"Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapy Department, College of Allied Health and Nursing, Nova Southeastern University."Obesity is a global public health issue, yet interventions to create change have been largely ineffective. Few researchers have considered obesity from the perspective of the person experiencing it, and even fewer have explored the effects obesity has on the Mexican-American population. This dissertation explored the lived experiences of Mexican-American women with obesity living along the El Paso/Mexico border. The study used occupational therapy's Lifestyle Performance Model as the orienting framework. Theoretical concepts from psychology and sociology also clarified contexts of social construction and outcomes of negative stereotyping. Using a phenomenological, qualitative design, this study answered the following research question: What are the lived experiences of Mexican-American women with obesity living along the El Paso/Mexico border? Eight women participated in the study, ranging in age from 25-45 years. The women were recruited though posted flyers and snowball sampling methods. Individual, in-depth interviewing resulted in emergent themes and subthemes that articulated the core essence of their lived experiences. The dominant themes of the study portrayed obesity as a: (a) pervasive entity, (b) disruption to a harmonious self, (c) social negotiation, (d) disconnection from self and others, and (e) product of cultural patterning. Through the voices of the participants, results showed that obesity affects physical and emotional health, which alters lifestyle performance and overall quality of life. Cultural and environmental factors also significantly influence active engagement in meaningful occupation. The data suggest a need for clinician training, student education, and advocacy skills for individuals who live with obesity. Further topics for future research and detailed recommendations regarding treatment interventions are also discussed.

Les progrès spectaculaires réalisés dans le traitement de la fibrose kystique font en sorte qu'un nombre de plus en plus élevé de familles comptant un adolescent atteint de ce problème de santé, peut maintenant envisager d'effectuer la transition depuis l'adolescent vers l'âge adulte. À ce jour, les recherches à ce sujet demeurent peu nombreuses, principalement en ce qui a trait à la nature des interations entre les adolescents, leurs parents et les professionnels de la santé qui préparent ces familles en vue du transfert, depuis un établissement pédiatrique vers un établissement adulte. L'appréhension de ce phénomène s'est réalisée dans une perspective constructiviste et systémique, ce qui a permis de mettre en relief certaines des multiples facettes du phénomène et de jeter un éclairage novateur sur des dynamiques entre les membres de la famille et entre ces derniers et les professionnels de la santé. Le but de cette étude de cas, de type qualitavive, était de modéliser de manière systémique, le processus de transtion pour des familles ayant un adolescent atteint de la fibrose kystique qui est en phase pré transfert, depuis l'établissement pédiatrique vers le milieu adulte. Des entretiens semi-dirigés ont été réalisés avec sept familles comptant un adolescent atteint de la fibrose kystique. De plus, un entretien de groupe a également été effectué avec une équipe interprofessionnelle oeuvrant dans une clinique qui traite des adolescents atteints de la fibrose kysitque. L'analyse qualitative des données a mené au développement d'un modèle systémique de la transition pour ces familles. Ce modèle souligne qu'en évoluant de façon parallèle, les familles et les professionnels de la santé poursuivent la même finalité de favoriser le développement de l'autonomie de l'adolescent. Ce processus de transition chez ces familles s'inscrit, par ailleurs, dans un espace-temps signifié par le transfert inter-établissements, avec peu de considération pour la souffrance parentale liée au pronostic de la maladie. Ainsi, le développement de l'autonomie est marqué par la confiance qui doit s'établir entre l'adolescent et son parent, en passant par la surveillance du parent envers l'adolescent et par la responsabilisation graduelle chez ce dernier. Cette étude propose donc une modélisation systémique de ce processus de transition qui contribue non seulement au développement du concept de la transition en sciences de la santé, mais aussi de la pratique clinique et de la recherche dans le domaine des soins à la famille aux prises avec un adolescent atteint de la fibrose kystique. / Given the spectacular progress that has been made in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, a growing number of families with an adolescent who has cystic fibrosis can now envisage their child making the transition from adolescence to adulthood. To date, little research has been conducted on the subject, particularly with regard to the nature of the interactions between adolescents, their parents and the healthcare professionals preparing the families for transfer from a paediatric to an adult setting. A systemic, constructivist approach was adopted to help grasp the phenomenon, enabling us to highlight some of its many facets and to cast new light on the dynamics among family members and between them and healthcare professionals. The goal of this qualitative case study was to develop a systemic model of the transition process in families with an adolescent who has cystic fibrosis and is at the pre-transfer stage, as he or she is about to move from a paediatric clinic to adult care. Semi-directed interviews were conducted with seven families with an adolescent who has cystic fibrosis. In addition, a group discussion was held with an inter-professional team working in a clinic that treats adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Qualitative data analysis led to the development of a systemic model of the transition for these families. The model underscores the point that while they evolve in parallel, families and healthcare professionals have the same project: fostering the development of the adolescent's autonomy. Moreover, the transition process in the families takes place in a space-time signified by the transfer between clinics, with little consideration for parental suffering experience over the prognosis of the disease. Features of the development of autonomy are the confidence that must be established between the adolescent and the parent, the parent's supervision of the adolescent and the adolescent's gradual increase of responsibility. This study thus puts forward a systemic model for a transition process that contributes to the development not only of the concept of transition in health sciences, but also of clinical practice and research in the area of care for families that have to cope with an adolescent with cystic fibrosis.

