A Multicultural Education Praxis: Integrating Past and Present, Living Theories, and Practice

In our current climate of heightened conservatism and criticism, multicultural education is as important as ever. This article argues for the need to reframe multicultural education as a praxis based on its social justice- oriented principles, values, and practices. Using practitioner action research, I examine my implementation of such a praxis in a college course. I discuss critical reflections on demonstrating the interconnections between current and historical social movements, theory and lived experiences, and the students’ and my learning. I conclude by arguing that reframing multicultural education as a praxis could encourage more coalitions within and beyond schools

Integrating Video Evidence in Mixed Methods Research: Innovations, Benefits, and Challenges for Research Exploring How Beliefs Shape Actions

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the benefits of using video evidence as a catalyst for innovative integration in mixed methods research. We illustrate how video data were used in the elicitation interviews of three teachers to understand their interpretations of how their beliefs align with their observed practices and how they attempted to reduce cognitive dissonance that became apparent during the video elicitation interviews. This article draws from the mixed methods case study phase of a larger explanatory sequential mixed methods study conducted in Jamaica with 248 secondary school teachers. A subsample of eight teachers participated in follow-up mixed methods case studies. Case study data were collected in the form of qualitative and quantitative observation data, video recordings, semi-structured interviews, and video elicitation interviews. The video elicitation interview increased credibility in the inferences drawn about how beliefs shaped actions by allowing the teachers to answer in a more conscious, reflective manner as they selected segments of the videos that they felt reflected their beliefs about teaching in terms of learner-centeredness and teacher-centeredness. All data for each case were integrated using joint display analysis. The findings revealed that teachers’ stated beliefs that their teaching practices were more student centered were not evident in the video data collected which resulted in cognitive dissonance for some teachers. The videos provided an opportunity for the researcher to understand the inconsistencies in the data and how the teachers dealt with dissonance between their beliefs and actions that would not have been afforded without the use of videos during the elicitation interview. Integrating video data in research into psychological constructs has implications for educational psychologists as well as mixed methods researchers. Future research on the use of video elicitation in research about beliefs versus actions can consider using this visual method over a longitudinal timeframe to see if the use of video elicitations prompts change in beliefs and/or actions

Characteristics of Rural STEM Clubs and Implications for Students with Disabilities

There are many benefits for students to participate in extracurricular science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities or clubs. It is also known that students with disabilities (SWD) do not participate as much as their peers without disabilities (SWOD). However, there is a lack of research on SWD and their participation in STEM clubs. This sequential explanatory mixed method study explored teachers’ perceptions of the types and characteristics of STEM clubs and their participants, and their professional development (PD) to work with SWD in their clubs. Findings suggest a variety of STEM clubs are offered with an average of 20 students each but most participants did not know how many SWD were in their clubs. None had PD to work with SWD in informal environments. A discussion of findings include accommodations STEM club sponsors can use with SWD

Recruitment & Retention of Students with Disabilities in Extracurricular STEM Activities

This presentation will share the research and data the team has collected through two studies on SWD and informal STEM learning environments. We will examine why SWD do not participate in extracurricular STEM activities and what can be done by teachers and club sponsors to mitigate these barriers

Recruitment and retention of students with disabilities in extracurricular STEM activities

Presentation given at National Youth at Risk Annual Conference

Psychobiological, Clinical, and Sociocultural Factors That Influence Black Women Seeking Treatment for Infertility: A Mixed-methods Study

OBJECTIVE: To provide a comprehensive and multidimensional description and conceptualization of the experiences of Black women seeking treatment for infertility. DESIGN: Convergent parallel mixed-methods study combining retrospective chart review data and semistructured interview data. SETTING: Private infertility clinic. PATIENT(S): African American/Black women between 18 and 44 years of age who presented for an initial infertility evaluation with a male partner between January 2015 and September 2019 at an infertility clinic in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area. INTERVENTION(S): None MAIN OUTCOME(S): Treatment seeking. MEASURE(S): Psychobiological, clinical, and sociocultural factors. RESULT(S): Along with the psychobiological, clinical, and sociocultural domains, we understood that Black women who sought treatment for infertility were older and overweight, had complex gynecological diagnoses, and experienced infertility for long periods of time. The delay in seeking treatment was possibly because of a low perceived risk of infertility, poor understanding of treatment options, inadequate referral patterns of primary care providers, and limited social support. Further, Black women experienced delays in seeking treatment because they attempted lifestyle-based self-interventions before considering medical interventions. Facilitators to care included psychological distress, complex gynecological medical history, and finding culturally competent providers. CONCLUSION(S): The study findings show that Black women in the United States are vulnerable to disparities in healthcare delivery, especially within reproductive endocrinology. Our findings highlight areas where Black women are experiencing missed opportunities for teaching, early identification, and early referrals for infertility-related concerns. Future studies should seek to reduce barriers to infertility treatment at the clinical and policy levels

Plasma equol concentration is not associated with breast cancer and fibrocystic breast conditions among women in Shanghai, China

Equol (a bacterial metabolite of the soy isoflavone daidzein) is produced by 30% to 50% of humans and may be associated with health outcomes. We hypothesized that plasma equol would be inversely associated with risks of fibrocystic breast conditions (FBC) and breast cancer (BC). Plasma from women in a breast self-examination trial in Shanghai with BC (n = 269) or FBC (n = 443), and age-matched controls (n = 1027) was analyzed for isoflavones. Equol was grouped into categories (= 45 nmol/L) and, among women with daidzein >= 20 nmol/L, the log(10) equol:daidzein ratio was grouped into tertiles. Where available, non-cancerous tissue (NCT) adjacent to the carcinomas from women with BC were classified as non-proliferative or proliferative (n = 130 and 172, respectively). The lesions from women with FBC were similarly classified (n = 99 and 92, respectively). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated across equol categories and tertiles of log(10) equol:daidzein ratio. Equol categories were not associated with FBC or BC >.05). For log(10) equol:daidzein, compared to controls there were positive associations in the mid tertile for proliferative FBC (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.08-3.93), BC with proliferative NCT (OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.37-6.35), and all BC regardless of histology (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.43-3.95). However, trends in ORs with increasing plasma equol values or equol:daidzein ratios were not observed (P >.05). The results of this study do not provide evidence that equol plays a role in the etiology of these breast conditions. However, further work is needed to confirm or refute this conclusion. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Physiological Correlates of Volunteering

We review research on physiological correlates of volunteering, a neglected but promising research field. Some of these correlates seem to be causal factors influencing volunteering. Volunteers tend to have better physical health, both self-reported and expert-assessed, better mental health, and perform better on cognitive tasks. Research thus far has rarely examined neurological, neurochemical, hormonal, and genetic correlates of volunteering to any significant extent, especially controlling for other factors as potential confounds. Evolutionary theory and behavioral genetic research suggest the importance of such physiological factors in humans. Basically, many aspects of social relationships and social activities have effects on health (e.g., Newman and Roberts 2013; Uchino 2004), as the widely used biopsychosocial (BPS) model suggests (Institute of Medicine 2001). Studies of formal volunteering (FV), charitable giving, and altruistic behavior suggest that physiological characteristics are related to volunteering, including specific genes (such as oxytocin receptor [OXTR] genes, Arginine vasopressin receptor [AVPR] genes, dopamine D4 receptor [DRD4] genes, and 5-HTTLPR). We recommend that future research on physiological factors be extended to non-Western populations, focusing specifically on volunteering, and differentiating between different forms and types of volunteering and civic participation

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe