Graduate Students Research Articles

Changing Nurse Education Meaningfully: Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Cultural Safety in Curriculum Development.

Nurse educators are called to increase diversity in the clinical and faculty workforce; promote safe, inclusive learning environments; develop curricula that provide an anti-biased view of patients and health conditions; and provide students with educational opportunities to learn from individuals with diverse backgrounds. An innovative curriculum design inclusive of Indigenous worldviews was implemented at a tribal college. It provides an exemplar that supports diverse student learning, retention, and graduation. A curriculum inclusive of experiences that promote reflective practices and cultural safety can contribute toward a diverse, inclusive nursing workforce that provides equitable care while addressing social determinants of health.

Blooming social impact: Growing Appalachian Botanical Company’s resource partnerships in a rural ecosystem

Research methodology This case is based on primary and secondary data collection. ABCo’s Founder, Jocelyn Sheppard, sat down with the author for a 75-min recorded interview in July 2022, and she provided follow-up information via email. Interview data was supplemented with secondary data from publicly available sources to fill in portions on the founder, the company’s history and its location; and triangulate the collected interview data (Creswell and Poth, 2018). There are no conflicts of interest that the author needs to disclose related to the founder or company. The case was piloted at one institution in the Fall 2022, Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 semesters, with 59 undergraduates in an in-person social entrepreneurship course and 165 undergraduates and 33 graduate students in an online asynchronous social entrepreneurship course. All students worked through the case in groups, and as a requirement of their corresponding assignment submission, they provided feedback that was de-identified. In total, 60 groups reported their feedback, which was considered during the subsequent drafts of the case and instructors’ manual IM. According to the anonymized feedback, the protagonist, product line, desired social impact and experienced challenges of ABCo were all said to be interesting, approachable and relatable for students, and the case piqued the interest of students coming from different majors (e.g. business, environmental issues, human services and criminal justice). Students from rural areas, or those who have family in rural areas, felt the case was particularly interesting; a handful of the students in the asynchronous online class who were unfamiliar with such settings suggested providing students with some additional contextualization of rural environments, either through class discussion with other students who had experience in those environments or additional media or text-based supports. Further adjustments also included removing a reading and a corresponding question and revising elements within the Teaching Approaches section of the IM to support the additions they suggested within the feedback (i.e. spending time to define and walk through the provided model and highlight the differences of rural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in the rural as a class before engaging in the related write-ups for that question). Case overview/synopsis Jocelyn Sheppard, Founder of Appalachian Botanical Company (“ABCo”), had built her company not just on a vision of revitalizing reclaimed coal mine land through planting and producing products with lavender, but also to have a social impact on the rural town of Ashford and its greater region of Boone County in West Virginia, USA. While she understood that hiring workers in need of a second chance would present its challenges, she was shocked by the depth of social need her new employees presented, which contributed to many employees’ disruptive behaviors and turnover. To approach the problem at hand, Sheppard needed to reflect on the resources around her, namely, other entities and organizations who might be able to support her efforts to improve how ABCo delivers on its social mission and, thus, helps to improve the local community and its economy. The case draws upon literature and models within rural entrepreneurship and community development to have students advise Sheppard on what she should do next to improve the social outcomes for ABCo and its employees. Complexity academic level This case is geared for both upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship, including in social, environmental and rural entrepreneurship courses and course modules. The case introduces students to a social enterprise struggling to get its footing in a rural context. The case would be suitable for both introductory and advanced courses, especially when placemaking/place-based entrepreneurship or ecosystem building are discussed.

Neural digital twins: reconstructing complex medical environments for spatial planning in virtual reality.

