Transformative Experiential Impacts on Students: An Intervention

Students’ successes in first-year writing courses at the university level are critical to academic success and degree completion. Fostering students\u27 engagement in first-year writing courses has proved challenging for institutions of higher education (IHE). Utility value interventions (UV) employing social psychological intervention (SPI) methods have been implemented successfully to aid students in understanding the value of course content and improve achievement. Utility value is the perceived usefulness of a task or content. Similarly, transformative experience (TE) interventions have been implemented with success. Transformative experience is a learning outcome achieved when students re-conceptualize their out-of-school experiences as a result of their experiences in school. However, these interventions have not been implemented in the domain of writing, including in the context of first-year writing courses. Using a quasi-experimental field-based intervention, this study tested the effectiveness of four interventions: utility value (UV) only, teaching for transformative experience (TTE) only, UV + TTE, and control condition. The conditions were created by varying writing and discussion-based prompts. In the context of first-year writing courses at a four-year university, I examined how these interventions work and for whom they are most effective using measures of utility value for writing, transformative experience with writing, and performance on a writing task. Measures of expectation for success, initial interest, and prior academic performance were used as controls when comparing conditions. Controlling for initial utility value and expectations for success, I did not find significant main effects of the interventions on the measure of utility value given at the end of the semester. However, I found that the combined condition interacted with the measure of initial utility value suggesting that the effectiveness of this intervention was dependent on students’ prior utility value. Controlling for initial interest and expectations for success, I did not find significant main effects of the interventions on the transformative experience measures given at the end of the semester. However, I found that the combined condition interacted with the prior interest measure suggesting that the effectiveness of this intervention was dependent on students’ prior interest. In addition, controlling for initial expectations for success and prior achievement, I found mixed evidence that performance on the writing task was significantly lower for students in the combined (UV+TE) condition compared to students in the UV only condition. These results suggest that, although UV and TE interventions have been effective in other domains, the effectiveness of these intervention may not transfer easily to the domain of writing. Further research is needed to understand why transfer to the domain of writing is difficult and what modifications are needed to foster effectively UV and TE within the domain of writing

Perceived Transformational Teacher Leadership and Students’ Motivation, Academic Performance, and Intent to Persist in STEM Education at a Community College

The transformational teacher leadership style has been identified as having a positive impact on student motivation, academic performance, and persistence. This study served to determine if there is a relationship between perceived transformational teacher leadership and student motivation, academic performance, and STEM persistence intentions for students in transferable general education biological science courses offered at community colleges. This quantitative research study was conducted in two phases at one campus of a large, multi-campus community college in a major urban area in a Mid-Atlantic state. In the initial phase, the researcher administered the survey to students who volunteered to participate in the study. The students who participated were enrolled in a transferable general education biological science course at the study location during the final four weeks of the semester. In the first phase, a survey containing 34 statements from the MLQ 5X-short, the MSLQ, and demographic information was administered to 178 students enrolled in transferable general education biological science courses. In the second phase, data on the student’s final numerical course grade was collected from the instructor. A regression analysis was conducted to determine if such a relationship exists. The study did not find a statistical relationship between perceived transformational teacher leadership and academic success or intent to persist in STEM coursework. The study, however, did find a relationship between perceived transformational teacher leadership and student motivation. This study has provided additional insight as to what factors influence students in a biological community college classroom. While this study may not be generalizable to all academic subjects or student populations, it does serve to offer researchers additional knowledge in an effort to further support and retain students in higher education settings

Creating Momentum to Rise Above the Floor of Compliance – Sexual Harassment at a Large Private University, with a Focus on Faculty

This paper reports on the evolution of discourse and practices related to sexual harassment at a large private university in the northeast US. Fifteen years ago, statistics on sexual harassment were slim and campus conversations about sexual harassment were non-existent. An NSF-funded ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Project with a goal of increasing the representation and advancement of women STEM faculty brought a number of interventions to the campus starting in 2012. Over the past five years, several initiatives grounded in the work of ADVANCE have created momentum towards change with regard to prevalence, reporting, and prevention of sexual harassment. These include a Women’s Caucus within faculty governance, a campus-wide workshop on sexual harassment, unit-level bystander awareness/action workshops, and a qualitative study of the lived experiences of women students at the university. The current state of the university is discussed, including reporting patterns among students and employees, transparency of sexual harassment data, challenges in the communication and interpretation of this data, and a growing chorus of voices joining the campus conversation. Subject matter experts from across divisional and college lines are coming together to share perspectives and “connect the dots” regarding the prevalence and solutions of sexual harassment on campus. In a desired future state for the university, sexual harassment would be minimized in an environment where robust educational efforts would link university core values with workplace environment expectations, and development and accountability of academic leaders at all levels would be rigorous. The paper explores how this notion of a desired future state has motivated rich conversations exploring outcomes, policy, practices, and metrics to answer questions such as “what does the future desired state look like?” and “how do we know if we are moving in the right direction?” and “are we there yet?”

