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Environmental Justice and Social Work: A Study Across Practice Settings in Three U.S. States
Get PDFEnvironmental justice is essential for improved quality of life and sustainable wellbeing. This study examines how environmental issues and related injustices are surfacing in U.S. social work practice and social work readiness to respond, and what resources social workers are most interested in. Data are from an online survey of U.S. social workers (N = 337) in Colorado, Ohio, and Tennessee. Participants answered questions about their social work background, current job, environmental issues in practice, resources, and demographics. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. For nine issues, at least 30% of participants reported these as surfacing sometimes or often, with the highest being poor food access (74.7%), extreme cold (58.8%), and poor green space access (43.9%). The extent varied by years of experience, job setting, and practice level. Meanwhile, fewer than 40% of social workers indicated that they were somewhat or very prepared to respond to eight out of nine issues. Interest was higher in the resources that could be used for responding to specific topics rather than environmental justice broadly. In addition to strengthening social work education regarding environmental justice, this study suggests that national, state, and local social work associations can—in partnership with growing numbers of social work scholars working on environmental justice—create and provide training, templates, and guidance for practitioners that are tailored to specific environmental justice issues
Undergraduate Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Foreign Language Education
No full textIn the United States, the enrollments of undergraduate and graduate students in language courses other than English have been continuously decreasing in recent years. Previous research proves that there are diverse benefits that learning a language offers, and it is evident that language education is crucial in this globalized world. However, many universities and colleges in the United States are eliminating foreign language programs, which can deprive students of a crucial opportunity to engage in language learning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate students’ experiences and perceptions of foreign language education, and the study was guided by three research questions: (1) What are the lived experiences of undergraduate students who study foreign languages and cultures in a university setting? (2) What benefits and challenges do the students experience from their language education? (3) How does the experience of learning a different language influence students’ perspectives about themselves, other languages and cultures, and the world? This study employed a phenomenological research method to explore the essence of students’ lived experiences in the first-year Japanese program at a private university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Data collection included individual interviews with six participants who completed the first-year Japanese language courses and analysis of the reflections that they had written during their coursework.
The research findings indicate that there are common themes found in the students’ experiences of the first-year Japanese courses. The emergent themes that delineate the students’ lived experiences include: (1) sense of community, (2) sense of progress and pride, (3) real-world applications, (4) changes in values and perspectives, (5) awareness and curiosity of differences, and (6) course curriculum and pedagogy contributing to memorable learning experiences. The students had a unique learning experience in the language classroom, which is different from other university classes. Some of these themes are closely connected to students’ diverse motivations towards language learning, including instrumental, integrative, and intrinsic orientations, and these motivations coexist and transform depending on the contexts of learning. The research findings also suggest that students’ motivation and investment in language learning are significantly affected by their visions of the future, which are formed in the process of their language journeys. Furthermore, the students experienced a perspective transformation that promotes critical cultural awareness through learning various aspects of Japanese culture and critically reflecting on their own. This study proves that language education has a diversely significant influence on learners and enriches them academically, personally, and socially
Defining Value and Measuring ROI for Expatriate International Assignments in Firms That Internationalize as Born-Global Companies
Get PDFThe expatriate international assignment, a time-tested tool for global organizations, is known to be expensive and fraught with risks; defining its value has proven difficult for multinational firms in the twentieth century that internationalized using multi-stage theory. Recently, born-global internationalization theory has gained momentum among emerging firms, notably technology-based firms employing expatriate assignments. This study asks, how do born-global firms define value or benefit when determining return on investment (ROI) for expatriate international assignments? Multi stage theory posits firms first establish domestic markets creating well-developed cultures and sophisticated policies designed to mitigate risk and contain costs prior to internationalizing. Born-global firms have unshackled from needing to conquer domestic markets; instead, they muster their entrepreneurial nature with precocious boldness penetrating new markets quickly utilizing expatriate assignments as an effective tool. Yet knowing the costs, risks, and historical lack of defined assignment value, and the struggles multi-stage firms have measuring ROI, born-global firms deploy employees globally creating markets for their products or services as soon as two years from inception. Through a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with eight born global firms and fifteen stakeholders including assignees, a receiving manager, and global mobility managers as firm proxies, the study finds that born-global firms define value or benefit for expatriate assignments measuring ROI through nine dimensions. Of the nine dimensions, four are firm oriented, two assignee, and three shared. The firms in this study view the world through a holistic global mobility strategy generating ROI measures that account for observable and intuitive value or benefit. Firm ROI is achieved through effective talent strategies, proximity for innovation and collaboration, expanding knowledge and culture concurrently with internationalization, velocity of product development and brand awareness, and goal achievement. Individual assignees gain ROI through boundaryless career opportunities, location dynamics, knowledge and culture accumulation and goal achievement while concomitantly supplementing firm ROI. The reduction and containment of direct investment costs for assignments was important for firms in the study enabling observable and intuitive value or benefit components to increase assignment ROI. The research contributes to born-global strategy and the field of international assignment management
