A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Counseling Students in a Co-Facilitated Experiential Group

Research in the fields of experiential learning, group psychotherapy, and neuroscience has supported the inclusion of the experiential group in counseling training programs due to the potential for positive impact on students’ personal and professional development (Badenoch & Cox, 2010; Denninger, 2010). Investigations exploring counseling students’ experiences of the experiential group have been primarily limited to quantitative studies, while in-depth qualitative inquiry has been minimal. Additionally, an extensive review of the literature has found there have been no qualitative studies examining experiential groups co-facilitated by a course instructor and a doctoral student. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of counseling students in a co-facilitated experiential group. Counseling students in a South Central CACREP-accredited program were purposefully selected as participants for this study, based on the criteria of membership and successful completion of a 9-week experiential group facilitated by the course instructor and a doctoral student. This study utilized qualitative methodology to permit in-depth inquiry into and understanding of this phenomenon. Results of this research may provide a deeper understanding of counseling students’ experiences in a co-facilitated experiential group. This study may also offer a rationale for best practices in the facilitation of the required group experience in counseling training programs

Best Practice in Dementia Communication: Determining the effectiveness of pre-recorded, presentation-based learning for CNAs working in residential care facilities

The dramatic increase in the aging population and predicted rise in individuals diagnosed with a dementia-related disorder in the next 30 years has sparked an increase in the exploration of gerontology and best practice in dementia care (Curyto & Vriesman, 2016). Additionally, each person living with dementia spends less than two percent of their day engaging in social communication with a care worker (Ward et al, 2005). With a significant increase in the development of dementia-related disorders and minimal social interaction, understanding the manifestations of dementia and methods of effective communication between individuals with dementia-related disorders and direct care workers will be increasingly important as communication is beneficial and necessary for optimal care. In response to this rise in the aging population and reported lack of communication, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of pre-recorded, presentation-based training in improving CNA perceived purpose and knowledge of dementia communication. Intended participants in this study were CNAs employed at residential care facilities deriving from differing demographic backgrounds with various levels of previous knowledge of dementia communication. Participants were asked to complete a virtual learning experience about best practice in dementia care and communication. Outcomes for perceived purpose and knowledge were represented on pre-, post-, and post-postquestionnaires and measured before and after exposure to the intended intervention method of pre-recorded, presentation-based learning. One CNA participated in the study with noted subtle changes to perceived purpose and knowledge of dementia communication following completion of pre-recorded, presentation-based learning. This study was largely limited by the co-occurrence of this study with the global pandemic known as COVID-19 with orders for social distancing and contact restrictions. Therefore, Due to limited responses, little is known about the effectiveness of this pre-recorded, presentation-based learning for CNAs working in residential care facilities. Further research with a greater number of participants is warranted to further understand the impact of pre-recorded, presentation-based learning on CNAs’ perceived purpose and knowledge of dementia communication. If found effective, pre-recorded presentation-based learning has the potential for greater utilization with the collaboration of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other medical professionals to develop relevant programs

Sociological and Human Developmental Explanations of Crime: Conflict or Consensus

This paper examines multidisciplinary correlates of delinquency in an attempt to integrate sociological and environmental theories of crime with human developmental and biological explanations of crime. Structural equation models are applied to assess links among biological, psychological, and environmental variables collected prospectively from birth through age 17 on a sample of 800 black children at high risk for learning and behavioral disorders. Results show that for both males and females, aggression and disciplinary problems in school during adolescence are the strongest predictors of repeat offense behavior. Whereas school achievement and family income and stability are also significant predictors of delinquency for males, early physical development is the next strongest predictor for females. Results indicate that some effects on delinquency also vary during different ages. It is suggested that behavioral and learning disorders have both sociological and developmental correlates and that adequate educational resources are necessary to ensure channels of legitimate opportunities for high-risk youths

The Three Essentials: Improving Schools Requires District Vision, District and State Support, and Principal Leadership

Identifies seven strategies and charts steps for schools, districts, and state government to help secondary school principals succeed, including investing in professional learning and ensuring the effective use of high-quality student achievement data

Professional Learning Communities in the Expanded Learning Field

This white paper uses twelve evaluation reports of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) initiatives, as well as interviews with PLC participants and facilitators, to better understand how the PLC model is used in the Expanded Learning field, to demonstrate the benefits to participating staff and expanded learning programs, and to share best practices for youth-serving organizations interested in using PLCs

Extended ASP tableaux and rule redundancy in normal logic programs

We introduce an extended tableau calculus for answer set programming (ASP). The proof system is based on the ASP tableaux defined in [Gebser&Schaub, ICLP 2006], with an added extension rule. We investigate the power of Extended ASP Tableaux both theoretically and empirically. We study the relationship of Extended ASP Tableaux with the Extended Resolution proof system defined by Tseitin for sets of clauses, and separate Extended ASP Tableaux from ASP Tableaux by giving a polynomial-length proof for a family of normal logic programs P_n for which ASP Tableaux has exponential-length minimal proofs with respect to n. Additionally, Extended ASP Tableaux imply interesting insight into the effect of program simplification on the lengths of proofs in ASP. Closely related to Extended ASP Tableaux, we empirically investigate the effect of redundant rules on the efficiency of ASP solving. To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP).Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl