<p> Millions of selfies are posted on social media every day. Past research has attempted to explain this behavior, though inconsistent results have necessitated further investigation. The present study broadened the scope of selfie research by using electronic survey methods in a sample of active social media users to examine the relationships between narcissism, extraversion, purpose in life, prevalence of posting, and two novel constructs: number of selfie drafts taken before final selection, and immediacy of posting after taking a selfie. Higher prevalence was significantly related to greater number of drafts and belief that selfies facilitate self-expression and self-discovery. Greater number of drafts was also associated with lower feelings of purpose, greater immediacy, and younger age. These findings, together with an absence of strong links between selfies and narcissism or extraversion, suggest that selfie sharing is more nuanced than previous studies have shown. The present data&rsquo;s correlational nature precludes causal inference, but informs future research on selfies and human behavior on social media.</p><p>

<p> Employee volunteering and service learning programs both enable large numbers of individuals to work together to address some of the most challenging problems in our world today. A large volume of academic research exists on service learning and much less academic research has been done on employee volunteering; there is very little research that connects these two fields. Student volunteers report developing skills in areas such as problem solving and decision making, the same skills employees require to be successful on their jobs. This inquiry combines lessons from volunteer narratives, input from volunteer professionals, and existing volunteer and service learning theories to create recommendations for improving employee volunteer experiences. </p><p> Narrative method was chosen for this study to capture the lived experiences of the two types of volunteers and their impact on the nonprofits they serve. Three case studies were created from narrative interviews with selected student and employee volunteers, and triangulated by interviews with nonprofit staff. Knowledge gained was crafted into case level and then cross case recommendations. Once developed, these recommendations were validated through a process of progressive analysis. The ultimate objective is to increase participation and improve outcomes for employee volunteers. When employee volunteering is well designed and well managed, the experiences can be beneficial to volunteers, their companies, and their communities.</p>

<p> During 2013, approximately 87,000 parents in the U.S. experienced the death of a child to drug overdose, however we do not know how the experience affected the bereaved parents. From a theoretical perspective of social constructivism and symbolic interaction, this grounded theory study explored the grief experience of eight parents to understand the social influence on the grief experience and on the meaning ascribed to the child&rsquo;s death. Data collection and analysis were consistent with constructivist grounded theory methodology that identified the assumptions and opinions that influenced how parents made meaning of the child&rsquo;s death, and how they integrated the deceased child into their life in a way that fostered a new purpose. The emergent theory stated, &ldquo;The ability of the bereaved to transform following the drug overdose death of their child was indicated by a process that brought meaning to the death in a way that honored the decedent and through the discovery of a purpose that ensured a continued and heartfelt relationship with the decedent prevailed.&rdquo; Based on this theory, the resolution of grief benefited when the bereaved thought that they were making meaningful contributions, often accomplished by a transformed identity and a new purpose that promoted a decrease in the rate of drug overdose death and a reduction in the social stigma common to drug overdose death. Proposed solutions called for guidelines to assist physicians in the prescribing of opiates, promoted the availability of Naloxone to first responders and family members who could potentially save a life, and revisions to the Good Samaritan Law throughout the U.S. to encourage more individuals to call 911 for help in overdose situations. Recommendations for future research were included.</p>

<p> One of the major initiatives found in the Improving America&rsquo;s Schools Act of 1995 was a focus on school safety and security relative to the perceived negative impact of violence generated from guns and illicit drugs. This tougher stand manifested itself in the federal requirement that states adopt laws requiring the expulsion of students for drug violations unless special circumstances were determined to exist. If special circumstances existed then another disciplinary action may be administered. Special circumstances are not defined in the federal law and have not been defined in the subsequent Virginia law. The lack of clarity in the federal and state laws, and their application by school boards has yielded nearly 25 years of widely varying sanctions by local divisions for student drug offenses.</p><p> This mixed methods research study analyzed the relationship between the individual school board member&rsquo;s level of attributional complexity (AC) measured by the Fletcher et al. AC scale and their decision-making in assigning a disciplinary sanction in student drug violations. This research study also analyzed school board members&rsquo; level of AC in decision-making with the accumulated hours of training provide through the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA), years of experience as a school board member, level of confidence in the decision made, and a school board that delegates to the superintendent authority to conduct a preliminary hearing compared to a board that does not delegate the hearing. Individual follow-up interviews extended exploration into other possible factors that influenced decision-making in student drug cases.</p><p> The explanatory design methodology provided a structure for identifying trends in judicial decision-making by school board members to aide in explaining how each independent variable may affect the individual participant level of AC. This mixed methods study has a strong quantitative orientation with the final report having two distinct consecutively developed sections. The second qualitative section is built on further explaining the emerging trends in school board decision-making. The survey asked participants if they were willing to participate in a follow-up interview. From this pool of volunteer participants, a purposeful selection was conducted of varying demographic elements to ensure coverage of varying levels of AC, large and small school divisions, gender, age, training and board experience.</p><p> The statistical analysis of the quantitative questions suggests that there are no statistical significant differences between the individual level of AC of a school board member and any of the aforementioned factors. The qualitative phase of the study suggests that decision-making is contextual to the individual school board. This context consists of a combination of factors with the dominate theme including the recommendation of the superintendent, and the board&rsquo;s interpretation of appropriate sanctions grounded by a strict or flexible application of code and policy. Secondary decision-making factors which emerged were: 1. student accountability through assignment of discipline; 2. the need to maintain a safe drug-free environment for all students; 3. the need to continue the drug-violating student&rsquo;s educational development; and, 4. the need for drug dependency assessment and intervention.</p>

