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Textbook Cost and Interactivity: Comparing Equity Outcomes and Student Perceptions
Get PDFSignificant equity gaps in introductory STEM courses create barriers in the STEM pathway. The current study investigated the impact of equitable access to course resources in the form of different e-textbooks in an introductory chemistry course. The purpose of the study was to determine if the use of a free textbook and/or the use of an interactive textbook enhances students’ academic performance, especially among students from marginalized backgrounds. We analyzed equity data for 199 general chemistry students. Overall, the pattern of course equity gaps suggests there was a positive impact of implementing a free textbook on students’ grades, with the largest impact on racially minoritized students. However, there were no meaningful differences between interactive and noninteractive textbooks in grades. Further research is needed on equitable course resources and equity gaps in STEM
Development of a Training Module for High School Teachers to Recognize and Assist Students who are in Non-Permanent Housing
Get PDFStudent homelessness is an issue affecting Polk County Public Schools in Central Florida. It is important to address this problem to equip teachers with the skills necessary to recognize its signs. The practice-focused questions included: How familiar are teachers with student homelessness, and what should be done to help those students? The purpose of this administrative study was to explore teachers’ awareness of student homelessness and identify strategies to support affected students. The conceptual design for this study was based on environmental scanning, needs assessment, and strategic planning. A survey was sent out through email to over 100 teachers at a Central Florida high school and 22 teachers responded. The analytical strategy used in this study was a qualitative survey analysis. From the survey responses and coding, six themes emerged including teachers’ understanding of homelessness, how many students are homeless in their class, economics, family breakdown, health problems, and educational challenges. The result of the study was to aid in developing an outline for a training module to support teachers in identifying students experiencing housing instability. The conclusion of the study indicated a need for a training module for teachers. The implications for public administrative practice include policy development, increased funding for student homelessness, improving inclusion for this underrepresented population, and accountability. A training module could promote positive social change for both educators and students by providing teachers with tools to identify student homelessness and connect those in need with essential support
Staff Education to Enhance Use of the Patient Health Questionnaire for Pediatric Mental Health Providers
Get PDFThe underuse of standardized mental health screening tools, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), delays the diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) in pediatric patients. This staff education project aimed to improve psychiatric providers\u27 knowledge, confidence, and PHQ-9 utilization through an interactive training program. Over four weeks, three nurse practitioners and two medical assistants participated in an evidence-based educational intervention. Pre- and post-training assessments measured provider knowledge, confidence, and PHQ-9 usage through surveys and electronic health record (EHR) audits. Results showed provider knowledge increased from 65% to 90%, confidence improved from 60% to 85%, and PHQ-9 usage rose from 40% to 75%, leading to a 25% increase in diagnostic accuracy. Integrating the PHQ-9 into the EHR streamlined workflow and improved assessment consistency. This project demonstrates that targeted education enhances provider competency and supports standardized mental health screening in pediatric care. Future recommendations include expanding training to incorporate additional mental health tools and conducting long-term evaluations to ensure sustainability. Strengthening provider education and system integration can improve early detection and treatment of pediatric MDD, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes
Safe Haven: Preventing Housing Instability for Queer Youth in Minneapolis
Get PDFGoal Statement: The goal of this Social Change Portfolio is to prevent unaccompanied housing instability among LGBTQ+ youth in Minneapolis through trauma-informed, culturally responsive strategies that strengthen family and community supports, improve mental health outcomes, enhance educational engagement, and promote long-term stability.
Significant Findings: Nationally, LGBTQ+ youth represent 40% of the homeless youth population, despite comprising less than 10% of the general youth demographic (Morton et al., 2018). In Minneapolis, TGNC youth of color face especially high risks due to intersecting barriers like racial discrimination, family rejection, and lack of affirming services (Houghtaling et al., 2024). Housing instability leads to adverse outcomes in mental and physical health, educational attainment, and economic mobility. However, protective factors, such as supportive relationships, culturally competent care, and identity-affirming environments, can mitigate these risks (Shank & Troshynski, 2024).
