- Title
- Queens of Slippery Rock Oral History Collection
- Abstract
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The Queens of Slippery Rock Oral History project was conceived by Dr. Mark O'Connor, an associate professor of English at SRU. Rose Xavier, an English literature major from the class of 2018, researched and conducted interviews of Slippery Rock Homecoming Queens. The...
Show moreThe Queens of Slippery Rock Oral History project was conceived by Dr. Mark O'Connor, an associate professor of English at SRU. Rose Xavier, an English literature major from the class of 2018, researched and conducted interviews of Slippery Rock Homecoming Queens. The research culminated in the essay “Queens of Slippery Rock” co-authored by Xavier and Brenna Waugaman for the 2018 edition of SLAB literary magazine.
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- Title
- Queer clients' experiences of harm in therapy
- Year Issued
- 2023
- Abstract
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This thesis aimed to explore how queer clients experience harm in music therapy and how that harm impacted the therapeutic relationship and process. Upon completing an initial interest and demographic survey, four participants were selected to participate in semi-str...
Show moreThis thesis aimed to explore how queer clients experience harm in music therapy and how that harm impacted the therapeutic relationship and process. Upon completing an initial interest and demographic survey, four participants were selected to participate in semi-structured Zoom interviews. Interviews were transcribed and coded, resulting in seven themes: 1) therapist responses, 2) client responses, 3) qualities of the therapeutic relationship, 4) client perceptions of therapist, 5) impact on client and the therapeutic process, 6) barriers to accessing therapy, and 7) what builds safety and trust. Findings are discussed in relation to the research questions, and implications for clinical practice and suggestions for future research are also provided.
Show less - Author
- Neumann, Jess
- Title
- Reading instruction for students with reading disabilities
- Abstract
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Students with a reading disability often struggle to become proficient readers. The learning support teachers challenged with the job of teaching these students to read can significantly affect the level to which they become competent readers. However, without scient...
Show moreStudents with a reading disability often struggle to become proficient readers. The learning support teachers challenged with the job of teaching these students to read can significantly affect the level to which they become competent readers. However, without scientifically-based reading instruction, many students will struggle with the reading process, and many will not learn to read at a proficient level. Therefore, it was the purpose of this qualitative research study to explore the lived experiences of elementary special education teachers currently teaching reading to students with reading disabilities. Through the use of a hermeneutic phenomenological design, the researcher utilized questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of elementary learning support teachers in order to develop a deeper understanding of the internal and external factors that affect their practice. The researcher subsequently transcribed, coded, and analyzed the content of the interviews to identify themes within three broad categories: 1) internal factors influencing the teaching practices of elementary special education teachers as they teach students with a reading disability to read, 2) external factors influencing the practices of elementary special education teachers as they teach students with a reading disability to read, and 3) specialized knowledge that special education teachers possess and apply when teaching students with a reading disability to read. Through this study, the researcher sought to better understand these factors and how they affect the practices carried out by special education teachers in their pursuit of teaching students to read proficiently. The insights garnered through this process illuminated the importance of understanding how various factors influence how special education teachers plan and carry out specialized reading instruction for students with reading disabilities.
Show less - Year Issued
- 2022
- Author
- Whitman, Rebecca
- Sub-title
- the internal and external factors influencing the teaching practices of elementary special education teachers when working with students with reading disabilities
- Title
- Recognizing and navigating dynamics of power in the therapeutic relationship
- Abstract
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This critical thematic analysis study aims to explore how music therapists identify and navigate the complex dynamics of power in therapeutic relationships. Current literature illustrates how various theoretical lens’ view and address power structures in therapy, poi...
Show moreThis critical thematic analysis study aims to explore how music therapists identify and navigate the complex dynamics of power in therapeutic relationships. Current literature illustrates how various theoretical lens’ view and address power structures in therapy, pointing to a multifaceted understanding of power in therapy. Participants (n=6) were selected purposively to represent music therapists who had access to varying degrees of power in the therapeutic context as a result of their identity markers. They each completed a 45-60 minute interview that included questions related to sociocultural identity, understanding of power, dynamics of power in music therapy, how they navigate power dynamics, and reflexive practice. The interviews were coded and analyzed, then grouped into themes. Six themes and 36 sub themes emerged in the data: dynamics of power (inherent, multifaceted, intersectional and contextual, reciprocal, relational, omnipresent, systemic, privilege, access), associations with power (negative, neutral, positive), therapist responsibilities (safety of client, supervision and accountability, reflexivity, acuity, humility, curiosity, supportive, music as container, honesty), external expectations (therapist as expert, parent and guardian expectations, pressure to comply, loss of power, idealization of therapist), missed opportunities (advocacy, connection, humanizing therapist), and strategies of navigating power (challenging ideology, contesting hegemony, unmasking power, overcoming alienation, learning liberation, reclaiming epistemic agency, practicing democracy). From the findings, it is evident that music therapists may hold largely negative perceptions of power and could benefit from a more nuanced understanding as they address power imbalances in therapeutic contexts.
Show less - Year Issued
- 2024
- Author
- O'Sullivan, Emily
- Sub-title
- Music therapists’ perspectives
- Title
- School psychologists' perspectives
- Abstract
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Factors beyond legal regulations, ethical practice, and training influence the identification process conducted by school psychologists when labeling a child with a disability. Research has not sought to go to the source and directly question the process of identific...
Show moreFactors beyond legal regulations, ethical practice, and training influence the identification process conducted by school psychologists when labeling a child with a disability. Research has not sought to go to the source and directly question the process of identification from the perspective of school psychologists. This niche in the field of school psychology practice plays a larger role within special education, beckoning for an increased understanding of the cognitive dissonance and resolution processes experienced by school psychologists when labeling a child. Using a qualitative inquiry within a grounded theory, phenomenological framework, ten school psychologists from Berks County, Pennsylvania were interviewed. Interview transcript analysis was completed using manual, blending thematic coding, including inductive and deductive approaches. The research reveals insight into school psychologists’ thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of assigning a disability label to a child; salient factors influencing school psychologist disability labeling; and the cognitive dissonance and resolution processes experienced by school psychologists when assigning disability labels. Results indicate the presence of a vast array of thoughts and feelings experienced by school psychologists during the process of disability labeling. Salient factors during school psychologist decision-making to inform disability labeling, beyond federal and state identification criteria, are examined. Extending the present field of research, cognitive dissonance during decision-making and disability labeling was identified, with reflections upon the broader implications across special education considered. In totality, school psychologists feel the very real pressure to navigate the myriad of internal experiences and external factors to help students through disability identification and labeling.
Show less - Year Issued
- 2023
- Author
- Smyre, Danielle
- Sub-title
- a qualitative analysis of disability labeling and implications
- Title
- Sexism and cisgenderism in music therapy spaces
- Abstract
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This narrative inquiry examined the experience of gender microaggressions in the music therapy field. Gender microaggressions are defined as everyday assaults, insults, or invalidations that occur towards persons with marginalized gender identities (including trans/c...
Show moreThis narrative inquiry examined the experience of gender microaggressions in the music therapy field. Gender microaggressions are defined as everyday assaults, insults, or invalidations that occur towards persons with marginalized gender identities (including trans/cis women, trans men, and nonbinary persons) (Sue et al., 2007). As music therapy academic, clinical, and professional spaces are microcosms for larger sociopolitical contexts, music therapists are prone to enacting microaggressions through verbal, non-verbal, and musical means. Microaggressions accumulate throughout a person’s lifetime to negatively impact a person’s health and well-being. In this narrative inquiry, semi-structured interviews occurred with eight participant music therapists to examine their experiences of gender microaggressions in music therapy. Results demonstrated that gender microaggressions manifest in a variety of ways and enactors include music therapy colleagues, presenters, internship directors, educators, and clients. Five themes with 33 sub-themes were found: qualities of microaggressions (cumulative, intersectional, subtle, systemic), impact of incident (gender dysphoria, hurt, indignant, internalization, invalidated, lingering, questioning, regret, shame, shocked, stereotype threat, tired, tokenized, visceral reaction), survival tactics (avoidance, caregiving for the enactor, forgiveness, intellectualizing, minimizing, processing, self-protection, vigilance), interpersonal dynamics (impact on relationship, professional boundaries, power dynamics, response of enactor), and gender in music therapy (feeling affirmed, need for dialogue and support, perceived advantage of cis men). From these findings, it is clear that there is a need for music therapists to develop greater awareness of ways in which they enact gender microaggressions and to create more spaces for music therapists with marginalized gender identities to process these incidents.
Show less - Year Issued
- 2019
- Author
- Kristen McSorley
- Sub-title
- An exploration of gender microaggressions experienced by music therapists
- Title
- Sexual offenders in western Pennsylvania
- Abstract
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In the United States, the implementation of sex offender legislation, such as the passing of the Jacob Wetterling Act in 1994, was initiated to improve the response to the increasing perception of public safety concerns that individuals convicted of sexual offenses p...
Show moreIn the United States, the implementation of sex offender legislation, such as the passing of the Jacob Wetterling Act in 1994, was initiated to improve the response to the increasing perception of public safety concerns that individuals convicted of sexual offenses posed to community members. However, despite the enactment of such policies, debates regarding the effectiveness of sex offender registration and notification (SORN) requirements continue, with critics arguing that policies are founded on conclusions gained from research that overlooks a portion of the sex-offending population: females who sexually offend. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to explore the prevalence and nature of female sex offending in Allegheny County. Results demonstrated that female sex offenders accounted for 2.8% of the total convicted sexual offender population in Allegheny. Additionally, females were primarily White and, on average, younger than male offenders. A significant proportion of females (82.1%) had a minor victim, and the study's findings also determined that lifetime registry was the highest occurring tier classification for both males and females. Types of primary offenses that females were convicted of included charges such as sex trafficking (7.7%) and indecent assault (30.8%), with indecent assault also as the most frequent sub-offense conviction (12.8%). Lastly, results exhibited that male (M = 7.46, SD = 3.221) and female (M = 6.46, SD = 2.602) sex offenders in Allegheny County did not have significantly different offense gravity scores.
Show less - Year Issued
- 2023
- Author
- Kuhn, Elizabeth
- Sub-title
- An analysis of Megan's Law registrants