Psychology Commons^™

The Relationships Between School Counselor Ratios And Student Outcomes In One Predominantly Hispanic Texas School District, Myra Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that lower school counselor ratios are associated with better student outcomes: attendance, discipline and achievement. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a student-counselor ratio of 250:1 to best support and address the needs of students. However, student-counselor ratios are much higher, diminishing the effectiveness of school counselors.The purpose of this study is to determine if school counselor ratios are related to campus attendance, campus State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) or End-of-Course (EOC) testing performance, and campus discipline for substance use or other reasons, while considering the ethnicity and gender of students in each …

Learning About Healthy Relationships And Sexuality For Adults With Disabilities, Vanessa Karjack

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities receive little to no sex education; as a result, they often struggle to have fulfilling and healthy relationships, experience limitations in physical interactions, and are at risk of being taken advantage of by others. Sommaro et al. (2019) explained that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and developmental disabilities (DD) are often placed into one of two categories: they are treated as either eternal children or sexual deviants. These ideas are based on old knowledge and are known to be inaccurate. However, current systems of care struggle to move forward from these notions. A …

Adaptive Video Gaming In The Classroom, Lauren Ferrell, Daniela Mari Recinto, Desarae Finck-Fugazi, Christine Angela Manalang, Noémie Von Kaenel

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Background: Limited resources exist to support adaptive gaming in school programming using Microsoft® Xbox Adaptive Controller for children. On the other hand, there is abundant evidence supporting motor, cognitive, and social benefits to gaming in rehabilitation.

Objectives: The goal of this program development project was to create a virtual gaming toolkit to support the interdisciplinary team’s use of adaptive gaming during school programming.

Methods: Through our needs assessment and collaboration with our community partner, we discussed the parent and caregiver need for guidance in order to use the Microsoft® Xbox Adaptive Controller and facilitate gameplay with peers. Through an extensive …

Electronic Device Use: How It Affects The Well-Being Of Children And Adolescents, Sabrina Rodriguez, Amandalee Merryman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Electronic device use among children and adolescents is omnipresent. Literature suggests an inverse correlation between electronic device use and the overall well-being of children and adolescents. The current study employed an explanatory research design to explore the association between excessive device use and the well-being of children and adolescents. Researchers collected and analyzed quantitative data in the form of archival data from a local school district’s mental health department. A total of 50 participants, ranging from ages 5 to 17, were randomly selected from the 2018-2019 archived case files. The results of the study suggest that electronic device use has …

Content Validity Of Aba Language Assessments In The Totality Of Skinner's Verbal Operant Theory, Taylor Marie Lauer

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Content validity describes the degree of which a measure represents all the components of the overall construct being measured. Behavior analytic language assessments are largely based on Skinner’s verbal operant theory (1957). Three behavior analytic language assessments were utilized to measure the coverage of Skinner’s verbal behavior theory: the VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and PEAK. The purpose of the current study was to examine the content validity of each of these assessments coverage on the totality of Skinner’s verbal operant theory. Expressive items on each of the three assessments were compared to definitions of Skinner’s verbal operants and were coded as the …

Adult Transracial Adoptees' Childhood Experiences And Decision-Making In Forming Families Of Creation, Sarah J. Gray

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study examined adult transracial adoptees’ (TRAs) childhood experiences and determined how specific factors influenced their likelihood to choose biological procreation, adoption, fostering, a combination of these options, or the choice to be child-free when forming their own families. These adoptees were Black, Indigenous and people of color adopted by white parents in the United States through domestic or international adoption. Childhood experiences included the TRAs’ sense of belonging, cultural socialization, and preparation for bias. The only dependent variable option predicted by a childhood experience was the preference to be child-free. TRAs who experienced higher levels of belonging were less …

Understanding Trauma To Create Effective Trauma Informed Schools, Lauren Murphy

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Exposure to early trauma can negatively affect a child's learning, behavior, and social emotional well being. Trauma in children can change executive functions in the brain and other neurobiological developmental changes can alter their success rate academically and socially. With the changes in the brain, it can have prolonged effects such as diminishing of brain nerve cells, hormone levels, immune systems, and epigenetic changes. Without proper interventions, these changes can lead to a higher risk of developing health conditions and mental illnesses. Through research presented in the article, is it vital for early interventions to prevent the furthering effects of …

A Two-Year Longitudinal, Cross-Sectional Evaluation Of Resident Physician Burnout: An Exploration Of The Effects Of Stress, Satisfaction, Exercise And Emr, Oliwier Dziadkowiec, Jeffery S. Durbin, Megan L. Novak, Ziva Patt-Rappaport, Gregory Guldner

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

There is a need for better understanding of trajectory of burnout in clinical training and what factors are associated with resident well-being and burnout overtime. This study examined medical resident burnout and physical activity throughout different times of the academic year, across several different medical specialties and postgraduate years (PGY), over two years.

Methods

A resident wellness survey was administered throughout five different waves from summer 2018 to winter 2020. A total of 493 survey responses from seven subspecialties completed the survey. We used 474 responses for quantitative statistical analysis and 138 for qualitative thematic analysis.

