Diverse College Research Articles

MMPI-3 scale predictors of reactions to ostracism in a sample of racially diverse college students.

We examined the ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) scales to predict reflexive reactions to rejection elicited via a Cyberball task. In an effort to expand the criterion-related and incremental validity knowledge of the MMPI-3, we specifically focused on scale associations with the following adverse reflexive reactions: feelings of rejection, low positive and high negative affect, and high perceived threats to social needs. We hypothesized 10 substantive scales that assess negative emotionality, self-esteem, paranoia, and interpersonal difficulties to be positively associated with these adverse reactions, while we expected four scales indicative of interpersonal antagonism to be inversely related. The sample included 180 undergraduate students (80.6% female, 17.2% male; 59.5% White, 40.5% people of color), and analyses were conducted using the full sample and race-based subsamples. Results partially supported hypotheses, most notably in the case of indicators of mood/negative emotionality, Self-Doubt, and Self-Importance. Results were largely consistent across race-based subsamples with some notable exceptions. Our findings provide support for the validity of the MMPI-3 scales and their ability to assess reactions to an interpersonal stressor via a behavioral paradigm. Limitations (e.g., reliance on college student sample) and future directions (e.g., need for replication with larger samples) are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A culturally competent approach to teaching humanities in an international medical school: potential frameworks and lessons learned.

Background: This paper describes the development of a culturally competent medical humanities course for second and third-year medical students at the ethnically diverse College of Medicine at Qatar University. First taught in 2016, the elective seminar "Medicine and the Arts" was restructured in 2017 to cultivate an appreciation of the symbiotic relationship between medicine, art, and humanities, and to foster cultural competence among the students. Methods: Results and tips are based on our experiences and past reports. Results: In designing a course for students immersed in an Arab-Muslim context, we encountered two challenges: the discipline's privileging of a predominantly Western canon of arts and humanities, and the largely Euro-American-centric and unilateral framing of concepts e.g., the doctor-patient relationship, patient-centered approach, patient experiences, and meanings of health and illness. To circumvent these challenges, we followed the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence, adopted the interdisciplinary approach, and employed an intersectionality framework to build and deliver a culturally competent course exploring the nexus of arts, humanities, and medicine. In addition to these tips on which frameworks to adopt and how to structure the course, we recommend a visual literacy workshop to help them develop the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through art. Furthermore, we recommend deep conversations about artistic portrayals of medicine from different cultural contexts as tools for developing cultural awareness. Lastly, we recommend that these discussions adopt a student-centered approach, where students inform about their experiences and their own health and illness determinants, in order to develop their knowledge and practice of holism and patient centered approach, and other issues related to humanities and social sciences. Conclusions: Adopting and implementing a culturally competent approach to medical education, alongside interdisciplinary and intersectionality concepts, are potential conceptual frameworks to structure a course that uses art to inform about medical humanities.

Predictors of Depression among College Students in the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic

College students are disproportionately impacted by depression compared to the general population. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of depression among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform interventions. This cross-sectional study surveyed students at a large, diverse university in the southwest United States. Students provided information regarding the severity of their depression symptoms over the past two weeks (dependent variable) along with independent demographic and educational variables (age, sex, sexual orientation, grade point average, number of credits taken, first-generation college student status, race/ethnicity, and employment status), perceived stress, hours of sleep, physical fitness, and minutes of physical activity. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted. Variables that were significantly associated with depression in the multiple linear regression included stress, identifying as Asian, hours of sleep, and age. There is a need for stress management and mental health promotion interventions targeting college students. Additional interventionals should also focus on those more at risk, including those who identified as Asian (almost three times more likely to report depression compared with White students) and younger college students. We also found a need to promote sleep hygiene.

Who has different-race friends, and does it depend on context? Openness (to other), but not agreeableness, predicts lower racial homophily in friendship networks.

People form relationships with people from their own racial groups, a phenomenon called racial homophily, which reduces interracial contact and exacerbates inequality and prejudice. Although viewed as arising from environmental factors, we argue that racial homophily also involves individual choice and, thus, personality factors. We address three major issues. First, are interpersonal concerns (Agreeableness) and intergroup concerns (Openness) differentially relevant to cross-race friendships? Second, are current conceptions of Openness sufficient, or do we need lower-level facets more attuned to intergroup concerns? Third, can we specify the interplay between personality and contextual factors in different settings? Across four studies (total N = 1,820), Agreeableness failed to predict more cross-race friendships, in both self- and peer reports, suggesting that interpersonal kindness was not sufficient to overcome racial homophily. In contrast, Openness and Openness to Other (O2, a new social facet of Openness) consistently predicted cross-race friendship. However, the O2 facet had the stronger and only unique effect, suggesting it is the "active ingredient." High-O2 individuals had an almost equal 1:1 ratio of same-to-different-race network members, whereas low-O2 individuals had 4:1 same-race. These results held for both college students and middle-aged adults, both friends and new acquaintances in the network, and both networks established before and at a diverse university. Finally, when moving to a more diverse environment, high-O2 individuals seemed to take advantage of the new environmental affordances, adding more different-race members to their networks. Overall, these studies advance understanding of person-environment transactions, showing how personality traits matter to the structure of people's social networks. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Variability in eating disorder risk and diagnosis in transgender and gender diverse college students