<p>This research project explored the anatomy of satisfaction of undergraduate students&rsquo; experiences in order to identify the themes common to students who were satisfied with their college careers. The study also examined the conditions that help students thrive on campus focusing on college seniors who self-reported as very satisfied with their college experience. Furthermore the study analyzed the motivation behind satisfied students&rsquo; behavioral choices, including their choice of major and extracurricular involvement. Assessment of the quality of students&rsquo; relationships to others on campus served as a component of this research as well. A grounded theory qualitative approach was used to collect and analyze data. The study found that satisfaction is a function of a student&rsquo;s integration on campus. Integration resulted when students enjoyed their majors, actively engaged in campus life, and formed and maintained successful social relationships. Characteristics common among satisfied students included openness to experience, self-awareness, sociability, and a willingness to make intrinsically motivated decisions with respect to behavioral choices. Students thrived in an environment that promoted the exploration of their intrinsically motivated behavioral choices, where they felt seen, valued, and supported in their identities, activities, and interests, and where they were afforded opportunities to discover, grow, and expand their capabilities and skills. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: college satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, student engagement, thriving </p>

<p> This study focused on the perceptions of K-12 school counselors on learned helplessness in children and families in rural areas. There has been research on learned helplessness, children in rural areas, and studies on school counselors; however, there is a lack of research on the counselor's perceptions of learned helplessness in children and families in rural areas. Therefore, this study was different than previous studies on learned helplessness, and it fills a gap in the literature. This study used the interpretive-constructivist approach. The experiences and perceptions of participants provided answers to the central research question, by providing their subjective observations of learned helplessness in the children and families in their rural areas. Data was collected for this study through face-to-face interviews with volunteer participants privately to ensure protection and confidentiality of participants. Bracketing was used to reduce the impact of research bias in this study, along with note-taking techniques and audio tapes, transcribed by the researcher using NVIVO software. Transcripts were reviewed, patterns were identified, and themes were categorized using codes as the researcher looked for connections among the themes. Themes that emerged included parental involvement, generational cycles and patterns, grandparents raising grandkids, poverty, helping agencies, cultural and community norms and lifestyles, beliefs and value systems, and drugs and substance abuse. The theme most discussed by the eight participants was in relation to parental involvement in the child's life, both positive and negative. Parental involvement was discussed by participants 70 times during the eight hours of face-to-face interviews. According to participants of this study, both the positive and the negative involvement by the parent is the number one influence of learned helplessness in the child's life.</p><p>

<p>ABSTRACT Since the late 1990s, access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have seen exponential growth throughout the globe, which the World Bank (2014) estimated to have reached 6.8 billion mobile subscribers, and 2.7 billion Internet users at the end of 2013. This growth is primarily fueled by expanding mobile wireless networks, decentralized telecommunication infrastructures, and innovative mobile and computer based applications. This unprecedented access to technology, coupled with globalization, is bringing multiple cultures closer together in the ever increasing transfer of labor between countries. International guest workers set out to create better lives for themselves and their families with their mobile phone in one hand and worldly possessions in another. Ultimately, these devices are allowing guest workers to connect with their home countries, in an exchange of information and ideas. International guest workers who live dual lives have one foot firmly planted in their home culture while trying to adapt to life in a new country and culture. This adaption, or acculturation, creates a tremendous amount of adjustment and stress. Acculturative stress can arise from financial difficulties, language barriers, discrimination, or extended detachment from one's family (Berry, 1997). Facebook and Skype can provide entertainment, locate employment, and bridge the emotional gaps that are created from the extended absence from one's friends and family. In this paper, we will examine the perception of acculturative stress and perceived social support from Latin American Guest Workers. This quantitative study will measure specifically the effects of Facebook and VoIP (Skype) on increasing the feelings of perceived social support while reducing the feelings associated with acculturative stress.

<p> The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the identity development of mixed race Asian students, also known as Hapas, and the influence of college environments of their perceptions of self. More specifically, this study will use Narrative Inquiry to gain insight into the lives and experiences of 20 Hapa students at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). In order to uncover the shared experience of Hapas on this college campus and to discern any specific activities or aspects of university life that contributed to their identity development while at Penn, I conducted 20 one-on-one interviews. I also conducted one focus group with 8 of the participants in order to observe the interactions between the students. This topic is relevant to student affairs administrators and faculty because of the rapidly changing demographics in the United States. Some projections estimate that by 2050, mixed race Asian people will represent the largest Asian constituency in the country, thus potentially changing the face of our campuses.</p>