Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio
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Career Mobility for Black Professionals: Mentorship as an Underground Railroad
Get PDFCareer mobility for Black individuals may appear individualistic, ignoring the collectivistic endeavor involved to achieve success. This qualitative study explored participants’ mentorship relationships, analogous to the underground railroad system, as it relates to navigating their careers. Participants, who are Black professionals in various career fields, detailed how the support provided by their mentors allowed them to understand the nuances of career mobility while gaining lifelong relationships, resources, and networks necessary for continued and sustainable success. The theoretical frameworks for this study used Phenomenological Variant Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) and Social Capital Theory. Analysis of 15 individual semi[1]structured interviews were highlighted in 3 central themes: 1) mentorship plays a key role in career mobility; 2) forms of mentorship: social/emotional vs. instrumental support; and 3) conductors of the railroad: mentorship across racial lines. This work has implications for development of comprehensive mentoring programs and career support for Black professionals across disciplines
Identification of Unsuccessful Students in General Chemistry
Get PDFThe Networking for Science Advancement (NSA) team collected data from multiple general chemistry courses at nine universities within a broad geographic setting in a majority-minority US state. Data include diagnostic scores on the Math-Up Skills Test (MUST), quantitative literacy/quantitative reasoning (QL/QR) quiz, along with student demographics, and overall course grades. From these data the team determined how automaticity skills in procedural arithmetic and quantitative literacy and reasoning can be used to predict success in lower-division chemistry courses. By expanding this dataset, we extended our investigations to discover what characterizes successful and unsuccessful students in general chemistry, first and second semesters (Chem I and II) categorizing by on- and off- sequence courses. Student characteristics studied include factors such as ethnicity, gender, location of residence, and employment status. In a short amount of required classroom time (approximately 35 minutes is needed for students to complete both assessments and a demographic survey), it is possible to identify students at the start of the semester who will struggle in general chemistry. The MUST is the preferred predictor but using the MUST and QL/QR together enhances predictability
Connecting with Their Students: Understanding the Impact of Teachers Using Culturally Relevant Literacy Practices in Elementary Classrooms
Get PDFDespite extensive research indicating the importance of educators connecting with their students, a significant number of teachers fail to associate classroom curriculum with their students’ cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. Even with the best intentions, teachers frequently encounter difficulties in establishing connections with students and seamlessly integrating their diverse cultures and experiences outside of the classroom into lessons. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is one method teachers use to incorporate their students’ culture into the classroom so that students see themselves in the lessons and become more engaged in their learning. This study was designed to explore teachers’ feelings of cultural competency and their use of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in elementary classrooms. It investigated how utilizing this method may help teachers successfully connect to their students. It also explored support from school districts, specifically professional development, which equips teachers to deal with diverse student needs
“Un Paso A La Vez”: Fostering Mental Health Equity in San Antonio
Get PDFMany individuals face persistent inequalities in income, housing, employment, education, and health care access. Recent research demonstrates that such inequities indeed affect one\u27s mental health and well-being. Our research focuses on depression among the Hispanic population of Bexar County. According to data from Policy Map, approximately 60-70 percent of Bexar County’s population identifies as Hispanic. Only 18.4 percent of the general population in the county reports medically diagnosed depression. We suspect that dramatically higher rates of undiagnosed depression exist among Hispanics. Hispanic individuals tend to face underdiagnosis due to factors such as lower socioeconomic status, stigma and stereotypes, racial disparities and discrimination, and other contributing factors. These factors limit, prevent, and ultimately discourage one from seeking a medical diagnosis, treatment, or proper resources to improve their condition. After intensive research, we developed a model resource to assist the residents of Bexar County
Predictors of Stress in Minority Students: The Relative Importance of Optimism Vs Resilience
Get PDFMany college students experience stress; optimism and resilience may help students cope with it. Optimism is a person’s positive outlook on their circumstances and their future, whereas resilience is a persons ability to adapt andovercome challenges throughout their life. In this study, we compared the two to see which one would be a better predictor of stress. First year students (N =355) at a public regional university completed an online study that measure their perceive stress, optimism, and resilience. Bivariate correlations showed that resilience and optimism were both negatively correlated with all four sub-scales of students stress. Linear regression showed that resilience was a better predictor of stress than optimism for two types of, but optimism was a better predictor of the other twotypes of stress. These findings offer nuanced knowledge about the relationship between stress, resilience, and optimism
Intellectual Limitations and Doctor’s Orders: Examining the Relationship between Intellectual Humility and Adherence to Medical Advice
Get PDFNonadherence to medical advice poses a threat to patients, providers, and the health care system. Intellectual humility reflects one’s ability to recognize their intellectual limitations through the components of independence of intellectand ego, openness to revising one’s viewpoint, respect for other’s viewpoints, and lack of intellectual overconfidence. Possessing more intellectual humility may help improve the way people interact with medical information, thereby increasing their understanding of medical conditions and necessary treatment. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between intellectual humility and adherence by having participants (N = 196) complete the Comprehensive Intellectual Humility Scale and the General Medication Adherence Scale. We found that overall intellectual humility and components of independence of intellect and ego and lack of overconfidence were positively related to overall adherence and its components (behavior, burden, and cost). These findings have the potential to improve adherence and the understanding of intellectual humility in the medical context
Best Management Practices and Standards, Training, and Tools to Increase Resilience of the Edwards Aquifer Water Supply During Emergency Fire Control
Get PDFIn 2019 the Institute for Water Resources Science and Technology at Texas A&M University-San Antonio began work funded by the Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Venue Project to develop Best Management Practices (BMPs) for protecting Edwards Aquifer water supplies from inadvertent contamination by HAZMAT in water runoff during emergency response-related firefighting. Results of this work are now available for your use. Technical information is available for use in developing and updating emergency response planning documents (i.e., City of San Antonio Hazard Mitigation Action Plan and the Bexar County Emergency Management Plan), educational curricula can be used for training and public outreach, and BMPs along with associated tools are now available for on-site and post-event management and hazard mitigation. These have been developed for use in Bexar County and other areas where the aquifer is susceptible to contamination from disaster response on the land’s surface.https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/water_books/1008/thumbnail.jp