Predictors Of Student Knowledge Of Counselor Identity: Human Services & Related Mental Health Courses, Cortny Stark, Kylie Rogalla, Heather Cook, Joseph D. Wehrman

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Professional organizations and the field at large have made great strides towards solidifying the professional identities of mental health professionals. Despite these efforts, public knowledge of different types of helping professionals remains limited. Public understanding of helping professionals’ identities is critical to mental health literacy, and has a significant impact on health outcomes. Post-secondary education provides many students with exposure to information regarding types of helping professionals, and their scope of practice. This expansion study engages students completing college-level courses to clarify those variables that predict student knowledge and perceived scope of practice of a variety of counselors.

Experiences Of Stigma, Social Support, And Anxiety In People Living With Hiv In South Carolina, Sarah J. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

People living with HIV (PLHIV) experience numerous psychosocial stressors, including HIV-related stigma and heightened prevalence of mental health disorders such as depression, substance use disorders, and anxiety. However, limited research has investigated predictors of anxiety within this population. This study aimed to explore the relationship between HIV-related stigma and anxiety symptoms among PLHIV in South Carolina (SC) and to examine the role of social support as a mediator for this relationship. A total of 402 PLHIV receiving HIV care at large immunology center in SC completed a paper and pencil survey, reporting sociodemographic variables, as well as experiences of HIV-related …

Gratitude Buffers The Effects Of Stressful Life Events On Early Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction And Externalizing Behaviors But Not Internalizing Behaviors, Mimi Scott Webb

Theses and Dissertations

Identifying psychological strengths that foster healthy development in youth has become a topic of exploration in the field of positive psychology (e.g., Suldo & Huebner, 2004; Valle et al., 2006). Gratitude is a promising trait-like characteristic with qualities indicative of a potential psychological strength that may serve as a protective factor for early adolescents in the face of stressful life events. This study utilized data from a sample of 1,880 middle school students from the Southeastern United States. Hierarchical regression analyses investigated gratitude’s role as a moderator in the relationship between stressful life events and adolescent well-being. Specifically, gratitude’s ability …

The Relationship Between School Architecture And Self-Efficacy Of Students With Special Needs In Some Schools In Lebanon - The Reciprocal Architectural Design Method, Hayat M. Itani

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

This study sought to develop a new architectural design methodology for educational facilities. The design factors of inclusive schools built environment affect the self-efficacy of students with special needs. Self-efficacy being defined by Albert Bandura as one's belief in one's ability to succeed completing specific tasks in a certain environmental action. This research is conducted by following the sequential explanatory research design, surveyed by a mixed method. Participants were a group of 35 special education teachers and 25 students with special needs, conveniently selected from some schools in Lebanon. The two questionnaires and the individual interviews administered by the researcher …

Virtual Reality Supplement To The Peers Social Skills Intervention For Adolescents With Asd, Kevin Ambrose

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to replicate findings of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relation Skills (PEERS) parent-assisted social skills training program for a diverse group of adolescents with historical autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses in an urban locality. Additionally, this study sought to pilot a 3D multi-user virtual environment for adolescent participants and an online learning community for parent coaches; both hypothesized to reinforce the social skills curriculum. A randomized controlled trial of PEERS was completed with 12 adolescents diagnosed with ASD with some participation from their caregivers. Results show that participants who received the …

Transformation Based Digital Technology: The Effectivity Of Psychosocial Intervention Method, I Kadek Agus Hendriawan Putra, Pande Putu Narisya Ardhaneswari, Ni Wayan Devi Ariasih, I Komang Krisnata Kanaya

Smart City

A multitude of patterns resulting from technological change have an influence on people's mental health. People in the digital era need strong mental health in order to prevent mental disease. Coupled with the pandemic condition that happened around two years ago, it also took a part of the economic chain stability in the public, which is really important for everyday daily life. From the literature studies that have been read, showed that approximately 20% of the Indonesian population has the potential to have a mental disorder. Based on the various mental health problems that occur, the approach using the psychosocial …

Do Educators Value The Promotion Of Students’ Wellbeing? Quantifying Educators’ Attitudes Toward Wellbeing Promotion, David Byrne, Colm Mcguinness Phd, Aiden Carthy Phd