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps: This project proposes a coordinated prevention plan that includes: (1) implementing LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for staff in schools, shelters, and service agencies; (2) collaborating with LGBTQ+ and BIPOC-led organizations to co-create affirming, locally relevant interventions; (3) expanding access to peerled programs like Proud & Empowered; (4) promoting family-based services like the Family Acceptance Project to reduce rejection and support reunification; and (5) advocating for inclusive data collection, equitable policy reforms, and sustained funding for wraparound services
Adolescent Substance Abuse in Central New Jersey
Get PDFGoal Statement: The goal of this portfolio is to explore methods of reducing substance abuse among New Jersey teenagers through increased substance use education for students and families. Specifically, through programs developed for use in the public school system, ensuring that children have equal access to the materials.
Significant Findings:
In the state of New Jersey, adolescent substance abuse continues to be an ongoing problem. Rates of abuse of specific substances, such as marijuana vapes, have increased over recent years (NCHS Data Query System, 2024). Significant risk factors include a lack of proper substance abuse education, social normalization of substance abuse, and limited access to positive and supportive communities. Prevention of adolescent substance abuse can be approached though the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior, which suggests that an individual’s personal beliefs about a particular action will determine their likelihood of engaging in that behavior (Brookes, 2023). With this approach, addressing individual personal views on substance abuse, while promoting skills necessary to abstain from substance use, is key to a preventative program.
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps:
As professional counselors, we can assist in addressing the rising concern of substance abuse among New Jersey Adolescents by approaching the problem from a variety of angles. We can work to identify and address risk factors such as personal beliefs of substance abuse. It can additionally be helpful to promote protective factors by encouraging positive engagement in school and other communities. The LifeSkills Training program, detailed further in part three of this paper, can be utilized to provide adolescents with the education and skills necessary to refrain from engagement in susbstance use behaviors. Furthermore, we can encourage clients of diverse communities to engage in their cultural groups for support and connectedness. Finally, we can work to stay open minded to the experiences of our clients, and we can remain open to learning from them and their experiences to further our understanding of the problem at hand
The Feasibility of Operating a Small City Police Department: A Fiscal Trend Analysis
Get PDFThis professional administrative study (PAS) was developed to determine the feasibility of the client organization operating a small city police department or continuing with contracted police services by performing a fiscal trend analysis. The client organization’s law enforcement costs have risen significantly in the past decades and continue to rise. The fiscal trend analysis associated with operating a small city department was compared to those of three similar-sized California cities with small police departments. A fiscal trend analysis was completed using 10-year budget data from the client organization and three similar-sized California cities with small police departments. The fiscal analysis has shown that operational costs are less or slightly higher in two out of the three cities in California than in contract costs with the client organization. The study findings may assist the client organization in determining the best course of action to address expensive contracted law enforcement costs. Additionally, the implications for public administrative practice are that this study may support other similar-sized California cities whose leaders may be seeking alternatives to contract police services. Moreover, the findings of this study will positively impact social change by encouraging other California cities to consider the financial challenges and opportunities of operating police departments, which may result in enhanced police services and more affordable policing options for the communities
Effect of Mental Distress and Functional Impairment on Mental Health Service Use by Filipino Americans in California
Get PDFMental health conditions are a significant global public health issue. Research shows that while Filipino Americans frequently experience mental distress and functional impairment, they are hesitant to use mental health services. In this quantitative study, the association between mental distress and functional impairment on mental health service utilization of prescription medication use, visits to primary care providers, and visits to mental health professionals was explored in adult Filipino Americans residing in California. Control variables included age, gender, marital status, education, employment, and income. This study was based on Andersen\u27s behavioral model of healthcare use. Secondary data from the 2021-2022 California Health Information Survey data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression with a cross-sectional study design. Results showed that Filipino Americans without functional impairment were 3.50 times more likely to visit primary care providers, 3.13 times more likely to use prescription medication, and 2.83 times more likely to see mental health professionals than those with functional impairment. Mental distress did not show a significant association. Confounding variables like gender and education significantly predicted mental health service use. However, age was associated with a .69 decrease in the likelihood of visiting primary care providers. Implications for positive social change include raising awareness that Filipino Americans without functional impairment are more likely to seek mental health services than those with functional impairment
