Awareness of the Use of Self in Therapy: An Autoethnographic Inquiry into the Training Experiences of a Black, Single, Female MFT Doctoral Student

The self of the therapist is an essential factor in the therapeutic process (Baldwin, 2000) and is impacted by intersections of identities and prejudicial treatment, which creates unjust conditions for Black women in society and academia. Nonmembers of the predominant culture can find difficulties in navigating the self of the therapist, which reflects personal and social experiences. In academia, the Black woman\u27s identity continues to face problems of exclusion and oppressive related situations, which can complicate the learning process (Ong, Wright, Espinosa, & Orfield, 2011). Several studies have explored the challenges ofAfrican-American students and faculty, in MFT graduate programs, who face cultural, racial, and recruitment issues (Wilson & Stith, 1993) as well as underrepresentation as professors (Harris-McKoy, Gutierrez, Strachan & Winley, 2017). The purpose of this study is to explore self complexities that impact individuality and professional development, as a therapist of color, and to understand the critical role of the use of self intherapy training settings. Writing an autoethnographic inquiry on my personal experiences while training as a Black, single, female MFT doctoral student address identity struggles, core issues, and theinterconnected nature of sociocultural factors that overlap with identities. This study is written from a feminist informed perspective, which recognizes unjust treatment of marginalized populations (Reinhart, 1992) and provides a way of writing that reflects my version of reality in society and academia, as a Black woman. The thematic analysis presents five categories and occurring themes that gives context to my lived experiences, personally and professionally, are embedded, shaped, and essentially defined

Distance learners: connected, mobile and resourceful individuals

In recent years the student experience of higher education in general and distance education in particular has been strongly influenced by the wide scale uptake of Internet based learning approaches and an expanding distance education market, amongst many other trends. As competition within the sector increases because of access to the WWW and other in-country socio-political influences, the push to attract and retain students is becoming a key issue for institutions. Understanding the distance student's voice in relation to these trends and developing appropriate responses to ensure a satisfactory learning experience is of critical importance. This paper reports on a recently completed study that explored the distance learners' experience at one dual-mode Australian institution. The paper outlines a rationale for investigating the student voice to meet the unique needs of the distance learner. It describes the approaches that were adopted to undertake the research and discusses some of the main themes that emerged from the study - individualness, connectedness, quality, mobility, and resourcefulness. The paper concludes with considerations for policy and practice in relation to utilising the distance learners' voice in enhancing distance learners' experiences

A Learning Outcome-oriented Approach towards Classifying Pervasive Games for Learning using Game Design Patterns and Contextual Information

Schmitz, B., Klemke, R., & Specht, M. (in press). A Learning Outcome-oriented Approach towards Classifying Pervasive Games for Learning using Game Design Patterns and Contextual InformationMobile and in particular pervasive games are a strong component of future scenarios for teaching and learning. Based on results from a previous review of practical papers, this work explores the educational potential of pervasive games for learning by analysing underlying game mechanisms. In order to determine and classify cognitive and affective learning outcomes, we propose employing game design patterns for mobile games and context information. Context information, in the course of this article, is introduced as an additional characteristic feature of mobile game design patterns. With the proposed framework we aim at understanding how pervasive game content may support learning. Findings from our research indicate that context information directs the use and presentation of content within a game and thus influences learning effects of individual patterns. This work perorates with a discussion on the shortfalls and potentials, which our framework for analysis provides

Stereotype-Free Mixed Birth Generation Workplaces: A Grounded Theory Study of Behavior Patterns

