18431 research outputs found
Sort by
What Did Independent Study Do for Me? Perspectives of Latine Graduates of a California Independent Study High School Program
Get PDFThe independent study model in K-12 education has rarely been studied as an opportunity to meet the needs of diverse learners who require access to education outside of the traditional school day and brick and mortar settings (Anderson & Amesse, 2022). This multimethod study (Cram & Mertens, 2016) explores the experiences of 15 Latine graduates of an independent study high school that serves four counties in southern California. The study takes a critical approach both theoretically and methodologically to understand how the independent study model as carried out at the school site met the intersectional needs (e.g. cultural, linguistic, geographic, socioeconomic, and gender) of the graduates who participated, how the school helped or hindered the students from attaining their respective high school and postsecondary goals, and whether or not there is a relationship between community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) and the attainment of educational goals. Each participant completed a survey and a follow-up interview in a single session. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as through reflective thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022). Experiential knowledge (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017) in the form of testimonios (Pérez Huber, 2009; Yrigollen-Robbins, 2023) regarding transborder identities unique to the Cali-Baja border materialized in this process. The study illuminates that the American Dream (Adams, 1931) does not exist and becomes realized only within the confines of United States borders. This research also confirms that the forms of capital enumerated within the Community Cultural Wealth model (Yosso, 2005) are key indicators for the attainment of personal goals and academic success. The findings reveal implications for extending the dimensionality of and opportunities within independent study to support the aspirations of students with borderist identities (Iglesias-Prieto, 2018) as they navigate systemic barriers to their education in the United States, while also simultaneously employing personal agency to challenge those barriers in such a setting
A Vascular Flora of Ladd Canyon, Santa Ana Mountains, Orange and Riverside Counties, California
No full textThe Santa Ana Mountains are a coastal range on the border of Orange and Riverside counties in southern California. Ladd Canyon, covering 18.2 km2 in the Cleveland National Forest, is a botanical black hole relative to the rest of the Santa Ana Mountains because of limited access. It is dominated by chaparral and coastal sage scrub and includes significant knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) stands and riparian woodland. Features that make it an intriguing area to study include the only serpentine soil in the Santa Ana Mountains, large tracts of habitat that have no recorded fire history, steep topography and relatively low human impacts. To help close the gap in our knowledge of this area, we collected 802 voucher specimens over more than 80 field trips from 2017 to 2022 and produced a vascular plant checklist of 329 taxa, including the rare plants Allium marvinii, Calochortus weedii var. intermedius, Lepechinia cardiophylla, Monardella macrantha subsp. hallii, Monardella hypoleuca subsp. intermedia, Phacelia keckii and several watchlist taxa. We found that knobcone pine stands are closely associated with serpentine outcrops. A relatively low proportion of annual taxa suggests an effect of long fire intervals on the flora of the canyon, and relatively few naturalized taxa are likely the result of infrequent human use and long fire intervals. Oaks in the area can be difficult to key to species, and we discuss their identification and nomenclature. The vascular plant checklist for Ladd Canyon provided here and the herbarium specimens that support it are valuable resources for the study of the flora and ecology of the Santa Ana Mountains
From High School to Creative Work: Cumulative Inequalities in Creative Arts Opportunities to Learn
No full textPathways into creative careers—i.e., in the arts, culture, entertainment, and related fields—are fraught with inequalities, starting in early life. This dissertation uses restricted-use data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) to investigate cumulative inequalities in creative arts opportunities to learn (CA-OTL) and creative educational and career outcomes. Examining disparities by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) from adolescence to early adulthood, this dissertation draws from interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives of cumulative inequality theory, fundamental cause theory, and opportunity-to-learn in a novel conceptual framework. In three interrelated studies, this dissertation follows a nationally representative cohort of tenth graders into early adulthood, examining cumulative inequalities in (1) longitudinal creative career aspirations and attainment, (2) high school CA-OTL and postsecondary creative studies, and (3) postsecondary CA-OTL and creative educational and career outcomes. These studies utilize a novel definition for creative career pathways, accounting for the broad range of educational and occupational pathways pursued and held by creative career seekers. Here, creative career pathways are defined as educational or occupational trajectories devoted to the creation, dissemination, or preservation of cultural products, as well as creative arts-based care. This definition contributes a comprehensive yet domain-specific conceptualization of creative careers otherwise missing from existing occupational classification systems. Throughout this dissertation, this definition was operationalized to classify postsecondary creative courses, creative majors, and creative occupations. Across the studies, analytic samples varied in each study to include high schoolers and subsamples of college-goers and creative majors. Analyses included block-entry hierarchical linear probability models, ordinary least squares regressions, and moderation analyses for subgroup variation. Results showed that inequalities in CA-OTL accumulate over time and explain some disparities in creative career