Participation Strategies in Low-Resource Settings and Their Impact on Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills: A Study in Four Different Geographical Regions

In a global 21st century, positive social, cultural, emotional youth development is crucial. Theories of human development suggest that development is complex, contextual, and multidimensional. Thus, with changing conditions worldwide, it is important to understand the effects of young people’s activities in challenging circumstances and how different factors promote or hinder optimal development. Research shows that education provides positive benefits to child and youth development (Phillips & Lowenstein, 2011), but many individuals do not have equal access to resources and opportunities such as public or private schooling (Woodhead, Frost, & James, 2013), and thus show poorer outcomes on cognitive tests, socio-emotional development, and self-esteem measures (Adams, 2011). Because not all youth have equal access to education, the purpose of this dissertation was to explore whether participation in social programs and/or work may provide at least some of the cognitive and other benefits offered by schooling. There were three primary aims of this dissertation: (1) to review three forms of youth participation (i.e., school, work, social programs); (2) to display any similarities or differences in participation by countries sampled in the Young Lives study (i.e., Ethiopia, India, Peru, Vietnam) (Barnett et al., 2012); (3) to understand the relationship between youth participation (i.e., school, work, social programs) and cognitive skills and non-cognitive skills. Using a large, longitudinal data set from Young Lives project (Barnett et al., 2012), several research questions were addressed through secondary data analysis. Specifically, the third wave of data collected from all four countries involved (Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam) in the Young Lives (YL) was used. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was performed to examine whether participation in education, work, and/or youth programs had an impact on the development of cognitive (PPVT score, CLOZE score, Math score) and non-cognitive skills (i.e., Self-efficacy score, and Educational Aspirations, measured by asking the youth how far he/she hopes to get in educational terms). Findings from those statistical analyses indicate that there is a positive relationship between youth participation (i.e., education, social programs,) and cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Additionally, among youth in India, paid work had a positive impact on the self-efficacy score but was negatively associated with educational aspirations. Furthermore, youth in India who performed unpaid work scored lower on all cognitive measures. In Vietnam and India, there was a negative relationship found between unpaid work and self-efficacy score, such that those that performed unpaid work scored lower on the self-efficacy measure. Studying the lives of young people in settings that differ in resources and opportunities is important in gaining insight not only for specific adolescents but also for designing future interventions that promote positive youth development. Finally, how we define learning and under what conditions learning occurs needs to be reconsidered given the positive impact that participation in social programs had on cognitive and non-cognitive skills in the Young Lives sample. Keywords: Education; youth participation; Young Lives; positive youth developmen

Testing the Efficacy of MyPsychLab to Replace Traditional Instruction in a Hybrid Course

Online course-packs are marketed as improving grades in introductory-level coursework, yet it is unknown whether these course-packs can effectively replace, as opposed to supplement, in-class instruction. This study compared learning outcomes for Introductory Psychology students in hybrid and traditional sections, with hybrid sections replacing 30% of in-class time with online homework using the MyPsychLab course-pack and Blackboard course management system. Data collected over two semesters (N = 730 students in six hybrid and nine traditional sections of ∼50 students) indicated equivalent final-grade averages and rates of class attrition. Although exam averages did not differ by class format, exam grades in hybrid sections decreased to a significantly greater extent over the course of the semester than in traditional sections. MyPsychLab homework grades in hybrid sections correlated with exam grades, but were relatively low (66.4%) due to incomplete work—suggesting that hybrid students may have engaged with course materials less than traditional students. Faculty who taught in both formats noted positive features of hybrid teaching, but preferred traditional classes, citing challenges in time management and student usage of instructional technology. Although hybrid students often reported difficulties or displeasure in working online about half of them indicated interest in taking other hybrid classes

A training workshop on veterans and complex trauma post traumatic stress disorder: A grant proposal

The purpose of this project was to write a grant to create a workshop for service providers who work with veterans who suffer from complex trauma post-traumatic stress disorder (CT-PTSD) and locate a funding source. Since 2001, there has been an expansion as veterans have left the military. An issue facing veterans is how complex trauma interacts with PTSD. The agency chosen for the workshop is Veterans First in Santa Ana. The funding source is the Wounded Warrior Project. The project was designed to measure the skills and knowledge of service providers working with CT-PTSD. The workshop utilized pre and post surveys to monitor workshop effectiveness, provider understanding, and knowledge implementation. Currently, CT-PTSD is an under developed diagnosis that it is not recognized in the latest version of the DSM-5. With the help of workshops such as this, it is hoped that this will become a recognized veteran issue. Keywords: Veteran, Complex, PTSD, Grant Actual submission of and/or funding of the grant proposal was not required for successful completion of this project

Assessment of concentration and toxicological (Cancer) risk of lead, cadmium and chromium in tobacco products commonly available in Bangladesh

This study aimed to assess the concentrations of heavy metal (‘lead (Pb)’‘cadmium (Cd)’, and ‘chromium (Cr)’) in various brands of four types of tobacco products (zarda, gul, cigarettes, and bidi) as well as calculate toxicological risk as a lifetime cancer risk for Pb, Cd, and Cr. In smokeless tobacco products, the metal concentration ranged from 0.99 to 10.02 μg/g for Pb, 1.05–3.53 μg/g for Cd, and 1.23–7.29 μg/g for Cr, respectively. Metal concentrations in the smoke-based tobacco products ranged from 0.98 to 3.07 μg/g for Pb, 0.91–3.46 μg/g for Cd, 1.08–6.75 μg/g for Cr, respectively. When assuming a 100% transfer of these metals, the calculated lifetime cancer risk was found ‘unacceptable’ in 33 out of 35 tobacco samples which exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) benchmark of an ‘acceptable’ cancer risk range of 10E-4 to 10E-6. Our study demonstrated higher levels of Pb, Cd, and Cr in various tobacco products of Bangladesh compared to GOTHIATEK standard. This study shows the need for the development of industry standards and regulation for tobacco products to reduce the levels of heavy metals. Keywords: Heavy metals, Smoke-based and smokeless tobacco, Lifetime cancer risk, Banglades