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To What Extent Do Dual Language Teachers in Washington State Perceive They Have What They Need to Be Effective Teachers in Their Dual Language Classrooms?
Full text linkWashington state has announced the plan for a statewide implementation of dual language programs by 2040, which would make Washington the first state in the United States to offer students a dual language opportunity in every school district. The need for more dual language programs is supported by the numerous benefits they have shown to offer. Among these benefits are academic, social, economic, and cognitive advantages. Despite these well-documented benefits, research shows that teachers who work with bilingual students often face unique challenges and lack what they need to be effective teachers in their dual language classrooms. The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey with current dual language teachers in Washington state to find out to what extent they perceive they have what they need to be effective teachers in their dual language classrooms. Based on the participants’ responses to the survey, the greatest areas of perceived needs were in the Professional Development/Training, Time/Workload, and Support (Personnel) sections. By taking into account the results of this study, policy makers at the school, district, and state levels can determine which changes need to be made in order to launch and maintain successful dual language programs
Rethinking “Key-chain Swap” and other Decontextualized Algorithm Teaching Practices for Rational Number Learners
Full text linkMathematical literacy is critical in an increasingly data-driven society, yet many students struggle with rational number concepts due to the prevalence of decontextualized algorithmic instruction. This study investigates the impact of targeted professional development (PD) on sixth-grade teachers’ instructional strategies and their students’ rational number achievement. The research examines whether explicit, conceptually grounded teaching of rational number operations improves student understanding compared to traditional algorithm-based instruction. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study collected quantitative and qualitative data from students at two middle schools. The intervention was statistically significant at School A, where students in the intervention group demonstrated greater achievement gains than their control group peers. Conceptual fraction division emerged as a key predictor of overall rational number achievement, highlighting the importance of instructional methods that contextualize algorithms. Findings suggest that while procedural fluency can lead to correct answers, it often lacks conceptual backing, which can impede the transition between natural and rational number reasoning. At School B, the intervention did not yield statistically significant differences in achievement gains, potentially due to a lack of readiness to receive sixth-grade math instruction. This research contributes to the discourse on math education reform by demonstrating that shifting instructional focus toward rigorous conceptual understanding can enhance students\u27 long-term mathematical proficiency. Implications for curriculum development, teacher training, and future research on rational number instruction are discussed.
Keywords: rational numbers, natural number bias, teacher professional development, fraction division, conceptual rigo
Mediated and Moderated Pathways From Child Maltreatment to Suicidal Ideation: The Roles of Anxiety and Gender
Full text linkChild maltreatment is a known risk factor for suicidal ideation, especially during adolescent years. However, less is understood when it comes to the psychological processes that explain this relationship. Additionally, anxiety is often studied alongside depression but may serve as a distinct mechanism linking maltreatment to suicide risk. In addition, while gender differences in anxiety and ideation have been observed before, with females reporting higher rates, findings on how gender influences the relationship between maltreatment, anxiety, and suicidal ideation remain inconsistent. This proposed study aims to examine whether anxiety mediates the relationship between child maltreatment and suicidal ideation, and whether gender (males and females) moderates the relationship. Data will be used from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), focusing on adolescents between the ages of 14-18 (approximately 1350 participants). Child Maltreatment will be assessed using the conflict tactics parent to child scale, and both anxiety and suicidal ideation will be assessed using subscales from the trauma symptom checklist. A moderated mediation analysis will be conducted, with gender moderating the pathway from child maltreatment to anxiety. This study is grounded in the integrated motivational volitional model of suicide, which emphasizes how early adversity increases vulnerability to suicidal thoughts through emotional mechanisms such as anxiety. Applying this framework, this study seeks to clarify the role of anxiety in the maltreatment-suicidal ideation link and explore whether this process differs between males and females. Findings from this study may help identify gender specific risks and trauma approaches to suicide prevention
Loop flagpole
No full textThe flagpole standing in the SPU loop, surrounded by trees and plants.https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/archives_images_seminary/1048/thumbnail.jp
Sex Trafficking Awareness: Essential Education for the Next Generation of Nurses
No full textSex Trafficking Awareness: Essential Education for the Next Generation of Nurses
The agency we collaborated with is a Christian organization that is committed to providing survivor-centered, trauma-informed services for hundreds exploited in the sex trade annually. Their value focuses on unconditional care, relationships, strengths, minimizing barriers, and walking with clients on their journey to freedom. They strive to give these communities a sense of belonging, which communicates the message “You are worthy of love.” This organization focuses on being truthful, honest, and reliable for their clients. They have a 24/7 hotline where many clients can reach out for more information and emotional support. The agency has become a home to many individuals and provides a safe and reliable community to be a part of. They also have education and training programs to spread knowledge on how to provide trauma-informed care. Our overarching goal for this project was to use a training session made by the agency to reach out to community members to help them understand the basics of sex trafficking.
