Multicultural Psychology Commons^™

Exploring Primary Care Providers’ Compassionate Care And Their Evidence-Based Practice With Death, Grief, And Loss: Patient Experience And Perspective, Kathryn Krzykala

Dissertations

Research on primary care providers’ (PCPs) education regarding Death, Grief, and Loss (DGL) remains limited. Specifically, data is lacking regarding patients' perceptions and opinions on what they need and expect from their PCPs regarding grief and loss. This exploratory mixed-method study comprised 146 participants who had experienced death and non-death loss. It examined participants' perceptions of 1) PCP compassion, 2) PCP utilization of evidence-based grief and loss practices, 3) their own level of comfort discussing DGL with their PCPs during medical visits, and 4) their personal grief and loss experiences. The findings revealed that PCPs' grief-informed evidence-based treatment, as reflected …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Bridging The Gap: Harnessing Emerging Technology To Narrow The Academic Achievement Gaps Of Minority Students, Dionne Williams, Terence Vinson, Kristi Young, Danielle Williams, James R. Mixon

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

The academic achievement gap of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students has historically lagged as it relates to Caucasian students. This work defines academic achievement as standardized test scores, graduation rates, and college completion rates. The persistent educational disparities faced by minority students remain a significant challenge for school systems. The integration of technology offers a promising solution to help narrow these academic achievement gaps and provide equitable learning opportunities. Technology offers educators the ability to utilize self-paced instructional programming, ensuring that the educational needs and deficiencies of minority students are addressed. This work explores how innovative technological tools, ranging …

Connecting Through Context: A Culturally Relevant Mental Health Resource For K-12 School Counselors, Erica Knebel

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project, Connecting Through Context: A Culturally Relevant Mental Health Resource for K–12 School Counselors, explores the intersection of decolonial theory, culturally relevant pedagogy, and school-based mental health practices. Rooted in both personal and academic experiences, the project addresses the significant gap in culturally responsive mental health resources for immigrant and refugee students, with a personal emphasis on those from Southeast Asian backgrounds. With nearly 27% of the U.S. student population being immigrants, traditional Western mental health models, centered on talk therapy and medication, often fall short in effectively supporting culturally diverse students. Through a literature review grounded in …

Maintaining Well-Being: Coping Strategies For Prolonged Traumatic Experiences From The Stories Of Ukrainian Educators During The Wartime, Natalya Rakevich

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative, phenomenological study aimed to better understand how and whether educators can maintain well-being during prolonged trauma. This study examines the experiences of Ukrainian educators living in non-occupied territories during wartime. The following research questions guided the study: What coping strategies do educators use to take care of themselves? What coping strategies do educators use with their students? How do educators perceive mindfulness and storytelling? A conceptual framework was created to better understand the topics of stress, trauma, being, well-being, surviving, suffering, and coping mechanisms through a literature review. Data collection occurred in February and March 2024, two years …

Role-Ing While Bipoc: Understanding The Experiences Of Table Top Role Playing Game Players Of Color, Jordan K. Posey

Dissertations

In 2015, controversy surrounded the interactive computer game Mission US: Flight to Freedom. The game was unveiled as an accessible way to teach about American chattel slavery by mixing elements normally associated with roleplaying games (RPGs), Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs), and social studies curriculum. The conversations surrounding the game exemplify the complicated history of RPGS/TTRPGs and the limitations of gamification in educational settings. This qualitative study aimed to analyze aspects of gaming culture through a critical race lens by documenting the experiences of Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG) players identifying as Black, Indigenous, and a Person of Color (BIPOC). Using a …

The Boston Metco Program: Recent Alumni Experiences And Educational Equity, Maya Hernandez

Honors Theses

This project focuses on contemporary school integration practices by examining, in particular, the Boston METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity Inc) program and the experiences of its recent alumni. The METCO program, the United States’ longest-running voluntary school desegregation program, was created in 1966 to give students of color from the city of Boston better educational opportunities by busing them to the surrounding suburbs for school. To this day, it is a program meant to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation, by permitting students from Boston to attend public schools beyond district lines, in the suburbs. My …

