This proposed study will explore how university racial composition impacts the relationship between cultural mistrust, campus comfort, and help-seeking attitudes in a sample of African American college students. A moderated hierarchical regression will be conducted to determine if the cultural and contextual variables predict a significant amount of variance in help-seeking attitudes, and to discover if the variables’ interaction with university type significantly increased the amount of explained variance. The results will demonstrate how one’s comfort in the university environment and degree of trust in the majority group can contribute to seeking psychological services. Counseling and university policy implications will be delineated from the results. Limitations will also be discussed. / text

Esta dissertação tem como objetivos verificar as propriedades psicométricas da Escala de Atitudes Ambientais para Crianças (EAAC; adaptada de Leeming, Dwyer, Porter & Bracker, 1995) e da Escala Infantil de Satisfação com o Ambiente (EISA; criada pelo Grupo de Pesquisa em Psicologia Comunitária); verificar a associação entre bem-estar pessoal (mensurado através da Personal Wellbeing Index) e variáveis ambientais e analisar as atitudes ambientais das crianças da amostra. Foram realizados três estudos, com 1746 crianças (53,5% meninas) com idades entre 8 e 13 anos (M = 10.17; DP = 1.492) residentes de Porto Alegre (54.9%) e do interior do Rio Grande do Sul (45.1%). Os resultados do primeiro estudo indicaram que os instrumentos analisados, EAAC e EISA, apresentam bons índices de ajuste para a amostra pesquisada quando da realização na análise fatorial (exploratória e confirmatória). Com relação ao segundo estudo, as análises de regressão multivariadas indicaram que o PWI é explicado pelos itens da EAAC em 11.5% e pelos itens da EISA em 14.4%. Estão associoados ao bem-estar pessoal: a satisfação com o ambiente residencial e escolar, as atitudes ambientais que envolvem a família, o contato com a natureza e o contato com animais. O terceiro estudo buscou verificar se existem diferenças entre grupos para as atitudes ambientais e os resultados indicaram que as crianças que estudam em escolas públicas, assim como as crianças que vivem em cidades do interior e as crianças mais novas, tendem a desenvolver mais atitudes favoráveis ao ambiente. Em uma etapa qualitativa do terceiro estudo, as crianças mencionaram preocupar-se com a crise ambiental e apresentaram atitudes ambientais voltadas a ações cotidianas e de ativismo. / This dissertation aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Children’s Environmental Attitudes Scale (EACC; adjusted from Leeming, Dwyer, Porter & Bracker, 1995) and of the Children’s Environment Satisfaction Scale (EISA; developed by the Grupo de Pesquisa em Psicologia Comunitária); to verify the association between personal wellbeing (measured by the Personal Wellbeing Index School Children) and environmental variables; and to analyze the environmental attitudes of the children in the sample. There were conducted three studies with 1746 children (53.5% girls) aged between 8 and 13 years old (M = 10.17; SE = 1.492) residents on Porto Alegre (54%) and on inner cities of Rio Grande do Sul State (45.1%). The results of the first study indicated that EAAC and EISA scales had good overall fit rates when exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses were performed. In the second study, multivariate regression analysis showed that the Personal Wellbeing Index is predicted in 11.5% by the EACC items and in 14.4% by the EISA. The personal wellbeing is associated to: satisfaction with school and residence environment; family environmental attitudes; contact with animals and contact with nature. The third study aimed to check if there are differences of environmental attitudes between the groups. Outcomes indicated that children of public schools, children of inner cities and younger children tend to develop more favorable environmental attitudes. During the qualitative stage of the third study, children mentioned that they worry about the environmental crisis and presented environmental attitudes related to daily actions and activism behaviors.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivos verificar as propriedades psicométricas da Escala de Atitudes Ambientais para Crianças (EAAC; adaptada de Leeming, Dwyer, Porter & Bracker, 1995) e da Escala Infantil de Satisfação com o Ambiente (EISA; criada pelo Grupo de Pesquisa em Psicologia Comunitária); verificar a associação entre bem-estar pessoal (mensurado através da Personal Wellbeing Index) e variáveis ambientais e analisar as atitudes ambientais das crianças da amostra. Foram realizados três estudos, com 1746 crianças (53,5% meninas) com idades entre 8 e 13 anos (M = 10.17; DP = 1.492) residentes de Porto Alegre (54.9%) e do interior do Rio Grande do Sul (45.1%). Os resultados do primeiro estudo indicaram que os instrumentos analisados, EAAC e EISA, apresentam bons índices de ajuste para a amostra pesquisada quando da realização na análise fatorial (exploratória e confirmatória). Com relação ao segundo estudo, as análises de regressão multivariadas indicaram que o PWI é explicado pelos itens da EAAC em 11.5% e pelos itens da EISA em 14.4%. Estão associoados ao bem-estar pessoal: a satisfação com o ambiente residencial e escolar, as atitudes ambientais que envolvem a família, o contato com a natureza e o contato com animais. O terceiro estudo buscou verificar se existem diferenças entre grupos para as atitudes ambientais e os resultados indicaram que as crianças que estudam em escolas públicas, assim como as crianças que vivem em cidades do interior e as crianças mais novas, tendem a desenvolver mais atitudes favoráveis ao ambiente. Em uma etapa qualitativa do terceiro estudo, as crianças mencionaram preocupar-se com a crise ambiental e apresentaram atitudes ambientais voltadas a ações cotidianas e de ativismo. / This dissertation aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Children’s Environmental Attitudes Scale (EACC; adjusted from Leeming, Dwyer, Porter & Bracker, 1995) and of the Children’s Environment Satisfaction Scale (EISA; developed by the Grupo de Pesquisa em Psicologia Comunitária); to verify the association between personal wellbeing (measured by the Personal Wellbeing Index School Children) and environmental variables; and to analyze the environmental attitudes of the children in the sample. There were conducted three studies with 1746 children (53.5% girls) aged between 8 and 13 years old (M = 10.17; SE = 1.492) residents on Porto Alegre (54%) and on inner cities of Rio Grande do Sul State (45.1%). The results of the first study indicated that EAAC and EISA scales had good overall fit rates when exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses were performed. In the second study, multivariate regression analysis showed that the Personal Wellbeing Index is predicted in 11.5% by the EACC items and in 14.4% by the EISA. The personal wellbeing is associated to: satisfaction with school and residence environment; family environmental attitudes; contact with animals and contact with nature. The third study aimed to check if there are differences of environmental attitudes between the groups. Outcomes indicated that children of public schools, children of inner cities and younger children tend to develop more favorable environmental attitudes. During the qualitative stage of the third study, children mentioned that they worry about the environmental crisis and presented environmental attitudes related to daily actions and activism behaviors.

