SPARK Bethel University
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The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Professional Quality of Life: Assessing Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction in Minnesota Teachers
No full textThis study explored the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and professional quality of life among Minnesota special education teachers, focusing on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Participants included special education teachers who provided special education services to students in kindergarten through transition programs, held Tier 3 or Tier 4 teaching licenses, and had taught for at least 1 school year during the 2022-23, 2023-24, or 2024-25 academic years. A total of 1,025 teachers completed an online survey distributed via Qualtrics, which included the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL5). Descriptive statistics revealed an average Compassion Satisfaction score of 38.9 (SD = 5.4), an average Burnout score of 25.7 (SD = 5.5), and an average Secondary Traumatic Stress score of 24.9 (SD = 6.1). The average ACE score was 1.9 (SD = 2.2). ACE risk levels were categorized as low (33.8% with an ACE score of 0), medium (46.0% with scores of 1-3), and high (20.2% with scores of 4 or more). While ACEs were not significantly correlated with compassion satisfaction, higher ACE scores were significantly linked to higher burnout and secondary traumatic stress levels. The results suggest that ACEs may negatively impact special education teachers\u27 emotional well-being and professional quality of life. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences on teachers, while also leveraging compassion satisfaction, to mitigate the risk of burnout and secondary traumatic stress among special education teachers in Minnesota
Understanding the Effect of Restorative Leadership Development in Parent or Caregiver Differentiation of Self in Chronically Conflicted Family Systems Experiencing Chronic Absenteeism/Truancy
No full textThis study sought to understand the effectiveness of restorative leadership development and coaching in parent or caregiver differentiation of self in chronically conflicted family systems experiencing chronic absenteeism or truancy. This mixed method study employed a program evaluation approach that examines parent pre- and post-survey results after engaging with The Parent Line over nine weeks. A third-party statistician collected and analyzed the data to provide research transparency. The research includes a review of the biblical book of Genesis 37-50 examining Joseph\u27s attributes towards differentiation of self in a chronically anxious family system and a literature review that examined the parental differentiation of self in Bowen\u27s Family Systems Theory. The information gleaned from these three data points provides the information required to understand the program\u27s effectiveness. The information extracted resulted in three primary guidelines for truancy prevention providers, which include: Parents who define themselves can (1) operate as leaders influencing their household, (2) leverage neutrality and calm connectedness at home, and (3) successfully manage and plan for negative family feedback to influence change directly with their teen
How Assistance Dogs Impact the Academic and Social/Emotional Development of Students With Disabilities
No full textThis literature review explores the impact of using assistance dogs in special education to address social-emotional development and academic success for students with various disabilities. The review evaluated dog-assisted interventions, a form of animal-assisted therapy, increasingly used in schools, libraries, hospitals, and higher education settings. The research findings reported positive outcomes when animals were used, such as increased motivation, reduced anxiety, and improved reading skills (Bassette and Taber- Doughty (2013), Goodmon et al. (2021), Herderson et al. (2020). More rigorous, long-term research across diverse student populations and disability categories is needed to address the long-term benefits of animal- assisted therapy. This review highlights the promising role of using assistance dogs in educational settings while acknowledging existing gaps in the literature
Navigating the Crossroads: Peer Academic Support, On-Campus Work Experiences, and the Journey Toward Self-Authorship
No full textLeaders of higher education institutions often articulate goals for undergraduate students’ academic and social development that correspond with the essential learning outcomes identified by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The achievement of these objectives requires students to hone skills, abilities, and ways of thinking that align with the development of self-authorship. To assist students’ development, universities often provide an array of services and opportunities for engagement, including academic support services and on-campus work experiences. Until this research, the impact of the intersection of these elements remained unexamined. Astin’s input-environment-outcome model and Baxter Magolda’s theory of self-authorship served as the theoretical framework for this research. This cross-sectional quantitative study explored the associations between undergraduate students’ on-campus employment experiences relative to peer academic support and their levels of campus cultural fit, academic capital, and school-family integration, based on their length and type of employment. The College Social-Emotional Crossroads Inventory (C-SECI) was used to collect responses from a sample of 176 undergraduate students, and data were analyzed through a series of multiple linear regressions. The results suggest that engagement in on-campus work experiences may positively contribute to students’ levels of campus cultural fit and academic capital, although no significant associations for employment length or job type were identified for levels of school-family integration. The researcher discusses the varied benefits of each type of position and provides suggestions for higher education professionals to enhance students’ employment experiences. Keywords: undergraduate students, on-campus employment, self-authorship, campus cultural fit, academic capital, school-family integratio
Reimagining the Canvas: Exploring Culturally Responsive Teaching in Art Education
