Inequality and Stratification Commons^™

Torch (January 2015), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Cultural Capital In The Classroom: The Significance Of Debriefing As A Pedagogical Tool In Simulation-Based Learning, Bedelia N. Richards, Lauren Camuso

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Although social inequality is critical to the study of sociology, it is particularly challenging to teach about race, class and gender inequality to students who belong to privileged social groups. Simulation games are often used successfully to address this pedagogical challenge. While debriefing is a critical component of simulation exercises that focus on teaching about social inequality, empirical assessments of the significance and effectiveness of this tool is virtually nonexistent in sociology and other social sciences. This paper analyzes the significance of debriefing in a simulation game called “Cultural Capital in the Classroom” in order to address this lacunae in …

Graduates’ Perspective Of Urban Teacher Academy Program Preparation And Benefits To Aspiring Educational Leaders, Pamela Cross Young, Rochonda Nenonene

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

As the dynamics of our interdependent society continue to change, the context of urban schools remain virtually unchanged (Delpit, 2012). “Students whose first language is not English, those living in poverty, and children of color disproportionately receive and experience the most disturbing educational experiences across the United States and in urban schools in particular” (Milner & Lomotey, 2014p. xvi). The current teacher preparation model provides little to no experience working in the urban setting. A considerable shift in our practices must occur if we are to improve the quality of education offered to our most vulnerable citizens.

This study investigated …

Accessing Canal Pride: The Intersection Of Identities For Lgbt People With Physical Disabilities At A Global Event, Margaret Webb

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is the study of the intersection between queerness and disability within the context of Amsterdam Gay Pride, specifically the Canal Parade. The study examines the intersection between LGBT identity and physical disability at the event and in surrounding organization and events within the Amsterdam LGBT community. The primary research question was: how does Amsterdam Canal Pride’s accessibility affect both the positioning of the LGBT and disabled identifying community in Amsterdam and the relevance of the event as a place of activism and celebration? Five interviewees identifying as lesbian or gay, possessing a physical disability, participating in activism within …

Torch (November 2014), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Safe Zone: 101 Training Manual, Todd K. Herriott, Casey M. Halcro

Office of Diversity and Equity

Goals of the DUOC Safe Zone Program:

• To increase the overall campus community’s understanding and awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues

• To provide a greater sense of safety for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender student community

• To offer information to straight allies in positions where they may be in contact with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (as classmates, roommates, friends, residents, students, staff, faculty, etc.)

• To act as a resource of information regarding homophobia, heterosexism, transphobia and LGBTQ issues on the DUOC campus.

“Education Should Be Number One”: Life Stories Of Migrant Crèche Teachers And Their Impact On The Early Childhood Education Of Vulnerable Youth, Romi Messer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project seeks to identify, examine, and analyze how the life experiences of African migrant women manifest in the aspirations, visions, and goals for their school children’s education and integration in society. The study focuses on the teachers and young children at the Union of Refugee Women’s Children Care Centre, an organization that provides early childhood education to children in refugee and economically disadvantaged communities. In this paper I explore how life experiences influence the curriculum and daily activities at the crèche as well as which skills the teachers find essential to pass on to the refugee and economically disadvantaged …

“I Pray You Enough”: Exploring Rural Early Childhood Development Through The Narratives Of Caregivers., Bethany G. Hart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Childhood, including the antenatal period, is a time of invaluable physical and mental development – the effects of which last a lifetime. These experiences are shaped by a host of external factors (such as nutrition or mental stimulation) that are heavily affected by socioeconomic status. A study by the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) found that South African children in rural areas are more physically and cognitively delayed than their less-rural peers (2007). Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain insight into the rearing and development of young children (5 years and under) in a rural …

Torch (September 2014), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Creating A Community Of Support: An Evaluation Of The Healing For Educational Achievement Resource Team, Ann M. Quintrell

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Healing for Educational Achievement Resource Team (H.E.A.R.T.). H.E.A.R.T. is a committee of staff at a middle school in Dorchester. Dorchester is a violence hotspot in Boston, MA, and students in such areas need to heal from traumas while meeting academic requirements. In order to meet their students’ needs and achieve their goals, schools need to practice trauma informed care. H.E.A.R.T. represents a staff-driven effort to meet student needs and establish trauma informed care. H.E.A.R.T.’s effectiveness was evaluated through surveys and interviews of committee members, interviews of the school’s …

Torch (June 2014), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Factors That Influence And Motivate Female Students To Enroll And Persist In Collegiate Stem Degree Programs: A Mixed Methods Study, Rosemary L. Edzie

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nationally, the need for an increase in interest, enrollment, and degrees awarded from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree programs continues to suffer. While students are enrolling in collegiate STEM degree programs, it is not occurring at a rate that meets the workforce demand. In addition to the concern that there is not a sufficient amount of collegiate STEM majors, there is a concern over too few females enrolling and persisting in collegiate STEM degree programs.