Articles

Educators’ attitudes toward Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and health and wellbeing promotion can significantly influence the success (or otherwise) of such policies and practices. While numerous studies exist, from which a broad understanding of such attitudes can be garnered, there is currently no attendant measurement which quantifies educators attitudes regarding the promotion of student wellbeing. The aim of this study was to address this gap in knowledge by quantifying the degree to which educators are positively or negatively disposed to the promotion of student wellbeing. The Attitudes Toward Wellbeing Promotion (ATWP) scale was administered …

A Survey Of School Psychologists To Promote Support For Developing Self-Advocacy Skills In Students With Disabilities, Kiarra K. Steer

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Self-advocacy is a critical skill for effective communication and for individual assertion of interests, needs, and rights (Hengen & Weaver, 2018). It is especially important for people with disabilities to be able to self-advocate, which includes understanding their own abilities and rights and being able to voice when they need assistance or when their rights are being violated (Hengen & Weaver, 2018).

Even though self-advocacy has been determined to be a necessary skill for students with disabilities to develop, research indicates that self-advocacy instruction is often not provided to students with disabilities. Furthermore, while researchers have shown that teaching students …

The Impact Of Teacher Wellness Programming During Highly Stressful Times, Madeline Brawley

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of participating in a stress-management program on teachers’ self-reported stress and well-being. Participants included a small group of new teachers and their assigned veteran teacher mentors from an elementary school in a large school district in Central Virginia. Self-reported stress as it relates to teacher-teacher relationships and physical symptoms increased significantly from pre- to post-test completion. All other stress measures, with the exception of time management, also increased over time; however none of these changes were significant. Teaching efficacy and school connectedness declined over time, while teaching satisfaction increased. These …

Teacher Perception Of A Brief Mindfulness-Based Curriculum And Its Impact On The Development Of Social Skills And Self-Regulation On A Preschool Classroom, Allison Poggendorf

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Recent studies on mindfulness and its impact on children have found promising results, especially with social-emotional skill development. A majority of the research on mindfulness applied in educational setting tends to focus on elementary and high school students, and there is limited, but growing research that examines the impact of mindfulness among early childhood students. This current study explored the impact of a brief mindfulness-based curriculum on an intact preschool classroom. Specifically, this study examined if preschool teachers perceive mindfulness practices in the classroom to impact their students’ self-regulation skills and social skills and how likely they were to continue …

Emergency Care For Youth Who Experience Suicidality And Identify As Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning (Lgbtq+): An Interpretive Phenomenology, Theresa Schultz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Suicide is a leading cause of death in children; youth who identify as LGBTQ+ are at an exponentially higher risk of suicide. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of young adults who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency care for suicidality when they were adolescents.

Methods: Heideggerian hermeneutics phenomenology is the research method used in this study. Youth, ages 18-25 years, who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency treatment for suicidality when they were adolescents (13-17 years) were recruited to participate;fifteen youth enrolled. Individuals ranged in age from 20 to 25 years. Participants described …

The Effectiveness Of An Evidence-Based Performance Feedback Intervention Through Zoom Communications, Inc., Kristen Mahony

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic after the American Psychological Association (APA) called for modified research practices to ensure the safety of students and families. The evidence-based writing fluency intervention known as the Performance Feedback (PF) Intervention was implemented via a fully remote platform. A single-subject multiple-baseline across participants design was utilized to evaluate the effects of the adapted intervention on the writing skills of three elementary-aged students with disabilities while also measuring maintenance of those skills two weeks following the intervention. Additionally, researchers measured the social acceptability of the virtual PF intervention by the students. Visual …

Youth Caregiver Focus Group: An Exploration Of School Support Staff’S Perceptions Of Youth Caregivers, Rianna Taylor

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The present study aimed to identify the level of knowledge, awareness, experience, and perceptions school support staff (school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and school nurses) have of youth caregivers. In addition, this study investigated school support staff’s confidence in their ability to identify and support this population specifically in Virginia schools. The focus group consisted of 4 school support staff participants which included two school nurses, one school counselor, and one school psychologist. The participants were asked a list of questions pertaining to the youth caregiver population during the 42-minute focus group meeting over Zoom. The focus group …

