Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Linking Homelessness In Secondary School To Postsecondary And Early Labor Market Outcomes In Maryland Using A Continuum Of Risk Framework, Dawnsha R. Mushongaa, Mathew C. Uretsky, Bess A. Rose, Angela K. Henneberger

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Homeless and low-income students share multiple overlapping risk experiences; however, some studies report little to no observed differences in outcomes between these students. From the cumulative risk perspective, homelessness is perched at the extreme edge of economic insecurity, suggesting that homeless students encounter additional hardships beyond poverty experiences alone. Using a continuum of risk framework, this study leveraged statewide administrative data from a 6th grade cohort of Maryland public school students (N = 52,610) to investigate the association between homelessness and educational and early labor market outcomes, above and beyond the associations linked to poverty. Findings provide support for the …

Flood Risk Perceptions And Future Migration Intentions Of Lagos Residents, Susan S. Ekoh, Lemir Teron, Idowu Ajibade, Silje Kristiansen

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Coastal communities across the world face intense and frequent flooding due to the rise in extreme rainfall and storm surges associated with climate change. Adaptation is therefore crucial to manage the growing threat to coastal communities and cities. This case study focuses on Lagos, Nigeria, one of the world’s largest urban centers where rapid urbanization, poor urban planning, degrading infrastructure, and inadequate preparedness compounds flood vulnerability. We situate flood risk perceptions within the context of climate-induced mobilities in Lagos, which no study has done, filling a necessary knowledge gap. Furthermore, we apply a unique approach to flood risk perception and …

Social Media Impact On Small Brick And Mortar Businesses, David N. Bowles

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines the implementation of various strategies and goals for small to medium brick-and-mortar enterprises regarding their use of social media. Drawing from primary data collection with small brick-and-mortar businesses within the greater metro area of Portland, Oregon, the value of social media is the ability of an organization to create a sense of value for their consumers while promoting positive relations and enhancing the consumer's ability to interact with an organization on a more personal level. Focusing on the implementation of various strategies and promotional efforts to increase the success of these small businesses and align their organizational …

Intersectionality Pertaining To The Disproportionate Rates Of Black Women In Prisons And Jails, Mackenzie Heller

University Honors Theses

The incarceration rates of Black women in America surpass even all other demographics. Yet, Black women are often not on the news when discussing prison rates in the United States. Rather we see Black men, Hispanic men, and so forth. While these people do make up large portions of the prison system they are seeing a decline in their incarceration rates. Black women are often pushed to the sidelines when discussing matters that can be seen as central to their livelihoods.

This thesis addresses the intersectionality that only Black women experience and how that affects their imprisonment rates and experiences …

Working Outside The Binary: Experiences Of Nonbinary Employees In The Workforce, Mordeky C. Dullum

University Honors Theses

Transgender issues in the workplace have only recently become a focus in research, and it is still new and understudied. Even less studied is the demographic of gender expansive individuals including nonbinary and gender non-conforming individuals. This qualitative study aims to explore and highlight workplace experiences for nonbinary people, with a particular focus on younger nonbinary people who experience less employment stability in more public facing jobs. Thirteen participants engaged in interviews where they were asked to describe their experiences dealing with discrimination, harassment and transphobia in the workplace, in addition to sharing their ideas for practical solutions or changes …

Uncomfortable Yet Necessary: The Impact Of Ppe On Communication In Emergency Medicine, Jennifer Aengst, Grace A. Walker-Stevenson, Tabria Harrod, Jonathan Ivankovic, Jacob Neilson, Jeanne-Marie Guise

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The efficacy of pre-hospital emergency services is heavily dependent on the effective communication of care providers. This effective communication occurs between providers as part of a team, but also among providers interacting with family members and patients. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a number of communication challenges to emergency care, which are primarily linked to the increased use of PPE.

Methods: We sought to analyze the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers and pre-hospital care delivery. We conducted focus groups and one-on-one interviews with fire-EMS first responders between Sept 2021 and 2022. Interviews …

Media Portrayals Of Wildfire Displacement And Homelessness With Maude Hines And Janet Cowal, Maude Hines, Janet Cowal

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Portland State professors Maude Hines (English, Black Studies, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative) and Janet Cowal (Applied Linguistics, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative) discuss their recently published article, "Natural/Disaster: Differential Media Portrayals of Wildfire Displacement and Homelessness in Portland, Oregon," co-authored by Idowu (Jola) Ajibade, Emily Leickly, Marta Petteni, and Stefanie Knowlton. The research explores media coverage of the 2020 wildfires in Oregon and the differential language used to cover those affected by the devastating blazes.