Results

The average …

Poem, Editorial Board

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

"Napë" By Ernesto Casiquiare

Spanish and English Versions

Table Of Contents, Editorial Board

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

“Ichachu”: Ontological Diversity For Assembling Common Futures, Kaliana Conesa

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

The present work explores the role of discursive analyses of language as potent elements in networks of discourse and practice. A particular focus is with how language functions in multiple, overlapping registers, and how this affects its ability to motivate and coalesce diverse actors into communities of practice. In particular, usages of sovereignty, food sovereignty, and ontology are explored as a means for understanding the process of cross-cultural eco-social action. Fundamental to these analyses is the precept that registers of language represent an epistemic diversity always operating in collaborations for biocultural sustainability. By “eco-social action,” it is meant any practice, …

Desingularizing “Self” And “Nature”: Bruno Latour’S Politics Of Nature And Lorraine Daston’S Against Nature, Editorial Board

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

"... looking to embrace “the whole of nature” with the “totality of one’s self” is a gluttonous impossibility that betrays the real non-trope insatiable consumerism ..."

Book Review Jeff Vandermeer (2021), Hummingbird Salamander, Editorial Board

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Editorial Introduction Vol 2 (1) 2021

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Carlos Castaneda (1925-1998): Reading Between His Lines, A Summary Judgment, Jay C. Fikes Phd

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Don Juan is a fictional character. Yaqui in Sonora and Arizona have no history of peyote rituals. These two facts help explain why, by 1975, Castaneda’s followers were seeking shamans comparable to Don Juan among the Huichol of Mexico. In recent years peyote tourists have invaded the sacred land where Huichol venerate the peyote spirit. The rising tide of tourists in that area is rapidly depleting peyote and has stimulated Mexican authorities to incarcerate Huichol peyote hunters (Fikes, 1993; 2013). In the early 1990s Castaneda created a cult, Tensegrity, which taught disciples stylized movements combining “tai chi, modern dance and …

Nostalgia, The Liminal, And Feral Love In Guillermo Enrique Hudson’S “Green Mansions”, George Conesa

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Plastic Shamans, Intellectual Colonialism And Intellectual Appropriation In New Age Movements, Joseba I. Arregi Phd

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

The reality of colonialism plagues indigenous populations and continues into the present, generating new scenarios of oppression. This new oppression is tied to so-called alternative models of progress, to the success of sustainable development, and to the recognition of the importance of biodiversity in the 21^st Century. This work presents three processes of biological and cultural appropriation which constitute a new chapter in the long history of colonial aggression and indigenous resistance.

A Participatory Action Research Study Of Police Interviewing Following Crisis Intervention Team Training, Maria Felix-Ortiz, Catherine Steele, Marisa Deguzman, Georgen Guerrero, Melissa Graham

Verbum Incarnatum: An Academic Journal of Social Justice

Estimates vary, but a third to one half of individuals shot and killed by police have a mental illness or disability, and many who are taken into custody languish in county jails where no treatment for their illness is available. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model is an increasingly important adjunct to U.S. police training because it de-escalates tense situations, diverts people with mental illness away from jail and into treatment, and can reduce the risk of civilian deaths during a police encounter. As such, it is a strategy for reducing the social injustice of incarceration or deaths of people …

Intellectual Access And Spirituality: The Twin Urgencies Of Responsible American Education, Matthew Schmitz

Educational Studies Honors Papers

America is increasingly, and perhaps overwhelmingly, becoming a society characterized by political divisiveness. At its most extreme form, Hannah Arendt argues such a division can make us vulnerable to a loneliness that destroys our confidence and leaves us dependent on ideologies. A renewed sense of spirituality and intellect are prime candidates for helping us develop a healthy relationship with ourselves that can help counteract this loneliness. Not only that, but fully accessing our intellectual and spiritual sides can give us the confidence to tackle democratic republican citizenship the way Thomas Jefferson envisioned it. Here, Jacques Rancière helps us to construct …

Effect Of Covid-19 On Elementary Students' Use Of Language Online, Emma Polen

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unprecedented period of online communication among children. This paper aims to exemplify how the reliance on digital communication platforms compelled by COVID-19 affected elementary students’ use of language. Within the study, children used primarily visual language on digital sites with friends. There were two main forms of primary research in this study. The first consisted of a survey of 16 parents of elementary school children in my school district. The second was an observation of Zoom chat room activity among three eight-year-olds. Both methods of conducting research build on the existing understanding that digital …

Culture And Occupational Therapy, Kaitlyn Domingo, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Spring 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this capstone project was to develop a cultural intelligence program for occupational therapy practitioners (OTP[s]). However, due to the results of the project’s research component, this capstone shifted to addressing a potential need for a global shift in the occupational therapy (OT) process and diversifying the content and dissemination of cultural training courses.

A mixed-methods survey was conducted to assess 45 OTPs’ confidence levels with delivering culturally intelligent care, their means of overcoming cultural barriers in clinical practice, and to collect anecdotes on the process of becoming a culturally intelligent practitioner.

