Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11875/18

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A City Divided: Debates over Slavery in Antebellum Pittsburgh
(2019-09-25) Wells, Cody A.; Cox, Thomas
Although much attention has been paid to the influence of southern slavery on the secession crisis and subsequent Civil War, far less has been spent analyzing the complexities of how northern communities in the antebellum period addressed questions over the peculiar institution. Northerners were not simply opposed, or perhaps ambivalent, to slavery during this period. Rather, individuals and groups had various responses when confronted with the institution. This study attempts to shed new light on the various reactions to slavery from one antebellum city: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Antebellum Pittsburgh provides an excellent case study for examining diverse northern reactions to slavery, as well as how those reactions developed and changed over time. The presence of various groups, each with their own unique responses when presented with questions over slavery, allows the city to act as a microcosm for the diverse antebellum North. Pittsburgh was home to many prominent white abolitionists and a free black community, both of which contributed significantly to the western operations of the state’s Underground Railroad. Additionally, the city’s geographical location, on the forks of the Ohio River, promoted southern trade. This left many businessmen and entrepreneurs in the growing industrial city sympathetic to the struggles of southern slaveholders. Each of these groups provides a unique component to a larger, more complex, story of slavery in early America. A large quantity of primary and secondary sources demonstrates the diverse reactions to slavery in antebellum Pittsburgh, yet each fails to fit these perspectives into a larger context. To date, no major work seeks to examine these diverse voices in the Pittsburgh area nor analyzes the complex societies within which they collectively existed. This research project is an attempt to do just that. By analyzing the writings of prominent individuals in Pittsburgh, as well as speeches, newspapers, and court cases, a more coherent understanding of the community and their reactions to slavery are outlined. Although this thesis examines slavery debates in only one community, the complexities of reactions and the existence of various groups can, in some ways, reflect the northern half of the antebellum American nation.
A comparison of factors affecting the small-scale distribution of mercury contamination in a Zimbabwean stream system
(2017-04-18) Green, Corey S.; Thies, Monte L.; Lewis, Patrick J.; Wozniak, Jeffrey R.
Artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) operations use mercury liberally in the gold extraction process, as compared to large scale industrial mining operations, and accounts for approximately one third of anthropogenic mercury consumption worldwide. These ASM operations are concentrated in many impoverished and poorly regulated countries such as Zimbabwe, resulting in a number of negative environmental and health impacts. There are three pathways by which mercury generally enters the environment from gold mining: 1) directly via private miners, 2) through stamp mill operations (also used by ASM miners), and 3) industrial-scale mining operations. To examine the levels of mercury contamination resulting in one such geographic locality, sediment and tailing samples in a single, heavily mined watershed in southern Zimbabwe were collected from May – June 2015. Samples were collected from the stream system, as well as six stamp mills and a single industrial mine in the watershed. GPS point location data were taken for mining operations and sampling sites to examine the spatial patterns of mercury concentration relative to each mining operation. Data were first analyzed using linear regression then a MARS model, followed by application of an ANCOVA model to assess the relationship between mercury concentrations and three factors; percent organic carbon, distance downstream, and distance from potential contamination source. Mercury concentrations within the study area ranged between 6-1,541 µg/kg dw (mean 142 µg/kg dw). Analyses of mercury concentrations indicated a positive relationship with percent organic carbon and a negative relationship with distance downstream and distance from potential contamination source. Results from this study will help to elucidate the relationship between gold production and the spatial scale of mercury contamination in aquatic ecosystems in Africa. These data may lead to a better understanding of the relationship between mercury use and community health, which may aid both the local and global communities in regulating mercury contamination of the environment, thereby reducing the suffering and early death of many people in impoverished countries where ASM is commonplace.