To examine differences in elevated eating disorder risk and self-reported eating disorder diagnosis across subgroups of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) college students. Data from 5057 TGD college students participating in the national Healthy Minds Study between 2014 and 2019 were analyzed. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses examined heterogeneity in prevalence and odds of elevated eating disorder risk, as measured by the SCOFF, and self-reported eating disorder diagnosis by gender, as well as by intersecting gender and sexual orientation identities. Genderqueer and/or non-conforming college students reported the highest prevalence of elevated eating disorder risk (38.8%) relative to gender expansive students. Genderqueer and/or non-conforming (11.1%), gender expansive (12.3%), and trans men and/or transmasculine students (10.5%) reported higher prevalence of a self-reported eating disorder diagnosis relative to trans women and/or transfeminine students (6.3%). Heterosexual or straight trans men had lower odds of eating disorder risk and self-reported diagnosis relative to trans men with a minoritized sexual orientation. Genderqueer and/or non-conforming college students may be at heightened eating disorder risk. Moreover, a heterosexual and/or straight sexual orientation was associated with lower odds of elevated eating disorder risk and self-reported eating disorder diagnoses among trans men and genderqueer and/or non-conforming college students, but this finding did not hold for other groups. College campuses should aim to reduce eating disorder risk among TGD students.

Characteristics associated with COVID-19 vaccination status among staff and faculty of a large, diverse University in Los Angeles: The Trojan Pandemic Response Initiative

ObjectiveThis study examined characteristics associated with being unvaccinated among a sample of university staff and faculty prior to university campus reopening for in-person learning in 2021. MethodsStaff and faculty responded to an email invitation to complete an online survey. Survey questions included demographic data (race/ethnicity, age, sex), COVID-19 knowledge and behaviors, employment specific data including division and subdivision (healthcare vs. non-healthcare related division); and self-reported vaccination status. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine significant characteristics associated with the likelihood of being unvaccinated for COVID-19. ResultsParticipants identifying as Asian and Asian American (aOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.96), Hispanic/Latinx (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.49) or Multicultural/Other (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.38) had greater odds of being unvaccinated compared to Non-Hispanic White participants. Other characteristics associated with greater likelihood of being unvaccinated included working as a university staff member (vs. faculty) (aOR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.24. 2.30), decrease in income (aOR = 1.34, 95% CI:1.05, 1.71), inability to work remotely (aOR = 1.48, 95% CI:1.13, 1.93) and not traveling outside of the Los Angeles area (aOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.83). Political affiliation as an Independent (aOR = 1.39, 95% CI:1.04, 1.85) or as something else (aOR = 3.84, 95% CI: 2.72, 5.41) were more likely to be unvaccinated compared to participants identifying as Democrat. ConclusionsSeveral factors associated with racial and social disparities may delay the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination. This study highlights the need for targeted educational interventions to promote vaccination among university staff and faculty.

A culturally competent approach to teaching humanities in an international medical school: potential frameworks and lessons learned

Background: This paper describes the development of a culturally competent medical humanities course for second and third-year medical students at the ethnically diverse College of Medicine at Qatar University. First taught in 2016, the elective seminar “Medicine and the Arts” was restructured in 2017 to cultivate an appreciation of the symbiotic relationship between medicine, art, and humanities, and to foster cultural competence among the students. Methods: Results and tips are based on our experiences and past reports. Results: In designing a course for students immersed in an Arab-Muslim context, we encountered two challenges: the discipline’s privileging of a predominantly Western canon of arts and humanities, and the largely Euro-American-centric and unilateral framing of concepts e.g., the doctor-patient relationship, patient-centered approach, patient experiences, and meanings of health and illness. To circumvent these challenges, we followed the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence, adopted the interdisciplinary approach, and employed an intersectionality framework to build and deliver a culturally competent course exploring the nexus of arts, humanities, and medicine. In addition to these tips on which frameworks to adopt and how to structure the course, we recommend a visual literacy workshop to help them develop the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through art. Furthermore, we recommend deep conversations about artistic portrayals of medicine from different cultural contexts as tools for developing cultural awareness. Lastly, we recommend that these discussions adopt a student-centered approach, where students inform about their experiences and their own health and illness determinants, in order to develop their knowledge and practice of holism and patient centered approach, and other issues related to humanities and social sciences. Conclusions: Adopting and implementing a culturally competent approach to medical education, alongside interdisciplinary and intersectionality concepts, are potential conceptual frameworks to structure a course that uses art to inform about medical humanities.

