Ball State University’Open Journals
Not a member yet
1984 research outputs found
Sort by
Amplifying Voices: Preparing Teachers with Self-Advocates' Stories and Strategies for Inclusion
Full text linkOne critical responsibility of special education faculty lies in effectively preparing preservice teachers to meet the needs of students with disabilities. This article provides teacher educators with practical strategies for using contact-based interventions as a tool for informing preservice teachers about the unique challenges and strengths of students with disabilities. Faculty members from two different universities employed similar teaching strategies that integrated personal stories from self-advocates with autism into their introductory course curriculum. By collaborating with self-advocates and incorporating their personal perspectives within the courses, the professors created a bridge between theory and practice, ensuring that future educators are equipped to support diverse learners. These narratives can enhance preservice teachers’ understanding while amplifying the voices of individuals with disabilities, thereby promoting empathy and informed practice. This article highlights the professors’ shared commitment to working with self-advocates and illustrates how others can leverage self-advocacy as a pedagogical tool to enrich their teacher candidates’ experience. Self-advocates themselves contributed to the article, demonstrating how authentic voices and lived experience can positively impact course design as well as preservice teachers’ perspectives about disability.
Perspectives from Parents of Former Participants in a Sport-Based Positive Youth Development Program: Long-Term Life Skills Transfer
Full text linkThere is growing evidence to support the value of sport-based positive youth development (PYD) programs in promoting the holistic health and development of youth. However, few studies expand beyond participant self-report to examine whether life skills learned in sport-based PYD programs transfer beyond adolescence into adulthood. This qualitative study examined life skill transfer from the lens of 19 parents and caregivers by exploring perceptions of how former participants (e.g., their once adolescent and now adult children) applied and transferred a subset of specific life skills into other areas of their lives. Semi-structured interviews and thematic content analyses were conducted to identify emergent themes regarding examples and facilitators of life skill transfer. Parents described multiple ways their children applied life skills learned while participating in a sport-based PYD program to work, school, and church, as well as when developing relationships, volunteering, and engaging in advocacy. Facilitators of life skill transfer also included exposure to new and diverse peers, opportunities to try new things, relationships with program staff, program incentives/reinforcements, opportunities for long-term engagement and retention, and parental involvement. Findings support the role of sport-based PYD in promoting long-term outcomes among youth as they grow and develop into adulthood. 
Explaining Mansplaing through Frameworks of Silencing, Epistemic Injustice, and Gender Metaphysics
Full text linkThis paper argues that mansplaining is not just a conversational quirk but a mechanism of gender construction that reinforces systemic oppression. Drawing on the frameworks of silencing, epistemic injustice, and gender metaphysics, I come to the main thesis that mansplaining is one way gender is constructed, reinforcing hierarchical power structures and perpetuating societal inequality. As I further demonstrate, mansplaining functions as a form of epistemic violence that silences women and subordinates them within testimonial exchanges
Goal Achievement in Classical Stoicism and Modern $toicism
Full text linkMany claim the philosophy of Stoicism is useful for goal achievement, suggesting it is conducive to productivity and success. However, classical Stoicism is directly opposed to goal-achievement mentalities. While Stoicism focuses primarily on developing a certain standard of moral character regardless of external circumstances, this modern goal-orientation focuses exclusively on external achievements, most often toward financial ends. Thus, I distinguish the two as Stoicism in the former and toicism is not a revival but a misrepresentation of classical Stoicism
Assassin's Creed - Nottingham: The Medievalism of Ubisoft’s Ludic Outlaws
