DARIUS: Data Archive Repository and Information Use Service
Welcome to HCU's DARIUS Repository. DARIUS is named for the Persian king named in the book of Ezra. DARIUS is a digital service that collects, preserves, and distributes digital dissertations and theses. It provides free, worldwide open access to the research, scholarship, and creative works of HCU's researchers and students. Our repository is an important tool for preserving HCU's legacy of scholarly communication and is a work in progress. Current students wishing to submit new content, please contact your dissertation or thesis advisor. For others, please email questions to moodylibrary@hc.edu.
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The Role of Nonprofits in the Career Development of the Vulnerable and Underserved
Roberts, Patricia
ABSTRACT
Roberts, Patricia., The Role of Nonprofits in the Career Development of the Vulnerable and Underserved. Doctor of Education (Executive Educational Leadership), December, 2023, Houston Christian University, Houston, Texas.
The purpose of this study was about how nonprofit organizations can provide effective career development programs for the vulnerable and underserved people, resulting in employment and assisting them with being self-sufficient in Houston, Texas, as well as the surrounding geographical region. The study was based on qualitative research data collection tool of an online anonymous survey of SurveyMonkey with Likert scale responses. A total of 26 nonprofit leaders and employees answered questions on the anonymous survey and the results were examined. A recorded Zoom focus group interview was held with five of the leaders who provided more in-depth answers. Participation in the interview was on a voluntary basis.
The findings of this study revealed how nonprofit organizations provided career development programs and the effectiveness of these programs through services offered to assist the vulnerable and underserved with employment and self-sufficiency.
The implications for nonprofit organizations are to meet the basic needs of clients first before offering services such as career development. Ensure follow-up with clients to measure the level of effectiveness. Explore ways to address the motivation of clients, access training through tools and technology, provide transportation in outlying or remote areas for better access to services and educate employees on services offered by the nonprofit. Evaluate existing programs and services seeking innovative ways post COVID-19.
In conclusion, the role of the nonprofit was perceived in this study as effective with room for improvement. Collaborations with other nonprofits about how best to serve the Vulnerable and Underserved especially the homeless would be important.
KEY WORDS: Basic Needs, Career Development, Homeless, Job Placement, Skills based training, Under-employed, Underserved, Vulnerable
THE FATHER EFFECT: THE IMPACT OF FATHERS IN THE HOUSEHOLD ON THE HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, SELF-EFFICACY, AND COLLEGE READINESS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES
Gordon, Christopher Sean
The past several decades have seen an increase in the number of children being raised in households without fathers, with a rise in the number of households that identify as single parent as the head of household in the United States. Within these single parent households, a majority are led by a mother. According to Pew Research Center, nearly one out of every four children in America live in households with only one parent. The issue has been particularly evident in the African American community. Studies have found that young adults’ ratings of paternal nurturance and paternal involvement were directly correlated with their positive psychosocial functioning. Paternal acceptance was also found to be a significant predictor of positive self-reported psychological adjustment. In general, research on the impact of the father has shown that parental involvement and presence has an impact on key outcomes, behaviorally, educationally, and beyond.
The primary purpose of this research study was to examine whether differences exist in self-efficacy, college/career readiness, and academic achievement between African American male high school students with a father present in the home and those without. To address this, archival data from the National Center of Education Statistics High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, which followed a cohort of over 20,000 ninth graders from 2009 until 2016 via surveys and postsecondary transcripts, was used in this study. A total of 1,107 comprised the sample in the current study. To address the research questions, t-test, Chi-Square, and Mann Whitney U-test analyses were utilized. The results included several statistically significant relationships and/or differences the between students who had biological fathers in the household and those who did not. In addition to students with a biological father in the home demonstrating significantly higher academic performance in all areas, these students also exhibited higher ratings of self-efficacy in some areas. Further, there was a relationship between having a biological father in the home and goals for post-secondary education, plans to enroll in college, and actual enrollment following high school. African American male students who had biological fathers in the household also had more favorable expectations of how far they could go in college and their family ability to afford college. The current findings suggest that there are many positive outcomes that fathers in the household effects. This presents an opportunity for institutions, programs, and policies to raise awareness on the vitalness of fathers for student educational development. A renewed emphasis on paternal involvement from school districts can increase the awareness to aid in child long-term development. The implication can be that students from households without fathers are less likely to perform academically, collegiately, and motivationally as high as students with fathers in the household.