Four primary research themes are developed …

Directing Attention In Second Language Phonological Contrast Learning, Laura Conover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Why are some people better at learning new languages than others? There is a rich body of research examining this issue from multiple perspectives and at all levels of language. This study attempts to add to that knowledge at the most fundamental level of language by examining potential influences on the learning of novel phoneme contrasts. The purpose of this study was to explore whether individual differences in attentional capabilities would help adults learn a non-native phonological contrast, and whether providing explicit directions that would guide the learners’ attention could help boost their performance. VCV recordings of the Thai /p/ …

Assessing The Needs For Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Upon Return To School After Covid-19, Emily Kurland

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

School-based mental health consultation recognizes and understands the importance of children’s emotional and behavioral needs in conjunction with educator/caregiver competencies. In early childhood classrooms, mental health consultation utilizes a problem-solving approach, creating collaborative relationships with educators to build their skills and expertise (Duran et al., 2009). Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) works to maximize the social-emotional skills of all children while minimizing the vulnerabilities of children experiencing behavioral difficulties (Low & Shepard, 2010). As emotional and behavioral challenges are increasing in early childhood settings, it is evident that mental health consultation is becoming increasingly necessary and beneficial (Green, Everheart, …

First Generation Students Sense Of Belonging In Higher Education, Abrea Ramadan

Research Days

The purpose of this poster presentation is to highlight the struggles faced by first-generation college students at their institution and identify where this support is needed. This poster presentation identifies the multiple learning curves and obstacles experienced by first-generation college students towards degree completion. It is recognized that first-generation college students and their paths through higher education are notably different compared to their continuing generation peers. The identity revolved around being a first-generation college student starts with the relationship with their family because they are the first in their family to obtain a bachelor's degree. With the appropriate support given …

The Relevance Of Ethnic Identity Among Asian American Populations To Support For The Black Lives Matter Movement, Jenna Navaratnam

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

This study examined the association between ethnic identity and support for the Black Lives Matter Movement among Asian Americans. A total of 112 Asian American participants completed measures of ethnic identity, political ideology, and support for the Black Lives Matter Movement. Statistical analyses showed moderate levels of ethnic identity among the Asian American populations sampled. Also, participants’ level of ethnic identity was not significantly related to support for the Black Lives Matter Movement. Still, results of this exploratory investigation magnified the complex role immigration history and experience, region of the country resided in, and acculturation strategies may collectively play in …

Diversity In Higher Education Administration: The Need For Student Perspectives, Drew Albritton, Aaron Leedy

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Honorable Mention Winner

Diversity within higher education benefits students and institutions alike, creating a more relatable experience for students as well as a more beneficial work environment for faculty. While university student bodies are slowly beginning to represent the diversity in the communities which they serve, university faculty and staff have yet to catch up. This is especially the case with the administration at an institution’s highest levels. Eighty-three percent of college and university presidents are white (American Council on Education, 2017), and seventy-seven percent are male (Tarbutton, 2019). With an administration misaligned with its student body, students are at …

Effective Mindfulness Practices For Reducing Veteran Teacher Perceived Stress, Michael Brouillette

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to measure and describe the extent to which mindfulness practices impact veteran teacher perceived stress. In addition, it was the purpose of the study to capture the most effective mindfulness practices of veteran teachers to reduce veteran teacher perceived stress.

Methodology: This study used a mixed methods study research methodology. Data were collected from 15 teachers in the form of answers to the Perceived Stress Scale and interviews to collect their lived experiences. Responses from veteran teachers who have used mindfulness for at least 1 year were analyzed with the objective …

A Systematic Review Of Reading Interventions For English Language Learners, Alfredo Gomez

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The majority of fourth graders (65%) read below grade level, making it more likely for them to fall behind as curriculum progresses. English Language Learners (ELLs) are more likely to fall behind because of the additional risks and barriers they may face. In order to provide appropriate, evidence-based, reading instruction for this population of students, research was examined, summarized, and synthesized to determine which components of reading were targeted, their grade level, their native language, and intervention effectiveness.

A systematic review of the literature shows how fundamental the five components of reading are to the development of ELL students’ ability …

Gender Differences In Typed And Handwritten Probes For Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement, Allison Kaye Henderson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous research has shown that there are gender differences in Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement (WE CBM) with female students scoring higher than male students (Fearrington et al., 2014; Jewell & Malecki, 2005; McMaster et al, 2017; Scheiber et al., 2015). However, research looking at a different transcription mode (i.e., typed) in WE CBM is a new area of development (Mercer et al., 2019). Differences in gender with typed writing has not yet been examined. The purpose of this study was to examine if gender differences exist in typed, as well as handwritten WE CBM probes. The participants from this study …

Using Theatre To Teach Social Skills To Students On The Autism Spectrum, Meaghan Nicole Ritchie

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Theatre-based interventions are an emerging field to improve social skills in individuals with autism. This study analyzed 10 different articles using theatre-based interventions, combined with evidence-based practices, to increase social skills deficits in students, ages 8-17, diagnosed with autism. Results indicate improvement in social skills for individuals with autism after participating in theatre-based interventions.