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Exploring the Conditions of Urban Community Flourishing: A Case Study of Andersonville, Chicago
No full textOver the past century of urbanization, sociologists have been concerned about a decline in community in urban settings. Despite concerns of social isolation and anonymity in urban centers, some urban neighborhoods have been successful in creating a close-knit community. This research explored the conditions under which community can establish in an urban neighborhood. Interviews, observation, and archival research were used to investigate the role of urban design, community organizations, and residents’ demographics and characteristics. Using Andersonville, Chicago as a case study, the research explored a neighborhood that is known for its close-knit community and urban village feeling. Findings indicate that physical features, in particular the walkability and accessibility of a neighborhood, allow for repeated interactions between residents and can be essential for community formation. Additionally, community organizations, local institutions, and events can provide spaces for residents to be involved and connect with neighbors. However, Andersonville’s advantageous location and urban history highly impacted the development of its community. Therefore, the findings do not generally indicate the conditions that strengthen community but rather show how a specific neighborhood maximized its historical advantages. Further research is necessary to explore how the development of a neighborhood-level sense of community is tied to systemic urban inequalities
Latina Young People’s Perspectives on Healthy Romantic Relationships: A Strengths-Based, Qualitative Inquiry
No full textThere is a dearth of research examining the relationship perspectives of Latina young people, a population that reports disproportionate rates of teen dating violence (TDV). This strengths-based, qualitative study utilized critical narrative inquiry to explore Latinas’ relationship perspectives through in-depth interviews. Rigorous analysis revealed participants’ desire for freedom from violence/abuse, open communication, independence, and egalitarian values in relationships, while reporting relationship models and media representation as their main influences on relationship perspectives. Our findings demonstrate that although patriarchal gender norms influence romantic relationships with Latinx cultures, many participants rejected traditional gendered power dynamics that can lead to violence, providing important information for practitioners seeking to promote healthy relationships among this population
Understanding the Social Determinants of Social Isolation and Health as Experienced by Older Latine-A Adults
No full textSocial isolation is a form of disconnection and a growing public health and social problem that affects the overall well-being of all older adults. Although indicators of the social determinants of health describe the experiences of social isolation among other racial and ethnic groups, little is known about the subpopulation of older Latines. The study builds upon that gap by exploring the lived experiences of social isolation including limited social support among a sample of older low-income, urban-dwelling Latines that reside in an older adult residence in northern NJ. The purpose of the study was to better understand the psychological and social determinants of health that contribute to their lived experience as well as their resilience in the face of limited social connection with others. This phenomenological study included in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine participants. The data was analyzed thematically using interpretive phenological analysis. The nine participants were recruited using purposeful and snowball sampling. The questionnaire covered six areas of their experiences and perceptions of the social determinants of health including their experience of social isolation, social environment, health and mental health, resilience, and connection to family and friends. Findings: The five main themes were: (1) current reflections on being socially isolated, lonely, or having limited social support; (2) current experiences of receiving support from the agency; (3) the present joy and fear of living in the neighborhood and community; (4) current reflections of disappointment in expecting to live with their loved ones; (5) reflections of past negative experiences of childhood and young adulthood. Four subthemes emerged from the study: (1b) current reflections of support from family and friends; (1c) reflections on past experiences of resiliency in their lives; and (1d) current reflections on experiencing emotional and mental well-being. Discussion: The older Latine participants described their causes of social isolation and limited social support from earlier thoughts and feelings of subjective childhood memories, lack of trust, community safety, and poor relationships with family and children, yet despite the challenges that contribute to their isolation and loneliness, most of the older Latine participants emphasized their overall happiness and satisfaction from their families in addition to agency workers, church friends, and the overall community. They are resilient and find other ways to remain connected to others. Implications: The study results should inform social work policy, research, and practice to address the individual, social, and structural components that inhibit social connections and engagement with others
Fat and Fiber Consumption, Sociocultural Factors Influencing Food Choices, and Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease in Alabama, USA, and Cape Town, South Africa