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Teaching And Learning Social Change, Amie Thurber, Helen Buckingham, Jordenn Martens, Rebecca Lusk, Darrylann Becker, Stacey Spenser

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

How can social work courses prepare students to be scholars of social movements, and also to act in solidarity with movements for social justice? How can graduate programs reimagine the professional socialization of social work students from aspiring for expertise toward a stance of life-long learning? How can instructors more deeply leverage our teaching practice to advance justice in our communities? This paper traces one attempt to answer these questions through a three-quarter graduate social work course designed to deepen students’ skills and knowledge in practices for social transformation, while amplifying existing social justice movements. Drawing on reflections from the …

Expanding Workplace Inclusion Of Employees Who Are Parents Of Children With Disabilities Through Diversity Training, Lisa M. Stewart, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Anna M. Malsch Tamarkin, Eileen Brennan, Jessica Lukefahr

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Employed parents raising children with disabilities manage exceptional care responsibilities along with their work careers. This study examines the effects of targeted diversity training on human resource (HR) professionals’ knowledge of the work–family experiences of these parents, and on their self-efficacy in providing workplace supports. Using computer-based training in field settings, 64 U.S. human resource professionals in an international company participated in two diversity training sessions. Data related to knowledge and efficacy of dependent and disability care were collected before the first training and immediately after the second. HR participants demonstrated significant increases from pretest to posttest on the trained …

Scholarship, Morna Mcdermott Mcnulty

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Reviving Knowledges Through Play And Resistance: The Case Of Navajo Conceptions Of Space, Daniel Ness, Richard D. Sawyer

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The authors explore a possible cause of epistemicidal predispositions of the dominant Eurocentric curricula. They posit that one way to determine a plausible contributing factor of this increasing devastation is to consider epistemicide through the lens of intellectual development. To do this, the authors examine parallel patterns of behavior in the domains of developmental and cognitive psychology. The authors then discuss an alternative framework to the Western conception of space within formal K-12 education by presenting the Navajo conception of space and play. Throughout the paper, the authors argue that all students—and especially those living in poverty in commercially constructed, …

Cordel Corrido: What Are The Implications Of Creating A New Narrative Voice For Education?, Marco Ag Cerqueira

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

In this article the author proposes queering the teaching of Brazilian and Mexican popular poetry, cordel and corrido, for students in high school or freshmen in college engaging with a curriculum of the brown bodies and aesthetic currere. The author criticizes the teaching of canonic literature in classrooms usually written by white, straight, and middle-class men, and proposes teaching popular poetry from Latin America as a project to interrupt that canon. Teaching and encouraging students to write poetry is a way to oppose the epistemicide in classrooms, and students of color (African descendants, Native peoples, and with roots in Latin …

Critical Arts-Based Projects For Equitable Emergent Teacher Education Researcher Preparation, Lauren Jaramillo, Marcus North, Christian Valdez, Camea Davis, Luiz Claudio Barcellos

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper captures how four BIPOC student researchers and their Black woman professor used critical arts-based research methods to resist the policies and systems predisposed to BIPOC’s dispossession in academia. The arts utilized for our purpose were: songwriting, art collage, theater, and podcast. We determined these methods to be in tune with our researcher selves, which allowed for a more equitable approach preparing teacher education researchers. This work has implications for teacher educators, graduate research programs, and graduate students.

Plantifa: Antifascist Guerrilla Gardening Curriculum, Brandon Edwards-Schuth, Marco Ag Cerqueira

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper suggests that an anti-fascist guerilla gardening (Plantifa) curriculum offers unique educational opportunities in the form of wholesome, and much needed, praxis. Utilizing anti-fascist (Bray, 2017), decolonizing (Tuck et al., 2014), and eco-justice frameworks (Shiva, 2015), Plantifa presents community activism that connects people with place, history, permaculture, and subversion of hegemony. In the context of education, a Plantifa curriculum offers learners to be immersed with their communities and local ecosystems, beyond mere classroom walls. It is a process of mapping local terrain and history, identifying non-invasive plants and suitable locations, considering food-bearing plants for community needs, as well as …

The Water-Energy Nexus With Alida Cantor, Alida Cantor

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, geography professor Alida Cantor discusses the water-energy nexus--the ways water and energy resources are physically, socially, and politically intertwined. Cantor's research focuses on politics, power, decision-making, and environmental justice around water resources.

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Moving From Probabilistic To Time-Based On-Time Performance (For Practitioners), Miles James Allen Crumley

PSU Transportation Seminars

On-Time Performance (OTP) is a probabilistic measure that tells the customer the likelihood that the trip they are about to take will arrive "on-time." However, this metric forces the customer to think in terms of a probability of trip timeliness and not an actual time value for how timely the trip will be. This presentation will explore a new way to examine on-time performance by quantifying the timeliness of trips. Customers can then use this information to determine which trip would be the best to take based on when they need to arrive at their destination. Using a system science …

Understanding The Economic And Health Benefits Of Agroecology With Leopoldo Rodriguez, Leopoldo Rodriguez

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, International and Global Studies professor Leopoldo Rodriguez discusses the sustainable farming practice known as agroecology. Rodriguez is leading a study examining the impact of agroecological practices on environmental, social, and economic sustainability and health outcomes near Buenos Aires, Argentina. To complete this work, Rodriguez has partnered with small-scale farmers, some of whom have adopted agroecology and some who farm using conventional methods.