This mixed methods sequential exploratory research study considered the factors that influence and motivate undergraduate female students to enroll and persist in collegiate …

Creating The Back Ward: The Triumph Of Custodialism And The Uses Of Therapeutic Failure In Nineteenth Century Idiot Asylums, Philip M. Ferguson

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"My focus in this chapter is on the origin of the back ward rather than its demise. Where did the “back wards” that [Burton] Blatt and [Senator Robert] Kennedy witnessed come from in the first place? What 3 exactly were those “antecedents of the problems observed” that Blatt cited? This chapter reviews that history and argues that, in fact, there is a specific narrative to the evolution of the institutional “back ward” as an identifiable place where people with the most significant intellectual disabilities were to be incarcerated and largely forgotten."

Impacts Of Website Visibility And Family Income On Use Of The Net Price Calculator, Hunt Chouteau Helm

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Higher education attainment benefits individuals and society. But access to higher education is not equitable. Students from low-income families, even those with equal qualifications, are underrepresented throughout the education pipeline, and the gap by family income increases at each educational milepost. The major impediments to increasing college-going rates for lower-income families are financial, experiential, motivational and informational. A key informational impediment is the difficulty families have in understanding information about college costs and financial aid. In 2011, the federal government attempted to improve information access for all by requiring colleges and universities to post a Net Price Calculator on their …

Torch (April 2014), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

To Assimilate Or Integrate? The Narratives Of Eight Black Students At Historically White Universities In The Western Cape: Can Education Be Seen As Oppression Or Privilege?, Mari Faines

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project analyses the implications of democracy on the higher education system following the end of Apartheid, through a small scale research project which included, classroom, social, and campus observations, as well as in-depth interviews with black African students at Historically White Universities on the Western Cape including the University of Stellenbosch and University of Cape Town. Though these sites cannot be representative of the higher education system as a whole, they do provide a particular insight, especially in regards to the complexities of integration in both academic and social settings at previously white only universities. This study …

Logrando Educación Democrática Para Un Chile Democrático: Una Mirada A La Formación De Ciudadanos A Través De La Educación De Historia, Samantha J. Stevens

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este ensayo se base en una investigación que fue conducida con el objetivo de conocer la forma única que la democracia ha tomado en Chile como resulto de su historia y contexto social, cultural y político. Porque la democracia se defina en parte por la participación activa de todos los ciudadanos, este ensayo Intenta conocer la relación entre el sistema de educación y la sociedad para determinar la medida en que el sistema prepara estudiantes para esta participación. A través de las experiencias y opiniones personales de profesores de historia, este ensayo pretende presentar una vista de todos los factores …

Renforcement Des Femmes: Wopa And Sustainable Empowerment Through Vocational Training, Anna Youngmann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Women’s Promotion and Assistance Association (WOPA) is a Non-Governmental Organization located in the tourist town of Kribi, Cameroon. This study examined whether WOPA’s vocational training program, The Center for Education and Training for Women, responded to the needs in participants’ lives and the needs of the local economy to effectively economically empower young women. Using 21 one interviews with current and graduated students of the program, as well as local government officials, I concluded that WOPA’s training does fit the needs of participants’ lives; and that the trainings offered in sewing, culinary arts, and community health adequately fit …

Bootstrap Blues, Hannah M. Frantz

SURGE

Meet David*. In mid-January, he came to the small town Iowa elementary school where I work. David has attended more schools in the two years since he started school than I have in my lifetime. In fact, the school he just moved from only has four days of attendance listed on his record. David moves so often because he’s homeless. His situation is not what we may stereotypically think of as “homeless”—you wouldn’t see him on the streets or even in soup kitchens. Instead, David stays with his mother, and they couch surf from one home to another from week …

Among Friends? Classed Navigations Of An Elite Social Scene (Psa Paper), Megan Thiele

