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A Phenomenological Study: The Experiences of At-Risk Hispanic Student Participants In A Philadelphia After School Mentoring Program
No full textDuring the past two decades, public high schools in the United States have received an influx of Hispanic students. Many of these students fail to receive the emotional, academic and language support they need to graduate. When compared to other ethnic groups, Hispanic high school students account for the highest rate of student dropouts. This study examines the experiences of at-risk Hispanic students who attended dropout prevention after school program located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by discussing their experiences in the program. Students received Drama Therapy, Group Therapy and Transition Support as the primary interventions to help them persist through high school. This study reveals that students benefited most from Group Therapy and Transition Support. Specifically, 3 of 5 (60%) students selected Group Therapy as being the most beneficial while 2 of 5 (40%) students reported that transitional support exercises were most beneficial at assisting them to graduate from high school. This study also finds that students felt that peer support was a major factor in their grit development and ability to persist through high school. Keywords: Drama Therapy, Group Therapy, Transition Support, grit development, peer support, mentoring program, after school programDuring the past two decades, public high schools in the United States have received an influx of Hispanic students. Many of these students fail to receive the emotional, academic and language support they need to graduate. When compared to other ethnic groups, Hispanic high school students account for the highest rate of student dropouts. This study examines the experiences of at-risk Hispanic students who attended dropout prevention after school program located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by discussing their experiences in the program. Students received Drama Therapy, Group Therapy and Transition Support as the primary interventions to help them persist through high school. This study reveals that students benefited most from Group Therapy and Transition Support. Specifically, 3 of 5 (60%) students selected Group Therapy as being the most beneficial while 2 of 5 (40%) students reported that transitional support exercises were most beneficial at assisting them to graduate from high school. This study also finds that students felt that peer support was a major factor in their grit development and ability to persist through high school. Keywords: Drama Therapy, Group Therapy, Transition Support, grit development, peer support, mentoring program, after school programEd.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Method Study of the Impostor Phenomenon Experiences of First-Generation Students of Color at a Predominately White Institution
No full textFirst-generation students of color (FGSoC) experience the impostor phenomenon at predominately White institutions (PWIs) and lack the support that is needed in order to effectively navigate the realm of higher education. Continuing feelings of self-doubt, fear of being exposed, and feeling fraudulent illustrate the need for a support system for FGSoC to enable a network for success. Consideration of this issue is well illustrated in the literature. However, the impostor phenomenon is a somewhat unexamined barrier that is worthy of a platform to assist in the mobilization of FGSoC and the perceived lack of community this population faces in PWIs. Utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed-method, this research examined the experiences of FGSoC with impostor phenomenon at a PWI. The researcher sought to assess potential coping mechanisms of FGSoC and their ability to navigate the campus climate of PWIs by exploring cultural and social capital as it applied to their experiences. The questions posed in this study were: To what extent do first-generation students of color (FGSoC) experience the impostor phenomenon at predominantly White institutions (PWIs)? How do FGSoC describe their academic experiences with the impostor phenomenon? How do FGSoC describe their social experiences with the impostor phenomenon. Participants in this study identified a number of experiences during the one-on-one interviews. The findings revealed an instinctive need to learn how to navigate campus climate, rely on family, and control their internal dialogue. First-generation students of color also had to ask for help, addressing culture shock and battling survivor guilt. The participants' vulnerability and discernment led to the following conclusions. The FGSoC experienced inability to fully engulf themselves in a pre-existing culture, lack of empathy from faculty and staff at this PWI, comparing themselves to other students and relying on their overall fortitude. The recommendations that emerged from this study for senior level leadership were to implement a training around empathy and diversity for senior level leadership, mandate that all FGSoC attend summer transitions programs (Summer Bridge), and create a First-generational living learning community in the residence halls to promote a sense of community. The recommendations for FGSoC who have experienced the impostor phenomenon were to lead with a positive train of thought, seek out mentorship, and share positive or negative experiences with family. Participants in this study dropped their revealed their inner impostor by stating there was indeed a lack of support for FGSoC at this PWI.Ed.D., Educational Administration -- Drexel University, 201
Assessing Self-Perceptions of the Stigma of Incarceration: The Development and Validation of the Stigma Perceptions Scale with Incarcerated Adults
No full textOffenders’ perceptions of stigma may act as a barrier to community reintegration upon release from incarceration. However, few formally validated tools developed specifically for use with this population are currently in existence. The Stigma Perceptions Scale (SPS) was developed to address this gap in the literature. Although the SPS has been pilot tested, it currently lacks sufficient data regarding its psychometric properties. Such information is crucial to ensure that the constructs that have been conceived conceptually truly underlie the data. The current study expands our knowledge of the psychometric properties of the SPS, examining its concurrent, discriminant, convergent, incremental, and predictive validities using a sample of currently incarcerated men. Results suggest that support for the psychometric properties of the Stigma Perceptions Scale is mixed. Implications and future directions are discussed.Ph.D., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201
True and False Confessions: Comparing Self-Reported Likelihood of Confession with Actual Confession Behavior