pursuits. Gender, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic gaps in creative educational and career outcomes were explained by some CA-OTL, with school-based indicators being especially strongly associated with most outcomes. In the larger samples of high schoolers and college-goers, associations between CA-OTL and some outcomes varied by demographic subgroup. Compared with boys and White students, girls and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) respectively saw stronger positive associations between high school CA-OTL and postsecondary creative studies but weaker associations between postsecondary CA-OTL and degree completion. Socioeconomically, positive associations between CA-OTL and respective outcomes were generally stronger for the high SES group than their middle and lower SES counterparts, but a few exceptions suggest that some CA-OTL may disrupt socioeconomic inequities in creative career outcomes. For creative majors, postsecondary creative credit-earning, internships, and faculty research opportunities were all more strongly associated with creative outcomes than they were for non-creative majors. Further, among the small subsample of creative majors, creative arts credit-earning (in high school and postsecondary studies) and internships were found to be positively associated with creative educational and career outcomes. This dissertation offers novel conceptual, empirical, and methodological contributions to the literature. Results from these three studies both support and extend the theoretical framework, offering novel interdisciplinary perspectives on cumulative inequalities in creative career pathways. Extending cumulative inequality theory into this domain, empirical evidence across all three studies shows compositional changes in the cohort of creative career seekers, with White and high SES students accounting for increasingly large shares of the studies’ samples as the cohort advances from adolescence to adulthood. Methodologically, this dissertation operationalizes its novel definition for postsecondary courses, creative majors, and creative careers across three national coding frames: College Course Map (CCM), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). This dissertation’s limitations also suggest directions for future research, particularly in seeking larger samples, domain-specific measures, and expanded lifespan perspectives. Recommendations for policy and practice call for expansion of inclusive CA-OTL. Viewing early CA-OTL as part of the lifelong creative career pathway, policymakers might seek to close gaps in arts availability by bolstering school-level resources for creative arts education and equitably attending to the entire pathway from P-20 to the creative workforce. Recommendations for practice include reducing barriers to participation in CA-OTL by creating more inclusive classroom conditions, postsecondary admissions practices, and pedagogies to build on creative career seekers’ strengths. While CA-OTL offer promising potential to disrupt and reduce inequalities, a cautionary eye toward the emergence of new mechanisms of inequality invites further inquiry and collaboration in sustaining inclusive access and equitable support across creative career pathways
Pre-Apprenticeship as a Lever for Workforce Equity: A Quantitative Study of Non-Traditional Adult Learners in California
Get PDFA pre-apprenticeship is a short-term, structured training program that prepares individuals with the skills, experience, and support needed to enter and succeed in a registered apprenticeship. Nationally, and in California, pre-apprenticeship programs are posited as a key equity strategy to increase access and opportunity for populations who have experienced historical barriers to successful participation in registered apprenticeship programs. However, there is limited empirical research on this topic, especially in a statewide context involving non-traditional adult learners enrolled in California adult school settings. Nontraditional adult learners are typically over the age of 25, with multiple barriers to completing education goals. Nontraditional learners represent a diverse and growing demographic within adult education institutions in the United States. Typically older than traditional college students, they face unique challenges, such as balancing work and family responsibilities, financial pressures, and lower academic preparation (Choy, 2002; Crisp, 2010; Wyatt, 2011). California’s adult education system is currently supporting over 600,000 non-traditional learners; however, reaching the 6.8 million adults without an education or workforce credential remains a significant challenge. Therefore, research on accelerated workforce training models and the implementation of evidence-based promising practices is both valuable and timely. This was a quantitative, non-experimental study using inferential analyses to examine group differences and associations among demographic and outcome variables. The purpose of the study was to gain insights into participant success in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs from both a statewide, macro perspective, as well as from a local educational agency (LEA), micro perspective. The statewide lens included descriptive analyses of trends relating to overall California participant demographics and rates of completion. The LEA lens examined the relationships between participants’ demographic characteristics and successful completion of—and persistence in—pre-apprenticeship training programs for adult learners in a medium-sized California adult education program administered by a public school district in Los Angeles County. Furthermore, the study sought to illuminate other educational or workforce benefits and outcomes reported by adult education pre-apprenticeship program completers. Using a secondary dataset, the overarching research interest was to examine relationships between participants’ demographic characteristics to educational and training outcomes in a California adult education setting. The findings suggested that from a statewide perspective, although participation and completion rates in California registered apprenticeships appeared relatively robust, severe underrepresentation of women, Black/African American, and Asian populations persists. Demographic data on pre-apprentices suggest pre-apprenticeship programs