Frankie and Jack Pruitt

Portrait of Frankie Pruitt and grandfather Jack Pruitt in front of a house (black-and-white photograph).https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/bridges-photographs/1336/thumbnail.jp

ASA Task Force on First Generation and Working Class Persons in Sociology Infographic

We created this infographic from the American Sociological Association Task Force Report on First Generation and Working Class Persons in Sociology (2022). The infographic outlines the findings by exploring themes such as loan debt, mobility, and social inequality. Study findings include data collected on faculty and graduate students in sociology

INTO LIGHT California: A University-Community & Interdepartmental Collaboration

Abstract: The INTO LIGHT California project created a venue to rescue the living stories of those who died from drug overdose and poisonings through interviews, portraiture, a museum exhibition and community involvement to reduce the impact of the silencing stigma of substance abuse. In partnership with two separate university programs alongside a not-for-profit national organization, the project created opportunities for forty bereaved family to be interviewed by graduate counseling students using innovative narrative counseling practices to shine light on deaths that are often relegated to the shadows of grief

Carolyn Tillman and others

Group portrait of Carolyn Tillman, Rikke Van Johnson, and Beverly Jones Wright at Seventh Day Church (color photograph).https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/bridges-photographs/1258/thumbnail.jp

COMPOSING FROM THE MARGINS: THE BREAKING OF WRITING BARRIERS, EMPOWERING VOICES & BROADENING THE WORK OF FEMINIST COMPOSITION STUDIES

The concept of identity politics within Composition Studies acknowledge how a writer’s social identity (race, gender, sexuality, disabilities, etc.) influences their writing style and shapes their language. Understanding the relationship between social identity and writing practices means recognizing the diverse perspectives writers bring to the writing classroom. In alignment with this perspective, feminist composition studies emphasize the importance of centering marginalized voices and creating inclusive learning environments where students can safely express their identities through writing. However, research reveals that diverse perspectives haven’t always been welcomed in academic spaces. Feminist compositionists unveil how discourse around writing conventions and language norms uphold patriarchal structures and reinforce biases against marginalized groups. In this thesis, I contribute to this conversation by suggesting ways in which we can apply Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality to discourse in feminist composition studies. Intersectional feminism depicts how racial microaggressions toward individuals’ social identities can manifest in the composition classroom. I argue that policing of language, stereotypes, and hegemonic cultural norms result in detrimental psychological consequences. These include feelings of invalidation, invisibility, and alienation. Such experiences interfere with the writing process and affect students’ mental well-being, self-esteem, and academic success. I convey my argument by looking at scholarship in feminist composition studies alongside intersectional feminism to unpack how marginalized writers’ multiple identities connect to their writing style and sense of belonging in academic discourse. The first section of this thesis offers an introduction to my research and explores how I extend existing scholarship in feminist composition studies. My literature review discusses the discourse within feminist composition studies that has allowed me to develop a feminist lens. Next, I look to intersectionality to discuss how writers’ multiple identities manifest in the writing process. Using the knowledge I’ve gathered, I take a feminist intersectional lens to explore the relationship between writing and identity. I do so by conducting a focused examination of three episodes from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) Writing Intensive Program’s How I Write podcast series. My analysis uncovers the politics embedded in the writing experiences of academics who have “made it” in their fields. This analysis further shows how marginalized writers’ overlapping identities have a significant influence on writing style, confidence, and experience writing for academia. I end this thesis by turning my research back to the writing classroom to make recommendations for writing practices that are supportive of diverse groups of students with overlapping identities. The methods I propose give marginalized students a sense of agency and validation during the writing process. This is significant because the elitist linguistic performance marginalized students encounter in academia diminishes their agency and sense of validation