The Formation and Role of Social Belonging in On-Campus Integration of Diverse First-Generation College Students

First-generation college students (FGCS) experience high rates of attrition compared to continuing generation college students. FGCS frequently identify with several other historically marginalized identities on college campuses. The development of a sense of belonging on-campus is one of the main drivers of retention. The current study examines how sense of belonging on-campus develops during the first-year of college for different FGCS and how attitudes about on-campus relationships evolve over time. Thirteen participants were interviewed at three time points during their first year of college. Grounded theory analysis revealed four themes: 1) higher education provides a cultural learning environment; 2) multiple factors create challenges to relationship building; 3) extreme value differences create hard limits around friendships; and 4) within group friendships provide social and psychological value. Findings extend the current literature on the importance of social belonging for retention of diverse FGCS and highlight the importance of intersectionality in this work.

Differences in Pre-Service Teacher Attitude Change about Family Involvement across Four Universities

This study explored item-level change in pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward teacher- and parent-initiated parent involvement across four diverse universities. Pre-service teacher (N = 1658) attitudes toward parent involvement were measured before and after exposure to the online Parent Teacher Education Connection (PTEC) curriculum which provides information about Epstein’s six types of parent involvement. The four universities infused this curriculum differently into their coursework. Results showed that items demonstrated change related to how the four universities infused parent involvement curriculum into coursework. Overall, teacher-initiated involvement items showed more changes than parent-initiated items. Across the whole sample, there was change in items related to all six types of parent involvement. Results highlighted the importance of infusing parent involvement into the curriculum or teaching a full course, including activities placing pre-service teachers in the role of the parent, including service learning, and focusing on cultural diversity.

Prof-teaching: an English-medium instruction professional development program with a digital, linguistic and pedagogical approach

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this study is to present Prof-teaching, an English-medium instruction (EMI) lecturer training program at the University of Alicante (UA) and to determine if it meets the needs of the institution's current and prospective EMI lecturers. Design/methodology/approach In this case study, the EMI lecturer professional development program is described along with the surveys and course evaluations carried out to assess its effectiveness. The description focuses on the UA context, the key factors that promoted Prof-teaching, as well as the objectives and components of its three modules. Course participants' teaching experiences, needs and challenges are compared together with their course evaluations, which consisted of quality assurance questionnaires for each module. Findings and originality/value The findings not only provide evidence of the program's benefits, but also highlight the importance of collaborative efforts among diverse university units to implement EMI training initiatives, as well as to conduct periodic needs analysis and quality evaluations. An interesting result was that experienced EMI lecturers claimed that pedagogical training was more important than developing linguistic competence. It is recommended that programs provide lecturers with support technology and mentoring schemes with previously trained EMI content lecturers who already have experience teaching their subjects in English.

Why does local identity influence mental health among university students in Hawai‘i?

Objective: This study examines local identity and mental health at one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the United States to move beyond the dichotomy between international and domestic students. Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 1,098) attending a university in Hawai‘i completed anonymous surveys during class. Results: Self-identified local students who were born and/or raised in Hawai‘i had lower levels of depressive symptoms than non-local students, over and above their nativity status, gender, age, race/ethnicity, multiracial status, and socioeconomic background. Sobel tests further confirmed significant mediators, which suggested that locals were less psychologically distressed than non-locals because of their stronger familiarity with the “aloha spirit,” rooted in Native Hawaiian culture, and their lower risk of discrimination. Conclusions: These new findings can inform mental health services and interventions to better target non-local (international and out-of-state domestic) students by considering the stress of discrimination and the protective role of cultural values.

Internationalizing Teacher Education: What is the Erasmus Exchange Program’s Contribution in Turkey?

