Immigrant students and their teachers – exploring various constellations of acculturation orientations and their impact on school adjustment

ABSTRACT

The present study examined what impact various constellations of acculturation orientations of immigrant students and their teachers have on the students’ school adjustment. For this purpose, the study analysed the acculturation orientations of 1106 5th graders and their class teachers in Switzerland. Using multiple regression analysis, we found that immigrant students were more satisfied at school if their teachers had similar attitudes about cultural assimilation and cultural diversity and could, thus, be said to have congruent acculturation orientations. With respect to students’ academic self-concept, immigrant students with a minority orientation whose teachers value cultural diversity including the heritage culture of their students showed a lower academic self-concept despite matching acculturation orientations. We interpret this result as a dilemma of teachers between the endeavour to develop culturally sensitive attitudes and behaviours and the risk to create stereotype threat and its negative effects through addressing cultural differences. Furthermore, a mismatch between the students’ (bi-)national identification at school and the teacher’s perception of the student as an immigrant or a native-born student could be shown to have adverse effects on the academic self-concept in the group of students with older teachers (50+ years).     

Using visual vignettes to explore sensitive topics: a research note on exploring attitudes towards people with albinism in Tanzania

ABSTRACT

This study is one of the first to explore the use of (drawn) visual vignettes in qualitative research in Africa. The vignette method was used to discuss the sensitive topic of people’s attitudes towards people with albinism in Tanzania among high school students. Focus was on two key questions: (i) To what extent was the vignette method implemented as intended?; (ii) Has the vignette method achieved its goal?. This research note discusses the effectivity of the visual vignette method as a tool to gain a better insight into people’s attitudes towards people with albinism, but also describes the possibilities of visual vignettes as a tool for research on other sensitive topics.     

Perceptions of and Reactions to the Homeless: A Survey of Fourth-Grade,High School,and College Students in a Small Midwestern Community

A total of 459 fourth-graders, high school students, and undergraduates completed a Homelessness Questionnaire developed for use in this study. Although participants generally expressed positive and supportive attitudes toward the homeless, attributing homelessness to either social maladjustment (e.g., drug problem) or negative characteristics (e.g., laziness) within the homeless was positively associated with “fear of and anger toward the homeless” for all groups of participants. In addition, perceptions of and reactions to the homeless were influenced by both the participants’ gender and age group. Although high school and college students’ interest in helping the homeless was associated with various attitudes and reactions (e.g., feelings of sympathy/support), their indication that they had ever helped homeless people (either directly or indirectly) was consistently associated only with the acknowledgment that their mother and father had ever helped homeless people (either directly or indirectly). Among these older participants, homelessness in the United States was rated as a more serious problem at the end of the questionnaire than at the beginning.     

Impact of an Intergenerational Program on 4th Graders' Attitudes Toward Elders andSchool Behaviors

Abstract

The rapid growth of the elderly population coupled with research demonstrating the existence of ageist stereotypes even among very young children have led to the rise of intergenerational programs. Very limited research has been conducted, however, to demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs in producing attitudinal change or other beneficial outcomes for at-risk children. This study examined the impact of an intergenerational program on children's attitudes toward elders and on their school-based behaviors. Eighty-one 4th grade children enrolled in an inner-city school participated in the study. Forty-one children, with matched seniors partners, engaged in activities based on the 4th grade core curriculum within an outdoor classroom environment, while the remaining 40 children participated in usual core curriculum activities. At the conclusion of the program those children who participated in the program had significantly more positive attitudes towards the elderly and significantly better school behavioral grades than did non-participating students. Impli-     

Enhancing Social Work Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Substance-Using Clients Through SBIRT Training

ABSTRACT

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based protocol that addresses both moderate-risk and high-risk substance use problems for individuals. In an urban college’s master’s and bachelor’s social work programs with 218 students, SBIRT training was introduced into core course curricula, with many students subsequently using SBIRT in their field placements. Evaluation of the initiative demonstrated increases in the students’ knowledge and favorable attitudes regarding working with substance using clients. Students’ ratings of the usefulness and effectiveness of SBIRT were high. In response to studies indicating the lack of preparedness of graduating social work students to work with substance users, this study demonstrated the effectiveness of SBIRT training to educate students to work with this population.     