INVESTIGATING THE LEVEL OF EVIDENCE OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND PARENTING PRACTICES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with mental and physical health outcomes of children, but less is known about how ACEs impact parenting. Objective: This study systematically reviewed the evidence of the association between parental adverse childhood experiences and parenting behaviors. Methods: The study employed a rigorous methodology, including searching several electronic databases, such as the CSUSB search engine, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premiere, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. The keywords used for the search process included Adverse Childhood Experiences, ACEs, Maltreatment, Adverse Experiences, Traumatic Experiences, and Parenting or Childrearing. Inclusion criteria were restricted to studies published between 2014 and 2024. Results: In total, seven studies were identified. Most of the studies (85.00%) were conducted within the United States. The findings of this review revealed that there is a significant relationship between parental ACEs and parenting, with parents who have experienced ACEs being more prone to displaying harsh, authoritarian, or permissive and inconsistent parenting styles. Similarly, the results indicate that the number of ACEs experienced by parents is directly proportional to the negative parenting outcomes. Conclusion: Although the limited number of studies and heterogeneity of participants\u27 gender restrict the findings\u27 generalizability, this review calls for interventions to address parental ACEs to improve parenting practices and promote positive child outcomes. Further research should focus on using diverse and larger sample sizes to explore this association further

FACTORS THAT IMPACT FOSTER YOUTHS’ HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

This study examines the factors that influence foster youth high school graduation rates. Over 50% of foster youth do not graduate high school and even fewer enroll in higher education. The study analyzes social workers’ belief about foster youth high school graduation. Social workers have direct contact with and influence on foster youth, so understanding the extent to which there, beliefs and actions factor into foster youth graduation rates seems important. This study utilized a quantitative, online survey designed by the researcher to collect exploratory data. The researcher posted invitations to participate in the study on social media sites used by social workers. All participants worked with foster youth ages 16-21 years old. This study was conducted over a three month time period and a total of 56 participants completed the survey via Qualtrics online survey software. This study hypothesized a positive correlation between social worker belief and values around education and the volume of educational services social workers offered to foster youth. The survey data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package for the social sciences. The researcher reported frequencies of participants responses to survey questions and assessed correlations between the independent variable, social worker beliefs around education, and the dependent variable, provision of education supports to foster youth. The results of the correlation analysis did not support the hypothesis. There did not appear to be a correlation on what a social worker offered and if their youth graduated high school and enrolled into higher education. There were limitations to this study. The participants self-reported and the sample size was small. The sample was also narrow in that the social worker participants only served youth ages 16-21 years old. The results of this study suggest that other factors, besides social workers’ beliefs and values around education may impact foster youth graduation. The survey also noted that social workers do not always have the ability to prioritize education over other services. More research will also need to be conducted on what direct services the schools are providing for foster youth

MENTAL HELP-SEEKING: BARRIERS AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN ADDRESSING THOSE BARRIERS

The topic of mental health among the African American community is not often examined on its own, despite nuanced differences contributing to their reluctance to seek mental health services. The study is to examine, through data collection, the various barriers that have contributed to the prevention and reluctance of African Americans regarding mental health help-seeking, and how technology can circumvent those barriers. African Americans make up 12% of the US population and, of the 47 million who identified as African American, only 8.6% sought traditional mental health services, while 56% reported underutilizing mental health services in the United States due to preventive cultural, racial, and structural barriers. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has created more hardships in obtaining adequate services for those in the community, with many falling between the cracks and turning towards other avenues to receive mental health services. The goal of this study was to examine the social, structural, cultural, and racial barriers that hinder African Americans from seeking mental health services. The data was collected through interviews with 17 African American males and females. This study used qualitative methods, including self-selection sampling and snowball sampling to collect data through in-depth interviews. This approach allowed for participants to provide detailed perspectives on the various barriers involved in seeking mental help-seeking and the use of technology. The findings of this study indicated that among the four different barriers previously mentioned, structural and racial barriers are the most prevalent hurdles faced by the African American community

Felton Anderson and Betty Dean Anderson and others

Group portrait of (left to right) Felton Anderson, Betty Dean Anderson, two unidentified people, Judith Valles, Dr. Juanita Scott, Linda Simpson, and one unidentified person (color photograph).https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/bridges-photographs/1245/thumbnail.jp

Greenwood Bail Bonds at a Black History Day parade

View of a car for Greenwood Bail Bonds, co-founded by Bonnie Johnson and JD Greenwood, in a Black History Day parade (color photograph).https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/bridges-photographs/1241/thumbnail.jp