Cultural, Psychosocial, And Educational Factors In Relation To Ethnic Identity Among Cambodian High School Students In The United States, Traci L. Weinstein, Khanh Dinh, Tamara Springle

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This study examined the relationship between preferred ethnic labels an cultural, psychosocial, and academic variables in a sample of 174 Cambodian high school students in the U.S. Results indicated that participants who chose “American” ethnic labels reported higher scores on White/Anglo orientation and on English language usage and fluency, whereas participants who chose the “Cambodian” ethnic label reported more Khmer language usage and frequency. Students who chose the combined “Cambodian American” ethnic label reported stronger beliefs in the utility of education and higher academic aspirations. The findings from this study expand the research on ethnic identity by focusing on 2nd …

Psychological Effects Of Immigration: A Comprehensive Review Exploring Social Identity, Acculturation And The Effects Of Cultural Attitudes And Systemic Factors On The Well-Being Of Immigrants, Huda Abu Nasab

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Immigration is a life-altering experience that can greatly affect an individual's identity, sense of belongingness, and well-being. The United States is known as a nation of immigrants; however, many immigrants have faced challenges related to assimilation and the development of their social identities in a new society. For example, immigration challenges often include adapting to a new culture, learning a different language, and navigating unfamiliar healthcare and educational systems. There are many factors that influence how immigrants adjust in their host country, such as acculturation challenges, cultural attitudes towards immigrants, and the availability of essential resources. This literature review aims …

Who Votes And Why: Economic And Psychological Predictors Of Political Participation, Rhea Malhotra

Scripps Senior Theses

At the centre of democracy lies the right to vote. The United States of America is considered to be an emblem of democracy, so voting is naturally a topic of discourse in colloquial spheres especially given the long fight for equal voting access. In general, voting is a way for citizens to advocate their needs, interact with contemporary society, and prove their affiliation with their country. That being said, the individual reasons to vote differ from citizen to citizen, but patterns may still exist which is why it is important to explore which variables can predict voting outcomes. By doing …

Promoting The Healthy Development Of All Adolescents Through An Equity Lens: Continuing Education For Secondary-Level Educators, Isabella Simone

Senior Honors Projects

American schools, as an institution, have a mission to educate society’s youth in a way that is characterized by, and promotes, equity regarding educational access, opportunities, and outcomes. Doing so promises to support the individual growth and development of all students. Unfortunately, high school students face challenges regarding healthy development — academic, social, and identity-based — during the transition from childhood to adulthood. These challenges include navigating their identity development, achieving academic success, managing school and family demands, and planning for their futures. Barriers to the successful achievement of these challenges include risk factors associated with family relationships, financial standing, …

Antecedents To Self-Perceived White Privilege And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Anthony Micale

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

White privilege in organizational settings often gives White employees an undeserved edge over employees of color. The current study functioned to determine the precursors to self-awareness of one’s White privilege, specifically focusing on participants’ multicultural experiences as well as personal and parental education levels. Increased self-awareness of White privilege was also suspected to increase the frequency of engagement in organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Finally, White privilege attitudes were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between multicultural experience and OCBs. White participants (N = 98) were asked to complete an online questionnaire designed to assess multicultural experience, self-perceptions of White privilege, and …

Integrated Mental Health Care In Education For Syrian Refugees: An Exploratory Study, Emily Goldstein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Trauma-inducing experiences during conflict can significantly impede the ability to function and effectively learn in the classroom; thus, it is essential to integrate mental health services into the school setting for refugee populations. This study investigated the state of integrated mental healthcare for Syrian refugees in Jordan by surveying Syrian students on their attitudes towards seeking mental health and interviewing educators on their classroom practices. The scope of the study was extremely limited, as data was collected on only 21 students and 5 educators in one school and a number of biases could have skewed the results. It was found …

Let's Say A Word About The Girls, Wendi S. Williams

Occasional Paper Series

In this brief essay the author articulates the intersection of race and gender in the representation of Black girls’ educational experiences. The role of Black respectability politics to shape and disable the discourse around Black girls’ educational experiences is discussed. The work draws on varied texts and disciplines to explicate the challenges to naming some of the factors that influence their experiences in schools and society.

