Evolution Of Peace’ By Luke Glowacki (December 16, 2022), Raymond B. Hames

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

A response to ‘The evolution of peace’ by Luke Glowacki (December 16, 2022)

While effective institutional practices are critical for the evolution of peace certain factors deter their effectiveness. In-group and out-group dynamics may make peace difficult between culturally distinct groups. Critical ecological conditions often lead to intractable conflict over resources. And within group conflicts of interest most prominently between generations may inhibit effective peace making

A Financial Economic Analysis Of Amazon, Rebekah Arcilla

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This analysis values Amazon (AMZN) as it relates to prospective investors through a financial and economic lens. It provides an investment recommendation using various methodical analyses: Porter 5 Forces Framework, financial statement analysis, economic analysis, and a review of the company. The Porter 5 Forces Framework identifies key forces within Amazon’s industry that could result in negative or positive impact. The financial statement analysis measures the financial health and capability of the company. The economic analysis analyzes the current state of the economy and its effect to Amazon. The review of the company reveals significant risks that create undesirable performance …

Getting /Srs About Tone Tags, Sierra Morrissey

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In digital modes of communication, speakers may struggle to convey their tone and emotions to their readers and interlocutors. This complication leads to questions surrounding the state of the conventions for conveying tone in digital utterances (e.g., tweets). This thesis explores one such way that speakers overcome this struggle, tone tags. Tone tags are linguistic items consisting of a forward slash and an alphabetic character or characters that serve to represent some word or phrase, generally used to indicate the intended spirit of the utterance. This thesis serves as an analysis of these items, including necessary context, an explanation of …

Perceptions Of School Shooters: How The Race Of A School Shooter And His Video Game Playing Habits Influence Observers’ Explanatory Attributions About His Crime, Brian Beaupre

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The current experiment is an exploration of how people arrive at causal explanations for instances of mass school shootings in the United States. Specifically, this study utilized a fictitious shooter vignette approach with a 2 (White vs. Black shooter) x 2 (shooter played violent vs. nonviolent video games) between-subject ANOVA to determine if these variables would differentially influence the participants’ levels of agreement with various causal attributions about why a mass shooter would engage in such an act of violence. In particular, this study explored participants’ utilization of internal (e.g., innate characteristics like the shooter’s race or gender) or external …

Lateralization Of Motor Behavior As A Measure Of Cognitive Functioning And Resting-State Electrocortical Activity, Alina Dillahunt

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background. Research has shown that the laterality between hands in self-report and motor measures maps onto hemispheric lateralization and this has important implications for psychopathology (e.g., depression) and cognition. The present study evaluates the relationship between performance on finger-tapping tasks (FTT), alpha power during resting-state electroencephalography (EEG), handedness, and relevant psychological outcomes. Methods. A sample of 48 individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 completed online assessments including a modified FTT paradigm, the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, and a common depression measure. A subset of 20 participants completed assessments of motor and executive functioning including a self-report executive functioning measure, …

“We’Ll Offer Asylum Just So Long As…” The Discrimination Of Poc And Lgbtq+ Refugees In Ongoing Refugee Crises, Faith N. Schaefer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An ongoing refugee crisis is apparent in global politics and foreign relations. Still, the way receiving countries regard certain communities in this critical period has brought to light the inhumane discrimination solely based on one’s skin color and/or sexual identity. Despite the “open arms” policy that most nations tend to project, there is an unwritten protocol along borders that some states have chosen a “pick and choose” approach when it comes to People of Color (POC) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other gender non-conforming (LGBTQ+) individuals who are fleeing their country of origin. Any such prejudice and inequity …

The Effect Of Background Colors And Associations On Perceived Attractiveness, Help-Seeking, And Helping Behavior, Zeina Y. Ghanem

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study is to understand how background colors influence an individual's perception of another person's interpersonal attractiveness, along with how these factors affect an individual's social support giving and seeking behavior for each presented image. The study aims to explore the effects of color, attractiveness, color associations, and prosocial behaviors. Participants (N = 278) consented to take a 10-minute online survey. The background colors used were red and blue with varied saturation levels (light, medium, and dark) and a white control background. There were no significant effects of background colors and saturation lightness levels found for …

Designing For Everyone: Accessibility, Inclusion, And Equity In Online Instruction, Kimberly Shotick

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

This chapter introduces practices that promote equity and inclusion in online learning spaces through the lens of Universal Design for Learning.

Flood Resiliency Planning: Historical Analysis And Youth Participation In Monongalia County, Wv, Josephine Q. Kemp-Rye, Jack P. Van Dusen, Kennedy Lawson

Undergraduate Scholarship

Flooding is a prevalent threat to community wellbeing, particularly in West Virginia where the mountainous topography and narrow valleys create perfect conditions for flood water to accumulate. To more deeply understand how hazards, such as flood events, become disastrous, we must consider not only the environmental/physical aspects, but also political, economic, and social dimensions. Thinking holistically about flood vulnerability acknowledges the influence of economic positioning, inadequate policies, industrial legacies, etc. which result in varied vulnerabilities to hazards within communities. The insights, knowledge, and experiences of local individuals and communities remain absent from domain top-down approaches to flood preparation. In an …

Exploring Links Between Foreign Direct Investment And Host Country Economic Development, Thi Ngoc Dao

Doctoral

The thesis explores links between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the economic development of host country, analysing both direct and indirect effects. Concerning direct effects, FDI has been recognised as an important driver of exports and job creation for the host country. In terms of indirect effects, however, a consensus has not been reached on the spillover effects and competition effects that FDI generates in indigenous firms. Evaluating these effects has been critical for small open economies due to their heavy reliance on external markets and factors. There is a need for comprehensive research investigating the impacts of FDI on …

Does Health Oriented Leadership And Access To On-Demand Mental Health Therapists Via Employee Assistance Programs Improve Employee Well-Being And Engagement?, Amber Rachelle Davis

Masters Theses

"Employee mental health effects are informally relevant in all facets of working adults’ lives. Considering the life-altering effects of the 2019 pandemic on work and society, mental health and work share applicability in conversations related to organizational outcomes. Based on the job demands-resource theory, personal demands are high in organizations where workers must adjust to returning to onsite work, in settings occupied by varying personalities, and ever-present political tension. These adjustments can be stressful for people and add new workplace challenges.

Work stress was found to be an antecedent for burnout (Tummers & Bakker, 2021), and leaders play an essential …

Evaluation Of Knowledge Exchange Efficiency In Academic Virtual Community Based On The Characteristics Of Author Network Structure, Shuqing Li, Tiansheng Zheng

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/Significance]The measurement of knowledge exchange efficiency of academic virtual community has a positive significance for understanding and improving the academic virtual community itself, and also provides a new application analysis field for the evaluation methods of knowledge exchange efficiency. [Methods/Process]This paper proposes a method to measure the efficiency of knowledge exchange in academic virtual community by using networks of blog author. The network node weights are designed by summarizing the total number of views, recommendations, comments and blog category of each blog author. The edge weights in network are designed by the blog author's domain characteristics and blog category. According …