may potentially serve as a gateway for more women, BIPOC, and youth into apprenticeships. Regarding results from the LEA sample, demographic characteristics such as gender, race, age, and education level were not associated—nor did they predict—completion in pre-apprenticeship programs. With regard to persistence, individual tests showed no statistically significant associations or relationships between each of the demographic variables examined and hours of instruction. However, multiple linear regression analyses showed notable differences by gender. Younger females persisted at a greater rate than older females, regardless of education level. And higher education levels for males was associated with greater persistence, regardless of age. Additionally, while a significant number of participants achieved seemingly valuable workforce-related outcomes, underreporting obscured the full impact of these programs. Addressing this limitation could provide a clearer understanding of program effectiveness. Finally, descriptive statistics related to learner completion and persistence in the LEA sample showed strong evidence of learner success across a broad range of ages and educational levels in an adult education environment. The study’s findings will inform state policymakers, leaders, administrators, and others responsible for educational and workforce training decisions, including initiatives such as California’s Master Plan for Career Education. Additionally, LEA practitioners and administrators, as well as workforce development partners, such as local workforce investment boards (WIBs), will benefit from the study’s insights. I highlight the need for further quantitative analyses, such as longitudinal studies, to assess whether pre-apprenticeship participation predicts outcomes such as entry into registered apprenticeship, wage gains, and credential attainment. Finally, I offer recommendations to increase investment and access to pre-apprenticeship programs, improve fragmented statewide data systems, and enhance outreach to underrepresented communities
Helping Students Help Themselves: An Intervention to Facilitate Campus Food Pantry Use at a Public University
Get PDFEstimates of student food insecurity at California’s public universities range from 42–47%. This study conducted at a public university in California investigated the impacts of an intervention on increasing campus food pantry use by increasing students’ knowledge of the pantry and reducing cognitive barriers. A sample of enrolled students (N=11,400) were randomly assigned to be in either the partial intervention (n=3,800), full intervention (n=3,800), or control (n=3,800) group. The partial intervention group received a postcard in the mail and an email invitation to complete the post-test survey online. The full intervention group received the pretest survey, a postcard, and the post-test survey. The surveys evaluated students’ knowledge and perceptions of the prevalence of food insecurity, who the food pantry is meant to serve, the normalcy and acceptability of food insecurity, and pantry design aspects. The average survey response rate was 5.3%. An analysis of the survey responses from the three groups revealed no statistically significant differences in students’ self-reported pantry visits, knowledge, and perceptions. Similarly, an analysis of weekly pantry visitors over the academic term revealed no changes in pantry use. An interview with campus food pantry staff discussing the findings led to the evaluative decision that using postcards alone is an ineffective way to increase campus food pantry use. Future inquiries should explore the effectiveness of other communication mediums such as texts, emails, and letters alone and in combination with postcards—especially interventions co-designed with students. Other approaches to improving pantry visibility should also be explored
Women’s Leader Development: Examining the Impact of Leadership Grants, Bias Interrupters, Stereotype Threat, and Purpose on Leader Identity
No full textLeader identity is a proximal outcome of individual leader development processes, particularly important for women leaders who may face systematic denials of their leadership. Understanding the mechanisms that bolster and hinder leader identity is crucial for emerging women leaders. In two simulation experiments, I proposed and tested strategies for mitigating the negative impact of leadership denials and stereotype threat on an individual’s leader identity. In the first experiment, I hypothesized that perceptions of granted leadership claims through written bias interrupter statements (i.e., “women are encouraged to apply”) buffered the negative relationship between leadership denials (ads without the statement “women are encouraged to apply”) and leader identity. A total of 212 women participants completed a gender bias questionnaire, how participants perceived subtle gender bias at their workplace (i.e., male privilege, disproportionate constraints) and then were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: a written bias interrupter flyer, or a non-bias interrupter flyer, and then asked to complete a leader identity questionnaire. Independent t-tests and multiple regressions revealed no significant effects of bias interrupters on leader identity. Gender bias was also found not to have any negative relationship with leader identity. However, bias interrupters cannot be concluded to be ineffective as constructs relating leader identity and bias were not measured. In a second study using a 2 x 2 experimental design, 202 women participants were randomly assigned to view an executive leadership team flyer featuring stereotype threat or no stereotype threat, randomly assigned to write about their leader purpose or assigned a control writing exercise, and then completed a leader purpose and leader identity questionnaire. ANCOVAs and multiple regression were used to examine whether the leader\u27s purpose buffered the harmful impact that stereotype threat had on the leader\u27s identity and whether writing task affected the leader\u27s identity. Findings suggested that leader identity was higher when women wrote about their leader purpose, particularly when exposed to the non-stereotyped threat leadership team flyers. Women also indicated significantly being more likely to apply for a leadership position for the company flyer when shown the non-stereotyped threat executive leadership team (all women) compared to the stereotyped threat team (all men). Although some expected relationships between bias interrupters, gender bias, and leader identity were not supported, findings from the second study suggested that interventions such as intentionally reflecting on leader purpose could foster a stronger sense of leadership identity for women. Furthermore, the study highlighted the significance of leadership claiming exercises that are politically appropriate, particularly in environments influenced by current political resistance to diversity initiative frameworks. The null findings regarding written bias interrupters emphasize the need for further research and organizations to refine interventions and better understand the contextual factors that shape women’s leadership identity development