Specialized robotic and surgical tools are increasing the complexity of operating rooms (ORs), requiring elaborate preparation especially when techniques or devices are to be used for the first time. Spatial planning can improve efficiency and identify procedural obstacles ahead of time, but real ORs offer little availability to optimize space utilization. Methods for creating reconstructions of physical setups, i.e., digital twins, are needed to enable immersive spatial planning of such complex environments in virtual reality. We present a neural rendering-based method to create immersive digital twins of complex medical environments and devices from casual video capture that enables spatial planning of surgical scenarios. To evaluate our approach we recreate two operating rooms and ten objects through neural reconstruction, then conduct a user study with 21 graduate students carrying out planning tasks in the resulting virtual environment. We analyze task load, presence, perceived utility, plus exploration and interaction behavior compared to low visual complexity versions of the same environments. Results show significantly increased perceived utility and presence using the neural reconstruction-based environments, combined with higher perceived workload and exploratory behavior. There's no significant difference in interactivity. We explore the feasibility of using modern reconstruction techniques to create digital twins of complex medical environments and objects. Without requiring expert knowledge or specialized hardware, users can create, explore and interact with objects in virtual environments. Results indicate benefits like high perceived utility while being technically approachable, which may indicate promise of this approach for spatial planning and beyond.

Factors and Manifestations of Resilience in Graduate Students: A Multidimensional Perspective

In the current environment of higher education, universities face the challenge of fostering resilience in graduate students, a crucial element for their academic success and personal development. This study focuses on analyzing the factors that contribute to resilience in graduate students at the State University of Milagro (UNEMI). A mixed-methodological approach was used, integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses of data collected through questionnaires applied to students from three different master's programs. The research, exploratory and descriptive in nature, adopted a non-experimental and cross-sectional design, which allowed for data collection at a specific point in time, without altering variables. The sample consisted of 733 students, utilizing a detailed questionnaire and qualitative analyses for in-depth interpretation. The electronic distribution of the questionnaires facilitated broad participation. The results, structured into seven subscales, revealed significant variations in student experiences across different disciplines. These differences underline the need for educational policies tailored to the specific characteristics of each field of study. Subtle but important differences in the perception of resilience and well-being between genders were observed, highlighting the importance of more inclusive educational approaches. Factorial analysis provided a detailed view of how various factors impact aspects such as health, well-being, motivation, and student satisfaction. It is concluded that this holistic approach is key to understanding the complexity of the university experience and developing educational strategies that promote comprehensive and enriching learning.   Received: 17 January 2024 / Accepted: 6 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Birth timing: supporting female graduate students

ABSTRACT Women seeking higher education frequently do so during peak childbearing years and women with higher levels of education are more likely to postpone motherhood until a later age. Fertility rate, defined as the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime, has decreased globally. The decrease in birthrate has been partially attributed to women seeking educational opportunities. Understanding the experience of students in this realm would allow higher education institutions to better support students who are (or wish to be) mothers. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of research examining graduate women and the factors involved in their consideration of having a child while in school. We seek to fill this gap by examining the impact of fertility concerns (FC) and importance of on-time degree completion (DC) on the probability of having a biological child in graduate school (PC) among 469 female graduate psychology students in the USA. We found higher FC was associated with higher PC. In contrast, higher DC was associated with lower PC. Furthermore, FC had a significant unique relation to PC after accounting for the contribution of DC. We discuss how institutions and programs may help support and empower female graduate students by implementing educational policies and procedures that are supportive of graduate student mothers. This is particularly important because a large proportion of women pursue advanced degrees, and this number is projected to increase.