Rural Cervical Cancer Survivors’ Experiences of Gender Roles: An Application of Social Constructionism
Get PDFRural cervical cancer survivors, or individuals with a form of cancer that originated in the cervix of the reproductive system, may be uniquely impacted by socially constructed gender roles. The present study utilized the term “females” to describe those who self-identify as having a cervix, which may include cisgender, transgender, intersex, and non-binary gender identities. Rural females have been indicated to hold salience in traditional gender expectations as partners, mothers, community members, and more, which may add survivorship complexity for cervical cancer survivors within this population by to attempting to fulfill gender roles to the pre-cancer level. Moreover, rural cervical cancer survivors have limited access to specialty healthcare services and endure higher mortality rates compared to urban females. Utilizing a social constructionist lens, this dissertation qualitatively examined the gender role experiences of 10 rural cervical cancer survivors in active treatment ranging from 27 to 51 years of age. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and semi-structured individual interview addressing (a) salient gender roles; (b) how gender roles are interpersonally and intrapersonally affected by cervical cancer; (c) how survivors cope with gender role demands; (d) how survivors are affected by social messaging of gender roles; and (e) how survivors’ gender role experiences may be addressed with oncology providers. The Consensual Qualitative Research methodology elicited seven domains, comprising Interpersonal Impact, Identity Impact, Emotional Impact, Physiological Impact, Coping, Navigating the Medical System, and Systemic Social Messaging. Results contribute to the psycho-oncology field by empirically describing the gender role experiences of a highly understudied gynecologic oncology population, and recommending culturally responsive clinical points of entry to address rural cervical cancer survivors’ gender role needs in treatment
Examining the Effects of Post-Traumatic Self-Blame and Shame on Response to Laboratory-Induced Pain
Get PDFExtant research has made clear the link between self-criticism and engagement in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). As posited by the Defective Self Model of NSSI, individuals who experience feelings of self-hatred may perceive pain as deserved and engage in NSSI (Burke et al., 2021). Individuals exposed to interpersonal trauma are at higher risk of engaging in NSSI, and also frequently experience trauma-related self criticism, namely shame and self-blame. More work is needed; however, to understand how self-critical post-traumatic cognitions contribute to risk for NSSI engagement for interpersonal trauma survivors. The current study uses a combination of lab-induced pain and self-report measures to examine the effects of trauma-specific self-blame and shame on mood during pain and pain endurance among survivors of interpersonal trauma. We found that shame was associated with buffering from negative mood in response to pain. This relationship was moderated by participant-reported motivation to self-punish. We also found that self-blame was associated with longer pain endurance, moderated by feelings of deserving pain and punishment. Results indicate that trauma-specific shame and self-blame may reduce the pain barrier to NSSI as well as the self-preservation barrier to NSSI
Investigating Mixed Effects Random Forest Models in Predicting Satisfaction with Online Learning in Higher Education
Get PDFOne of the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the increasing prevalence and accessibility of online education. This trend has also introduced challenges for students, instructors, and institutions. This study examines factors affecting online course satisfaction, focusing on individual, instructor, and institutional level characteristics with clustered, separated train and test datasets across two terms. This study compares Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM), Non-clustered and Clustered Random Forest (RF & MERF) models to understand these impacts. This intention is to provide a comprehensive framework comparing traditional HLM with the latest developed MERF models while delving into the effectiveness of RF and MERF models in predicting student satisfaction across different programs. This study investigates how MERF can be applied to analyzing real clustered higher education data to bridge the knowledge gap when evaluating different predictive models. The author encourages researchers to adopt an integrated approach combining HLM, RF, and MERF models with a suitable clustered dataset, as each model holds a unique niche in terms of their predictive performance, model sensitivity, and computational efficiency
Technological Acquisitions: The Impact of Intellectual Capital on Stock and Firm Financial Performance
No full textThis research paper delves into the complex and multifaceted realm of technological acquisitions and intellectual capital. It explores their impact on US acquiring firms\u27 stock and financial performance between 2010 and 2016. Technological acquisitions, a burgeoning trend, offer acquiring firms the opportunity to create value by recognizing technological synergies. However, despite the significant development in this field, critical issues still need to be solved. The phenomenon\u27s complexity is evident in the fragmented literature, which hampers the formulation of a comprehensive philosophy on technological acquisitions\u27 firm stock and financial performance.