Sport and Family Functioning: Strengthening Elite Sport Families

Families play an important role in society, both in human sustenance and individual development.  Family systems theory views the family as a series of interconnected parts that when functioning properly, provide individual members with multiple benefits. Interaction with external systems, such as sport, school or church, can have positive and negative impacts on the family. It is unclear, however, what elements of sport relate to specific outcomes.  The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between elite youth sport participation and family units, and how these two spheres, individually and in combination, impact family functioning.  In-depth, purposeful interviews with seven “sport families” revealed that in addition to the depletion of resources (financial and time), elite sport engagement strongly detracts from the marital dyad and family unit receiving sufficient time and attention for proper functioning.  The results also offer insight into how the leagues can be better managed such that they positively contribute to family functioning.  Specifically, the results indicate that leagues can aid in strengthening family functioning through allowing families to have coaching input, and providing greater attention to scheduling, league expectations, and instrumental support

Health Literacy and Women's Reproductive Health: A Systematic Review

Background: Health literacy is thought to impact women's reproductive health, yet no comprehensive systematic reviews have been conducted on the topic. Our objective was to systematically identify, investigate, and summarize research on the relationship between health literacy and women's reproductive health knowledge, behaviors, and outcomes

Sport and Family Functioning: Strengthening Elite Sport Families

Families play an important role in society, both in human sustenance and individual development.  Family systems theory views the family as a series of interconnected parts that when functioning properly, provide individual members with multiple benefits. Interaction with external systems, such as sport, school or church, can have positive and negative impacts on the family. It is unclear, however, what elements of sport relate to specific outcomes.  The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between elite youth sport participation and family units, and how these two spheres, individually and in combination, impact family functioning.  In-depth, purposeful interviews with seven “sport families” revealed that in addition to the depletion of resources (financial and time), elite sport engagement strongly detracts from the marital dyad and family unit receiving sufficient time and attention for proper functioning.  The results also offer insight into how the leagues can be better managed such that they positively contribute to family functioning.  Specifically, the results indicate that leagues can aid in strengthening family functioning through allowing families to have coaching input, and providing greater attention to scheduling, league expectations, and instrumental support

“It just makes me feel a little less alone” a qualitative exploration of the podcast “menopause unmuted” on women's perceptions of menopause

Objective: Menopause can negatively impact women's quality of life, with many women reporting inadequate information and support. Podcasts have grown in popularity in recent years and have been found to be accessible methods for increasing knowledge and challenging perceptions of stigmatized topics. The current research aimed to understand the impact of the podcast “menopause: unmuted” on women's menopause-related knowledge, understanding, and communication practices. Methods: A diverse sample of 30 women aged 40 to 60 years listened to the podcast series, which focused on menopause stories, before taking part in semistructured interviews to discuss the impact of the podcast on how they understood and communicated about menopause. The interviews were analyzed thematically. Results: Two overarching themes were identified in the data. A “journey of knowledge gain” explores participants’ understanding of menopause before listening to the podcast and describes how this is deepened by hearing and connecting with women's stories. “Reframing menopause” describes the impact of the podcast, where women reflect on the value of communication amongst women, challenge and re-evaluate the stigmatization of menopause, and discuss ways to make positive behavioral changes in their lives. Conclusions: The podcast “menopause: unmuted” helped women to learn about the menopause experience, have a greater sense of belonging to a community of women, and feel empowered to make changes in their own lives. Sharing stories via podcasts has potential as an accessible and impactful medium to educate women and reduce the widespread stigma associated with menopause

"You're more engaged when you're listening to somebody tell their story": A qualitative exploration into the mechanisms of the podcast 'menopause: unmuted' for communicating health information.

While health podcasts can be effective in reducing stigma and increasing knowledge, we know little about their mechanisms of action. This qualitative study explored the mechanisms of how women connected with the podcast 'menopause: unmuted', which presented menopause information in a storytelling format. A diverse sample of 30 women aged 40-60 years were interviewed after listening to the podcast. Interviews covered participant's views and perceptions of the stories presented. Transcripts were analyzed thematically. Two overarching themes were identified. 'Openness and authenticity' describes the value of personal stories told in an authentic way by real experts-by-experience. 'Relatability and representation' explores participants' emotional reaction to the podcast, influenced by the extent to which they identified with the stories and storytellers on the podcast. Authenticity and relatability were identified as key mechanisms through which participants connected with audio stories, consistent with Fisher's narrative theory. These findings have important implications for the application of storytelling in podcasts designed to influence health behaviors. Diverse stories representing a range of demographic characteristics and experiences are needed when creating podcasts about health information to increase listener's relatability and connection. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An efficacy trial of an electronic health record-based strategy to inform patients on safe medication use: The role of written and spoken communication

We tested the feasibility and efficacy of an electronic health record (EHR) strategy that automated the delivery of print medication information at the time of prescribing

Engagement in Outpatient Care for Persons Living with HIV in the United States

Prior studies that have assessed engagement within the various stages of care for persons living with HIV (PLWH) studied patients receiving care in HIV medical care facilities. These data are not representative of care received throughout the United States, as not all PLWH receive care in HIV clinics. This study evaluated engagement in outpatient care and healthcare utilization for PLWH, beyond facilities that specialize in HIV. Cross-sectional data were from the 2009–2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Levels of care included receiving any care, receiving HIV-related care, established in care, engaged in care, and prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ARV). Factors associated with ARV prescription were determined by logistic regression. We analyzed data for ∼2.6 million outpatient clinic visits for PLWH. Of these, 90% were receiving HIV-related care, 86% were established in care, 75% were engaged in care, and 65% were prescribed ARV. In stratified analysis, the proportion of PWLH who were engaged in care varied by race/ethnicity (p<0.001) and ARV prescription varied significantly across the three age groups (p=0.004). Clinic visits within the past year did not differ for those prescribed ARV vs. not prescribed ARV [median, IQR=3.3 visits (1.8–5.6) vs. 3.6 visits (1.3–5.9); p=0.7]. Seeing a physician was associated with ARV prescription (OR=0.27, 95% CI=0.15–0.51), whereas routine engagement in care was not associated with ARV prescription (OR=0.99, 95% CI=0.96–1.03). Given that non-ARV-treated PLWH utilized outpatient care services at rates similar to ARV-treated PLWH, these routine clinic visits are missed opportunities for increasing ARV prescription in untreated patients