Thesis advisor: Ana M. Martínez-Alemán / Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) programs need to increase the retention and graduation rates of students of color to create a diverse nursing workforce that meets the needs of the United States. Living and learning communities (LLCs) are an emerging method for residential colleges to improve the experiences and retention of undergraduate students. This dissertation used a critical race theory lens to investigate the impact of a nursing-focused living and learning community on the first-year experiences of women of color. A qualitative comparative case study methodology was appropriate to explore the differences of sense of belonging of women of color in the LLC compared to women of color not enrolled in the LLC. The research questions that guided this study were, How does a nursing living and learning community impact the sense of belonging for first-year women of color who attend a BSN program within a predominantly White institution? and How different is the sense of belonging of the women of color who participated in the nursing-focused LLC compared to the first-year BSN women of color who did not participate in the nursing-focused LLC? Thirteen women of color from a predominantly White BSN program, River Stone University, participated in a survey, journal entries, individual interviews, and focus groups. The findings suggest that the nursing-focused LLC positively impacted the sense of belonging of women of color in the BSN program. The nursing-focused LLC was an institutional counterspace for women of color, which mitigated the adverse effects of the BSN program’s hostile racial climate and competitive culture. The women of color who did not participate in the nursing-focused LLC had a lower sense of belonging and perceived the BSN program to be more racially hostile and unwelcoming. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