This is an arts-informed qualitative research study looking at violence against women and how it affects their educational outcomes. It uses an art installation in which the narratives of the women involved are combined with photographs and real world objects in which viewers take on a ‘walking meditation’ as well as the use of participation stations for viewer feedback and further sharing of stories anonymously. This project is based on the belief that through a feminist research lens, participatory practice with the use of storytelling can be a form of transformation in community development.

This is an arts-informed qualitative research study looking at violence against women and how it affects their educational outcomes. It uses an art installation in which the narratives of the women involved are combined with photographs and real world objects in which viewers take on a ‘walking meditation’ as well as the use of participation stations for viewer feedback and further sharing of stories anonymously. This project is based on the belief that through a feminist research lens, participatory practice with the use of storytelling can be a form of transformation in community development.

Success of nonprofit human services organizations depends upon the ability to cultivate high quality performance among staff members. Employees of such organizations experience lower job satisfaction when managers disregard their opinions or treat them as unimportant. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to explore employees' perspectives on the quality of their relationships with their supervisors and impacts of that perception on job performance. The central research questions regarded how employees understood those relationships and their impact on their work success. Using the framework of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, which centers upon the employee-supervisor relationship, data were collected through interviews with 32 participants including those at a supervisory level and direct-care providers. Archival documents from 2 non-profit human service organizations that reflected upon relationships between supervisors and employees were also utilized. Using Clark and Braun's thematic analysis strategy for coding and analysis, results indicated that manager-employee relationships characterized by themes of respect, understanding, positive interactions, and open communication allowed employees to feel comfortable and valued at work, and that relationships characterized by mutual loyalty, respect, and clear, reciprocal communication were optimal for promoting job performance. This study's potential impact for positive social change includes recommendations to non-profit service organizations to develop future leadership policies and training programs to assist managers and supervisors in improving relationships with their subordinates.

This research examined the lived experiences of an Afghan Muslim male participant group. This study explored their immigration from a Southwest-Asian, highly non-secular society to a Western-style, liberal, secular nation-state. Further, this research was an examination of Muslim male identity as an attribute that is closely related to lived experiences, environment and cultural assimilation. Also, this study looked closely at the meanings that this Afghan Muslim male immigrant group attached to identity, as well as exploring their unique narratives during pre-immigration and post-immigration periods. This qualitative research study used narrative methods to unearth the lived experiences of five Afghan Muslim male citizens. These participants immigrated to the U.S. while serving as interpreters and translators for the coalition forces during the Afghanistan War between 2003 and 2012. Several researchers have examined Muslim immigration from Eastern to Western nations, focusing on their adaptation, assimilation, and developmental patterns. The research objective of this study was slightly different and important to social science in that it focused on how a select group of Afghan Muslim males conceptualized their own sense of identity and how their notion of identity was shaped and influenced by their own pre- and post-migration experiences. To this end, the discoveries in this study revealed that the nature of the identities for many in this study may be deemed more blended and in some instances renegotiated, holding onto parts of their core native identities while embracing aspects of the cultural, ethnic, and social elements of their new host land that fit within their own individual frame of reference.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The cyber Peer-Led Team Learning (cPLTL) workshops are a synchronous online adaptation of the educational intervention PLTL, in which students, under the guidance of undergraduate peer facilitators, collaboratively solve problems in small groups. The purpose of this parallel convergent mixed methods study was to assess the impact of implementing cPLTL in an organic chemistry course on students’ workshop experiences, performance, and development of curved-arrow formalism skills. Statistical analyses revealed comparable attendance rates, distribution of course grades, and achievement on American Chemical Society First-semester Organic Chemistry Exams. However, plotting workshop grades by AB, C, and DFW grade groupings revealed that PLTL students earned more successful grades than their cPLTL counterparts (91% vs 77% ABC grades). Utilization of a new curved-arrow formalism analytic framework for coding student interview artifacts revealed that cPLTL students were statistically less likely to successfully draw the product suggested by the curved-arrows than their PLTL classmates. Both PLTL and cPLTL students exhibited a comparable incidence of relational to instrumental learning approaches. Similarly, both PLTL and cPLTL students were more likely to exhibit a common Scheme for Problem-Solving in Organic Chemistry (SPOC) than having dialogue that could be characterized by Toulmin’s Argumentation scheme. Lastly, implications for faculty are suggested, including: developing more explicit connections concept, mode, and reasoning components of understanding curved-arrow formalism for organic chemistry students; optimizing graphical collaborative learning activities for online learners; and developing online students’ sense of community.