35063 research outputs found
Sort by
The Work of the Beasts in the Mocatta Haggadah (London, UCL Mocatta Library, MS 1)
No full textThis study explores the capacity of two remarkable animal figures in the Mocatta Haggadah (Iberia ca. 1300 ) - a Peacock and a Dragon - to serve as multivalent actors who convey information keyed to Passover Seder participants of varying levels of religious and cultural literacy. In keeping with the pedagogical mandate of the ritual, these animals are shown to subvert their customary roles - both situational and iconographic - thus implying an unremarked degree of visual sophistication on the part of the Haggadah’s designers and some of its viewers. This work is a preliminary effort in a larger endeavor that examines the extent to which animal imagery in manuscripts made for medieval Jews may have offered advantages over that featuring humans
Developing an observation protocol for online STEM courses
Get PDFThe use of online instruction for undergraduate STEM courses is growing rapidly. While researchers and practitioners have access to validated instruments for studying the practice of teaching in face-to-face classrooms, analogous tools do not yet exist for online instruction. These tools are needed for quality design and control purposes. To meet this need, this project developed an observational protocol that can be used to collect non-evaluative data for the description, study, and improvement of online, undergraduate STEM courses. The development of this instrument used a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach to the research, design, pilot-testing, refinement and implementation of the protocol. Pairs of researchers tested the final version of this instrument, observing completed online under- graduate STEM courses. Across 2,394 pairs of observations, the observers recorded the same indication (yes or no to the presence of some course element) 1,853 times for an agreement rate of 77.4%, falling above the 75% threshold for an acceptable level of agreement. There was a wide range in the inter-rater reliability rates among items and further revisions were made to the instrument. This foundational work-in-progress instrument should be further developed and used by practitioners who are interested in learning about and reflecting on their online teaching practice
Understanding the Needs of Gender-Diverse Youth and Young Adults and Their Staff Members in Homeless Shelters and Supported Housing
Get PDFBackground: Gender-diverse youth experience twice the risk for homelessness as their same-age cisgender peers and report experiencing discrimination in homeless shelters and supported housing.
Method: Eighteen participants (9 gender-diverse residents and 9 staff members) were interviewed individually to understand their experience of and needs in these settings.
Results: The major findings included: (a) Gender-diverse service recipients felt unsafe and vulnerable in these facilities. Sharing space in which to carry out occupations of vulnerability often triggered anxiety and PTSD. (b) Gender-diverse service recipients felt that staff members did not understand how cumulative trauma adversely affected participation in programmatic activities. (c) Staff members reported that their facilities did not provide formal training needed to understand and address the unique needs of gender-diverse residents. (d) Gender-diverse service recipients commonly sustained trauma throughout their lives that compromised their ability to attain desired daily life skills and adult occupational roles. Such ruptures in their knowledge base likely served to maintain their homelessness despite repeated shelter admissions and housing placements.
Conclusion: Occupational therapists could provide essential intervention to a gender-diverse youth population, including assisting with the attainment of skills needed for apartment management, employment seeking, maintenance, and health management
Pawsitive Purpose: The Impact Of Autism Assistance Dogs on the Occupations of Autistic Children
Get PDFBackground. The World Health Organization recognizes that participation is important to individuals’ well being; yet, autistic children participate in fewer activities compared to neurotypical children. This article aims to describe the role of autism assistance dogs (AADs) in promoting participation and engagement in occupations and activities of daily living (ADLs) for autistic children.
Method. A qualitative interpretative phenomenological design was used. Two semi-structured interviews from a narrative perspective were conducted with each participant. Four volunteer parents and primary handlers of their child’s AAD participated in the study. Inductive analysis was used to interpret open-ended questions. Following transcription, Creswell’s thematic analysis was used to develop codes and theoretical perspectives to better understand the lived experience of AAD users.
Results. The single overarching theme identified in this study was: The Multi-Factored Role of Autism Assistance Dogs.
Conclusion. AADs are a valuable, alternative form of adaptive equipment for autistic children that can serve a broad purpose in increasing participation in daily life. This area of practice is an appropriate location for occupational therapists to concentrate interventions when working with families with autistic children. This is a novel research topic that is important and deserves further study
A Retrospective Study of Healthcare Needs of Unpaid Caregivers in the United States
Get PDFIntroduction: Demand for caregivers is on the rise. In the US, 53 million individuals provided care in 2020. Older adults constitute nearly half of all care recipients and often receive care from a family member. This study identified the health care needs of caregivers regarding health care use, access to resources, and unmet needs.
Methods: We used a retrospective, cross-sectional design to examine existing data collected between 2013 and 2018 regarding caregiver experiences. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test of independence.
Results: Caregivers were primarily female, White, between the 18 and 64 years of age, and often provided care to family members experiencing physical or mental conditions impacting safety and independence. Additional data were categorized and reported on the state of care, caregiver perceptions, and impact on the dyad.
Conclusion: This study provides important insights into caregiver experiences. Occupational therapists can use this information to reach a broader demographic of caregivers currently not well represented in the caregiver data
Editor’s Note to Volume 8 of the Journal of Communication Pedagogy: Never Stop Learning
Get PDFThis is the editor’s Note to Volume 8 of the Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Interview with Shen Hui
Get PDFInterview with Shen Hui recorded on March 25, 2024 at Forest Hills Northern High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ms. Hui is interviewed by Forest Hills Northern High School students Rohan Bennett, Christian Granstrom, and Peyton Pascoe as a part of WMU’s Telling Our Stories: A Video Collection Celebrating AAPI Heritage. During the interview Ms. Hui discusses the following topics: A brief overview of her immigration history; Her English-learning journey; Experiences in both Chinese and American education systems; Coming to the U.S. without a plan and how she found her career path; Being a professor at Van Andel; The complications of coming and going to and from the U.S. on a student visa; Experiences with prejudice against Chinese people and academics; Encouraging students to come to the U.S. to study; Differences between American and Chinese culture; Reminiscing on her trips to Italy; Hopes for better attitudes and ideologies toward Asians in America; and Views on U.S.-China relations and ideologies.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/our-stories-aapi/1007/thumbnail.jp
The Potential of Humor to Joyously Dismantle Ableism+: Considerations for Social Workers
No full textSocial workers are often well-positioned but not adequately equipped to disrupt, unsettle, or counteract ableism. Humor is one approach to disability justice work that can move the social work profession forward in a novel way. Within this practice brief, I use first-person narrative to illustrate the potential and limitations of humor to dismantle ableism+ in everyday interactions between social workers, clinical social work practice, and policy transformation. First, I share an example of how to use humor as a direct, call-in strategy to confront social worker-initiated ableist interactions. Second, I describe how a mixed disabled/abled couple can laugh together at the manifestation of disability to avoid reproducing power differentials in their relationship. In the third and final example, I demonstrate how to successfully leverage abled bodies and privilege to ridicule institutionalized ableism out of organizational policy. No one thing, including humor, will eradicate abled supremacy. However, social workers can use creative and unconventional approaches to expand how we joyously engage in disability justice work as a sustainable act of love and liberation