A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF DISSERTATIONS FROM 2010 TO 2019 INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES AND PREPARATION FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN USING MULTICULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT’S LITERATURE: A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
(2020-11-24) Rice Shearer, Ragina Dian; Votteler, Nancy K
The goal of this comprehensive literature review is to show the importance of using multicultural and international children’s and young adult literature as a needed resource within classrooms across grade levels in order to develop and maintain societies of people around the globe who are knowledgeable of, empathetic toward, and accepting and understanding of one another. A second goal is to show students who work collaboratively using multiple sign systems express their understandings of literature, have encouraged critical thinking skills and are enabled to develop their cultural strengths and talents. This study researched and analyzed the reported importance of the use of multicultural and international children’s and young adults’ literature and promoted awareness of the need for pre-service teachers to be prepared to use this literature in their future classrooms. Numerous dissertations with the topic of cultural literature were rigorously studied and selected or deselected according to questions pre-chosen by the researcher. The fieldnotes taken from two prominent International Literature conferences were meticulously examined as well, for the input of the need for forth coming teachers to be prepared in using this literature in their classrooms. The findings and conclusions found it to be necessary for pre-service teachers to be prepared on using cultural literature in the most efficient ways according to a conglomeration of award winning authors, illustrators, and prestigious professors who specialize in the area of multicultural and international children’s and young adult’s literature. Implications prevail heavily that detailed preparation for pre-service teachers in the implementation of the use of this literature is imperative.
A Content Analysis of Gender Representations in Independent Video Games
(2017-04-10) Nicholl, Grace; Miller, Lee; Cabaniss, Emily; Douglas, Karen
Video games are an increasingly popular pastime, and their influence on society grows along with the gaming industry. Independent video games are also growing in popularity, though little research has been conducted on how indie games compare to mainstream Triple-A (AAA) games, particularly in in representations of gender. This content analysis investigates the representations of gender found in indie video games. Twelve popular indie games from 2010 through 2015 were selected for investigation. Characters appearing in these games were evaluated on a number of variables to determine adherence to gender norms exposed in previous research. Male characters were found to outnumber female characters, though by a smaller margin than expected. Female characters were sexualized in higher numbers than males, though less than found in AAA games. A significant number of characters were found to be gender non-conforming.
A Critical Review Of Post-Secondary Education Writing During A 21st Century Education Revolution
(2020-12-01T06:00:00.000Z) Muse, Bridgett; Votteler, Nancy
Educational materials are effective instruments which provide information and report new discoveries uncovered by researchers in specific areas of academia. Higher education, like other education institutions, rely on instructional materials to inform its practice of educating adult learners. In post-secondary education, developmental English programs are tasked with meeting the needs of dynamic populations, thus there is a continuous need for research in this area to support its changing landscape. However, the majority of scholarly thought in this area centers on K-12 reading and writing. This paucity presents a phenomenon to the post-secondary community. This research study uses a qualitative content analysis to examine peer-reviewed journals from 2003-2017, developmental online websites, and a government issued document directed toward reforming post-secondary developmental education programs. These highly relevant sources aid educators in discovering informational support to apply best practices for student success. Developmental education serves the purpose of addressing literacy gaps for students transitioning to college-level work. The findings here illuminate the dearth of material offered to developmental educators. This study suggests the field of literacy research is fragmented and highlights an apparent blind spot in scholarly literature with regard to English writing instruction. This poses a quandary for post-secondary literacy researchers in the 21st century and establishes the necessity for the literacy research community to commit future scholarship toward equipping college educators teaching writing instruction to underprepared adult learners.
A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF DISCIPLINARY CONSEQUENCE ASSIGNMENTS AND THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF TEXAS GRADE 3 THROUGH 8 STUDENTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION OVER TIME: A STATEWIDE ANALYSIS
Benson, Jamie Heintz; Slate, Dr. John R.
Purpose The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the relationship of exclusionary discipline consequences assigned to Texas Grade 3 through 8 students enrolled in special education and their academic achievement during the 2012-2013 through the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, the relationship of exclusionary discipline assignments on the reading and mathematics achievement of students enrolled in special education over a 4-year period was examined. In the first investigation, the numbers and percentages of Texas Grade 3 through 8 students enrolled in special education who received a discipline consequence was examined. In the second study, the relationship of Disciplinary Alternative Education Program placement with the reading achievement of students enrolled in special education was investigated over a 4-year time period. Finally, in the third investigation, the relationship of Disciplinary Alternative Education Program placement with the mathematics achievement of students enrolled in special education was investigated over a 4-year time period Method In this investigation, a descriptive approach (Creswell, 2009) was used in which four years of Texas statewide data across six grade levels were analyzed. Archival data regarding Grade 3 through Grade 8 students who were enrolled in special education were analyzed here. Findings Results were fairly consistent across all four school years, across all six grade levels, and across all three articles in this journal-ready dissertation. For each exclusionary discipline assignment investigated, the percentage of students who were in special education and received exclusionary discipline assignments decreased across over the four years investigated, where the number of assignments received by students increased. Students who were in special education and received between 1-30 days in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program placement had better STAAR Reading and Mathematics performance than students who received between 31-60 days and more than 60 days in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program placement. Results discussed herein were consistent with the existing literature regarding the frequency and duration of disciplinary assignments received by students in special education and the influence of exclusionary discipline assignments on reading and mathematics performance.