Keywords: African American Males, Father Effect, Self-Efficacy, Academic Achievement, College Readiness
Educating Students in an Alternative Instructional Setting: An Assessment of Mental Health Consequences
Armstrong, Nay Shaynome
The purpose of this study is to assess the mental health consequences of teaching trauma-exposed students in alternative settings. As school district administrators may provide general or common mental health services for teachers, special attention needs to be given and additional programs and supports provided for teachers who teach trauma-exposed students and are regularly exposed directly or indirectly in one way or another to those same traumas. This study aims to bring greater awareness and deeper appreciation regarding the experiences of teachers who teach trauma-exposed students in alternative instructional settings, in hopes that school districts will incorporate more mental health programs and professional developments tailored to promote positive mental health outcomes for this population of teachers. This phenomenological study uses the interview method to investigate the experiences of a set of teachers who teach students in alternative instructional settings who have experiences with trauma. These alternative instructional settings include places where students reside which may be their homes, hospitals, agencies, or other residential facilities. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 male and female teachers who taught trauma-exposed students in grades K-12 in alternative instructional settings in a large urban school district. Data was collected through 10 semi-structured, open-ended interviews with teachers that examined various aspects of their teaching and work experiences, instructional and work environment, student population, and stressful or traumatic events related to their work. Once transcribed using Microsoft Teams, the responses of the interviews were then analyzed. Findings from this study contribute to bringing awareness to the experiences and needs of this population of teachers and how district and school personnel can work to revise current policies and practices to mitigate mental health consequences and improve their mental health outcomes.
KEYWORDS: alternative instructional setting, trauma-exposed students, teachers, students, teacher trauma, student trauma, secondary traumatic stress, administrators, impact, alternative education, jail, mental hospital, domestic violence shelter, sexual violence shelter, drug rehabilitation center, education
“Pawsitive” touch: Investigating the impact of facility dogs on pediatric patient coping through the lens of child life
Mullin, Tara B
With pediatric healthcare necessitating psychosocial supports to educate and normalize the medical environment for children and families, facility dogs have become an increasingly popular feature of children’s hospitals. While facility dog programs continue to grow through rapid and abundant support of anecdotal data, few bodies of literature have observed the specific scope and practice and psychosocial impact of facility dog interventions on pediatric patients. Being that facility dogs are often paired with Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) as their handlers, the researcher gathered insight from 71 CCLSs who completed an online research survey to share their observations and assessments of facility dog impacts. The aim of the mixed-methods study stands to observe the impact of facility dog interventions on pediatric patients’ psychosocial wellness. Moreover, with the incorporation of a phenomenological theory methodology, the study looks at the effectiveness of facility dogs who work alongside their handler—a CCLS—and gain insight from such handlers on their assessments and observations of implications and potential practices.
Results reflected positive insight and observations tied to the unique abilities of facility dogs on pediatric patient response and experience. More specifically, participants noted significant observations and assessments reflecting reduced fear and medical stress, along with improved patient compliance, emotional regulation, and engagement with staff with the incorporation of facility dog interventions. Beyond patient coping, facility dogs were also recognized as holding an optimal partnership with CCLSs, along with great potential for staff support and collaboration. The conclusions of the study stem from positive results, carrying into the understanding that facility dogs appear to play a vital role in providing individualized support for pediatric patients and families. In essence, the conclusions of the study reflect abundant potential in ways of expanding facility dog supports for a greater reach and impact among pediatric patients, families, and hospitals, as well.
The Role of Nonprofits in the Career Development of the Vulnerable and Underserved
Roberts, Patricia
ABSTRACT
Roberts, Patricia., The Role of Nonprofits in the Career Development of the Vulnerable and Underserved. Doctor of Education (Executive Educational Leadership), December, 2023, Houston Christian University, Houston, Texas.
The purpose of this study was about how nonprofit organizations can provide effective career development programs for the vulnerable and underserved people, resulting in employment and assisting them with being self-sufficient in Houston, Texas, as well as the surrounding geographical region. The study was based on qualitative research data collection tool of an online anonymous survey of SurveyMonkey with Likert scale responses. A total of 26 nonprofit leaders and employees answered questions on the anonymous survey and the results were examined. A recorded Zoom focus group interview was held with five of the leaders who provided more in-depth answers. Participation in the interview was on a voluntary basis.
The findings of this study revealed how nonprofit organizations provided career development programs and the effectiveness of these programs through services offered to assist the vulnerable and underserved with employment and self-sufficiency.
The implications for nonprofit organizations are to meet the basic needs of clients first before offering services such as career development. Ensure follow-up with clients to measure the level of effectiveness. Explore ways to address the motivation of clients, access training through tools and technology, provide transportation in outlying or remote areas for better access to services and educate employees on services offered by the nonprofit. Evaluate existing programs and services seeking innovative ways post COVID-19.
In conclusion, the role of the nonprofit was perceived in this study as effective with room for improvement. Collaborations with other nonprofits about how best to serve the Vulnerable and Underserved especially the homeless would be important.
KEY WORDS: Basic Needs, Career Development, Homeless, Job Placement, Skills based training, Under-employed, Underserved, Vulnerable