Validation and Living Learning Communities: An Evaluation Case Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 152102512097093
Author(s):  
Sophia Gehlhausen Anderson ◽  
Bob Blankenberger
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Matched Pair ◽  
Living Learning Communities ◽  
Validation Score ◽  
The Impact

In this program evaluation study, we analyzed the impact of interpersonal validation and participation in living-learning communities (LLC) on retention and GPA via regression and propensity score matching. The LLCs were designed to improve outcomes for underrepresented, low-income and first-generation students at a Midwestern regional public university. Employing data from the widely used Mid-Year Student Assessment™, we created a validation score. This student validation score was significantly associated with retention in semester three, and third semester and sixth semester GPA. In the matched pair analyses, we found mixed results with significantly improved retention for participants in just one LLC compared to their matched peers, and significantly improved GPA for a combined group of LLC participants.

scholarly journals Spiritual and Religious Support for Underrepresented First-Generation, Low-Income (UFGLI) Students

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 548
Author(s):  
Elliott Ingersoll ◽  
Sophia Elliott ◽  
Stephanie Drcar
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Low Income ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Educational Experience ◽  
Religious Support ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Minimal Support ◽  
Systemic Barriers

UFGLI students comprise 34% of the students enrolled in four-year universities. Unlike some students, UFGLI students face internal and systemic barriers throughout their educational experience and their struggles are often dismissed and disregarded. Working and raising a family while taking courses, minimal support systems, and financial struggles require students to optimize their resources. We explore the issues of UFGLI students and the importance of their spiritual and religious supports using a literature review and a case study. Religious and spiritual identities are resources that should be explored and supported by staff at university counselling centers. Affirming UFGLI students’ religious and spiritual identities and understanding how religion and spirituality work in their lives can assist these students in their acclimation to and success at university.

Measuring the Impact of a Full Service Grocery Store in a Food Desert

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-176
Author(s):  
Kellie Schneider ◽  
Diana Cuy Castellanos ◽  
Felix Fernando ◽  
Jeanne A. Holcomb
Keyword(s):  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Food Deserts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Food deserts, areas in which it is difficult to obtain affordable, nutritious food, are especially problematic in low-income neighbourhoods. One model for addressing food hardship and unemployment issues within low-income food deserts is a cooperative grocery store. Through the cooperative model, the grocery store can serve as a cornerstone to address socio-economic marginalisation of low-income neighbourhoods and improve the health and well-being of its residents. It is important for communities and policymakers to be able to assess the effectiveness of these types of endeavours beyond traditional economic factors such as profitability. This article uses a systems engineering approach to develop a framework for measuring the holistic impact of a cooperative grocery store on community health and well-being. This framework encompasses values that characterise the relationship between food retail, economic viability and social equality. We develop a dashboard to display the key metrics for measuring the economic, social and environmental indicators that reflect a grocery store’s social impact. We demonstrate the usefulness of the framework through a case study of a full-service cooperative grocery store that is planned within the city of Dayton, OH.

scholarly journals An evaluation of the self-help housing scheme in Botswana, case of Gaborone city

Spatium ◽  
2007 ◽  
pp. 28-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horatio Ikgopoleng ◽  
Branko Cavric
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Families ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Housing Scheme ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Botswana like other developing countries faces a problem of acute shortage of housing, particularly for low-income urban families. The current housing problems are the outcomes of the economic, demographic and social changes which the country has experienced since independence in 1966. In particular the urbanization process which surfaced in the early 1980?s. The government has sought to cope with the problem of low-income urban housing by establishing a Self-Help Housing (SHHA) program in the main urban centers. The evaluation findings reveal that, on the whole, the impact of the SHHA approach on the improvement of low-income urban housing has been unsuccessful. The major problems of the scheme are lack of serviced land and inadequate finances for plot development. This has been exacerbated by the high urban development standards which are out of the reach of low-income urban families. The evaluation study also reveals that, there are some indications of non low-income urban households living in SHHA areas. The available evidence reveals that the number of those people in SHHA areas is not as big as has been speculated by most people in the country. However this paper calls for more investigation in this issue and a need for more tight measures to control this illicit practice. The major conclusions are that housing policies in Botswana are not supportive of the general housing conditions in low-income urban areas. Therefore there is a need for urban planners and policy makers of Botswana to take more positive action towards the improvement of low-income urban areas. This would require pragmatic policies geared towards the improvement of those areas. .

scholarly journals Linked Coding: A Qualitative Investigation of the Impact of a College Transition Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Coleman-Tempel ◽  
Meghan Ecker-Lyster
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Transition ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Transition Program ◽  
Cultural Mismatch ◽  
College Ready ◽  
The Impact

Limited college knowledge often impacts underrepresented students’ ability to navigate the college setting, creating institutional barriers for these students once arriving on campus. Students who are first-generation, low-income, and/or minority students have been shown to be less “college ready” than their peers. This discrepancy in preparedness can be conceptualized as a cultural mismatch between the student’s background knowledge and the higher education institution's expectations and norms (Lohfink & Paulsen, 2005). This qualitative evaluation provides an in-depth investigation into first-generation, low-income, and minority students’ perceptions and experiences with a yearlong college transition program. The study explores how a college transition program can impact students’ social development.