A descriptive study of twenty-five female homosexuals
Browne, Carol Hardy,1941-; Young, Jeanne P
Purpose: The research was devised to investigate some of the social factors present in the life situations of female homosexuals in Houston, Texas. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of this population of lesbians and to specifically consider the factors which have caused female homosexuality as seen by members of the study sample and to relate them to existing literature in this field. In addition to collecting demographic data on the sample, the study was designed to gather information concerning the subjectsâ€™ heterosexual and homosexual development, experiences, and attitudes with emphasis on opinions as to the contributing and casual factors of female homosexual behavior pattern in this population. Methods: The primary sources of data for this study were the interviews conducted with twenty-five female homosexuals in Houston, Texas. The interviews were structured by a fifty-nine item questionnaire. All interviews were conducted by the researcher, therefore minimizing bias. The data were tabulated and distributed by fifty-nine descriptive items. Findings: Although findings cannot be generalized beyond this sample, the data gathered during this research and the findings of this study seem to support the following conclusions: 1. This study suggests that the mother was the dominant figure in the family structure of the female homosexual in this sample. 2. It is concluded from study data that sexual fantasies of a homosexual nature and awareness of homosexual feelings precede actual physical experience. 3. The homosexuals in the sample do not attribute homosexuality to congenital factors 4. The female homosexuals in the sample do not attribute homosexual behavior to the early factor of a sexual trauma with a man. 5. This study supports inference by the literature that the female homosexuals in the study attribute psychic trauma, homosexual seduction, sexual frustrations, and family relationships as contributing factors to female homosexual behavior.
A four-factor model of executive functioning: The relationship between personality, intelligence, and executive functioning
(2017-07-31) Pennington, Charlotte Renee; Henderson, Craig E.; Schmidt, Adam T.
Executive functioning is commonly assessed in neuropsychological evaluations, however, the construct of executive functioning is widely defined and understood within the literature. Additionally, researchers have begun to examine the relationship between personality and executive functioning. The present study conducted an exploratory factor analysis using common measures of executive functioning. Results yielded a four-factor model. The Big Five personality traits were used to predict performance on executive functioning factors and intelligence was used as a moderator for this relationship. The present study adds to the literature by expanding upon previous studies examining the factor structure of executive functioning. Further, to our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how intelligence may influence the relationship between personality and executive functioning.
A Generalization of Surgery to Cellular Complexes
(2018-04-12) Gueli, Ryan John; Loft, Brian
In the 1990s Robin Forman carefully generalized Morse theory to cellular complexes. In this thesis we are concerned with the connection Morse theory provides in surgery theory. There exists a theorem linking surgery on embedded spheres to cobordisms whose proof relies on smooth Morse theory. Therefore, we examine if a similar theorem exists on cellular complexes whose proof relies on discrete Morse theory. In order to accomplish this we will provide a way to perform surgery on cellular complexes as well as a possibility for defining cellular cobordism.
A Grounded Theory Analysis of Cases Pursued by the Securities and Exchange Commission
(2021-07-19) Caines, Matthew; Gerber, Jurg
In the midst of the Great Depression in the 1930s, the government took considerable actions in an attempt to control the questionable and troubling practices of business to help prevent a similar crisis from ever burdening the nation again. What it created was the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which today continues to bear primary responsibility for the administration of securities laws and enforcement actions against violators. Moreover, the SEC has increasingly gained enforcement capacities over its lifespan. Today, it can not only impose professional bars on violators, but also force them to forfeit any ill-gotten gains and even pay monetary fines through civil and administrative proceedings. While not conventionally thought of as criminal, these white-collar offenses can have a tremendous and harmful impact on their victims and the larger market. This research used a grounded theory approach to explore themes across the way the SEC handles the violators it detects and pursues in these proceedings, while also examining a small number of cases that were dealt with in the criminal courts. Publicly available litigation releases available through the agency’s website were used. Overall, the SEC was observed to operate in a generally predictable and equitable manner in which most of those who are charged are ultimately sanctioned in some way. Particularly interesting interactions were observed between entities and sanctioning outcomes. A secondary objective was to compare the handling of cases by the SEC under the administrations of two presidents from different parties, George W. Bush, a Republican, and Barrack Obama, a Democrat. The two periods exhibited a good deal of similarity, but also unexpectedly showed that more severe monetary penalties were imposed during the Bush administration. The thesis concludes with a discussion of limitations and policy implications.