Limited job opportunities, later retirements and longer life spans had combined to create unique mixed-birth generation workplaces in America; three and sometimes four different generations of employees were working together toward the same organization goals and objectives. A popular management trend was to call attention to predicted conflict that might result and then recommend mixed-birth generation management strategies by stereotyping birth generation behaviors in the workplace and prescribing stereotyped approaches for each. In response to a concern with providing yet another opportunity to stereotype people in the workplace, the purpose of this study was to surface a theory that supported a new way of thinking about mixed-birth generation American workplaces through the discovery of stereotype-free workplace behavior patterns. In answer to the research question, “How do organizations create and sustain stereotype-free mixed-birth generation workplaces,” this research built theory grounded in the voices, actions and experiences of 18 people from different birth generations who worked with other generations of people in for-profit and non-profit organizations in the United States Midwest. Through Charmaz’ (2006) Constructivist Grounded Theory analysis of participant shared experiences, a theory emerged suggesting that a Fostering Work Climate regularly fed by contributing personal and organization culture factors would ultimately demonstrate the characteristics that both created and sustained a stereotype-free mixed-birth generation workplace

Mind-reading versus neuromarketing: how does a product make an impact on the consumer?

Purpose – This research study aims to illustrate the mapping of each consumer’s mental processes in a market-relevant context. This paper shows how such maps deliver operational insights that cannot be gained by physical methods such as brain imaging. Design/methodology/approach – A marketed conceptual attribute and a sensed material characteristic of a popular product were varied across presentations in a common use. The relative acceptability of each proposition was rated together with analytical descriptors. The mental interaction that determined each consumer’s preferences was calculated from the individual’s performance at discriminating each viewed sample from a personal norm. These personal cognitive characteristics were aggregated into maps of demand in the market for subpanels who bought these for the senses or for the attribute. Findings – Each of 18 hypothesized mental processes dominated acceptance in at least a few individuals among both sensory and conceptual purchasers. Consumers using their own descriptive vocabulary processed the factors in appeal of the product more centrally. The sensory and conceptual factors tested were most often processed separately, but a minority of consumers treated them as identical. The personal ideal points used in the integration of information showed that consumers wished for extremes of the marketed concept that are technologically challenging or even impossible. None of this evidence could be obtained from brain imaging, casting in question its usefulness in marketing. Research limitations/implications – Panel mapping of multiple discriminations from a personal norm fills three major gaps in consumer marketing research. First, preference scores are related to major influences on choices and their cognitive interactions in the mind. Second, the calculations are completed on the individual’s data and the cognitive parameters of each consumer’s behavior are aggregated – never the raw scores. Third, discrimination scaling puts marketed symbolic attributes and sensed material characteristics on the same footing, hence measuring their causal interactions for the first time. Practical implications – Neuromarketing is an unworkable proposition because brain imaging does not distinguish qualitative differences in behavior. Preference tests are operationally effective when designed and analyzed to relate behavioral scores to major influences from market concepts and sensory qualities in interaction. The particular interactions measured in the reported study relate to the major market for healthy eating. Originality/value – This is the first study to measure mental interactions among determinants of preference, as well as including both a marketed concept and a sensed characteristic. Such an approach could be of great value to consumer marketing, both defensively and creatively

The Writing for Healing and Transformation Project

As a qualitative action research study, the purpose of The Writing for Healing and Transformation Project was to facilitate more inclusive writing strategies and to promote individual and collective healing on issues of social suffering and oppression (Kleinman, Das, & Lock, 1997; Pennebaker & Smyth, 2016) for diverse students at a community college located in the northeastern United States. The 18 participants in the study included students in my English II literature and composition course. The theoretical framework encompassed Pennebaker’s (2016) “writing for healing” paradigm, advocating the use of expressivist writing and “social suffering theory,” examining how power structures affect social problems (Kleinman, Das, & Lock, 1997). As an intervention, course readings included literature with social suffering themes. Postmodernism and Poststructural Feminism were also central theoretical components of the study, introducing the use of the semiotic strategies of translingualism and multimodalities to examine teaching strategies. The intended results were to engage students as agents of community caregiving for social healing through the publication of a charity book on a social suffering theme chosen by the students and to facilitate inclusive and alternative methods of rhetorical expression. The data collected included a recorded book theme discussion, the students’ submissions for the book, and semi-structured interviews with three participants. Using open coding, the results demonstrated a number of benefits to students, including increased confidence and poststructural shifts in thinking and writing. Book submissions exhibited a variety of rhetorical styles and semiotic strategies, along with defined solutions for healing on social suffering topics