Full text linkThe Assassin’s Creed video-game series has, to date, never explicitly featured Robin Hood as a character in a game. Nevertheless, the series seems to model its principal player-characters on historian Eric Hobsbawm’s definition of the Noble Robber, whose role as a “social bandit” is, according to Hobsbawm, best illustrated in modern conceptions of the legendary outlaw’s relationship to peasants. In each Assassin’s Creed game, the nine traits of the Noble Robber ground the player-characters’ titular Creed and the overarching objectives within the game; these traits are also evident in game mechanics that disallow a player from interacting with innocent non-player-character commoners in ways that could be injurious to in-game communities. Ultimately, the clear parallels between Hobsbawm’s work and the Assassin’s Creed series suggest a need for broader considerations of the ways in which the Robin Hood legend may influence representations of justice and communal benefit in video games
Enhancing Paralympic Sport: The Crucial Role of Sport Social Workers: The Need For Sport Social Workers
No full textIn Paralympic sport, athletes have unique social, emotional, and environmental needs that must be acknowledged and addressed. This article proposes the integration of social work professionals with expertise in sport to provide comprehensive support for Paralympic athletes. By incorporating mental health services, advocacy, and assistance in navigating challenges related to well-being and identity, the application of social work principles enhances the overall athlete experience in Paralympic sport (Werner et al., 2023). Education and training for Sport Social Workers are paramount in effectively supporting Paralympic athletes in the sports environment. These specialized programs equip social workers with the requisite skills and knowledge to cater to the specific needs of Paralympic athletes, thereby fostering their development and success in Paralympic sport. The significance of prioritizing the well-being of Paralympic athletes through the integration of Sport Social Work principles is underscored in this paper. Cultivating a supportive environment facilitates the holistic development and achievements of Paralympic athletes. Emphasizing inclusivity and the application of social work principles in Paralympic sports further underscores the broader impact of social work in addressing social issues within the Paralympic sport community
Continued Fractions, a-Fibonacci numbers, and the middle b-noise
Full text linkProblem 1186 in The College Mathematics Journal asked for a closed form expression of the continued fraction [1;1; : : : ;1;3;1;1; : : : ;1], and reappeared as Problem 1385 in the PME journal. In this paper, we present a generalization to [a;a; : : : ;a;b;a;a; : : : ;a] with a-Fibonacci numbers and discuss how much the middle b-noise would impact the continued fractions with all a’s
Teaching with Large Language Models in the History of Philosophy: A Recursive Approach
Full text linkThis paper examines and catalogues my experiences assigning students to use large language models (LLMs) to engage with material from the history of philosophy. Following suggestions to make recursive assignments from Julia Staffel, the LLM centered assignment asked students to elicit two responses from generative AI with the same prompt and then evaluate which response was superior. Student performance on the assignments generally mirrored what they had done on traditional essay assignments in my classes, suggesting that the LLM assignment was appropriate for college level classes.  
Condemned to Break the Law: The Legality and Fairness of Anti-Camping Laws in Response to the Homelessness Crisis
Full text linkHomelessness is a widespread issue that impacts the lives of thousands and motivates the actions of various governmental entities. In “Condemned to Break the Law: The Legality and Fairness of Anti-Camping Laws in Response to the Homelessness Crisis,” I argue that governments have an obligation to make laws that can be reasonably followed. The analysis of obligation incorporates concepts of penological purpose and the capacity to follow the law. These philosophical measurements are applied to the Supreme Court’s decision to permit anti-camping laws in Grants Pass v. Johnson 603 US ___ (2024) to situate these concepts in a real-world context.
Reframing Behavior: Understanding and Responding to Behavioral Messages of Neurodivergent Students Meaningfully
Full text linkNeurodivergent students experience the world differently from normative societal standards. Preservice teachers will have neurodivergent students in their classrooms and misinterpretations of behavior may occur. Including the neurodivergent individual’s perspective and voice is imperative in creating inclusive, affirming learning environments. The Neurodivergent student Informed Behavior Support (NIBS) plan provides a systematic, collaborative approach that can help preservice teachers to (a) recognize if a behavior needs to be addressed, (b) identify strategies to support student success, and (c) empower students to be actively involved in the process. This article presents details on using the NIBS plan to bridge the gap between neurodivergent students and their teachers