Background
Two to three thousand men, women, and children are being exploited in the greater Seattle and King County area (REST, 2024). A plethora of providers have little to no experience receiving education on recognizing sex trafficking survivors, and very few can confidently identify potential survivors (Rapoza, 2022). Sex workers in Canada have reported experiences with healthcare workers who had condescending attitudes towards them and refused to take these survivors\u27 needs seriously. According to this study consisting of 33 individuals who reported barriers to healthcare access, 61% believed that there was judgment towards sex workers, and 59% believed that healthcare workers were under or uninformed about sex work (Ross et al., 2021). These negative interactions with healthcare providers can create significant barriers to care and prevent individuals from seeking necessary medical attention in the future. Further, they reinforce the stigma surrounding trafficking survivors, which makes it more difficult for them to find safe, compassionate and informed support. Taking these discrepancies into consideration, this project was tailored toward current and prospective healthcare workers in the greater Seattle area to better understand the sex industry and how to provide trauma-informed care.
Activities with Rationale
The main goal of our project was to educate healthcare workers on the definition of sex trafficking, the signs of trafficking, who the people behind the sex trade are, and how, as healthcare workers, we can help and provide resources to survivors. Here at Seattle Pacific University, we believe that providing education to quarter 2 nursing students can help them understand how to provide trauma-informed care to their patients as they approach quarter 3. Quarter 3 will be working in obstetrics and mental health, where providers are more likely to encounter victims of trauma (whether it is related to trafficking or not). One study led by Xue et al. (2023), found that providing education to nursing undergraduates improved their ability to empathize and provide competent care compared to students who did not receive additional education. We believe that trauma-informed care should not be limited to survivors of sex trafficking; the information we provide about this population should help our audience to empathize and provide competent care.
With these intentions in mind, we reached out to different groups of healthcare workers to inform them of these training sessions. We made connections with the education coordinators of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the University of Washington, and the psychology department to provide a resource to give students who are pursuing a clinical psychology vocation. We also coordinated with our program leads to create a discussion for future groups to present this information to a larger demographic of nursing students through extra credit incentive. This incentive was an hour of clinical-specific focused education that could be logged onto Typhon for the student’s clinical hours. During the process of completing these tasks, we created email and phone scripts that future groups can utilize when trying to form connections with various organizations. These resources allow for the next groups to more effectively build partnerships and maintain continuity of these educational efforts.
Outcomes
Following the presentation, a limited amount of feedback was given regarding quality improvement on content or delivery. Feedback given included verbalization of a more profound effect from the videos due to real-life experiences being shared. Participants also stated that they believe this information is relevant to their roles within the healthcare setting, especially as they move forward in their education. Overall, the feedback regarding the presentation involved people expressing their satisfaction with the material that was presented. In the future, we hope to gain a bigger audience by better advertising. We also would like to see future groups be able to use real-life stories for a greater impact on the audience. We hope that future groups can work with survivors within the agency and observe Aurora for a more thorough assessment of the environment in which trafficking occurs. We were unable to directly communicate with the population at the organization and feel that this would have made our presentation stronger because students reported that they were most impacted by the videos of survivors recounting their experiences.
Conclusion
Our goal through this project was to present education on trauma-informed care to at least two different groups within the healthcare community. We were able to present to nursing students who are starting to interact with communities that require specialized care and communication due to trauma they may have suffered in the past. We also believe that this education would be beneficial to integrate into the nursing program as a whole to provide more awareness to solidify a holistic care approach. A limitation we met was being unable to get a large turnout, and we would like to expand more on the audience we are educating. We hope as this project is carried on to the next group, this training can reach more groups of healthcare workers and help create a safer space for victims of sex trafficking.