299 Building and maintaining an engaged undergraduate equine research team

Abstract An objective of the equine science program at Penn State is to provide the training and knowledge students need to solve problems in their lives and careers. The Equine Research Team at Penn State (PSERT) is a novel approach to meeting this objective, inspired by Dr. Max Kleiber’s “Tracer Team”, a group of faculty and graduate students that successfully studied kinetics of phosphorus and calcium metabolism in dairy cows at the University of California, Davis in the 1950s and 60s. The team allows us to address several objectives that are not easily approached using more traditional teaching environments found in the classroom or laboratory. These include 1) satisfying the demand for research experience from a large number of students, who come to research with an enormous range of ability and enthusiasm, 2) providing the hand on practice utilizing the scientific method to solve problems in the equine industry, 3) building a sense of personal responsibility and simultaneously cooperation by approaching research as a team, 4) creating an environment of academic and creative achievement outside the traditional grading system, and 5) blurring the lines that traditionally separate academic and social life at a university to create an environment much closer to what students will experience as graduates. In spring 2008, 10 undergraduate students sought formal research experience opportunities in the area of equine science. Students were organized into a team that met biweekly. Project leaders registered for independent study course credits and conducted 3 research studies in yr 1, while the rest of the team participated as volunteers. Fourteen years later, the team is still an important student organization with between 40 to 60 members on an annual basis. Over the years, the team has traveled to universities and important equine industry locations throughout the United States. Members have conceived, conducted, analyzed and presented research studies on a wide range of topics within the sphere of equine science. The team has two faculty advisors, an executive committee analogous to most student organizations, a group of research project leaders, and approximately 60 dues paying student members. The biweekly meeting is organized and led by the executive committee and generally contains the following components: update of activities, seminar provided by an outside speaker from industry or academia who has expertise in the area of equine research, presentation by one of the research project leaders, and group discussion of the project, planning of future research projects. This Equine Research Team has been and continues to be a model that can be utilized by others to successfully facilitate undergraduate student engagement in research.

PSII-10 Development of an interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate course in precision livestock farming systems

Abstract The modern livestock industry is increasingly adopting data, technologies, and automation into daily husbandry and management routines and decisions. These advances in precision livestock farming (PLF) enable improved financial margins, sustainability, efficiency, and animal productivity and welfare. However, there is currently a gap between the engineers and data scientists designing the technologies and the animal scientists and caretakers using them. At North Carolina State University a novel course on PLF Systems for undergraduate and graduate students was developed in the Department of Animal Science. Through lecture delivery, livestock production scenarios, scientific literature, and data-based homework assignments students explored data collection, management, analysis, and data-based decision making. Students gained hands-on experience with a variety of sensor types and signal processing through lab-based activities. Basic hardware and software development concepts were explored during an Arduino-based microcontroller activity. The course was developed and refined using student feedback to include additional sensor and lab-based days and additional in-class supported activities utilizing Excel for data manipulation, processing, and presentation. Self-reported student learning results were collected across two semesters (19 students; 18 Animal Science, 1 Biological Engineering) with84% of students indicated the course was effective in increasing their ability to evaluate and implement technology in livestock production systems and 74% of students reported increased knowledge of coding and software, as well as their ability to clean, analyze, and make sense of raw data. The topics and delivery methods implemented in this course could inform the basis for development of similar interdisciplinary PLF courses at other academic institutions.

Research ethics in social science research during health pandemics: what can we learn from COVID-19 experiences?

The COVID-19 pandemic posed many ethical and practical challenges for academic research. Some of these have been documented, particularly in relation to health research, but less attention has been paid to the dilemmas encountered by educational and social science research. Given that pandemics are predicted to be more frequent, it is vital to understand how to continue crucial research in schools and other learning communities. This article therefore focuses specifically on research ethics in educational and social science during the pandemic of 2020–2022. The research involved interviews and workshops with University College London (UCL) academics, professional staff and graduate students and encompassed those involved in reviewing ethics applications, researchers dealing with ethics in projects that continued despite disruptions caused by COVID-19, and successful research projects specifically designed to study the effects of COVID-19 in various contexts. The article discusses some of the crucial knowledge and practical experiences that were accumulated. The operational and epistemological lessons learned from this particular institution may have wider relevance to research ethics processes in higher education environments where academics and students are grappling with post-COVID-19 ethical dilemmas and inform broader debates about how research institutions can build institutional knowledge to improve practices of ethics review at the times of health emergencies in future. Our evidence points to the significance of inter- and multidisciplinary, collaborative approaches that flatten institutional hierarchies and to the crucial role played by professional staff. In addition, we argue that ethics review processes must be underpinned by critical debates about wider issues of unequal power relationships between research partners, the nature of knowledge production, ownership and utilisation. To enhance equity and epistemic justice in research practices, ethics education should be an ongoing integral part of research ethics within research institutions.

The impacts of perceived access to public open spaces on non-physical wellbeing: focused on international graduate students in Seoul

ABSTRACT The growing trend of international student mobility in Asia and the associated challenges, advocating for the use of public open spaces to enhance students’ wellbeing. Using a case study of Seoul, South Korea, this research offers an investigation into the interplay between access to these spaces and the non-physical wellbeing of international graduate students. It primarily contrasts perceived access and the actual frequency of visits to these spaces. Variables derived from literature were compiled into a questionnaire in which then was analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study underscores the pivotal role of perceived access to public open spaces both in the city context and campus context, in enhancing the non-physical, highlighting the need for urban planning to prioritize quality access and awareness over mere frequency of visits. This study also emphasizes on the importance of perceived scale, safety, beauty, and ambiance attributes in moderating the positive impact of access to public open spaces. This result emphasizes on spaces that are not only physically accessible but also psychologically inviting and culturally resonant. This finding challenges the traditional focus on the quantitative expansion and underscoring the importance of perceived access for creating inclusive urban environments for an educational hub.

Developing preschool teacher graduate students’ professional identity with action research: connecting theory and practice

ABSTRACT This article focuses on using action research (AR) to support preschool teacher graduate students in developing professional identity. An effective means of generating new knowledge and transforming school practices, AR has increasingly been adopted in research on education due to allowing teachers to act as researchers and directly benefit from the research process. The objective of our study was to explore how engaging in AR can enhance the development of professional identity among preschool teacher graduate students. For data, we collected journal from 30 students while and after they engaged in AR for a full year under the guidance of university teachers and preschool-based mentors. The findings, based on our analysis of five students’ journals, suggest that engaging in AR supported the students in developing professional identity and increased their confidence as soon-to-be professionals. Moreover, the students reported that the support provided by the university teachers, the preschool-based mentors, and the students’ course group was crucial to their success. Overall, our findings highlight not only the value of AR in supporting preschool teacher graduate students’ professional growth but also the importance of collaborative support for their positive professionalisation.

Evaluation of a Pilot Wellness Elective for Master of Public Health Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Graduate student wellbeing is a public health issue in the United States. The COVID-19 outbreak exacerbated the mental health burden on graduate students worldwide. Culture of Wellness (PH 104) is a 2-week wellbeing elective course that teaches evidence-based wellbeing strategies for graduate students at a university in the United States. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of this pilot wellbeing elective on Master of Public Health students’ mental health and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants included 22 Master of Public Health students from the class of 2021 at a university in the United States. We provided a pre-course survey to students that assessed their perception of their own personal wellbeing, their knowledge about various wellbeing strategies, and their confidence in applying 13 wellbeing strategies before taking the course. Post-course students completed the same survey following course completion, as well as a matching evaluation and a five-month follow up survey. Results: Of the 13 strategies taught, students reported significant improvements in their ability to apply 10 strategies. There was a significant increase in self-reported emotional and physical wellbeing, as well as a significant decrease in burnout. Five months post-course, more than three quarters of respondents used strategies taught in the course on a weekly basis or more. Limitations: This pilot study is limited by its small sample size, which may restrict the generalizability of the findings. Conclusions: The PH 104 Culture of Wellness course was effective in improving graduate students’ wellbeing and confidence in applying wellbeing strategies

The psychological reality of the learned “p 

The .05 boundary within Null Hypothesis Statistical Testing (NHST) “has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move” (to quote Douglas Adams). Here, we move past meta-scientific arguments and ask an empirical question: What is the psychological standing of the .05 boundary for statistical significance? We find that graduate students in the psychological sciences show a boundary effect when relating p-values across .05. We propose this psychological boundary is learned through statistical training in NHST and reading a scientific literature replete with “statistical significance”. Consistent with this proposal, undergraduates do not show the same sensitivity to the .05 boundary. Additionally, the size of a graduate student’s boundary effect is not associated with their explicit endorsement of questionable research practices. These findings suggest that training creates distortions in initial processing of p-values, but these might be dampened through scientific processes operating over longer timescales.

The History of the National Academy of Recreational Therapists: 2011–2021

The profession of recreational therapy first established professional membership organizations in the 1940s and 1950s. The most recent national professional membership organization was developed in 1984, when the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) was formed. The National Academy of Recreational Therapists (NART) was established in 2011 as an honor society to recognize the most accomplished practitioners and educators in recreational therapy and to provide a clearinghouse for the exchange of ideas that would ultimately lead to the advancement of the recreational therapy profession. Efforts to establish NART began in 2009 when David Austin and Ray West drafted a conceptualization of the academy and its operations, as well as proposed a set of by-laws. A steering committee was subsequently established to review and approve by-laws for NART and to establish the Founding Fellows of NART. The central purpose of the Academy was the advancement of recreational therapy by recognition, education, research, scholarly activity, advocacy, and the provision of advice to decision makers. Since its inception NART has established and funded a Future Scholars Fund to support outstanding graduate students considering pursuing a terminal degree, as well as the Marcia Carter Scholarly Manuscript Award for the best annual publication in the Therapeutic Recreation Journal. Over its first 10 years, NART made revisions to its bylaws to refine criteria and categories for Fellows, and by 2021 there were 77 elected Fellows. The invited paper summarizes the first 10 years and considers a number of original goals that remain to be realized to support and advance this honor society.

LGBTQ+ People’s Perceptions of Interactions with Outgroup Members: Implications for Social Work Education and Practice

  Engaging respectfully with individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, genderqueer, or gender-nonconforming (LGBTQ+) is an ethical imperative. To help social workers fulfill this obligation, this study explored the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people regarding their interactions with people outside the LGBTQ+ community, and what LGBTQ+ people desire for future interactions. Narrative interviews were conducted with 11 LGBTQ+ social work graduate students and alumni to explore (a) their self-reported experiences engaging in one-on-one and small group interactions with outgroup members throughout their lives and (b) the meaning they gleaned from their life experiences across various domains (e.g., work, family, education) that might improve future interactions. Analysis produced six storylines that can be summarized as (1) unbalanced depictions of difference, (2) avoiding interactions, (3) managing positive treatment of an identity, (4) restricting certain perspectives, (5) focusing on differences, and (6) the importance of seeing humanity. The findings suggest several strategies for interacting with LGBTQ+ people in a more culturally sensitive way including discussing the LGBTQ+ community in a nuanced manner (as opposed to monolithically) and considering the level of attention paid to individuals’ sexual orientation and gender identity.

Attitudes of college seniors toward graduate student loan debt: the role of financial education

Purpose This paper aims to examine prospective graduate students' attitudes toward educational loan borrowing in an experimental setting. Design/methodology/approach Participants were randomly assigned to two treatment groups and one control group. Subjects in experimental group 1 received financial education: a short online course on the economic viability of getting a master's degree and how to finance it with a graduate student loan, while subjects in experimental group 2 received financial education along with information on the availability bias. Findings Relying on a control group in the assessment of financial literacy education intervention impacts, this research finds positive causal treatment effects on individuals’ attitudes toward debt-financed graduate education. In comparison to the control group, experimental subjects perceived the possibility of going into debt with a graduate loan to complete a master’s degree as less stressful and worrying. Practical implications This study has important educational policy implications to prevent students from stopping investing in human capital by perceiving educational loan debt as something stressful or worrying. The results can help potential (and current) grad students develop a feasible financial plan for graduate school by encouraging higher education institutions to implement educational loan information and financial education into university seminar courses for better graduate student loan decision-making. Originality/value Student attitudes toward debt have been analyzed in the context of higher education, but only a few researchers internationally have used an experimental design to study personal financial decision-making.

Construction of a competency evaluation index system for postgraduates of educational technology

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine the competency characteristics required for the employment of master’s degree students in educational technology.Design/methodology/approachA combined qualitative and quantitative method was used to consult multiple experts through a modified Delphi method. Competency characteristics were extracted from Chinese recruitment apps, national recruitment websites and university training programs. Ten senior teacher experts who teach educational technology master’s students were consulted through a questionnaire consultation to validate the proposed competency model. The weights of competency characteristics were determined through a combination of the analytic hierarchy process and entropy method.FindingsThe results show that when recruiting educational technology master’s students, more emphasis is placed on operational skills. The majority of companies tend to assess practical abilities rather than theoretical knowledge. Relevant knowledge of educational technology, psychology, computer science and education is considered to be the basic knowledge components of educational technology master’s students, while professional skills are the core skills required for their positions. Therefore, universities need to focus on training, educational technology graduate students in these areas of competence. The study also found that professional qualities (such as physical and mental fitness) and personality traits (interpersonal communication and interaction) receive more attention from companies and are essential competencies for educational technology master’s students.Originality/valueA competence model for educational technology master’s students is proposed, which includes aspects such as knowledge, personal skills/abilities, professional qualities and personality traits. The competence elements included in this model can serve as reference indicators for universities to cultivate the competence of educational technology master’s students, as well as reference points for recruiting units to help them select talents. This represents a new dimension in research related to the employment of educational technology master’s students. The study enriches the research objects and competence dictionary in the field of competence research.

The Born rule: Axiom or result?

The Born rule is part of the collapse axioms in the standard version of quantum theory, as presented by most textbooks on the subject. We show here that its signature quadratic dependence on the initial wavefunction's projection onto the measured outcome state follows from a single additional assumption beyond the other axioms. We give two examples of such an assumption, with a separate derivation for each, and we discuss their relationship with existing derivations. Our presentation is suitable for advanced undergraduates or graduate students who have taken a standard course in quantum theory. It does not depend on any particular interpretation of the theory.

2024 winner of the Best Graduate Student Paper Award

2024 winner of the Best Graduate Student Paper Award

Impact of Bias on the Scholar-Practitioner's Doctoral Journey

Impact of Bias on the Scholar-Practitioner's Doctoral Journey

대학(원)생의 대화형 인공지능 챗봇 서비스 활용 경험 사례 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to present how university (graduate) students use ChatGPT, an interactive artificial intelligence chatbot service, and what their perceptions are about it. Methods In order to achieve research objectives, We interviewed six college (graduate) students who had experience voluntarily using ChatGPT starting in early 2023, immediately after the launch of the ChatGPT service. Afterwards, we derived research results through the process of interview content analysis, member checking, and revision. Results First, university (graduate) students' satisfaction with their first experience of using ChatGPT influenced the frequency and reliability of subsequent ChatGPT use. Second, the purpose of using ChatGPT was information/ knowledge search, acquisition, confirmation, translation, coding and code modification, writing, foreign language learning, and brainstorming. Third, the method of use changed depending on the purpose of using ChatGPT. When brainstorming was needed, simple questions were asked about topics or keywords, and when in-depth information or knowledge was needed, the field, concept, and type of desired answer were specifically presented. When students checked their understanding or needed specific information, they first organized their thoughts and then asked questions. Additionally, they asked questions as if they were talking to a person, verified the information and answers provided by ChatGPT on their own rather than using them as is, and searched for related literature when necessary. Fourth, students recognized that the main characteristic of ChatGPT is that it provides easy and convenient access to various knowledge and information. Fifth, students mentioned that ChatGPT helps learning by saving time and acquiring ideas, but it has limitations such as acquiring incorrect knowledge and information, need for additional confirmation, and low learning effectiveness. Conclusions University (graduate) students are actively experiencing various areas of use of ChatGPT and are receiving meaningful help in learning using it. In the future, it will be necessary to clearly guide students on the strengths and limitations and discover and share various use cases so that they can use ChatGPT effectively.