African American women leaders positively influence the college experiences of students at predominately White institutions (PWI), but the retention of those women leaders remains an issue. At the time of this study, limited research informed race and gender issues that intersect the career advancement of African American women serving in midlevel leadership positions at PWIs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the intercultural and career advancement experiences of these women. Critical race theory, critical race feminist theory, and intercultural communications theory were used as a framework to understand the participants' intercultural and career advancement experiences, perceived influences, and mentorship experiences. A snowball sampling approach with members of a national African American women's organization in higher education led to 9 participants who met the criteria. They were each interviewed twice to generate data to understand their experiences. Results from an inductive exploratory process of data analysis indicated that race and gender influenced their perception of career advancement potential and relationship building in the PWI workplace. Themes that emerged from their experiences were limited advancement opportunities, the effects of intersectionality, intercultural relationship challenges, and the benefits of locating and having a mentor. Support and guidance were paramount to their job satisfaction and retention. This study contributes to social change by providing insight to personnel at PWIs about the experiences of African American women leaders on those campuses and the needed improvement in the environment for retaining current and future women of color.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that only 5% of U.S. workers are employed in fields related to science and engineering, yet they are responsible for more than 50% of our sustained economic expansion (U.S Department of Labor, 2007). Furthermore, minorities makeup 0.0025 % (1/400) of that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. Methods are currently underway to understand and address the attrition of minority students in the STEM workforce. The problem of underrepresentation of minorities (URMs) in STEM careers continues to result in a “leaky pipeline” where URMs have cited institutional factors such “chilly campus” climates as barriers to persistence and success (Tinto, 1993 Astin, 1993, Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). Despite the “separate but equal” challenge surrounding the early establishment of US educational institutions, the US remains a model for accessible and affordable education. Social equity concerning URM student outcomes in STEM has become a prominent topic of discussion. Researchers and practitioners seek to understand why the growing disparity exists for minority students as this underserved population represents those that higher education has been least successful in educating (Bensimon, 2007). This daunting assertion of disparate educational attainment by race and ethnicity is alarming. In this study the researcher used archived data and web content analysis to conduct a quantitative study to understand the effect of institutional constructs on the graduation rate of African American students pursing engineering degrees. The research model included hypotheses resulting from independent institutional variables of African American engineering students, institutional size and type, institutional endowment and social equity initiatives. The dependent variable of African American engineering student graduation rates was considered in relation to each independent variable. To answer research questions 1 and 2, descriptive statistics were used to analyze data that provided a comprehensive description of the institutions’ resources and social equity initiatives. Spearman’s Rho with ordinal variables and a small number of cases were computed to analyze the data. This analysis revealed a positive correlation between the numbers of social equity initiatives and engineering graduation rates of African American students at PWI southeast land-grant colleges and universities located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. The outcomes of this study help to expand the literature on underrepresented minority (URM) STEM retention in higher education. Understanding the effects of institutional constructs on the success of African American engineering students allows for the implementation of effective intervention strategies that will help to increase the pipeline of well-prepared African American engineers for the global STEM workforce.

No description available.

No description available.

Despite the significant growth of inter-institutional research collaboration, there has been a disparity of partnerships between universities with different history, missions and identities. In competition for limited resources, inter-institutional collaborations among Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and research-intensive universities appear more frequent and better supported than between PWIs and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or other minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Developing grant funding strategies is one way to enhance collaboration between faculty at HBCUs/MSIs and faculty at PWIs and improve pathways for success among traditionally underrepresented groups. The Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) at Virginia Tech, a research-intensive PWI, launched a unique seed funding program, the ICTAS Diversity and Inclusion Seed Investment (ICTAS DandI Investment), in 2016 to build direct faculty-to-faculty research partnerships between faculty at Virginia Tech and faculty at various HBCUs/MSIs. With the rarity of such initiatives and recognizing the primacy of the topic, this doctoral study was defined in the context of the ICTAS DandI Investment to investigate the little-understood phenomenon of research collaboration between faculty at HBCUs/MSIs and faculty at PWIs. The study informed by several bodies of literature including social psychology, inter-organizational relationships, and ethics and moral philosophy. A qualitative multiple case study approach was employed to explore factors that influence the sustainability of collaboration considering the perspectives of faculty in the context of the ICTAS DandI Investment. The ICTAS DandI Investment-related reports as well as survey and interview data were collected from 15 faculty members representing eight collaborative teams, across Virginia Tech and six different HBCUs. The findings indicate that potential collaboration and sustainability of partnerships rely on dynamic interactions between three dimensions in temporal context: Structure, broader institutional and contextual elements, Diversity, similarities and differences between team members' characteristics, abilities, and identities, and Relation, interactions and exchanges between collaborators and their outputs in doing collaboration. The study shows ICTAS has been successful in facilitating fruitful collaborations among faculty participants at different institutions. Based on the findings in this study I recommend that forging and maintaining long-term relationships of collaborative teams across HBCUs and PWIs need attention to the importance of capacity building over time and broader organizational and administrative factors such as support structure and credit allocation. Further, I recommend that administrators and policymakers to develop similar programs as a strategy for broadening participation and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, not merely as a means for enhancing research productivity. / Doctor of Philosophy / Research collaborations between faculty members have become a common practice in higher education. The number of research collaborations across institutions, inter-institutional research collaborations, has increased significantly over the last few decades. However, there has been a disparity of partnerships between universities with different history, missions and identities. Collaborations among elite universities and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) appear better supported and far more common than collaborations between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and PWIs. Considering the rarity of faculty collaboration across HBCUs/MSIs and PWIs and the lack of research studies on the process and dynamics of faculty collaboration, this dissertation study aimed to enhance the understanding of research collaboration between faculty at HBCUs/MSIs and PWIs. The study was defined in the context of a seed funding program, the ICTAS Diversity and Inclusion Seed Investment Program (ICTAS DandI Investment) at Virginia Tech. The program aims to facilitate research partnerships between faculty at Virginia Tech, a PWI, and faculty at HBCUs/MSIs. The general phenomenon of interest was faculty research collaboration across HBCUs/MSIs and PWIs. The dissertation specifically investigated factors that facilitate sustainable collaboration between faculty at HBCUs/MSIs and a PWI, primarily through understating faculty experiences with collaboration. In this study, sustainability has been characterized as continued working relationship between faculty at Virginia Tech and faculty at HBCUs/MSIs beyond the funding period, when they first received support through the ICTAS DandI Investment. Fifteen faculty members representing eight collaborative teams, across Virginia Tech and six different HBCUs, participated in this study. The primary sources of data were individual interviews and survey questionnaires. The data analysis and comparison across different teams indicated several factors essential to sustainable inter-institutional faculty collaboration. The factors were further aggregated to three broader dimensions: Structure, broader institutional and contextual elements; Diversity, similarities and differences between team members' characteristics, abilities, and identities; and Relation, interactions and exchanges between collaborators and their outputs in doing collaboration. In addition, the findings indicated that time plays an essential role in team processes. Based on the findings in this study, I recommend that forging and maintaining long-term relationships of collaborative teams across HBCUs and PWIs need attention to the importance of capacity building over time and broader organizational and administrative factors such as support structure and credit allocation. Further, I recommend that administrators and policymakers to develop similar programs as a strategy for broadening participation and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, not merely as a means for enhancing research productivity.