References
Rapoza, S. (2022). Sex trafficking: A literature review with implications for health care providers. Advanced emergency nursing journal, 44(3), 248-261.10.1097/TME.0000000000000419
Real Escape from the Sex Trade. (2024). Real Escape from the Sex Trade. Retrieved February 19, 2025, fromhttps://iwantrest.com
Ross, L.E., Sterling, A., Dobinson, C., Logie C.H., & D’Souza, S. (2021). Access to sexual and reproductive health care among young adult sex workers in Toronto, Ontario: a mixed methods study. Cmaj open, 9(2), 482-490. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20200049
Xue, M., Sun, H., Xue, J., Zhou, J., Qu, J., Ji, S., Bu, Y., & Liu, Y. (2023). Narrative medicine as a teaching strategy for nursing students to developing professionalism, empathy and humanistic caring ability: A randomized controlled trial. BMC Medical Education, Vol (23). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04026-
Becoming Human: On the Threshold of the Future
Full text linkA hundred years ago, the lawyer Clarence Darrow, who was troubled by the agenda of the renewed Ku Klux Klan and a criminal justice system that institutionalized revenge said:
“What we need in this world is a little more humanity.”
In this presentation, I want to look into the words “more humanity” and focus on what I have learned about becoming human and moments in our journey in which we are invited to take a way a greater possibility than the one we have been travelling, times when something really happens that shapes our daily lives. I attempt to speak to myself and to fellow therapists and to weave a network of connections about how our participation in therapeutic conversations with others over many years alongside other sparkling moments in our everyday lives may become a movement toward gratitude, even as we stand on the threshold of the future at a crossroads discerning which way to take. Dag Hammerskjold, the man who built the United Nations, said it this way:
“For all that has been, THANKS, for all that is to be, YES!
Culture in action: The mediating role of school culture on educational policy implementation and teacher commitment
No full textThis research proposal examines the mediating role of school culture in the relationship between educational policy implementation and teacher commitment. Teachers are the primary focus of this study as they are often underrepresented in educational research, despite being the cornerstone of effective learning environments. Using a mediation model, this study seeks to explore how policy-driven changes influence teachers\u27 professional commitment through shifts in school culture. The findings aim to provide insights for policymakers and educators, advocating for teacher-centric approaches in policy development to support sustainable school improvement such as teacher training and curriculum standardizatio
How narrative therapy helps long-term couples reauthor intimacy amid perimenopausal identity shifts
No full textPerimenopause is a complex life transition that often challenges a woman’s sense of identity, desirability, and relational intimacy, particularly in long-term relationships. Dominant cultural narratives surrounding aging and beauty can contribute to internalized shame and fear of vulnerability, impacting emotional and sexual connection. This proposed study explores the perceived impact of a narrative therapy-informed intervention on fear of intimacy and identity reconstruction in couples where one partner is navigating perimenopause. Drawing on prior research demonstrating narrative therapy’s effectiveness in improving relational satisfaction and reducing intimacy-related distress, this mixed-methods design will combine pre- and post-intervention assessments with qualitative narrative analysis. The study aims to examine how deconstructing oppressive cultural narratives and reauthoring preferred identity stories can foster greater intimacy and relational resilience. Findings may inform more culturally responsive, meaning-centered approaches for clinicians supporting couples through midlife transitions
Can You Hear A Pen Drop? A Study of Classroom Acoustics and Aural Experience
Full text linkThis study investigates the relationship between classroom acoustics and perceived listening ease at Seattle Pacific University. Five classrooms were analyzed using objective measurements of reverberation time and background noise, and student and faculty perceptions were collected via surveys. While prior research and acoustic standards establish that poor acoustics hinder learning, findings revealed reverberation time and noise levels alone did not fully explain subjective listening experiences. Factors such as class size, seating arrangement, and external noise sources significantly shaped perceptions. The results underscore the importance of considering pedagogical goals and classroom usage when designing or evaluating learning environments
The Impacts of Mentorship on an Asian American Female PK-12 School Leader: An Autoethnography
No full textAsian American women remain significantly underrepresented in PK-12 school leadership roles in the United States, despite the rapid growth of the Asian American population. Existing research on women of color in educational leadership has primarily focused on Black and Latina women, leaving Asian American women’s experiences largely unexplored. This autoethnographic dissertation examines the experiences of an Asian American female leader in PK-12 education, with a particular focus on the role of mentorship in career progression and identity development. By analyzing personal experiences through the lens of historical and contemporary barriers, including racism, sexism, and limited access to networks, this study aims to fill the gap in literature and provide insights into the systemic challenges faced by Asian American women in leadership. Findings from this research will contribute to a broader understanding of how to support and develop a more diverse educational leadership pipeline