Impact of an Intergenerational Program on 4th Graders' Attitudes Toward Elders and School Behaviors

Abstract

The rapid growth of the elderly population coupled with research demonstrating the existence of ageist stereotypes even among very young children have led to the rise of intergenerational programs. Very limited research has been conducted, however, to demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs in producing attitudinal change or other beneficial outcomes for at-risk children. This study examined the impact of an intergenerational program on children's attitudes toward elders and on their school-based behaviors. Eighty-one 4th grade children enrolled in an inner-city school participated in the study. Forty-one children, with matched seniors partners, engaged in activities based on the 4th grade core curriculum within an outdoor classroom environment while the remaining 40 children participated in usual core curriculum activities. At the conclusion of the program those children who participated in the program had significantly more positive attitudes towards the elderly and significantly better school behavioral grades than did non-participating students. Implications and recommendations for intergenerational programming are discussed.     

Reflexive Risk-Education and Cosmopolitanism in the Risk Society

Abstract

The extreme environment that students face, in terms of the global risk society, is the unintentional and high-risk consequence of the development of modern society. This paper, therefore, aims to discuss the possible strategies beyond traditional school practices for educators to think and act upon based on sociologists’ theoretical views of and empirical studies on the risk society. I will indicate that current education systems are an accomplice in producing modern risks, and will attempt to analyze the gaps between current education and reflexive risk-education. The gaps are: the experiential gap between individuals and the global society, the public-sphere gap between school and society, and the epistemological/cultural gap between eastern/nonwestern and western cultures. Three possible strategies to develop reflexive risk-education are discussed: developing an integrated curriculum through ‘critical glocal pedagogy’, assembling the social network through collaborations, such as with NGOs, and creating new social imaginations.     

Enforcing a Tobacco-Free Campus Through an Ambassador-Based Program: A Phenomenology

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether student awareness and attitudes about organic foods would predict their behaviors with regard to organic food consumption and other healthy lifestyle practices. A secondary purpose was to determine whether attitudes about similar eco-friendly practices would result in socially conscious behaviors. Participants: The sample was students (N = 443) enrolled in 1 of 2 core courses in a mid-sized Southern university. Method Summary: Students completed an anonymous 28-item survey about their awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Linear regression and path analysis were used to test whether attitudes were related to purchase of organic foods and eco-friendly behaviors. Results: Many students (49%) possessed factual knowledge about organic foods. More (64%) felt positively about having organic food options available to them both on campus and elsewhere. Taste and price most influenced the purchase of such foods. Attitudes were significant predictors of consumption behaviors and healthy practices. Conclusions: Positive attitudes toward organic foods and other environmentally friendly practices significantly predicted similar behaviors. Student consumers seem to act upon their beliefs.     

Translating knowledge into practice: using simulation to enhance mental health competence through social work education

ABSTRACT

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is an innovative experiential teaching method where students and instructors interact with a simulated client to foster students’ holistic competence in practice. Considering the context of North America where social workers are the largest service provider in the field of mental health, it is critical for educators to enhance competencies in students during the social work program. Guided by competency- and simulation-based, adult learning frameworks, this paper illustrates the development and integration of a range of educational activities into a treatment-focused advanced mental health course in the social work curriculum. We conclude by discussing how SBL enhances students’ mental health competence and provide recommendations when developing SBL in the mental health curriculum in social work education.     

Examining interactions within the theory of planned behavior in the prediction of intentions to engage in cannabis-related driving behaviors

Abstract

Objective: As marijuana use becomes more available to college students through increasing legal reform, this paper seeks to examine intentions for driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) and riding with a high driver (RWHD) through the lens of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and assess potential interactions between personal attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and sex. Participants: Undergraduate college students (N?=?311) completed online surveys in September, 2013. Method: Participants self-reported their attitudes toward DUIC, subjective norms, PBC, past DUIC and RWHD, and intentions to DUIC and RWHD. Results: Participants’ attitudes toward DUIC, subjective norms, and PBC were strongly associated with intentions to DUIC and RWHD bivariately. In regression models, attitudes and PBC were both positively and significantly related to intentions to DUIC and RWHD. Conclusions: DUIC and RWHD are concerns for college populations. Targeting personal attitudes and perceived behavioral control via interventions may reduce these behaviors.     