This paper analyzes the effects of internationalization seen through the Erasmus program in teacher education programs. The study's importance is that teacher training is generally funded for local environments by state systems; subsequently teacher candidates have less opportunity for global curricula. One of Turkey's most vital tools for internationalization is the Erasmus exchange program. Thus, this study focuses on interviews with teacher candidates having international exchange experience and teacher educators involved as program coordinators in their own education faculties. Twelve participants from different teacher training areas at diverse universities were interviewed. The research findings reveal that students' social and cultural skills developed more than their academic competencies and professional teaching skills. Although the program makes an essential contribution to internationalization on both individual and institutional bases; we reveal that course selection problems, difficulties in academic recognition processes, foreign language problems, and the lack of possibility of taking the practicum course abroad have adverse effects on the process. This research addresses knowledge gaps in internationalization policy as teacher candidates, and teacher educators' voices are not heard in such initiatives. The study suggests that education faculties need solid foundations for internationalization efforts.

Sustainable development goals and capability-based higher education outcomes

The paper explores the contributions of undergraduate university education to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ goals and development outcomes, proposing a normative capability-based approach oriented to human development. The approach is aligned with a developmental model of the university and development policy in sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa, where the study is located. It draws empirically from a four and a half year mixed-methods research project conducted with low-income, mostly rural students at five historically diverse universities in South Africa. The paper presents a justification for using the capability approach, and outlines the rationale and methodology for synthesising a specific capability set generated by theorising and empirical data. A set of corresponding functioning indicators offers an expansive approach to understanding ‘learning outcomes’ in contrast to dominant neoliberal approaches that seek quantification and efficiency, overlooking what cannot be easily measured. An indicative sketch of university arrangements required to advance and evaluate each functioning for development outcomes is then outlined.

Enregistering emojis in online socialization: linguaculturally diverse university students’ affective translingual practices

ABSTRACT This article examines linguaculturally diverse university students’ affective translingual practices of using emojis and languages in computer-mediated communication. Research studies have investigated the sociopragmatic uses of emojis from the perspectives of social semiotics, language socialisation, and translingual practices. This study expands on these perspectives and further adopts enregisterment as a conceptual framework to explore the emergence of emoji variations and other affective expressions in online discussions about news and social media content. The primary data were collected from written discourses on Facebook across 8 weeks and through follow-up data-focused interviews. The results present the multilingual participants’ metapragmatic commentaries on particular uses of face emojis in relation to emotive discourses, enregistered voices, and embodied contextualisation. The results exemplify the multimodal enregisterment of affective translingual practices through which emoji users’ playful performances can be recognised and enacted in online socialisation.

Health literacy needs and preferences for a technology-based intervention to improve college students’ sexual and reproductive health

Objective: To explore health literacy needs and preferences for a technology-based intervention (app) to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among college students. Participants: In Spring 2019, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 participants (10 male, 10 female) from a large, public university. Methods: Interview guide was developed based on Integrated Model of Health Literacy domains and Diffusion of Innovation constructs. Data were analyzed in MaxQDA using applied thematic analysis. Results: Dominant themes included accessing health information and services, evaluating options to make decisions, intervention utility and characteristics, and the emergent theme of credibility. Specific topics included accessing STI testing, contraceptive decision making, information on human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine, patient-provider communication, app design and function elements, and modifying the app to meet the SRH needs of diverse college students. Conclusions: Findings identified areas where an app could address college students’ SRH literacy, ultimately improving SRH outcomes among this population.

Promoting age-friendly organizational culture through lifelong learning programs in higher education: experience and insights from faculty

ABSTRACT Research has identified the benefits and challenges of creating multigenerational classrooms for the purpose of intergenerational learning in higher education. However, much less has been written about the systems of support needed at the organizational level to promote intergenerational learning within lifelong learning initiatives as a key component of their multigenerational engagement strategies. This paper analyzes the development of a college’s lifelong learning auditing initiative along with narrative responses from faculty who participated in the program to offer insight into the formal and informal structures needed to develop and sustain a lifelong learning program. Results indicate limited faculty knowledge about the lifelong learning auditing program at the college. Many faculty who participated did not understand their own role in the program and offered suggestions to help address these issues within their narratives. For example, faculty recommended more formal structures to acknowledge the work of those faculty who participate in the program, and to engage more professors and older adults in the community to ensure program success. Ensuring continuous program evaluation has been key to this initiative. In order to embed cultural change toward a more age diverse and age-friendly university, formal structural change led from the top-down is as important, if not more important, as creating informal networks that start at the faculty level.