On Multiethnic Schools In Consociational Democracies: A Comparative Analysis Of Brčko District And Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jusuf Šarančić

Lawrence University Honors Projects

The 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement both ended the Bosnian War and created the consociational democracy that exists in Bosnia and Herzegovina to this day. The ethnic autonomy created by the Dayton Agreement has resulted in a frozen conflict between ethnic groups that has manifested itself in the country’s monoethnic education system. This study explores the short-term stability under consociationalism and the long-term stability under a multiethnic education system. Additionally, this study explains the importance of the country’s only multiethnic education system in Brčko District and how it came into existence.

The Nature And Etiology Of Religious Certitude: Implications Of The Ei Framework And Beliefs, Events, And Values Inventory, Timothy W. Brearly

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Religious certitude is often associated with conflict between individuals and groups, though the nature of this relationship is still not clear. To further clarify these dynamics, the historical psychology of religion is reviewed and contrasted with current perspectives from social psychology and neuroscience, with an eye towards better understanding the variance within religious expressions and their associated relationships with intergroup conflict. It is hypothesized that religious certainty is related to a difficulty in engaging with contradictory religious perspectives, and that the pull towards certainty is tied to an individual’s unique psychological structure, much of which is developed through the interaction …

Parenting Behaviors, Adolescent Depressive Symptoms, And Problem Behavior: The Role Of Self-Esteem And School Adjustment Difficulties Among Chinese Adolescents, Cixin Wang, Yan Ruth Xia, Wenzhen Li, Stephan M. Wilson, Kevin Bush, Gary Peterson

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Cross-sectional data from 589 Chinese adolescents were used to investigate whether parenting behaviors are directly or indirectly (through self-esteem and school adjustment difficulties) associated with adolescent depressive symptoms and problem behavior. Structural equation modeling results showed that school adjustment difficulties fully mediated the relations between two parenting behaviors (parental punitiveness and paternal monitoring) and adolescent problem behavior and partially mediated the relation between maternal monitoring and adolescent problem behavior. Adolescent self-esteem partially mediated the relations between maternal punitiveness and adolescent depressive symptoms and fully mediated the relations between parental support and adolescent depressive symptoms. Parental love withdrawal was not significantly …

A Look Into The Latino Experience: The Process Of Identity Formation For Latinos In The United States, Angelica M. Ferreira

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the educational acculturation experience of Latinos in the United States (U.S.) and the processes of identity formation. Through the historical Latino experience in the early 20th century, we can see the remaining influences of historical inequality (e.g. exploitation of labor, de jure segregation) through negative perceptions of Latinos. Negative stereotypes and incorrect assumptions presented in society (e.g. media, educational system, and justice system) perpetuate inferiority in comparison to White Americans. In the context of a school environment, Latino children begin to realize they are different. When non-native English speakers enter the classroom, immediate differences in language, cultural …

Exploration Of The Effects Of Direct And Indirect Exposure To War On The Educational Performance Of Refugee Children, Paulinus C. Nwoga

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

In the past decade, African continent have experienced multiple armed conflicts which have sparked a rapid exodus of refugees seeking asylum (temporary protection) in the United State and other Western countries. In recent years, United State has become the preferred country for Africans who seek temporary protection due to wars and other conflicts in their homeland. This study is an attempt to document degree of adjustment difficulties experienced by refugee children upon acceptance by host country and enrolled into the schools. To further understand the adjustment processes of the refugee children, an archival data from Community Outreach Agency that provides …

Public Discourse On Ethnic Diversity And Improvement Of Formal Education, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article presents a commentary on the belief that ethnic diversity improves the quality of formal education.