A JOURNALIST’S FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 DISINFODEMIC IN INDIA
(2022-11-30T18:30:00.000Z) Vashisht, Prachi; Broussard, Ryan M; Toula, Christopher M; Funk, Marcus J
As Covid-19 unfolded in India, news media took the responsibility of sharing credible information to avoid panic and fear among the public. However, fact-checking was not enough to target the rising misinformation and disinformation in a country that lacked the resources to deal it. In this case, journalists in India faced increasing number of challenges in tackling misinformation and disinformation. Much of these, arose from various mediums including social media, prominent media personalities and the current government. Drawing on Reese’s Hierarchy of Influence, this research uncovers such challenges on an individual, news routine, and organizational level to understand how Covid-19 coverage shaped in India. This study uses the qualitative method of in-depth interviews (online) and uses thematic analysis to understand the study’s findings.
A Latent Class Analysis of Psychopathy Subtypes in a Sex Offender Population
(2017-06-05) McCallum, Katherine E.; Boccaccini, Marcus T.
Past research has provided evidence for primary and secondary subtypes of psychopathy. Research in this area has focused on broad male offender samples, though some studies have investigated more specific populations such as college students, juvenile offenders, and African American male offenders. No studies have investigated primary and secondary psychopathy in sex offender populations. Psychopathy is an integral construct in sexually violent predator evaluations. Some studies have investigated subtypes of sex offenders and interesting parallels are apparent between these findings and primary and secondary subtypes of psychopathy. Yet, no prior studies have attempted to merge these seemingly parallel lines of research. This study addresses this gap by examining whether there is support for primary and secondary psychopathy among a sample of sex offenders. Specifically, this study used a latent class analysis (LCA) approach to analyze scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) profiles from 487 offenders evaluated for post-release civil commitment. The results of this study describe latent subtypes of psychopathy within this sample, as well as additional latent subtypes with low levels of psychopathy, allowing for comparison with previous sex offender subtype studies.
A Legacy of Financial Inequities: A Historical Black College and University Stakeholders Response to Funding Strategies
(2022-05-01T05:00:00.000Z) VanDyke, Kathleen G; Montelongo, Ricardo; Billings, Meredith S; Sampson, Samuel
While there has been disinvestment into higher education, there is also a significant disparity in state investment for certain types of public institutions, specifically for less-resourced institutions such as HBCUs. There is not much literature that examines the relationship of formula funding or state appropriations on institutional outcomes at public Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Texas. Using a critical race theory and outcome equity lens will help provide a historical context of continued inadequate funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The funding disparities and insufficient funding mechanisms have not met the demands of low-income and underserved students that HBCUs serve. This qualitative case study's primary purpose is to understand the current state funding strategies impact on a specific HBCU from its institutional and community leaders. In addition to understanding the institutional leader’s perspective, the study will interview participants that work directly with the students that the HBCU serves. The Texas higher education system is underfunded; however, the current funding strategies are calculated on the base period and weighted credit hours do not equitably distribute available state funds and explain funding disparities. Serving larger diverse populations will require equitable levels of financial support.