Participant Perceptions of Character Concepts in a Physical Activity–Based Positive Youth Development Program

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaina Riciputi ◽  
Meghan H. McDonough ◽  
Sarah Ullrich-French
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Character Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Impact

Physical activity–based positive youth development (PYD) programs often aim to foster character development. This study examined youth perspectives of character development curricula and the impact these activities have on their lives within and beyond the program. This case study examined youth from low-income families in a physical activity–based summer PYD program that integrated one character concept (respect, caring, responsibility, trust) in each of 4 weeks. Participants (N = 24) included a cross section of age, gender, ethnicity, and past program experience. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and constant comparative methods. Thirteen themes were grouped in four categories: building highquality reciprocal relationships; intrapersonal improvement; moral reasoning and understanding; and rejection, resistance, and compliance. The findings provide participant-centered guidance for understanding youth personal and social development through physical activity in ways that are meaningful to participants, which is particularly needed for youth in low-income communities with limited youth programming.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Digital Learning in The Dominican Republic: Implications For Marginalized Communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katia Diaz
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Access To Education ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
The Impact

With COVID-19 placing a strain on its public institutions, the Dominican Republic is attempting to ensure a streamlined digital education process by extending Digital Republic, a past initiative that provides online frameworks and platforms for its students and teachers. However, already existing issues are exacerbating access to education for vulnerable communities. While past policies included special needs services, the following initiative has yet to provide information on access for disabled students. Low-income students face financial challenges to gain the resources necessary to thrive during remote learning. Likewise, migrants from Haiti and those of Haitian descent continue to be left out of the conversation. The following case study explores the country’s education system, how its policies benefit certain groups and negatively impact others. By conducting in-depth policy analysis and interviews with local officials, the study analyzes the impact of digital learning during the pandemic among vulnerable communities in the country.  

scholarly journals Using A Tiered Approach for Implementing Networked Learning Communities: A Case Study on Developing the Capacity of Leaders to Implement Systemwide Innovations within International Training and Development Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-14
Author(s):  
James Anderson II ◽  
Eric Kaufman ◽  
Jama Coartney ◽  
Shreya Mitra ◽  
Caro l Cash
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Networked Learning ◽  
International Training ◽  
Tiered Approach ◽  
The Impact

This case study demonstrates how change agents can utilize networked learning communities (NLCs) with shared leadership to provide the structural supports for learning and influence the implementation of innovations within a social system. Our focus is the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), a large school system operating 164 accredited schools domestically and internationally. As part of their systemic priority of implementing innovations for educational improvement, DoDEA worked with extension specialists to create NLCs for instructional leaders using the Engelbart’s Organizational Learning and Improvement Schema. The schema is a three-tiered approach to non-formal learning that facilitates leader capacity building at the individual, team, and systemwide levels. To support these learning communities, DoDEA also created regional support teams or opinion leaders to assist with the implementation of systemwide educational technologies through non-formal professional learning. Focus group discussions provided insights on the impact of this model as a mechanism for diffusing educational innovations throughout the system. Findings suggest that implementation of this approach in other international training and development settings can yield positive impacts on the innovation-decision process. Keywords: Shared leadership; international training & development; social learning; systemic change; Diffusion of Innovations

scholarly journals Controlling Images: Institutional Stereotypes of Engagement of Low-Income Families, First-Generation Families, and Families of Color

JCSCORE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-158
Author(s):  
Delma Ramos ◽  
Judy Marquez Kiyama ◽  
Casandra E. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
First Generation ◽  
College Experience ◽  
Family Engagement ◽  
Institutional Practice ◽  
Controlling Images ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
Families First

This multiple case study examines how higher education institutions utilize controlling images to establish guidelines of family engagement, including that of first-generation families, low-income families, and/or families of color. Family engagement is limited to the extent to which it aligns with controlling images that paint families as overly involved or as uninterested, disengaged, and absent from the college experience of their children. This research contributes to our understanding of institutional responsibility when engaging diverse families. By utilizing controlling images as a framework, the article critically examines the stereotypes ascribed to families that shape their engagement experiences. Institutional, practice-based, and research implications are offered.

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