A culturally competent approach to teach humanities in international medical school: potential frameworks and lessons learned

Background: This paper describes the development of a culturally competent medical humanities course for second and third-year medical students at the ethnically diverse College of Medicine at Qatar University. First taught in 2016, the elective seminar “Medicine and the Arts” was restructured in 2017 to cultivate an appreciation of the symbiotic relationship between medicine, art, and humanities, and to foster cultural competence among the students.Methods: Results and tips are based on our experiences and past reports.Results: In designing a course for students immersed in an Arab-Muslim context, we encountered two challenges: the discipline’s privileging of a predominantly Western canon of arts and humanities, and the largely Euro-American-centric and unilateral framing of concepts e.g., the doctor-patient relationship, patient-centered approach, patient experiences, and meanings of health and illness. To circumvent these challenges, we followed the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence, adopted the interdisciplinary approach, and employed an intersectionality framework to build and deliver a culturally competent course exploring the nexus of arts, humanities, and medicine.In addition to these tips on which frameworks to adopt and how to structure the course, we recommend a visual literacy workshop to help them develop the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through art. Furthermore, we recommend deep conversations about artistic portrayals of medicine from different cultural contexts as tools for developing cultural awareness. Lastly, we recommend that these discussions adopt a student-centered approach, where students inform about their experiences and their own health and illness determinants, in order to develop their knowledge and practice of holism and patient centered approach, and other issues related to humanities and social sciences. Conclusions:Adopting and implementing a culturally competent approach to medical education, alongside interdisciplinary and intersectionality concepts, are potential conceptual frameworks to structure a course that uses art to inform about medical humanities.

Enablers of pedagogical change within universities: Evidence from Kenya, Ghana and Botswana

Quality of teaching and learning in higher education is increasingly recognised as a pressing issue on the African continent, and there have been various reform initiatives to transform classrooms and institutions. However, little is known about the factors that affect pedagogical change in institutions, and enable or constrain these innovations from taking root. This study explores the cases of eight diverse universities in Botswana, Ghana and Kenya, ones that had implemented a range of innovations including problem-based learning, community placements and academic development programmes. The analysis draws on qualitative data involving interviews with lecturers and senior management, institutional documentation and campus visits. Lecturers were seen to engage in diverse ways with the initiatives, being either opponents, surface adopters, transformers or champions. Four factors emerged as key to influencing the uptake of pedagogical interventions: the drivers of the initiative; the existence of a shared vision; resourcing and incentives; and opportunities for reflection and transformative learning. While some initiatives are more ‘champion-led’ and others more ‘institution-led’, sustainable change involves attention to both university structures and individual practice, and to the interactions between them.

Dual pandemics of COVID‐19 and systemic racism: The roles of perceptions of inequities, civic values, and conservatism in mask‐wearing behavior

AbstractAmid unprecedented political polarization, the United States continues to grapple with the simultaneous crises of COVID‐19 and systemic racism. We examine potential predictors of COVID‐19 mask wearing at the intersection of these crises, with particular attention to the behavior of conservatives and young people, who have resisted compliance with efforts to contain the spread of COVID‐19. Specifically, we investigate perceptions of racial/ethnic inequities in the healthcare system and civic values as predictors of COVID‐19 mask‐wearing frequency and potential moderators of the relationship between political orientation and COVID‐19 mask‐wearing frequency. Diverse college students at a university in southern California participated in our longitudinal survey, which was initiated prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic (N = 431). We found that perceptions of inequities and civic values predicted mask wearing, whereas political conservatism was negatively related to mask wearing. Further, conservative participants were more likely to wear masks if they reported greater perceptions of inequities. Our results provide a foundation for future research that may inform targeted public health interventions aimed at encouraging responsible COVID‐19 behavior and fostering dialogue on systemic equities in a contentious political environment.

Exploring the Impacts of Change Orders on Performance of Construction Projects in Saudi Arabia

The construction industry is one of the most complex industries, and it involves numerous change orders. Change orders often occur in all or some phases of industrial construction work and have a significant impact on the success of the project, its on‐time completion, or ultimately, an increase in the estimated cost of the project. Change orders are one of the most frequently common problems facing construction projects in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of change orders on construction projects in Saudi Arabia and identify preventive solutions to mitigate these impacts. To achieve this objective, the effects of change orders on construction projects in general were identified through a comprehensive literature review. Then, an analytical study was conducted on five construction projects in diverse universities in Saudi Arabia. Following that, interviews were conducted with some experts in these projects. Finally, a survey was conducted by distributing questionnaires to the parties involved in the projects, and the responses were analyzed by using the relative index method. A triangulation technique involving collecting data from the analytical study, the interviews, and the survey was used to improve the validity of the findings. The results showed that the major impacts of change orders on construction projects in Saudi Arabia were on meeting the needs of the project, disputes among parties of the project, and the development of project specifications. A set of preventive solutions were suggested to mitigate these impacts, such as having all parties study the project and coordinate between them before starting the project and hiring a specialized consultant with experience in similar projects.