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Collective Proving Activity In A Synchronous Online Environment, Tenchita Alzaga Elizondo

Dissertations and Theses

Given the well documented fact students often struggle with proof and proof-related activity for various reasons, more educators have shifted to incorporating pedagogies involving collaborative learning given their benefits to student learning. However, there is still surprisingly little research focused on the nature of students' collaborative proving activity. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent shift to remote learning, forced educators and students to adapt and learn how to work within a new learning environment. In this dissertation project, I investigate how students engage in collaborative proving activity in a synchronous online introduction to proofs course. In the first paper, …

Explaining Backlash: Social Hierarchy And Men’S Rejection Of Women’S Rights Reforms, Lindsay J. Benstead, Ragnhild L. Muriaas, Vibeke Wang

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Governments promote gender-sensitive policies, yet little is known about why reform campaigns evoke backlash. Drawing on social position theory, we test whether marginalized (women’s organizations) or intrusive (Western donors) messengers cause resistance across public rights (quotas) and private rights (land reform). Using a framing experiment implemented among 1,704 Malawians, we find that females’ attitudes are unaffected by campaigns, while backlash occurs among patrilineal and matrilineal males. Backlash among men is more common for sensitive private rights (land reform) than public rights (quotas) and Western donors than women’s organizations, suggesting complex effects generally more consistent with the intrusiveness hypothesis.

System-Level Risk Management Of Transportation Structures And Networks, David Y. Yang

PSU Transportation Seminars

Conventional risk assessment approaches in infrastructure management do not fully capture the system-level impact of structural failure or service disruption. As a result, the priorities of preservation projects may be misidentified, leading to suboptimal maintenance schedules and waste of resources. In this presentation, we will first illustrate why conventional risk assessment is not suitable for transportation structures and networks due to interdependency between assets, and then demonstrate how system-level preservation policies can be devised using novel algorithms adapted from the field of deep reinforcement learning. Results from a series of case studies showcase that the system-level risk management is essential …

The Future And Thriving Of Bipoc Communities: A Time To Act Macroconvening, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Portland State University

Global Diversity and Inclusion Publications and Presentations

This is the overview of the "Time to Act Macroconvening," an event bringing together the BIPOC community on November 4, 2022. The macroconvening was shaped by five affinity-based convenings that were held from June to November 2022. Each engagement was unique, but centered around discussions of the future of thriving and joy of BIPOC communities in and around Portland, and what role PSU has in bringing this future to bear.

Main downloadable file:
Affinity Convenings Thematic Overview

Additional files:

• Event graphic
• Overview article by Christina Rojas, "PSU Brings Together BIPOC Community Groups to Envision a Thriving Future."
• Pictorial Summary of …

Arts Course-Taking And Math Achievement In Us High Schools With Daniel Mackin Freeman, Daniel Mackin Freeman

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Daniel Mackin Freeman, a Ph. D. candidate in the sociology department at Portland State University, discusses the results of a study that asked if fine arts coursework is positively correlated to mathematics achievement in high schools at low, middle, and high socio-economic levels. Freeman and PSU sociology professor, Dara Shifrer recently publish the results of their study, "Arts for Whose Sake? Arts Course-taking and Math Achievement in US High Schools," online in Sociological Perspectives.

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Pedestrian Wayfinding Under Consideration Of Visual Impairment, Blindness, And Deafblindness: A Mixed-Method Investigation Into Individual Experiences And Supporting Elements, Martin Swobodzinski, Amy T. Parker, Elizabeth Schaller, Denise Snow

TREC Final Reports

In this report we discuss to-date findings of a project that aimed at assessing individual and environmental affordances in the context of human pedestrian wayfinding of visually impaired, blind, and deafblind travelers in public spaces. Our project afforded collaboration, co-design, and co-creation of knowledge between the investigators, partners at the American Printing House of the Blind and GoodMaps, the Portland State University Digital City Testbed Center, and members of the disability community. The objective of the project was to better understand how different wayfinding aids, that is, wayfinding apps, tactile maps, and verbal route descriptions, are employed by visually impaired, …

Co-Design Of An Nhs Primary Care Health Check For Autistic Adults, Helen Taylor, Barry Ingham, David Mason, Tracy Finch, Colin Wilson, Clare Scarlett, Sebastian Moss, Christina M. Nicolaidis, Multiple Additional Authors

