Development and Validation of a Self-Report Measurement Scale of Summer Camp Counselor Burnout

Each summer, nearly one million seasonal staff work at overnight camps in the U.S. (ACA, 2021). Camp counselors typically fall between the ages of 18 to 25, with many within the 18 to 20 age range (Lubeznik-Warner et al., 2022). Despite their young age, camp counselors are tasked with considerable responsibility, including planning programs, facilitating activities, and caring for campers’ physical, emotional, and social well-being (Epley et al., 2017; Johnson et al., 2011). Due to the combination of a large workload, lack of separation between work and personal life, and limited free time, some camp counselors experience burnout, defined as an occupational phenomenon characterized by exhaustion, mentally distancing oneself from work, and reduced sense of professional efficacy (Bailey et al., 2012; Paisley & Powell, 2007; Wahl-Alexander et al., 2017; WHO, 2019). Burnout can have consequences for job performance including lower effectiveness at work, reduced commitment to one’s role, and exhaustion, which can all negatively impact camp operations including the quality of childcare provided (Maslach et al., 2001). As such, it is important for camp administrators to be aware of which camp counselors are experiencing burnout so that they may intervene to mitigate negative outcomes; however, there is not yet a validated measure for camp counselor burnout. The purpose of the current study is to develop and validate a self-report camp counselor burnout scale. In Study 1, I created a list of potential scale items based on prior research, revised them based on expert feedback, and refined the resulting questionnaire using cognitive interviews. I then analyzed data from camp counselors using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the factor structure of the scale. In Study 2, I collected data from another group of camp counselors for analysis using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the hypothesized factor structure. Using these data, I conducted tests of validity to establish construct validity and regression analyses to analyze associations between camp counselor burnout and hypothesized predictors of burnout

Latinos in Massachusetts: Dominicans

The Gastón Institute’s 2024 Latinos in Massachusetts series includes this statewide report on the Dominican population in Massachusetts. This report analyzes Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data from the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Our descriptive analysis uses both household- and individual-level data to estimate population size and percentages and to compare Dominicans to Other Latinos and Non-Latinos in the state

Monima: A Novel of the Immigrant Experience in the Multilingual Early Republic

First published in 1802, Monima offers a unique look at the lives of the poor in Philadelphia: Describing her novel as a very plain picture of life, a plea on behalf of the oppressed, and life-worn children of affliction,\u27\u27 the author exposes the class fractures within a society we have mythologized as egalitarian (99). Such myths, the novel shows, are based on ignorance; as one character, awakened to the existence of the poor, remarks, one half of the world don\u27t know how the other half live (196). Though the identity of Monima\u27s author was not discovered for over 220 years, the novel\u27s focus on the immigrant underclass reflects her lived experience. Mary Endress Ralston was the trilingual child of German and French immigrants whose fortunes rose and fell in the Revolutionary era. But rather than writing a factual record of her life, Mary Ralston created her portrait of Monima and her world through a complex multilingual and multiethnic alchemy. The resulting novel, which highlights language justice through the trials of its beleaguered heroine and her father, is a complex synthesis of literary modes that has been largely overlooked. We are proud to present Monima, the first American novel by an English,language learner, and Mary Endress Ralston, an early American novelist who has been hiding in plain sight

AHP\u27s Tribute To Dr. Stan Charnofsky

The Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP) mourns the “transition” of a very dear soul, Dr. Stan Charnofsky. And, while his transition is a tremendous loss to his family, friends, and colleagues, we also want to honor and celebrate a life well-lived. As a former AHP president, Stan provided outstanding leadership. Upon his passing, he also held the distinction of being the longest-serving AHP board member. He was very much cherished and highly respected by all board members throughout his long, dedicated and remarkable service to AHP and its members

Massachusetts Community Mediation Center Grant Program Fiscal Year 2024 Report and Evaluation