A Legal Analysis of Health Care for Incarcerated Women in the United States
(2020-12-01) Lamberton, Chelsi; Vaughn, Michael S
While decarceration has become fashionable, American penology remains in the throes of a penal harm movement, which posits that offenders should receive harsh punishment to deter them and others from future offending. Penal harm aims to enhance offenders’ punishment during their incarceration by making conditions in jails and prisons as painful and difficult as possible. Penal harm practices include, limiting inmates’ access to basic comforts such as coffee and tasty food, enhancing humiliations through chain gangs and wearing pink uniforms, and not supplying adequate health care. Given that the majority of incarcerated persons will eventually return to society, correctional health care plays an important role in public and community health. Inmates are the only population in the United States who are guaranteed a right to health care, which is important considering their health is poorer than the general population because they often do not have resources to receive medical treatment in the free-world. Research suggests, however, that the penal harm perspective influences correctional health care practices, lowering the quality of care inmates receive while incarcerated. As the population of incarcerated women rises in the United States, researchers are focusing on how correctional facilities meet their gendered needs and challenges. Female inmates have poorer overall health compared to male inmates and unique health problems, such as the need for reproductive health services, pregnancy-related needs, and menstrual hygiene concerns. Furthermore, incarcerated women have historically received lower quality health care and limited resources compared to their male counterparts, which limits their ability to seek treatment and to petition for legal remedies when that treatment is inadequate. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a legal discussion on the availability and quality of health services for women incarcerated in the United States to determine how penal harm influences the care they receive. This thesis uses a qualitative, inductive, doctrinal methodology to analyze United States Court of Appeals and United States District Court lawsuits brought by female offenders pursuant to Title 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, claiming violations of their Eighth Amendment rights to be free from cruel and unusual punishment.
A longitudinal examination of the influence of sex and race on sentencing outcomes in Florida’s rural and urban counties
(2019-11-06) Alvarado, Micaela M.; Toman, Elisa L.
Understanding the multifaceted factors considered during sentencing is a complex process. An emerging body of literature evaluates whether the level of urbanization has impacts on sentencing outcomes across the United States. Separately, scholars studying the dynamics of sentencing have focused on the consequences of an offender’s race and sex. Studies find that Black and Latinx offenders, especially young males, are more likely to receive harsher sentences compared to their white counterparts. However, relatively little is known regarding whether identified sentencing disparities based on race and sex emerge across types of counties (i.e., rural vs. urban) and whether such patterns have changed over time. Understanding the multifaceted factors that influence sentencing are important for at least three reasons. First, this type of research helps to inform recent sentencing reforms aimed at targeting inequalities within the criminal processing system. Second, prominent criminological theories suggest county-by-county variation in sentencing disparities by demographic characteristics, yet research is only beginning to examine this possibility. Third, examining longitudinal trends in sentencing constitutes a vital step in better understanding the factors that influence judicial decision making. This thesis builds on prior research by asking two specific research questions (1) do individuals from urban counties receive harsher sentences than individuals from rural counties? and (2) does an offender’s race, sex, and county of residence influence sentencing severity? Trends over time will be examined as well. Toward this goal, this thesis will utilize data from the state of Florida that contain all felony conviction sentencing events that occurred between 1994 and 2011 (N = 1,945,816). These data contain information on individual demographic characteristics, prior criminal history, and detailed information regarding the current offense. Also included in the data are the counties in which the sentencing occurred. Logistic regression will be utilized to answer these research questions. Findings from this study will have implications for theory, research, and policy.
A Meta-Analysis of the Association Between Psychopathy Checklist and Risk Assessment Instrument Scores
(2022-12-01T06:00:00.000Z) Goodwin, Stephanie; Boccaccini, Marcus T; Drislane, Laura E; Ruchensky, Jared R
Assessing risk for future violence or reoffense is a common and important task for forensic evaluators. Indeed, these assessments are among the most common requests received by forensic evaluators. To conduct such evaluations most accurately and efficiently, it is important for forensic evaluators to have knowledge about the tools they utilize in assessments and how they may interact with and/or overlap with one another, an area of research that is greatly underdeveloped. The current study aimed the examine the relationship between Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) measure total, factor, and facet scores and risk assessment total scores. Although the PCL family of measures were not created as risk assessment measures, they have come to be used in risk assessments due to moderate correlations between PCL scores and recidivism. Random-effects meta-analytic procedures were utilized to determine the mean correlation between PCL measures and risk assessment measures found in existent literature or received from authors of papers in the risk assessment literature. Overall, results suggest a moderate to large correlation between PCL Factor 2, facet 3, and facet 4 scores and risk assessment measures and small to moderate correlations between PCL Factor 1, facet 1, and facet 2 scores. Additionally, correlations between PCL Factor 2, facet 3, and facet 4 scores meet or exceed r = .70 for many specific risk assessments suggesting these PCL components may be completely redundant with preexisting risk assessment measures.