No full textConsidering the inequities faced by culturally diverse students inside and outside of art classes, it is crucial to build a greater understanding of the specific challenges they encounter and to creatively implement more effective pedagogical approaches. This thesis seeks to illustrate the links between culturally responsive teaching practices and arts education, in order to foster greater academic and social outcomes for diverse learners within visual arts classes. Art education provides students with specific modes of learning, expression, and connections that differ from what they experience in other educational settings. These experiences lead to impactful culturally responsive teaching strategies that support the cognitive development of diverse students through an asset-based cultural lens. The literature review highlights the opportunities in art classes for students to build positive relationships, to increase their self-efficacy and metacognitive skills, and to personalize their learning in meaningful ways. Building upon those opportunities, the literature review will provide teachers with research-based strategies that are responsive to the unique needs and strengths of diverse learners in visual arts classes
Special Education Teachers’ Burnout: Exploring the Impact of Special Education Setting and Teaching Experience
No full textThis quantitative study investigated the extent to which special education teachers\u27 perceptions of burnout are associated with two contextual variables: federal instructional setting and years of teaching experience. Although burnout in special education is well documented, few studies have examined how these particular factors influence reported levels of burnout. A total of 15,412 licensed special education teachers in Minnesota, including those with Tier 1 through Tier 4 licenses and Out of Field Permission, were invited to participate. Of these, 1,468 completed the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, a validated instrument measuring personal, work-related, and student-related dimensions of burnout. Participants were grouped by their most recent instructional setting (Federal Settings 1 through 4 or a combination) and by teaching tenure. An independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to assess whether burnout scores varied significantly across settings or experience levels. Results indicated no statistically significant differences in overall burnout based on instructional setting, t(1, 1463) = 1.173, p = 0.120, or years of experience, F(4, 1461) = 1.941, p = 0.085. While teachers with zero to three years of experience reported the lowest mean burnout scores, these differences were not statistically significant. Framed within Maslach\u27s Burnout Theory, findings suggest that burnout may be less dependent on teaching context or tenure and more reflective of broader systemic or organizational stressors. These results highlight the importance of addressing structural conditions such as administrative support, workload, and policy demands that contribute to educator stress and negatively impact teacher well-being. Keywords: attrition, burnout, Federal Setting, highly qualified teacher, perceived burnout, retention, special education teacher
Faces Out of Focus: Examining the relationship between Prosopagnosia and ADHD
No full textRecent studies have highlighted the presence of comorbidities (co-occurring deficits) in developmental prosopagnosia (DP), a disorder characterized by difficulty in facial recognition. That said, there is very little understanding of the neural mechanisms that may be shared between DP and other disorders, or how prevalent these comorbidities may be. In this Edgren Scholar project, Dr. Sherryse Corrow and recent Bethel graduate Ian Young examine the degree to which DP and ADHD are connected. By exploring the relationship between DP and co-morbidities like ADHD, they hope to not only introduce a better understanding of prosopagnosia\u27s developmental origins but also pave the way for future research on how to properly diagnose and treat these conditions.https://spark.bethel.edu/primetime-presentations/1023/thumbnail.jp
How Can Educators Distinguish Special Education Accommodations/Modifications from General Education Differentiation to More Effectively Support All Learners
No full textTeachers often use the terms differentiated instruction, accommodations, and modifications, but research shows that these words are not always understood or used correctly. This thesis reviews current studies to examine how these differences affect teaching decisions, teamwork between general and special education teachers, and students’ access to grade-level learning. The literature shows that when definitions are unclear, teachers may provide the wrong type of support or lower expectations, which reduces students’ opportunities to learn challenging material. The review also points to the need for a common language, better teacher preparation, and continued collaboration. Understanding the differences among these supports is essential for creating fair, consistent, and inclusive instruction for all students
Building Trust at a Distance: Finding New Ways to Manage in the Remote Workplace
No full textThe remote workplace is filled with all sorts of opportunities. It also brings with it unique challenges that require a very different type of management style. This project is based on a 2023 Edgren Scholarship study, followed by work with David Horsager, the Trust Edge Institute, and interviews with CEOs across the country. We propose a 6-step strategy to build trust at a distance. They include Amplify Communication, Clarify Direction, Establish Predictability, Redefine Accountability, Create Connection, and Equip your Workforce
Are Gifts of Individuals with Disabilities Being Used and Celebrated in the Church?
No full textTheologians, disability researchers and churches are beginning to realize the untapped spiritual gifts or charismata of those with disabilities within the church (Carter, 2023; Tamminga, Shaeffer & Swinton, 2020). In an effort to discern what gifts we may be missing in church communities, I conducted a regional survey through collaboration with Joni & Friends\u27 and Keys Ministry\u27s network of families with children, teens and adults with disabilities (n=155) and pastors (n=11) and conducted two face to face and Zoom focus groups with families with youth with disabilities (n=12) in Spring 2023. Nearly 74% of children and teens with disabilities were serving, most commonly in ushering, greeting, and helping with Sunday School; yet those with Autism or behavioral disabilities were not as likely to be serving. Parents thought their child/teen could be sharing their gift of smiling and joy, encouragement or friendship, or serving on mission trips and as mentors/prayer partners. Parents also discussed programmatic, attitudinal and physical barriers to accessibility like staff making assumptions about how the student may serve and being required to serve with their child instead of opening a door for a new friendship for their child. Parents reported that their child most commonly reported feeling like they somewhat belong. Parents shared that stronger inclusive churches provided all staff training with clear leadership from the lead pastor