Creative Solutions for Today's Students

This chapter will explore the connection between diversifying health profession student demographics, diversifying challenges these students face, and the new obstacles presented by shifting curriculum delivery to remote and hybrid learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The chapter will explore challenges that may seem especially difficult to address in a remote learning model: the desire to develop community among fellow learners when in a hybrid or fully remote program and when learners are from varied backgrounds; cultivating in students coping mechanisms to manage anxiety from the economic uncertainty of today's world, balancing commitments between educational pursuits and other responsibilities (e.g., child or parent care, etc.); and facilitating learning for students with physical and/or mental disabilities or chronic medical conditions.

SCIENCE ANXIETY AS A PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS PREFERRED SUBJECT IN THE POST JUNIOR SECONDARY CLASSROOM

The world, including Nigeria, is increasingly seeking to improve its educational system to attain the desired scientific-driven society. Thus, education is geared towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To this effect, Nigeria is investing in science-based education, and the students are encouraged to embrace science in their educational pursuits. Based on this, the present study examined students subject preference in the post junior secondary classroom based on science anxiety. One hundred and sixty-six students drawn from public and private secondary schools in the Kogi State participated in the study. Their level of science anxiety was assessed with the Science Anxiety Scale (Oludipe & Oludipe, 2019). The simple regression analysis performed on the data revealed that science anxiety statistically significantly predicted the respondents subject preference. Thus, the study concludes that science anxiety is a positive determinant of students choice of subject in the secondary school classroom.

Refugee Youth And Migration: Using Arts-Informed Research To Understand Changes In Their Roles And Responsibilities

This article presents the findings from a community-based qualitative study that utilized an arts-informed method to understand the changes in refugee youth's roles and responsibilities in the family within the (re)settlement context in Canada. The study involved 57 newcomer youths from Afghan, Karen, or Sudanese communities in Toronto, who had come to Canada as refugees. The data collection method embedded a drawing activity within focus group discussions. We present these drawings, as well as explanations and discussions to capture the complexities of their experiences. The data analysis involved 1. reflective dialogue between each participant and her/his own drawing; 2. group dialogue, reflection, and elaboration on meanings in the drawings; and 3. the research team's reflective dialogue. The findings revealed that the youths' roles and responsibilities have both changed and increased following migration, often involving interpretation and translation, and providing financial and emotional support to their family members, in addition to engaging in household chores and educational pursuits. Use of drawings as a data generation method enriched the findings of focus group discussions, and vice versa in a number of ways. We also present implications for future research involving arts-informed methods.

Refugee Youth And Migration: Using Arts-Informed Research To Understand Changes In Their Roles And Responsibilities

This article presents the findings from a community-based qualitative study that utilized an arts-informed method to understand the changes in refugee youth's roles and responsibilities in the family within the (re)settlement context in Canada. The study involved 57 newcomer youths from Afghan, Karen, or Sudanese communities in Toronto, who had come to Canada as refugees. The data collection method embedded a drawing activity within focus group discussions. We present these drawings, as well as explanations and discussions to capture the complexities of their experiences. The data analysis involved 1. reflective dialogue between each participant and her/his own drawing; 2. group dialogue, reflection, and elaboration on meanings in the drawings; and 3. the research team's reflective dialogue. The findings revealed that the youths' roles and responsibilities have both changed and increased following migration, often involving interpretation and translation, and providing financial and emotional support to their family members, in addition to engaging in household chores and educational pursuits. Use of drawings as a data generation method enriched the findings of focus group discussions, and vice versa in a number of ways. We also present implications for future research involving arts-informed methods.

A Critical Review of Barriers to United States Military Spouse Education and Employment

In the United States, there are over one million military spouses. Frequent geographical relocations, the psychological stress and anxiety associated with spousal deployments, and supporting their children as the only parent while their active duty spouse is away leave military spouses disproportionately accountable for all family obligations. Ultimately, these inequities create barriers for military spouses and their employment and educational pursuits. Despite similarities in lifestyle to active duty service members, military spouses are not categorized as an at-risk population and have not been studied in depth. This chapter utilized the source, survey, synthesize method to address the literature gap surrounding the barriers to military spouse education and employment. Findings from the existing literature were synthesized to present the key themes for studies that investigated the military culture, barriers to military spouses' pursuits of higher education, employment, and career advancement and earnings.

Solution-Focused Group Work for At-Promise Youth in School Counseling

This chapter focuses on addressing the needs of at-promise youth within the educational system through a school counseling perspective. The authors of this chapter provide an overview of solution-focus counseling and how it can be implemented in a group setting to meet the unique needs of students who encounter barriers during their educational pursuits. The following sections are discussed in this chapter: resiliency language; meeting the needs of at-promise youth; elements of solution-focused counseling; application of solution-focused group strategies; addressing career, social/emotional, and academics in solution-focused group counseling; and provide a case example. This case example outlines how a school counselor may implement a solution-focused group when counseling at-promise youth within the school setting.

Mobile-mediated mothering from a distance: A case study of Somali mothers in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

This article explores the mobile-mediated mothering experiences among migrant Somali mothers living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Somali mothers to examine how Imo, Viber, Skype and WhatsApp enable them to fulfil important maternal responsibilities toward their left-behind children in Somalia. The findings reveal that three types of maternal tensions occur due to their migration: guilt and concern, family strains, and judgement in Somali communities. Efforts to overcome these tensions include the adoption of mobile technologies to continue to mother from a distance. Migrant Somali mothers in this study mediate mothering using mobile platforms by: (a) transferring remittances to their children’s caretakers, (b) sustaining emotional bonds, (c) teaching religious beliefs, and (d) encouraging educational pursuits. By focusing on mothers as a distinct category of women, this study contributes to the theoretical call for more scholarship on matricentric feminism.

A Critical Review of Barriers to United States Military Spouse Education and Employment

In the United States, there are over one million military spouses. Frequent geographical relocations, the psychological stress and anxiety associated with spousal deployments, and supporting their children as the only parent while their active duty spouse is away leave military spouses disproportionately accountable for all family obligations. Ultimately, these inequities create barriers for military spouses and their employment and educational pursuits. Despite similarities in lifestyle to active duty service members, military spouses are not categorized as an at-risk population and have not been studied in depth. This chapter utilized the source, survey, synthesize method to address the literature gap surrounding the barriers to military spouse education and employment. Findings from the existing literature were synthesized to present the key themes for studies that investigated the military culture, barriers to military spouses' pursuits of higher education, employment, and career advancement and earnings.

Solution-Focused Group Work for At-Promise Youth in School Counseling

This chapter focuses on addressing the needs of at-promise youth within the educational system through a school counseling perspective. The authors of this chapter provide an overview of solution-focus counseling and how it can be implemented in a group setting to meet the unique needs of students who encounter barriers during their educational pursuits. The following sections are discussed in this chapter: resiliency language; meeting the needs of at-promise youth; elements of solution-focused counseling; application of solution-focused group strategies; addressing career, social/emotional, and academics in solution-focused group counseling; and provide a case example. This case example outlines how a school counselor may implement a solution-focused group when counseling at-promise youth within the school setting.