No full textConfession rates in the United States criminal justice system are high, and at least some of those who confess are innocent. Research on false confession frequency among justice-involved individuals either relies on historical self-reported confessions or considers the few cases in which DNA exoneration occurred, which are significant limitations in determining the frequency of or risk factors for false confession. Another line of research, undertaken with community samples, uses laboratory manipulations to examine the conditions under which individuals offer false confessions. Because laboratory false confession research has largely used two paradigms, it is difficult to identify the degree to which paradigm-specific factors (e.g., accusation of something the participant could have accidentally done; uncertainty regarding what the confederate will say happened) influence false confession rates. A valid self-report tool would allow for more accurate estimation of false confession frequency in justice-involved populations with whom laboratory studies are not practical or ethical. The Perceptions of Confession behavior during the Holding and Interrogation Process (P-CHIP) is a reliable, examiner-administered measure of self-reported likelihood of false confession if innocent and prediction of true confession behavior if guilty that has been administered to justice-involved populations, but the validity of the measure is unknown. This study introduced a novel laboratory false confession paradigm to examine the ecological validity of the P-CHIP. Participants were 91 undergraduates who believed they would be completing a study of logical reasoning and police perceptions and who were ultimately accused of cheating on a research task. False confession rates were lower and true confession rates higher than in previous research; almost all guilty participants signed a confession admitting to cheating, and 17.9% of innocent participants signed the confession. Likelihood of an innocent participant confessing was significantly associated with P-CHIP score. Suggestibility, decision-making ability, and age significantly predicted false confession behavior. Results suggest that the P-CHIP measures some aspect of false confession vulnerability or likelihood if the individual is accused of wrongdoing they did not commit. Additionally, this study raises questions regarding the potential role of paradigm choices in rates of confession. Future directions for false confession research are discussed.Ph.D., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201
Improving Self-Efficacy of the Rapid Response Team in Fluid Resuscitation During Septic Shock
No full textAbstract Purpose: This educational project focused on developing clinical skills and knowledge through the improvement of self-efficacy of the rapid response team (RRT) in the management of fluid resuscitation in septic shock. Problem: Despite evidence that a large amount of fluid administration is necessary in the process of resuscitation in sepsis/septic shock to reduce morbidity and mortality, quite a few caregivers are apprehensive to initiate the large amount of fluids indicated in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines (30ml/kg of crystalloids within 3 hours). Method: This evidence-based quality improvement project using the CETEP model involved an educational program comprised of a lecture component, followed by a skill demonstration by the RRT members in the simulation laboratory utilizing high-fidelity human simulation (HFHS) including training on the use of the EV1000 hemodynamic monitor. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and the application of the theory to nursing by Resnick provided a framework for the project. The General Self-Efficacy Scale survey was used to compare pre and post intervention results. Results: Self-efficacy of the members of the RRT with the management of fluid resuscitation in the presence of septic shock had a significant increase after the educational offering. Advance nurse practitioners’ satisfaction responses were overwhelmingly positive regarding the educational offering, especially the HFHS experience. Conclusion: This study supports the use of an educational offering comprised of a didactical component and HFHS to improve self-efficacy in knowledge and skills of the RRT in the management of fluid resuscitation in septic shock.D.N.P., Nursing Practice -- Drexel University, 201
An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: Understanding the Experiences of High School Students Participating in Gifted Programming
No full textAn Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: Understanding the Experiences of High School Students Participating in Gifted Programming The U.S. Department of Education estimates there are more than 3.2 million students participating in gifted and talented programs in public schools in the United States (NAGC, 2016). Programs and supports for these high ability learners differ greatly throughout schools and districts across the county (NAGC, 2016). Federal law acknowledges that gifted and talented youth are in need of programs not offered in regular school settings, but lack of mandates and requirements for educating gifted students leaves programming decisions and responsibility in the hands of individual school districts (Renzulli, 2016). This study was designed to explore the experiences of high school gifted students who participated in gifted programs throughout their primary and secondary education. In order to gain understanding of the participants experiences partaking in gifted programming, the primary research question was asked: What are the experiences of high school students, identified as gifted, who participate in a school district gifted program? To gain a deeper understanding the following secondary research questions were explored: 1. Do students think the gifted program has influenced their academic and social-emotional growth? 2. Do students feel the gifted program provided them with the type and amount of support they needed?Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and the Criminal Defendant: The Impact of Substance Type on Judges' Sentencing Recommendations