The dilemma of making education an equitable system, especially for minoritized groups, has persisted for centuries. While there have been efforts aimed at decreasing disparities, there is still more work that needs to be done. An often-overlooked population in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is Black men—a group at the nexus of being a gender majority and racial minority. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory research study is to understand how Black men experience interpersonal relationships in undergraduate engineering programs. The overarching research question that guides this study is: What are the qualitatively different aspects of interpersonal relationships experienced by Black men in undergraduate engineering programs? Using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory as a lens and a quasi-phenomenography methodology to understand the variance of the students' relationships, I conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with students who identified as a Black man and were a second-year or higher in their undergraduate engineering program. By examining interpersonal relationships, I clarify the meaningfulness of relationships at one historically Black college and university (N=1) and two historically white institutions (N=13). A total of seven relationship types and ten different ways students described their relationships were identified in the data. Each of the ways students described their relationship was organized on the emergent domains of academic, emotional/mental, financial, professional, social, and spiritual. Students also mentioned five environmental influences that impacted their experiences in engineering. My results indicate that students find value in relationships with people who were relatable, people who could provide insight or knowledge, and people who showed a sense of care or concern for the student. Students also mentioned how environmental influences bear significance on their over experience in engineering. The present study lays the groundwork for holistically examining the interpersonal relationships of Black men in undergraduate engineering programs. / Doctor of Philosophy / For decades, Black men have experienced educational hardships from as early as first grade. While many researchers have identified areas to improve the educational experience for Black men, few have looked at the educational experience of Black men in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). My research adds to the current conversations surrounding Black men in undergraduate engineering programs by looking at how relationships impact their educational experiences. I conducted a research study with 14 Black men in undergraduate engineering programs at two historically white institutions (N=13) and one historically Black university (N=1). I asked Black men about the types of relationships they had and why those relationships were meaningful to them. I also asked the students if there were outside influences such as stereotypes held by society that might impact how they look at their relationships. The students primarily discussed relationships with their STEM peers and professors. Relationships that were more meaningful for students were with people who were relatable, people who could provide insight or knowledge, and people who showed a sense of care or concern for the student. Outside influences that impacted students' relationships were their academic major, the type of institution they attended, their gender, their race/ethnicity, and National events. These findings contribute in several ways to our understanding of the value of relationships and provide a basis for future research involving Black men in STEM.