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autistic people experience more health conditions and earlier mortality. This study investigated views about a primary care health check for autistic adults to inform its design. Fifty-one people participated in consultation groups and interviews, comprising autistic adults (some with co-occurring intellectual disabilities), adults with intellectual disabilities, supporters and health professionals. Participants wanted the health check to cover physical and mental health and social functioning. They emphasised the importance of sharing information about individual needs and associated adjustments before the health check. They highlighted the need to change the way healthcare services communicate with autistic people, such as reducing phone contact …

Black Youths’ Perspectives: Importance Of Family And Caregiver Involvement In The Mentor–Mentee Relationship, Lakindra Mitchell Dove

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research shows that mentorship can significantly influence the lives of youth. As a society we are becoming more diverse and aware that cultural needs for youth of color are more complex. We have seen an increase in formal mentoring programs that offer services to Black youth. As this shift continues, it is imperative that culturally responsive services are considered. Little research exists that explores the importance of family engagement within the mentor–mentee relationship. When working with Black youth, it is important to understand cultural practices found within the Black family that could have an influence on the mentor–mentee relationship. This …

"It Made Me Feel Like Things Are Starting To Change In Society:" A Qualitative Study To Foster Positive Patient Experiences During Phone-Based Social Needs Interventions, Anna Steeves-Reece, Christina Nicolaidis, Dawn M. Richardson, Melissa Frangie, Katherin Gomez-Arboleda, Chrystal Barnes, Minnie Kang, Bruce Goldberg, Stephan Lindner, Melinda M. Davis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many healthcare organizations are screening patients for health-related social needs (HRSN) to improve healthcare quality and outcomes. Due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and limited time during clinical visits, much of this screening is now happening by phone. To promote healing and avoid harm, it is vital to understand patient experiences and recommendations regarding these activities. We conducted a pragmatic qualitative study with patients who had participated in a HRSN intervention. We applied maximum variation sampling, completed recruitment and interviews by phone, and carried out an inductive reflexive thematic analysis. From August to November 2021 we interviewed 34 patients, developed …

Reconstruction Of Age Distributions From Differentially Private Census Data, Sigurd Dyrting, Abraham Flaxman, Ethan Sharygin

Publications, Reports and Presentations

The age distribution of a population is important for understanding the demand and provision of labor and services, and as a denominator for calculating key agespecific rates such as fertility and mortality. In the US, the most important source of information on age distributions is the decennial census, but a new disclosure avoidance system (DAS) based on differential privacy will inject noise into the data, potentially compromising its utility for small areas and minority populations. In this paper, we explore the question whether there are statistical methods that can be applied to noisy age distributions to enhance the research uses …

National Forest Visitation Preferences And Avenues To Participation For Urban Hispanic Recreationists In The Portland Metropolitan Area (Usa), Lee Cerveny, Rebecca Mclain, David Banis, Matthew Helmer

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Health benefits of outdoor recreation have been broadly demonstrated and land managers recognize the equity implications of providing safe and inclusive outdoor spaces. Data on public lands visitation and outdoor participation show that Hispanic recreationists are less likely to engage in outdoor leisure than White persons. Early studies of outdoor preferences of Hispanic persons identified a desire for large-group settings and social activities. To update our understanding of outdoor recreation needs, preferences, and constraints, we collaborated with a Latinx organization in Portland, Oregon (USA). We collaboratively designed three focus groups that combined structured engagement, cognitive sorting, and participatory mapping to …

Mobility Interrupted: A New Framework For Understanding Anti-Left Sentiment Among Brazil’S “Once-Rising Poor”, Benjamin Junge, Sean T. Mitchell, Charles H. Klein, Matthew Spearly

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

How do sequences of upward and downward socioeconomic mobility influence political views among those who have “risen” or “fallen” during periods of leftist governance? While existing studies identify a range of factors, long-term mobility trajectories have been largely unexplored. The question has particular salience in contemporary Brazil, where, after a decade of extraordinary poverty reduction on the watch of the leftist Workers’ Party (PT), a subsequent period of economic and political crises intensified anti-PT sentiment. This article uses original data from the 2016 Brazil’s Once-Rising Poor (BORP) Survey, using a 3-city sample of 822 poor and working-class Brazilians to analyze …

Factors Influencing Bike Share Among Underserved Populations: Evidence From Three Us Cities, Jennifer Dill, Jiahui Ma, Nathan W. Mcneil, Joseph P. Broach, John H. Macarthur

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is evidence that lower-income and people of color (POC) in the U.S. do not use bike share as much as higher-income and white people. Using data from residents living near stations in New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, our analysis examines reasons for these disparities. While smaller shares of POC are members (vs higher-income white people), large shares of POC are interested in bike share. Among POC, having positive attitudes about bicycling and having family and friends that use bike share are strong predictors of interest in bike share. POC are also motivated to use bike share for recreational reasons. …