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Both class and racial status matter for establishing connections within a university setting and peer groups exert a heavy influence on the thoughts and actions of students (Flores-Gonzalez 2002). This research assesses socialization patterns across these demographic cleavages, in part by showing how students encounter and react to the dominant culture of exclusivity at an elite, private university. Recent quantitative research has evidenced the undergraduate experience as the “great equalizer,” by showing that the effects of class background across five measures disappear for students who attain a Bachelor’s degree (Torche 2011). However, if disadvantaged students are unable to fit in …

Alienating Students: Marxist Theory In Action, Megan Thiele, Yung-Yi Diana Pan, Devin Molina

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Karl Marx is one of the most significant and widely known sociologists. Although he is largely credited for his macro perspectives, he made important contributions by detailing the micro experiences of the worker in a capitalist system. This piece details a hands-on learning activity that allows students to experience both alienation and non-alienation in the classroom. By offering an experiential activity to pair with readings on the topic, students will be better able to grasp this fundamental, yet often difficult to understand, core concept of Marxist theory.

Effectiveness Of A Poverty Simulation In Second Life®: Changing Nursing Student Attitudes Toward Poor People, Nancy Menzel, Laura Helen Willson, Jessica Doolen

Nursing Faculty Research

Social justice is a fundamental value of the nursing profession, challenging educators to instill this professional value when caring for the poor. This randomized controlled trial examined whether an interactive virtual poverty simulation created in Second Life^® would improve nursing students’ empathy with and attributions for people living in poverty, compared to a self-study module. We created a multi-user virtual environment populated with families and individual avatars that represented the demographics contributing to poverty and vulnerability. Participants (N = 51 baccalaureate nursing students) were randomly assigned to either Intervention or Control groups and completed the modified Attitudes toward …

Media Portrayal Of Individuals In The Lower Class And Its Effects On Attributions Of Educational Hardships, Krista A. Burke

Communication Studies

This study investigated how media portrayals of individuals in the lower class affect people’s beliefs about educational hardships in lower socioeconomic areas. Specifically, this study looked at the attributions of these hardships to determine if media consumption had an effect on the internality of attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would be related to an increased tendency toward internal attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would lead to lower support for policy changes regarding education. A survey was distributed to assess media consumption habits and attitudes toward educational hardships in the lower class. Correlation results yielded …

The Presumption Of Payment, Christopher J. Dellana

SURGE

At Gettysburg College, students invest a considerable amount of money to make their experiences rewarding for future aspirations. Enrollment at this school, like others, I am sure, seems to breed a special type of student: the students who view themselves as paying and therefore deserving consumers. [excerpt]

Torch (February 2014), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Thinking Like A Scientist: A Thematic Analysis Of Students' Experiences At The Sacnas Research Conference, Rosa Perez, Rachael D. Robnett

McNair Poster Presentations

The underrepresentation of minority students in STEM fields is a concern in today’s society. Research suggests that identity plays a major role in students’ ultimate success within these fields. Using identity theory as a theoretical framework, this study explores the ways in which identity affects the academic careers of underrepresented students in STEM. The participants of this study consisted of undergraduates from various colleges and universities around the United States that attended the SACNAS 2010 research conference. Thematic analysis was used to identify four overarching themes from a set of narrative responses collected after the event. The identified themes include …

A Critical Assessment Of Spu’S Urban Plunge: A Proposal For The John Perkins Center, Scott D. Jackson

Honors Projects

This paper is written as an organizational report on the Urban Plunge Program for consideration by the John Perkins Center at Seattle Pacific University. I review Urban Plunge offering a critique and recommendations for re-imagining the program in its future development. I argue that the program needs to be clearly defined as an educational program, grounded in a conceptual framework, given a clarified and expanded mission, and guided by informed curriculum. Beyond critique, I create a proposal for programmatic content and organization to meet these identified needs.

Food Landscapes: A Case Study Of A Cooking And Art- Focused Program For Teens Living In A Food Desert, Jessica R. Norris

Theses and Dissertations

This study constructs themes and propositions about the experiences of youth participants in the fall 2013 Food Landscapes program at the Neighborhood Resource Center in Richmond, Virginia. During the program, youth participated in cooking-based volunteerism with adults with disabilities and created short videos about their experiences. In this study, I analyzed pre- and post-program participant interviews, twice-weekly program observations, and facilitator reflections to understand how Food Landscapes affected youths’ conception of community engagement and communication strategies. This case study offers insight into how youth experience after-school programming of this design. Based on my findings, youth develop and rely upon a …

Unions And Democracy: When Do Nonmembers Have Voting Rights?, Melanie Stallings Williams, Dennis A. Halcoussis

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

Torch (December 2013), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.