No full textGut-brain research, that focuses on the bidirectional connections of the gastrointestinal tract and the brain, has found increased concentrations of lipopolysaccharides, acetate, valerate, and proinflammatory cytokines, and decreased concentrations of butyrate in the gut of people with sporadic (type most affected by lifestyle) Alzheimer’s disease. A high-fat and low-fiber diet contributes to this clinical presentation of the gut. In food deserts (areas with severely limited access to affordable fresh produce of nutritional quality), people consuming this type of diet would be expected to have a high prevalence of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. While this is the case for Alabama, the state with the highest mortality rate due to Alzheimer’s disease in the USA, Cape Town in South Africa, also a food desert, has the lowest worldwide prevalence of the disease. To address this paradox, this study examined three research questions comparing the fat and fiber consumption of 375 participants from Alabama and 379 participants from Cape Town; sociocultural factors that might affect their nutritional decisions; and whether fat and fiber consumption was correlated with these sociocultural factors that influence food choices. Results showed that both Alabama, and Cape Town participants consume more fat than fiber in their diets, and that they make their food choices primarily based on their mood. The more fat participants consumed, the more likely they were to be making food choices based on the sensory appeal of the food in Alabama, and the less likely they were to do so in Cape Town
The Power of Project-Based Learning
No full textSankofa Academy, a pseudonym, located in New Jersey, was founded in 2015 with the intention of better meeting the needs of African American boys and young men who had historically been the lowest performing demographic in the district. Three years into its existence, it was identified as a School in Need of Comprehensive Support. At the time of this research, the school served 65 African American male students in Grades 3-8. This study aimed to explore the impact of project-based learning (PBL) on student achievement and how a professional learning group (PLG) could support the implementation of project-based learning. This mixed-methods study used an Improvement Science approach focusing on three drivers of change: 1) supervision of instruction, 2) improving teacher capacity, and 3) improving instructional practices. A single nine-week Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle was planned encompassing two components: a PLG for teachers and the introduction of PBL for students. Leading measures provided solid indicators that student mastery of content standards developed as students progressed in their PBL units and evolved in their acquisition of success skills. These results indicate that Gold Standard PBL has the potential to positively impact student achievement. The professional learning group (PLG) facilitated the implementation of PBL by providing the structural supports and resources needed for capacity-building as well as increasing teachers’ confidence in their ability to implement PBL and their sense of collective efficacy as they collaborated to develop and implement interdisciplinary projects
Rosen, Michael
No full textMichael Rosen was born in the Bronx in Parkchester in 1943 to immigrant parents who came to New York in the early 20th century. He remembers the freedom of his childhood and going all over the city with his friends, visiting the New York Stock Exchange, sports games, and even once interviewing the artist Salvador Dalí.
Rosen had a fast-tracked education, skipping both kindergarten and one year of middle school, eventually graduating at the age of sixteen. Rosen went to PS 106 for elementary school and fondly remembers his teachers from the time. For middle school he attended Junior High School 127; however, he does not remember it as fondly, characterizing it as nothing special. For high school, Rosen went to Bronx Science and recalls the rigor of his education there. While he believes his high school experience was not very well-rounded, overall, he considers there to have been “more pluses than minuses.”
Outside of school, Rosen would hang out with his friends and went to Hebrew school in order to prepare for his bar mitzvah. Although Rosen was bar mitzvahed, he considers himself to be more culturally Jewish and always had a difficult time attending synagogue services because of his ADHD. Despite Rosen’s lack of religious observance, he is interested in Jewish history and finds certain aspects of Jewish observance, such as the Mourner’s Kaddish, to be gripping.
Keywords:
Parkchester, Metropolitan Oval, Segregation, Yankees, Bronx Science, PS 106, Music, Junior High School 127, Bronx Science, Hebrew School, Hillel, Vietnam Wa
The Impact of Healthcare Worker Stigma during the Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textHealthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic were often viewed by the public as contaminated due to their proximity to individuals with illnesses. This public concern led to feelings of isolation for some healthcare workers as well as a range of mental health symptoms in this population. The current study investigated the impact of stigmatization on COVID-19 related stress among healthcare workers. Additionally, it explored whether or not related beliefs (i.e., overestimation of threat and inflated sense of responsibility) impacted the relationship between stigma and pandemic stress. In the current study, regression and moderation analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between these variables. A sample of 372 healthcare workers were recruited to complete a series of online questionnaires. Results revealed that current reported stigma among healthcare workers significantly predicted COVID-19 related stress and more specifically, anxiety around danger and contamination related to the virus, compulsive checking and reassurance seeking regarding COVID-19, and traumatic stress symptoms. Overestimation of threat and inflated sense of responsibility beliefs did not moderate the relationship between current stigma and COVID-19 stress. Reported stigma experiences significantly decreased from the beginning of the pandemic to early in 2022. The current findings provide some preliminary evidence that stigma may contribute to mental health difficulties for healthcare workers during pandemics. However, research should explore these factors and their associations further to better understand their strength and importance
A Human-Animal Dialogue: Positive Reinforcement Training in Zoos and Aquariums