A MULTI-GROUP CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS OF THE REACTIVE- PROACTIVE AGGRESSION QUESTIONNAIRE IN A SAMPLE OF YOUNG ADULTS
(2016-11-17) Cooke, Eric Meyers; Armstrong, Todd; Boisvert, Danielle; Zhang, Yan
Aggression has long-term negative effects on humanity as a whole. Because of this, aggression has become an important topic of study across many disciplines. Originally conceptualized as being either non-impulsive or impulsive, aggression has become dichotomized as being reactive or proactive. Each form of aggression has been linked to a variety of genetic, psychological, physiological, and neurobiological correlates. Because research continues to grow in these fields surrounding proactive and reactive aggression, it is important to make sure that measurement tools are assessing aggression appropriately across a variety of groups. One such tool that has emerged recently is the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ; Raine et al., 2006). Though a number of studies exist testing the validity of the RPQ in adolescent and child populations. No such studies exist examining the factor structure and measurement invariance of proactive and reactive aggression in young adult male and females from different ethnicities. The current study assesses factor structure and measurement invariance in multiple groups of young North American adults. Results show that a two- factor, proactive-reactive, structure fits the current data overall. However, measurement invariance is not achieved across the majority of these groups. Meaning that interpretation of reactive and proactive scores is not the same across gender and ethnicity. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
A Multilevel Examination of Client Suicide in Doctoral Training Programs in Psychology and Allied Mental Health Fields
(2019-02-13) Yenne, Elise M.; Henderson, Craig
Client suicide is associated with a host of consequences for mental health professionals and, in particular, mental health professionals in training. The present study used samples of faculty and students in psychology and allied mental health training programs to develop a set of parallel scales for faculty and students measuring program climate related to preparing trainees for client suicide. The scales both demonstrated adequate reliability and the student scale demonstrated promising convergent and divergent validity. Non-parametric analyses suggest that the distributions of the scales are not significantly different, lending support to their parallel structure. Additionally, the present study provides an update to the literature regarding training in suicide-related matters and exposure to suicide for psychology and allied mental health students. Overall, allied mental health programs reported marginally more formalized training in suicide-related matters available, while psychology programs covered the topic more in supervision. Additionally, psychology students tended to have more exposure to suicide amongst their clients than allied mental health professionals, although this difference was not significant. Exposure to suicide was not related to negative mental health symptoms, skill in responding to suicidal statements, self-efficacy in suicide intervention, or preparedness for client suicide, but was related to self-efficacy in suicide assessment. Implications for suicide-related training are discussed.
A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Supervisors working with Crisis Counselors
(2017-07-10) Tran, Quoc Dung V. L.; Lawson, David
A phenomenological study was conducted at a Southwestern United States University to examine the experience of nine supervisors who work with crisis counselors. This study examined the training, topics, and difficulties experienced as they sought to support and perform their supervisory duties. Nine themes emerge and described as Learning the job, Crisis topics, Effective Communication, Skills development, Maintaining flexibility, Setting boundaries, Maintaining support, Stress, burnout, and self-care, and Balance. Best practices were identified by supervisors to build resiliency and promote growth for both supervisors and their supervisees. Implications for practice and research are included to further enhance effective supervision of crisis counselors.
A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY TO EXPLORE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF HISPANIC UNACCOMPANIED HOMELESS YOUTH
(2021-04-26) Uribe, Efrain Francisco; Brown, Timothy
The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Hispanic Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (HUHY) enrolled in public high school in Texas. Homeless students face unique living challenges. However, homeless students have proven abilities critical for their academic pursuits. The study results showed homeless students are resilient and needed at least one deep personal connection with a school staff member. Among this study’s findings are that homeless students might sometimes camouflage signs of their homelessness by concealing their indigent status. Moreover, homeless students in some instances were denied enrollment and services. All the participants in this study were pursuing their studies with determination and aspirations to graduate from high school. The participants used their homelessness as a source of resilience to overcome their living challenges. This study contributes new insight to the phenomenon of Hispanic homeless students and adds new knowledge on homeless students’ lives and their experiences in high school. The study’s findings, applications, and usefulness target audiences made of educators, school administrators, and private and political stakeholders. Additionally, this study may be used to advocate for the welfare of homeless students and the time use of school counselors as individuals that promote student connections and social policies for at-risk populations.

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