Teachers as risk and resource factors in minority students’ school adjustment: an integrative review of qualitative research on acculturation

ABSTRACT

The present study is embedded in the contextual approach of acculturation research. It examines teachers’ attitudes and behaviors, teachers’ expectations as well as their teaching practices as risk and resource factors in minority students’ school adjustment. The study applies the method of content analysis and uses a deductively developed and inductively enriched system of categories. The results of the study provide an integrative review of qualitative research on the role teachers play in the acculturation process of minority youth and their adjustment outcomes in the school context.     

Shaping ways of managing diversity in Portuguese schools,from the student's perspective

This article examines the results of an empirical research project that analysed the political socialisation processes of the students at three Portuguese public secondary schools in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in 2011. Against the background of the implementation of an ‘education for citizenship’ programme in the official Portuguese school curriculum (2001), the project basically sought to know what attitudes the students mobilised in the face of a hypothetical situation involving the presence of ciganos (gypsies) in a school context. In this respect, and based on a pragmatic and comprehensive perspective, we attempted to test the concept of multiculturality and how it is seen and experienced by the students at these schools. Our aim is to answer the question: In a school context, how do students think the coexistence of gypsies and non-gypsies should be managed? In seeking to answer this question, the methodology that seemed to us most appropriate to this study's objectives is founded on the mobilisation of a scenario-based questionnaire, and to this purpose we surveyed 700 secondary students in a classroom environment. We were able to identify and characterise four possible coexistence formats within the overall framework of a synoptic vision of the available ways of managing a multicultural experience: separation; socialisation; universalism; and co-operation.     

Comparing the effectiveness of individual and group therapy for students with symptoms of anxiety and depression: A randomized pilot study

Abstract

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of individual versus group therapy for anxiety and depression among university students. Participants: Forty-one university students experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression participated during one of three academic semesters from 2015 to 2016. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to either 6-weeks of individual or group therapy and completed outcome measures at pre-and-post-treatment. Results: Significant reductions in both depression and anxiety scores were found across time, with no significant difference between group and individual therapy outcomes. Exploratory analysis of attitudes toward therapy found that while individual therapy was rated more favorably than group therapy overall, attitudes toward therapy became more favorable from pre to post-treatment for all participants. An interaction showed differences in attitudes toward individual and group therapy according to participants’ randomly assigned treatment. Conclusions: These findings support the increased usage of group therapy within university counseling centers, with implications for stepped care discussed.     

Teachers’ multicultural attitudes and perceptions of school policy and school climate in relation to burnout

ABSTRACT

There is a growing number of ethnically and culturally diverse students in Dutch junior vocational high schools. This article examines teachers’ multicultural attitudes, their perceptions of cultural diversity related to school policy and school climate, and the chance of general and diversity-related burnout. The present research also characterises teachers in terms of their multicultural attitudes and perceptions of school policy and climate through cluster analysis. Results are based on questionnaire data of 120 teachers, working at five locations of a multicultural junior vocational high school in a highly urbanised part of the Netherlands. Correlational, regression, and variance analyses indicated that the highest levels of general and diversity-related burnout were found among teachers categorised as assimilationist in attitude and who perceived their school as pluralistic. Teachers could be divided into three types of profiles: (1) relative assimilative attitude, (2) no pronounced assimilative attitude, and (3) moderate assimilative attitude. Teachers with the second profile showed the highest chance for burnout.     

Uncovering issues of ableism in social work education: a disability needs assessment

ABSTRACT

Social work education’s commitment to teaching inclusive social work practice must not only be evidenced in the explicit curriculum and teaching methods, it must also be present in the implicit curriculum including administrative policies, student support, and resources. Yet, accessibility and climate efforts often fall short of addressing disability and ableism as barriers to education, despite the clear call for disability to be included as part of the field of social work’s commitment to social justice. A social work graduate program in the USA developed a mixed-methods disability needs assessment, completed by 586 respondents in 2016. The assessment highlighted the frequency with which students experience ableist microaggressions and lack of support they feel they have, as well as the need for a disability-focused community within the school. Results illuminated the need for education on the depth and breadth of disabilities, advocacy, principles of Universal Design for Learning, and ableist microaggressions. These findings can assist social work educators in developing tangible strategies for more inclusive social work education.     

