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The Effects of Historical Alcohol Use on Neuropsychological Functioning in Older Adults Following a Traumatic Brain Injury
Get PDFThe present study aimed to determine the effects of alcohol abuse and dependence in long term functioning of older adults who have experienced a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. The research question being answered in the current study was if a history of alcohol abuse or dependence would worsen neuropsychological functioning in older adults who experienced at least one moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Participants of the study were selected from the more extensive database provided by the Brain Aging in Vietnam War Veterans (DOD-ADNI) database. All participants were Vietnam War veterans between the ages of 61 and 85. The participants were grouped according to presence of a traumatic brain injury and history of alcohol use or dependence. All participants had at least five years of abstinence from alcohol. Neuropsychological tests measured differences between groups in the domains of verbal fluency, confrontation naming, verbal memory, executive functioning, and mood. Results of the current study showed there was no difference in neuropsychological functioning between individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury and individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury and alcohol abuse or dependence. The results of the current study indicate that in a population of older adults with a history of traumatic brain injury, neuropsychological functioning deficits are no greater if the individual also has a history of alcohol use
Stonewall: Developing A Historically-and-Culturally Based Empowerment Narrative Modality For Therapeutic Treatment With LGBTQ+ Youth
Get PDFDespite more recent advancements in social acceptance and legislative advancements, LGBTQ+ peoples have continued to suffer from institutional and cultural oppression which has resulted in disproportionately higher levels of negative psychological outcomes, particularly for youth. The behavioral health establishment should be best-suited for addressing these concerns, but a history of stigmatizing LGBTQ+ peoples has created a paucity of population-sensitive treatment interventions which could be beneficial for use with younger people of sexually diverse identity. This paper posits that empowerment narrative therapy, with its emphasis on re-framing the stories of individuals to draw on their history of resilience to confront personal and social injustice, can be the basis for the creation of a modality which addresses the specific challenges of young LGBTQ+ individuals who have been isolated from their own community and cultural traditions. By examining ways in which other marginalized communities have utilized narrative empowerment approaches, this paper will propose a treatment intervention which seeks to empower youth of diverse sexual identities by drawing on their unique historical traditions of resiliency and resistance in order to create greater behavioral health outcomes and social change in their own lives and communities
The Journey: From Teacher to Servant Leader/Principal
No full textThis research represents a personalized account and analysis of my journey in educational leadership that I specifically experienced when transitioning from teacher to principal. My analysis of this educational journey and the exploration of “self” provides insight and the significant presence of the servant leader within me and my leadership style. I present my experiences through a sampling of stories / vignettes that I retell using artifacts that I have documented and gathered with each passing experience as a principal. Through the use of the story, and an analysis of my experiences, I present work that is characteristic of the qualitative method of auto-ethnography. This method allows the readers’ emergence in to the world of the researcher, and gives a perspective that is firsthand and personal. My analysis contains a personal account of experiences that revolve around the ten servant leadership qualities. In addition, my analysis indicates how inundated these characteristics are within me, and how they progressively developed to define my leadership style. Finally, this analysis shares my reflections on the effects of this servant leadership style on stakeholders including myself in this specific educational environment
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a High School Intervention Program During Lunch Periods: A Program Evaluation
No full textThis program evaluation is centered on a Tier II response to intervention (RtI) that was created to provide struggling high school students with academic supports during their lunch periods. This study examined the extent to which participation in the program led to a decrease in student course failures. An analysis of student academic data, rate of student attendance, and interviews with staff were the methods used to explore the intervention program’s effectiveness and to make recommendations for improvement
Examining Protective Factors That Promote Resilience Among Children With An Incarcerated Parent
Get PDFChildren of incarcerated parents (CIP) represent one of the most vulnerable, at-risk populations in the United States (Johnston, 1995). Best estimates suggests there are 2.7 million children with an incarcerated parents and African-American children are disproportionately represented at a figure of 1 in 9 children (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008). Much of the research attempting to understand this population and guide intervention efforts has employed a deficit-based approach, highlighting the plethora of adverse risk factors and negative outcomes associated with being the child of an incarcerated parent. This approach fails to acknowledge the presence of resilience inherent in these youth. The exploratory mixed methods research utilized in this project includes a quantitative (Study 1) and qualitative (Study 2) component. The two studies attempt to better understand protective factors and resilience in CIP. Situated in a strengths-based approach, the first study utilizes a multi-measure survey of CIP to examine the relationship between academic achievement, parent-child contact and subjective psychological well-being (a construct of resilience). Study 2 utilizes qualitative in-depth interviews with caregivers of CIP to further understand perceptions of how the preceding factors affect youth from the caregiver’s perspective. Findings from these two studies suggest mixed perceptions of parent-child contact as a protective factor that promote resilience in CIP. Implications from findings are explored and discussed
Supporting Novice Teacher Enactments in the Field Class
Get PDFTeacher preparation programs at NLU are developing practice-centered approaches to teacher education that entail a core set of teaching practices and intentionally designed field-learning opportunities. One addition to prior practice with this approach is the inclusion of a video coaching context where candidates receive feedback from field supervisors on their teaching videos. This study investigated candidate and supervisor perceptions of the feedback in the video coaching context affords in addition to the traditional contexts of face to face field visits and competency appraisal surveys. The findings point to a unique self-regulatory benefit to the video coaching context. They also suggest the need to carefully prepare teacher candidates and field supervisors to effectively utilize each coaching context to ensure they complement one another to best support teacher candidate learning
All About the American Flap
Get PDFIn this column, I am going to talk about the American flap, a phonological feature of the American English dialect. Those of us with backgrounds in ESL/EFL learn about this in our master’s programs, but I have found that even teachers who have taken a course in linguistics may not be aware of the flap and its important implications for listening, reading, and spelling in English (Lems, Miller, & Soro, 2017
An Evaluation Of A Title One Elementary School\u27s English For Speakers Of Other Languages Program
Get PDFABSTRACT Enrolled at many public schools in the United States are students who primarily speak languages other than English and lack proficiency in the English language. These students are required to show language proficiency on end-of-year English-only state assessments. One public elementary school utilizes a support program to assist second language learners in acquiring a level of language skills necessary for proficiency on state assessments. My evaluation of this school’s program utilized mixed methods to determine the viability of support services provided to second language learners. The findings of my evaluation revealed some weaknesses within the provided services and indicated a need for program changes to ensure the success of all enrolled second language learners
Laying the Foundation to Improve Literacy in a K-12 Islamic School Through the Introduction of a Professional Learning Community: A Formative Evaluation
Get PDFTo improve professional development, a professional learning community (PLC) was initiated at a small, K–12 Islamic school in northwest suburban Chicago, IL. This evaluation describes and assesses the initiation and year-one implementation of the PLC, and focuses on teachers’ literacy instruction skills. A formative evaluation approach was used to monitor and assess progress and encourage teachers’ ownership of their learning. Teachers collaborated in large and smaller grade or subject area PLC groups to identify, chart, and implement new teaching strategies under peer observation for feedback. Teachers succeeded in establishing school-wide literacy strategies; however, issues challenged the PLC’s future—time, resources, and administrative support. Recommendations for improvement include: allocating school time for teacher collaboration; implementing differentiated instruction; incorporating regular real-time assessment of student learning; providing administrative support and resources; and working on attracting and retaining teachers