This study utilizes both the event study and calendar-time portfolio methodologies. The study results suggest that intellectual capital is positively and significantly related to firm stock and financial performance around the announcement date of technological acquisitions. The post-acquisition results show that intellectual capital positively impacts the firm’s financial performance when acquiring companies one year after the acquisition completion date. The 1-year post-acquisition analysis finds that technological acquisitions do not affect acquiring companies’ stock performance. A positive impact in the one-year post-acquisition stock performance dissolves one year after the announcement date horizon. The outcome of this research suggests that intellectual capital is characterized as the knowledge that firms utilize for competitive advantage. It is an essential asset that assists companies in creating value in the present economic condition and enables organizations to thrive. It strengthens the firm’s intellectual capital prospects to help enhance profitability
Promoting Community Responsive, Trauma-Informed Consultation Practices in Rural School Communities: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Sequential Approach
No full textRural youth are placed at greater risk for experiencing adverse childhood experiences, developing mental health disorders, and dying by suicide when compared with the general population. Due to a widespread need for better access to mental health treatment, many are left untreated. These concerns are often exacerbated by individual and systemic risk factors that are endemic to rural communities. Rural school districts are being asked to deliver mental health services to students, with school psychologists as key stakeholders. Though school psychologists are uniquely qualified to support this need, graduate programs typically do not provide adequate coursework and training on consultation and trauma-informed practices (TIPs). Moreover, rural school districts require community responsive approaches to consultation, and implementation of TIPs in rural districts has yet to be discussed thoroughly in the field. This mixed methods exploratory sequential study sought to bridge gaps in literature and practice by using a three-phased approach to develop the Community Responsive Trauma-Informed Consultation (CRT-IC) Professional Learning Series for Rural School Psychologists. The first qualitative phase gathered the lived experiences of 13 expert rural school psychologists who used consultation with teachers to support implementation of TIPs. In the second, development phase, the qualitative data was used to create the curriculum for the professional learning series, which targeted early career rural school psychologists who were interested yet inexperienced in engaging with this work. The third quantitative phase evaluated this curriculum by using a quasi-experimental single-group pre/post design with a one-month follow-up to assess changes in consultation self-efficacy (CSE), attitudes related to trauma-informed care (TIC), and professional quality of life of eight early career participants. This study is significant for the field because it highlighted how mixed methods designs can be utilized to develop community responsive professional learning opportunities for a specific subgroup of school psychologists. It also illuminated a trauma-informed approach to consultation that rural school psychologists can use to consult with teachers on TIPs, which may provide future directions for graduate training programs, professional learning training, key stakeholders, and research studies. Last, this study advanced understanding of the needs of rural school psychologists as school-based mental health providers who use consultation to support their school districts in being trauma-informed
The Supreme Court, the First Amendment, and the erosion of public employer managerial authority
No full textFor nearly two centuries, public sector employment in the United States was governed by the privilege doctrine, also known as the right-privilege distinction, which stripped public employees of their citizenship rights by denying them protection against adverse employment actions retaliating against their exercise of those rights. In 1967, in Garrity v. New Jersey, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed course and found, in the context of a government investigation of state police officers who allegedly fixed traffic tickets, that the state could not coerce those officers to waive their constitutional right to remain silent during the investigation by threatening to fire them if they did not answer questions posed to them. In Garrity’s aftermath, the Court developed its Pickering–Connick–Garcetti framework, which regulates the extent to which public employers may take adverse employment actions against public employees who engage in speech that disrupts the workplace or interferes with its efficient