How Does High School Extracurricular Participation Predict Bachelor’s Degree Attainment? It is Complicated

This study answered novel questions about the connection between high school extracurricular dosage (number of activities and participation duration) and the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. Using data from the Common Application and the National Student Clearinghouse (N = 311,308), we found that greater extracurricular participation positively predicted bachelor’s degree attainment. However, among students who ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree, participating in more than a moderate number of high school activities (3 or 4) predicted decreasing odds of earning a bachelor’s degree on time (within 4 years). This effect intensified as participation duration increased, such that students who participated in the greatest number of high school activities for the most years were the most likely to delay college graduation.     

Understanding vaccine knowledge,attitudes, and decision-making through college student interviews

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to explore knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about vaccines required for college-entry and vaccine-related behaviors among college students. Participants: Thirty-three full-time undergraduate students, ≥ 18 years old, enrolled at public (2) and private (3) colleges and universities in metropolitan Philadelphia in fall 2016. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews, which were double-coded with 5,015 comments overall and 99.3% intercoder reliability (κ?=?0.779) using NVivo 11 software. Results: Six key themes emerged: (1) low knowledge about vaccines and requirements; (2) mixed attitudes about required vs. recommended vaccines; (3) high trust in medical professionals; (4) low perceived risk for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks; (5) substantial parental influence on students’ decision-making; and (6) low utilization of Student Health Services. Conclusions: This study revealed lack of knowledge about and low prioritization of vaccination despite overall positive attitudes towards vaccines. Prematriculation education of college students is critical to increasing vaccine knowledge and use.     

Attitudes and knowledge of social work students towards sexuality in later life

Background: Sexuality in later life may be compromised by restrictive attitudes, and lack of knowledge among professionals. This study examined social work students’ attitudes and knowledge towards sexuality and sexual expression in later life and investigated associated factors.

Method: Undergraduate social work students from Israel (n = 375) completed the Attitudes and Knowledge towards Older Adult’s Sexuality Scale and questionnaires regarding contacts and exposure to older adults, prior sexual education and sociodemographic.

Results: Attitudes and knowledge were correlated. First year students were the most conservative and demonstrated the least knowledge. No differences were found between men and women regarding attitude. However, men and married students had greater knowledge regarding older adults’ sexuality than women or non-married students did. Increased religious observance predicted more conservative attitudes. Age predicted more permissive attitudes and greater knowledge about sexuality in later life. A mediating process examined, suggested knowledge is a mediator variable between age and attitudes towards older adults’ sexuality.

Conclusion: As the population in Israel and in Western countries ages, it is important to examine the knowledge and attitudes of social work students regarding older adults’ sexuality and to develop educational and interventional programs aimed at increasing awareness, knowledge, and positive attitudes in this area.     

Examining Ecuadorian teachers’ perspectives on their students’ multiculturalism

ABSTRACT

This study investigated Ecuadorian teachers’ attitudes towards multilingual students. This work was informed by findings from two previous studies consisting of observations and interviews with secondary school teachers. In this mixed methods study, 26 teachers completed a 22-question Likert Scale questionnaire that explored their awareness of the influences of students’ cultural norms on classroom instruction. In small focus groups, participants responded to three open-ended questions documenting their definition of multiculturalism and philosophies of how to create a culturally responsive classroom. Findings suggest that Ecuador’s teachers are aware of the diversity within their country but report their training did not stress the pedagogical need to consider cultural influences on teaching and learning.     

Mobile MyPlate: A Pilot Study Using Text Messaging to Provide Nutrition Education and Promote Better Dietary Choices in College Students

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the acceptance and effectiveness of repetitive nutrition-related text messages on college students’ nutrition knowledge and fruit and vegetable consumption. Participants: One hundred fifty undergraduate (18–24 years old) non–health major students with a texting mobile phone. Methods: The intervention group received biweekly text messages of the MyPlate icon and the United States Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines (DGs) for 7 weeks. The control group received the same information in a mailed brochure. A pre and post online survey assessed the students’ knowledge and behavior. Results: The intervention resulted in greater MyPlate food group recognition (p <.05) compared with control and a trend toward improved knowledge of the DGs. In the intervention group, fruit consumption was elevated (p <.05) and a trend toward elevated vegetable consumption was determined. No gender differences in intervention effectiveness exist. Conclusion: Texting repeated messages appears to be an acceptable and effective way to increase nutrition knowledge and promote positive diet-related behaviors in college students.