In FY2024, the Commonwealth allocated $3,213,465 to the CMC Grant Program, supplemented by$149,674 carried over from FY2023, for a total of $3,363,139. Of the total funding,$2,542,100 (76%) was awarded to Centers in grants and technical assistance, with Centers leveraging these funds to secure an additional $2,199,813 from private foundations and other state, local, and federal sponsors. These grants supported Centers’ participation in CMC Grant Program related statewide programs, including the Housing Mediation Program (HMP), Reentry Mediation Program (ReMAp), Youth Conflict Resolution and Restorative Practices Program (Youth Program), and DEI organizational capacity-building initiatives. These grants bolstered staffing infrastructure, enabling Centers to meet community needs and accounting for over half of their collective revenue, making this state funding vital for Center sustainability and statewide access to dispute resolution for Massachusetts residents. The CMC Grant Program had a significant impact in FY2024. The HMP preserved 355 tenancies and 103 housing subsidies across 1,487 mediated cases, helping 1,188 landlords and 1,376 tenants avoid eviction or housing loss. As one tenant shared, “Thanks to mediation, I’ve been able to get things under control. I will definitely recommend it to others, this is a wonderful program.” A pilot partnership with MassHousing’s Tenancy Assistance Program (TAP) expanded the program’s reach by mediating 12 upstream cases involving issues like noise complaints and discrimination and conducting community-building workshops to equip residents at TAP-enrolled sites with conflict resolution skills. ReMAp worked with 12 DOC and Sheriff facilities, providing pre-release mediation and expanding post-release support to reduce recidivism and strengthen family ties. Party feedback reflected the program\u27s impact, with one noting, “Today was a good day,” and another commenting, “This was great and productive.” The Youth Program showed significant gains in student social and emotional learning skills, with one administrator highlighting the program’s long-term value: “These are lifelong skills that can be applied in both school and life situations.” The DEI Initiative further enhanced the Program’s impact, with Centers improving language accessibility, program flexibility, and policies to support inclusivity and equity. For example, this included the development of Spanish-language conflict resolution workshops, which led to an increase in inquiries from Spanish-speaking individuals. As one Center noted, “We’ve been able to better train staff and volunteers and provide services in ways community members understand.

Tienen alas, pero no las pueden usar: Stories of immigrants in search of work credentials

This report presents the results of a qualitative research study, funded by the Latino Equity Fund of the Boston Foundation, aimed at understanding the challenges that highly skilled immigrants1 face when reentering their careers in Massachusetts

Just Existing Beyond the Gender Binary: Contexts, Agency, and Investment of Non-Binary Teens in French and Spanish World Language Classes

One in four LGBTQ+ young people in the United States identifies outside of the gender binary, generating an ever-evolving constellation of identity terms and pronouns. Many study French and Spanish classes at school, languages based in a binary grammatical system classifying all nouns and corresponding modifiers as “masculine” or “feminine.” Given the hostile political climate towards queer youth and the power of language for (in)validating trans identities, French and Spanish classes may pose particular challenges for non-binary students. Though vital for building inclusive classrooms, accounts from non-binary language learners have been barely documented in research. This dissertation asks: What aspects of non-binary students’ contexts impact their ability to be themselves in their French and Spanish classes? How do students exercise agency within these spaces? How do students’ contexts and agentive strategies relate to their investment in language learning? As a queer, cisgender teacher-researcher, I adopted a participatory approach grounded in trans epistemologies to create an online community called the Non-Binary Language Alliance with twelve non-binary high school students. Using surveys, interviews, journals, focus groups, and art, generated individually and in interaction, I conducted reflexive thematic analysis with a discourse analytic approach. Analysis revealed multiple constraints for students in their language classrooms: binary grammatical gender, lack of queer curricular representation, queerphobia among peers, and teacher-student power dynamics, while supportive peers and teachers were seen as affordances. Participants exercised agency to navigate and transform their contexts by: innovating in French and Spanish, creating queer representation through headcanon, drawing on community to “queer” their contexts, disengaging from stressful situations as a coping strategy, and taking on the role of language educators. Finally, participants’ investment was associated with their perceived level of agency within the classroom and the degree to which teachers and peers shared their labor of research and advocacy. These findings illustrate the agency and innovative power of marginalized and minoritized youth while highlighting the role of mediating social factors such as language ideologies, classroom power dynamics, and community. The study offers recommendations to language teachers for increasing non-binary students’ investment in language learning by laboring alongside students and fostering their agency

First Symposium Discussion

First Symposium Discussion. Volume 36, Issue 2 of the New England Journal of Public Policy

Long-Term Impact of World War II on Suicide in Japan

Long-Term Impact of World War II on Suicide in Japan. Volume 36, Issue 2 of the New England Journal of Public Policy

How Were the War Dead Treated in Japan? Developments of Recovering the Overseas Remains of Japanese War Dead

How Were the War Dead Treated in Japan? Developments of Recovering the Overseas Remains of Japanese War Dead. Volume 36, Issue 2 of the New England Journal of Public Policy