No full textThis paper addresses the benefits of positive reinforcement training in zoos and aquariums across America, and why this form of training is best for both the animals and people. There is a long standing public debate about the appropriateness of keeping wild animals in zoos and aquariums and their treatment within these facilities. The way in which some animal care facilities have historically managed animal behavior using dominance-based training, which uses methods such as punishment and deprivation, has rightly come under criticism and has proven to provide poor animal welfare. This poor mis-management has fueled an anti-zoo and aquarium agenda for many people and organizations. Today, the method of positive reinforcement training has become the primary method of training in zoos and aquariums across the United States because of its benefits to animal welfare and to the general public. Positive reinforcement training refers to a style of training that uses desirable stimuli to increase wanted behavior. Positive reinforcement training is behind many of the presentations or shows you can see at zoos or aquariums across the country. Further, it provides a much deeper contribution to animals beyond the view of the public eye, including animal health care, mental stimulation, and the conservation of species. Chapter one uses quantitative data on the public perceptions of zoos and aquariums, and the methods of dominance based training and positive reinforcement training to provide a deeper understanding of how zoos and aquariums provide supporting and provisioning services to nonhuman animals. Chapter two delves into the contributions to animal welfare that training provides through an animal welfare perspective, using background such as animal-welfare laws in the US and animal welfare theory. Looking through the lens of conservation biology, Chapter three analyzes how husbandry training can increase the health and life expectancy of certain species. With an environmental education perspective, Chapter four explores the way in which positive reinforcement training helps to educate guests and visitors of these institutions about the importance of wildlife conservation. Ultimately, Chapter five addresses the current policies surrounding animal care, and my suggestions to increase positive reinforcement training in zoos and aquariums to benefit animal welfare and public education
Phenomenological Inquiry of Intersectional Microaggressions and Identities as Experienced by Psychology Trainees of Color
No full textGraduate psychology training programs have taken steps to improve enrollment and retention rates for students of color, such as promoting organization scholarships, providing cultural competence and diversity courses, and offering support opportunities. However, microaggressions related to the trainees\u27 intersecting identities continue to impact their sense of self-worth and belonging, which can significantly affect their clinical work.This qualitative study sought to address the gaps in the literature by exploring how graduate students of color aged 25-38 respond to and cope with microaggressions related to their intersecting identities and how these experiences impact their clinical training. The study used phenomenological methodology to collect and analyze data, revealing ten main, interrelated themes that captured participants\u27 experiences while considering past experiences with intersecting microaggressions. Participants recognized their role in shaping the field, acknowledged identity-based assumptions, and found community building important for voicing concerns and impacting future generations.The findings have significant implications for future research and clinical practice. By illuminating the collective voices of this population, the study highlights the importance of creating safe spaces for conversations around supporting and advocating. It also emphasizes the need to address the impacts of intersecting microaggressions on clinical training and practice. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of centering the experiences and voices of trainees of color in efforts to promote equity and inclusion in graduate psychology training programs
Topics on Fractional Trading and Trade–Growth Nexus
No full textThis dissertation consists of two parts. The first part studies the impact of fractional trading on non-professional investors’ behavior and order book dynamics, and the second part studies the relationship between international trade and economic growth for G20 countries.The first part consists of two chapters. The first chapter explores the impact of fractional trading on risk aversion for non-professional investors. Using the expected utility framework, we show that with the recent easiness to trade in stock markets and with the option to buy or sell a fraction of a share of a stock or ETF (exchange-traded fund), the risk appetite of non-professional investors might have gone up, increasing market participation and demand for stocks. Furthermore, we show that this change in the non-professional investor\u27s risk aversion behavior varies by household income levels. The results suggest that easy access to trade stocks and fractional trading allows households with lower discretionary income a new tool to diversify their portfolio and participate in the stock markets by investing in different stocks and ETFs while at the same time having a significant impact on the stocks\u27 price levels and price dynamics observed in the markets.Further, in the second chapter, we study the impact of fractional trading on the price levels and order book dynamics observed in the market. Using the Nasdaq data feed at a minute frequency, we show that there has been a significant increase in the slope of the price-volume structure. In some cases, there is an increase in the number of steps required to place a limit order after the introduction of fractional trading. The results suggest that increased demand for stocks led by easiness to trade stocks and fractional trading impacts the order book\u27s price formation process and price–volume structure.Finally, in the second part, a standalone chapter explores the relationship between international trade and economic growth for G20 countries using a simultaneous equations model for 2004-2019. The model is estimated using a full information maximum likelihood method for the G20 countries. Further, the analysis is also done separately for Advanced and Developing G20 countries. The results suggest that trade is positively related to growth, but it works as a handmaiden rather than a growth engine. Further, we also perform dynamic policy simulations based on the most advocated policies like increasing growth of exports, foreign capital inflows, curbing domestic inflation, etc. We find that these policies are not very effective in increasing the growth rate of the real per capita income