The Perceived Self-Efficacy Of School Counselors To Provide Interventions And Support To Students Using Substances And The Potential For Collaboration With School Psychologists, Monica Holtz

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Substance use has the potential to impact a student’s academic success; however, school counselors are in a position to intervene and provide support to these students to potentially mitigate the impact of the students’ use. Research shows that school-based interventions are effective in reducing substance use, but school counselors may not feel clinically prepared to provide these services. A random sample of school counselors in the state of Virginia practicing at the middle and high school level completed a survey regarding their feelings and perceptions of substance use intervention and support, including their self-efficacy to provide services, level of training, …

English Language Experiences Of High School Spanish Speaking Multilingual Learners Across Different Environments, Ismael Valdez

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This phenomenological study investigates the English language experiences and perceptions of English language use in Spanish speaking Multilingual Learners within the ESL classroom, in the broader school environment and outside of school. The researcher collected information from 8 participants through interview format. The study provides a broader understanding of the ways these Multilingual Learners develop language and their thoughts on these experiences. This study is not meant provide a comprehensive view of all the experiences of Spanish speaking Multilingual Learners, but rather to provide the personal experiences of high school Spanish speakers and their thoughts on their current opportunities to …

School Racial Climate And Discipline Practices, Maya Rivers

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The disproportionate use of punitive discipline practices with students of color in American school systems is prevalent among many sources of literature. Consequently, student experiences and perceptions of school climate are often tainted, which has yielded school-wide initiatives to improve in these areas. As school psychologists work to improve school climate with the goal of decreasing the racial discipline gap, they may consider strategies to improve the school’s racial climate. Using the School Climate for Diversity – Secondary Scale (Byrd, 2017), the current study explored what relationship, if any, exists between school racial climate and discipline at the secondary level. …

The Role Of Teacher Efficacy In Readiness To Support Lgbtq+ Students In Schools, Andrew Levy

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

LGBTQ+ students experience a myriad of difficulties associated specifically with their sexual or gender minority status. The current body of research has focused on negative outcomes of these difficulties, while there is a dearth of research into how schools can position stakeholders to support these students. Teachers often serve as consistent, direct points of contact for students in schools. As such, this study aims to explore teacher candidates’ sense of professional self-efficacy and its relationship with their confidence in supporting LGBTQ+ students in three ways: individual interventions, developing their own knowledge and skills, and systems-level advocacy. Teacher candidates were surveyed …

Toddler Characteristics And Attention, Lani A. Taylor

Research Psychology Theses

Abstract

Individual differences have become increasingly relevant when addressing variability across child development. Literature bears evidence that these differences may impact a toddler’s ability to respond to Joint Attention (JA). JA refers to a communicative gaze and pointing between a child and another individual. JA has been recognized as being a critical milestone, to the formation and cultivation of shared awareness and attention of an event or object. JA is a skill that is critical to the development of future language acquisition (Vaughan Van Hecke et al., 2007). The aim of this study is to measure whether child characteristics, such …

Strategies And Methods Of Training Teacher Emotional Competence, Christina D. Beaton

Dissertations, 2020-current

Teaching is an emotional endeavor. That is why teachers must be equipped with skills to manage their emotions as well as emotions of their students. The present research investigates a strategies and methods for a model of training teacher emotional competency. Elementary school teachers (N=78) were asked about their perception of the importance of emotional competencies including emotional self-awareness, emotion regulation, effective emotional expression, identifying and responding to students’ emotions, promoting a positive emotional climate in the classroom, using emotions to promote learning, skills to promote student emotional competence, and skills to maintain teacher well-being. They also reported how often …

Examining The Barriers To Building Multicultural Competence Of School Psychology Graduate Students, Jasmine C. Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, school aged students from diverse backgrounds have experienced detrimental effects as a result of school psychologists who fail to consider cultural differences when providing services. The demographics of students in K- 12 schools have increasingly become more diverse which only exacerbates the need for multiculturally competent school psychologists. Research has identified graduate programs as an area to intervene and ensure future school psychologists are receiving training necessary for developing multicultural competence. Within the literature, graduate student attitude towards multiculturalism and program climate have been identified as barriers to developing multicultural competence in graduate students. Therefore, the purpose of the …