From Classrooms to Community: An Ethnographic Narrative
Get PDFThis ethnographic narrative weaves together the story of my journey as a novice teacher, as I worked to create a positive classroom ecology and learned countless lessons while assuming the roles of student, teacher, and observer. Through the analysis of multiple artifacts, intended to reflect my teaching practices, this narrative challenged me to examine my role in society and consider my past intentionally. With humility, hard work, and the connections I made with my students, this narrative tracks my progress as a teacher and displays my hopes and dreams for the future
Exploring AI Applications in Low-Dose CT Machines to Generate Better Lung Cancer Spatiotemporal Statistics: San Diego County Case Study
No full textCancer diseases, such as lung cancer, are known as being among the scariest of diseases and are considered the deadliest form of cancer. It is a growing global health threat. However, effective lung cancer control is possible with the contributions of various information systems and technology and healthcare disciplines, including the Artificial Intelligence (AI) discipline in radiological settings. Spatiotemporal data is an integral part of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that the current lung cancer spatiotemporal data statistics for new incidence cases are outdated. With the outdated spatiotemporal statistics data problem for global and local lung cancer incidence cases, it is less likely that researchers will be able to control lung cancer more effectively. While information systems and technology hold immense promise and significant impact on healthcare in various ways, this study discusses potential opportunities for AI applications and medical machines to generate better spatiotemporal statistics, which can help researchers control lung cancer and eventually improve the well-being of our society. According to the literature, low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) machines are recommended among the other methods for diagnosing and detecting lung cancer. However, this exploratory study investigates the possibility of quickly updating outdated spatiotemporal data statistics. Substantially, this study aims to assess the possibility of generating better statistics based on LDCT machines by relying on AI technology. This study examines the LDCT machines in San Diego County as a case study. Due to the complexity of the topic, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with technologists and radiologists who are experts in LDCT machines. These experts are affiliated with all LDCT lung cancer screening centers in San Diego County, such as imaging centers and hospitals’ radiology departments in San Diego County. In addition, multiple secondary data are used (e.g., websites and blogs). These data are publicly available with no restrictions on security and privacy issues; the data includes thousands of pages of documents from the United States\u27 official cancer and healthcare agencies, imaging centers, hospitals, and health plans in San Diego County. The researcher used coding, memos, and Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) such as the ATLAS.ti tool to analyze the collected data. As a result, this study has various possible contributions to the medical industry that can help lower the risk of dying from lung cancer by getting better spatiotemporal statistics data. Other contributions include the delivery of a better quality of care, significantly reduced costs, shorter time, and less effort for all involved parties in the procedure of getting the LDCT lung cancer screening. These involved parties include patients, LDCT ordering doctors’ offices, hospitals, LDCT scan providers, and health insurances. In addition, it contributes to supporting all organizations’ missions that control lung cancer (e.g., National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Cancer Society). Moreover, it contributes to improving the future medical stations of smart cities. This study suggests the need to design and develop a new generation of LDCT machines based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI, which can help automatically generate better, updated spatiotemporal statistics data for lung cancer
The Role of Organizational Structure in Women’s Leadership
No full textProblem Organizational structure may create and reinforce barriers for women’s leadership journeys. Ambiguity about organizational structure shrouds how those barriers manifest. For organizations seeking to be equitable, that ambiguity presents a hurdle in understanding systemic barriers. Solution This paper offers new insights by providing a user-friendly, evidence-based definition of organizational structure and classification of its systems. Drawing from existing research, organizational structure is defined as the relatively stable characteristics and manifestations of an organization’s systems, constructed by members and their interactions. Structure is classified into seven systems: (1) positions, tasks, and status; (2) selection, promotion, and turnover; (3) authority and decision making; (4) rules and procedures; (5) development and training; (6) performance monitoring and evaluation; (7) reward systems. Women’s leadership-related barriers are then mapped on, creating a framework for assessing systems-level impacts. Stakeholders This user-friendly framework is meant to benefit organizations and their members and human resources practitioners, and scholars