operation. Under the Pickering–Connick–Garcetti framework, the Court permits public employers to take adverse employment actions against their employees when the speech is not on a matter of public concern, per Connick v. Myers; the speech is made pursuant to their job duties, per Garcetti v. Ceballos; or the speech is on a matter of public concern but the employer’s managerial interests outweigh the employees’ constitutional rights, per Pickering v. Board of Education. The Pickering–Connick–Garcetti framework was stable for about half a century until the Court once again disrupted that equilibrium in two cases decided in the past five years. In Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31, the Court characterized union security clauses as unconstitutionally compelling speech from nonmember, union-represented public employees and therefore prohibited parties to public sector collective bargaining agreements from requiring those employees to pay any union dues. Then, in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Court characterized a public high school football coach’s post-game prayer on the fifty-yard line as expression protected under the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment and concluded that the school district unconstitutionally disciplined that coach, ignoring the disruptive and potentially dangerous effect that his speech had on those attending the game. This Article traces historical developments from our country’s inception to the present with an eye toward understanding the Court’s most recent jurisprudence and its effect on public employee speech. Our analysis draws the following five conclusions: first, recent cases have greatly narrowed the categorical exclusion from First Amendment protection for public employee speech expressed in the course of employees performing their job duties, thereby greatly narrowing Garcetti; second, Janus has exempted compelled speech claims from the Pickering–Connick analysis; third, Kennedy has also exempted religious exercise claims from the Pickering–Connick analysis; fourth, Janus and Kennedy have significantly expanded the category of speech that constitutes speech on a matter of public concern, thereby narrowing Connick; and fifth, as demonstrated in Kennedy, the Court has greatly reduced deference to public employers’ managerial judgments in weighing employer interests in the efficient delivery of public services against constitutionally protected speech interests. This is true even in cases where those managerial judgments are intended to prevent physical harm, thereby undermining public employer managerial authority. Having drawn those conclusions, we turn to the Janus–Kennedy framework to assess several hypotheticals set forth in this Article’s introduction to show how these cases have shifted the analysis in favor of employee speech. Finally, we speculate whether this shift is toward strengthening employee free speech rights, in general, or more cynically, a shift toward speech that this particular Court favors—religious speech—and a shift away from speech that this Court disfavors—union speech
Borderline ambiguity: major questions and immigration law
No full textInterpretive doctrines rarely spawn whole cottage industries, but the major questions doctrine is an exception. Given the ferment that the doctrine has inspired among scholars, an examination of the doctrine\u27s relevance to immigration law is overdue. This Article provides that assessment. The major questions doctrine works best as a shorthand label for the traditional tools of statutory interpretation that the Supreme Court has recently invoked in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. Those tools, which this Article calls the “congruence canon,” include statutory text, structure, history, and implementation. Trouble starts for the major questions doctrine when its convenience as an interpretive label obscures the relevance of these traditional tools. The Supreme Court\u27s June 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA restricting wetlands protection is an ominous sign that application of the doctrine is going astray. In immigration, the congruence canon can clarify analysis of current issues, including the legality of President Biden\u27s new border rule and advance parole program; the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative; and a recent substantial expansion of authorized work for holders of student (F-1) visas. Assessment of each of these important policies benefits from a rigorous look at text, structure, history, and implementation. Examination of statutory structure reveals problems with the Biden border and advance parole initiatives, despite their commendable policy innovations. In contrast, past practice validates DACA and F-1 visas’ practical training expansion. The congruence canon is a productive approach because it prioritizes engagement with interpretive method and rejects interpretive labels’ insidious convenience