Depictions of United States Military Domestic Violence Found on the Internet
Get PDFMilitary domestic violence (MDV) is an issue in the United States. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how the mainstream media and published government content depicts MDV on the internet, and whether those narratives/video transcripts contained any agenda to generate influence. Ragas’ agenda-setting theory was used as a framework for this study. Agenda-setting is a communication specific phenomenon directed to influence individuals or organizations, based on what public relations practitioners present to the public. There are two research questions in this study. The first is: How do mainstream media narratives, and government documents depict survivors and support related to U.S. MDV? The second is: Does journalistic language or other jargon in documents/video transcripts involving U.S. MDV suggest any agenda? A group of 193 samples of extant data from online media and government sources were collected, uploaded to NVivo, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings indicated that systemic, institutional, and cultural barriers to U.S. MDV victim-survivor support were present. In addition, media presenters and U.S. government representatives conveyed multiple conflicting agendas, including partisan marginalization of MDV victim-survivors, and agendas focused on individual influence and the need for organization-wide change in education, action, and awareness of MDV. This study contributes to social change and enhancing the social determinants of health at the individual, community, organizational, and societal levels by further defining the context within which U.S. MDV victim-survivors continue to live
First-Generation African American College Graduates’ Interpretations of Poverty and Well-Being
Get PDFThe number of first-generation African American graduates of postsecondary institutions has grown, as many individuals perceive degree completion as a way to overcome socioeconomic barriers. The problem was that some first-generation African American college graduates face economic challenges postgraduation, living at or below the poverty level. It was unclear how this condition affected their quality of life. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand how African American first-generation college graduates interpreted and made meaning of their experiences related to their financial status and personal well-being. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems was the theoretical framework. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine participants, then coded for emergent themes using the process established by Braun and Clarke. Eight themes emerged: working multiple jobs, continuing education for debt relief post-degree, unstable finances post-degree, post-degree outlook on family systems, poverty while growing up, experience of poverty while in college, lack of familial support and housing crisis. This study is significant because it contributes to the increasing body of knowledge about first-generation African American college students who graduate yet remain impoverished. This research has the potential to contribute to social change by educating experts and practitioners such as career counselors, legislators, and financial aid specialists on how to influence conversations around financial assistance for students. These communications may carry significant implications for wider initiatives aimed at addressing the pay disparity faced by African Americans who have experienced poverty in their upbringing
Female Runners’ Perspectives of Coping With Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S) Symptoms Through Instructor-Led Yoga
Get PDFRelative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S) impacts the physical, emotional, and psychological health of adult female runners. Previous RED-S inquiry has focused on identification and evaluation of symptoms, and although researchers have investigated ways in which yoga affects adult female runner’s physical and mental health, understanding about the potential impact of instructor-led yoga practice in the treatment and management of RED-S symptoms is limited. The purpose of this basic qualitative inquiry was to investigate the lived experiences of adult female runners practicing instructor-led yoga to cope with RED-S symptoms, using the health belief model as a framework. Eight volunteers shared their experiences by participating in a semi structured, one-on-one interview. Participants provided detailed, personalized accounts of their running and instructor-led yoga experience, interventions, and the strategies used to cope with RED-S symptoms. Participants also outlined the benefits and barriers encountered with instructor-led yoga and the factors involved in their decision to practice. Based on the interviews, instructor-led yoga was applied by all participants as an integrative coping strategy that included physical, mental, social, and emotional elements which exemplified how and why the women felt it impacted their symptoms. Findings indicate that instructor-led yoga may be an effective strategy to cope with RED S symptoms. This research has potential implications for positive social change because it adds to the limited data about female health issues from a woman’s perspective. Health education and promotion professionals may use the findings of this study to advance practice and policy to better support women experiencing RED-S symptoms