No full textIndividuals with substance use disorder (SUD) continue to be disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. The vast majority of the estimated 1.5 million inmates who meet criteria for an SUD commit drug offenses, robbery, or property crimes to support their habit (CASA Columbia, 2010; Karberg & James, 2005). Although mental illness may be introduced as a mitigating factor during criminal trials to promote leniency in sentencing, research demonstrates that an SUD diagnosis is less likely to be viewed as mitigating and more likely to result in deleterious sentencing outcomes for a defendant convicted of a capital offense (Barnett et al., 2004, 2008). To address the lack of research investigating this trend in non-capital trials, the present study aimed to examine whether sentencing recommendations following a robbery conviction differ as a function of type of substance abuse. Participants (N = 111) consisted of United States criminal court judges who were randomized to one of five conditions: 1) control (i.e., no substance abuse reported); 2) alcohol use disorder; 3) cannabis use disorder; 4) opioid use disorder, heroin; or 5) opioid use disorder, prescription painkillers. ANOVA and Chi-square analyses revealed that a defendant with a reported SUD diagnosis was viewed as more likely to reoffend and less capable of logical reasoning as compared to a defendant with no reported history of substance abuse. Differences also emerged between heroin and marijuana with regard to whether the diagnosis was viewed as mitigating or non-influential. Implications for research, legal practice, and rehabilitation are discussed.M.S., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201
Antiretroviral Drug Mediated Astrocyte Senescence as a Contributor to HIV-1-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders
No full textAging, the time dependent deterioration in the physiological integrity of living organisms, has become pertinent to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has rendered it from a terminal to chronic illness. Despite this success, HIV-1 patients experience numerous co-morbidities that result in an accelerated aging phenotype, including a series of neurological deficits collectively known as HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Targeting mechanisms of aging has therefore been proposed as a novel HIV-1 therapy. One potential hallmark of aging to target is cellular senescence, a state of irreversible growth arrest coupled with set changes to phenotype and gene expression. Senescent cells are more prevalent in aging tissues and increasingly associated with neurodegenerative disease. We therefore hypothesized that one contributor to HAND is premature senescence of astrocytes in response to HAART drugs. Human astrocytes were treated in vitro with clinically relevant combinations of HAART drugs and examined for markers of senescence. Treated cells displayed classical markers including growth inhibition, expression of cell cycle inhibitors, senescence-associated [beta]-galactosidase activity and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Additionally, these cells demonstrated signs of oxidative stress via p38MAPK dependent total and mitochondrial ROS. This stress was accompanied by changes to astrocyte metabolism including increased mitochondrial oxygen consumption and glycolysis. Conditioned media from these cells induced cell death in the neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Since astrocytes interact with endothelial cells at the blood brain barrier (BBB), we wanted to examine the impact of HAART drug mediated endothelial cell senescence on astrocytes. HAART-drug treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) displayed a similar senescent and oxidative stress profile as astrocytes. Furthermore, senescent HUVECs had decreased eNOS activation, suggesting altered physiology. Most importantly, conditioned media from these HUVECs induced paracrine oxidative stress and senescence in astrocytes, which has implications for astrocyte dysfunction at the BBB. Overall, these results suggest HAART-drug mediated senescence is a detrimental contributor to HAND and drugs aimed to intervene the senescence program represent a novel avenue for therapeutics.Ph.D., Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics -- Drexel University, 201
Role of Cannabinoid Type 1 Receptor in Locus Coeruleus Activity: Implications for Therapeutic Intervention in Stress-Induced Psychiatric Disorders
Get PDFCannabinoids have profound effects on mood and behavior, in part through their modulation of the stress-integrative locus coeruleus (LC)-noradrenergic system. Cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1r) agonists are capable of increasing noradrenergic activity and anxiety-like behaviors; however, they can also decrease stress-induced anxiety. In order to more closely examine the role of CB1r in regulating LC-norepinephrine (NE) activity, whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology was performed on LC-NE neurons from CB1r-knockout (KO) mice. Since sex differences are found within the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, stress signaling, and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders, both males and females were examined. CB1r deletion caused an increase in LC-NE excitability, input resistance, and NE levels in the prefrontal cortex in male mice, but not females. Additionally, stress peptide corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-induced increases in LC-NE excitability are lost in CB1r-KO mice. Western blot analysis revealed an increase in CRF and tyrosine hydroxylase expression levels, and decrease in norepinephrine transporter expression in male CB1r-KO compared to WT in the LC, and an increase in [alpha]2-adrenoceptor expression in female CB1r-KO compared to WT. Next, immunoelectron and immunofluorescence microscopy determined the cellular localization of CB1r with respect to the CRF in the LC, showing co-localization of CB1r to CRF-containing amygdalar afferents. Finally social stress, which leads to anxiety-like behaviors, differentially alters eCB system protein levels in the LC in resilient and non-resilient populations of rats across sexes. These results expand the understanding of cannabinoid-CRF-adrenergic interactions, and how targeting CB1r could provide therapeutic relief for anxiety disorders.Ph.D., Pharmacology and Physiology -- Drexel University, 201
Creative collaboration between museums and well-known companies
Get PDFThe following thesis focuses on the collaboration between nonprofit art museums and large companies. For art museums, building a partnership with well-known corporations can help to increase the audience attendance, saving marketing and operating cost, as well as improve the reputation through social media and advertisement. It is essential for nonprofit art museums to know that the collaboration can be achieved through different ways including financial-sponsorship and creative partnership, as long as there is a common goal between the museum and the companies. Four case studies help to illustrate the findings which are San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and Bank of America. From the studies, museums should also see some potential risks that will happen when building a cross-sector relationship, such as losing their artistic identity or cannot find the perfect partner. Nonprofit art museums should always be aware of the different trend in different industries in order serve the target community in the most efficient way.M.S., Arts Administration -- Drexel University, 201