Sib Kinnect: supporting siblings of children with disabilities using a telehealth approach

Current evidence-based literature regarding the experiences of siblings of children with disabilities acknowledges that siblings have diverse experiences and that it is unclear to what extent siblings are negatively impacted. (Emerson & Giallo, 2014; Giallo, Roberts, Emerson, Wood, & Gavidia-Payne, 2014; Goudie, Havercamp, Jamieson, & Sahr, 2013; Neely-Barnes & Graff, 2011). Yet the literature also emphasizes that a substantial portion of siblings experience emotional and social difficulties and are in need of clinical services that better address their challenges. The aim of this doctoral project is to create an evidence-based and theoretically grounded program that supports siblings through the use of telehealth. Telehealth has previously been used with youth, mostly to address chronic conditions, and demonstrated comparable, and sometimes superior, outcomes when using telehealth as opposed to face-to-face treatment (Dougherty, Lipman, Hyams, & Montgomery, 2014; Gettings, Franco, & Santosh, 2015; Letourneau et al., 2012). The objectives of Sib Kinnect, the proposed program, are to use telehealth to increase knowledge about disability, promote development of meaningful interests, improve coping and problem solving skills, and provide an enjoyable experience in which siblings can connect and learn from each other. The eight-week manual-guided program is designed for siblings, ages 10-12, of children with developmental disabilities and will include fun, age-appropriate activities and discussions that address the desired outcomes in a format that is enjoyable and engaging. In order for this program to be implemented, this project will also discuss important operational components such as the evaluation plan, information dissemination, staffing, and fundin

Apples to Apples: Special Needs Education in the United States and Denmark

This comparative case study is designed to uncover varying approaches to teaching students with special needs based on the perceptions and practices of teachers. A closer look is made into the specific experiences of educators that resulted in Learner-Centered approaches to curriculum and instruction. Data was collected through published documents, questionnaires, and interviews of teachers who instruct students with special needs in the United States and Denmark. In the United States, data from educators in a private specialized education program in Georgia was used to compare data from public education teachers in a Danish Municipality. The study builds on current global special needs education research concerning teacher perspectives of the special education system, their use of Learner-Centered philosophies and practices, and historical perspectives of the special education system. There is little comparative research that connects teachers\u27 perceptions of the issues of equity in the special needs\u27 education field and their ability to combat those inequalities with practice. The purpose of this study is to reveal the similarities that exist in the two systems adding to the body of research that provides motivations and practices for equitably teaching students with special needs. Implications of the study support adapting individualized, non-traditional, learner-centered approaches to teaching special needs students based on similar successes in the United States and Denmark

Doctoral student reflections of blended learning before and during covid-19

Purpose: Οur study aimed to address the central research question: how were our experiences as graduate students in a blended learning professional doctoral program changed by the COVID-19 crisis? The study adds to a growing body of literature on blended learning graduate programs. Methods: We employed action research as our central methodology and leveraged narrative inquiry to elevate our (students’) voices. The two participant-researchers responded to a series of questions supported by narrative reflections from their common academic supervisor. Emergent themes were identified in the data using narrative analysis techniques for coding qualitative data into themes. This was followed by a second phase of data collection and analysis after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Τhe researchers identified four themes within the data: 1. balancing doctoral work with professional and personal responsibilities; 2. cohort provides formal and informal support; 3. individuality of the experience; and 4. supervisory group support. Implications: Οur study offers a number of key learnings that may benefit researchers studying blended learning programs. The key learnings suggest benefits to cohort-based, blended learning programs, as well as difficulties that may emerge in the individuality of the experience, when encountering crises, as well as more generally