Social Anxiety and Cold Calling in Education
Subject: Social Science (Education)
Presenters: Emma Aberle & Amelia DeRosa
Faculty Sponsor:
Dr. Lyons
Social anxiety is prevalent in children and adolescents (Conlan, 2016). Classroom practices intended to support student learning by encouraging broad participation may unintentionally exacerbate students’ anxiety (Birkland, 2021). As social anxiety may contribute to school refusal, this is particularly concerning amidst persistently high rates of student absences post pandemic (Dee, 2023). The purpose of this study was to explore students’ experiences of social anxiety, their perspectives on cold calling, and whether this practice contributed to social anxiety. Importantly, we also elicited their ideas for alternative ways teachers might encourage participation. The study utilized a mixed methods approach, eliciting qualitative and quantitative responses from 36 high school students in tenth through twelfth and X# college students. The high school student responses unanimously answered yes when asked if they had ever been cold called, and 63.9% of students stated that teachers should not be practicing cold calling at all. Many high school students connected cold calling to spikes in social anxiety, and claimed teachers should offer alternative options for participation to accommodate every student.
The Relationship Between Education and Cultural Competency within Physician Assistant Students at Springfield College
Subject: Social Science (Health-Science/PA, Honors Program)
Presenters: Jade Kiang
Faculty Sponsor:
Loni Kearney, Ariel Rodríguez, and the Honors Program
A physician assistant (PA) is someone who practices medicine under the supervision of a physician, and they are able to examine patients, diagnose, treat conditions, and prescribe medicine. In this profession, as in others, cultural competency is of the utmost importance, as healthcare providers should be able to execute healthcare that meets the social and cultural needs of their patients while understanding their bias. In this study, 35 PA students in one cohort at Springfield College were surveyed during their first semester of the professional phase in order to determine their levels of perceived cultural competency through a Google Form. This survey used a likert scale along with other close and open-ended questions. From this, the means of the likert question responses were calculated, and the other questions were analyzed for their relationship to perceived cultural competency. The participants indicated that the PA seminar series and certain classes that they took throughout their undergraduate career at Springfield College may have contributed to their cultural competency. Many participants have attended a SEAT at the Table event and some have also engaged in service learning opportunities that may have also impacted this. The survey used in this study could be administered throughout the professional phase to the same cohort of PA students that were participants in this study, applied to future cohorts of PA students in their first semester of the professional phase, or be adjusted in order to be less PA-specific so that students in other majors can take it and their levels of perceived cultural competence can be evaluated.
Exploring the Social Determinants of Maternal Health
Subject: Social Science (Public Health and Health Professions)
Presenters: Olivia Pandiscia
Faculty Sponsor:
Pamela Sangeloty Higgins
Although the Maternal Mortality Rate is experiencing a slow decline in the United States, the average rate remains high relative to other developed nations. Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. include a disparity by race and other social determinants. We examined maternal health disparities through key-informant interviews using grounded theory as a systematic method to study the social determinants of health and healthcare provider-perceived cultural competency. Our participant pool includes ten healthcare providers from various healthcare practices and environments, such as nurses, social workers, Obstetricians, and Gynecologists, in hospitals, private practices, and birthing centers within two New England states. The principal variables included in the key-informant interview question are the provider’s perceptions of socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic barriers, social support, and suggestions to improve their patient's health. At the point of qualitative saturation, we concluded with three central themes: social support, interdisciplinary care, and patient-centered care. Recommendations were made from the interviewees' individual experience in practice; these suggestions were influenced by their practicing environment, the racial and ethnic identities of their patients, and their own racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The Association Between Perinatal Depression and Child Social-Emotional Development: A Literature Review
Subject: Social Science (Department of Public Health and Health Professions)
Presenters: Devonish Brown
Faculty Sponsor:
Pamela Higgins
BACKGROUND: The social-emotional development in children begins with establishing parental bonding with their infant during the first year of their life. However, maternal perinatal depression (PD), a mood disorder that occurs during and after pregnancy, has been identified as a risk factor for the four domains of a child's development such as their behavior, psychomotor, cognitive, and social-emotional skills.
OBJECTIVE: This research aims to understand whether maternal perinatal depression has any significant influence on the social and emotional well-being of infants compared to infants whose mothers do not experience perinatal depression. The findings of this research have implications for early intervention and support for mothers and infants to promote healthier outcomes.
METHODS: Articles for this review were collected from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and MEDLINE databases. The search terms included ""infant development,"" ""early childhood development,"" ""perinatal mental health,"" ""maternal mental health,"" and ""social-emotional development.""
RESULTS: Evidence found that maternal mental health complications such as depression, anxiety, and bonding impairments have a significant effect on the social and emotional well-being of their child or children. Some effects include behaviors like hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggression, and rule violation, while internalizing problems are worry, anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal.
CONCLUSIONS: This literature review highlights the importance of early identification, intervention, and support for mothers experiencing depression during the perinatal period to promote positive outcomes for mothers and their infants, reducing any detrimental effects of adverse maternal mental health.
College Students and Their Perceptions of the Police
Subject: Social Science (Criminal Justice)
Presenters: Kevin Giulini
Faculty Sponsor:
Francesca Spina
The purpose of this research is to look at college students and their perceptions of the police so that police departments can better understand that category of adults. College campuses are known for having strongly opinionated and vocal students. In recent years perceptions of police have been trending downwards. It is important to understand why those perceptions are negatively trending. I conducted my research through a survey of students at Springfield College and analyzed the data collected. This study highlights different perceptions of police and offers a look at the next generation of adults entering the world so that police departments can train and work on building better relationships with the community they serve. This research is crucial to the future of policing as they directly work with and serve society. The two entities must work together so that society can function as efficiently as possible. Without this study, the issue at hand may not improve, leading to more distress in society than there already is.
Effect of college students’ adverse childhood experiences, parental relations, and academic success
Subject: Social Science (Psychology)
Presenters: Savannah Marcello, Megan Mohan & Jordan Cody
Faculty Sponsor:
Dr. Matthew Brubaker
Throughout the course of this study, the relationships between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), perceived academic success, and parental relationships were observed. With a questionnaire design, respondents provided information related to the presented variables. Convenience sampling was used along with snowball sampling. Data was coded and transferred to SPSS once it was collected. Results were analyzed in an attempt to identify significant correlations between variables. Upon analyzing the data, some trends were identified. It was determined that there is a significantly positive correlation between parental conflict and ACE score, while there is a significantly negative relationship between parental closeness and ACE score. Although the data was not significant, there was a trend suggesting an inverse relationship between ACE score and perceived academic success. Additionally, there was a slightly significant relationship between parental relationships and perceived academic success, as some of the correlations for the related variables were significant, but not all of them were. There were suggestions of a positive trend showing a relationship between parental closeness and perceived academic success, in addition to suggestions of a negative trend between parental conflict and perceived academic success.
Instagram Effect on Self-Esteem
Subject: Social Science (Psychology)
Presenters: Hunter Bernard & Kayla Yesu
Faculty Sponsor:
Dr. Matthew Brubaker
The usage of Instagram in college students raises concerns about self-esteem and mental wellbeing, according to research done on the age group. Springfield College students answered surveys about their perceived self-esteem, their social media usage, and the impact they feel social media has on their self-esteem. There was no significant correlation between Instagram usage and self-esteem in the participants, though there was a significant relationship between gender and self-esteem, showing males have higher self-esteem than females. Limitations of lack of diversity in the participant pool and the nature of a self-report survey had potential effects on the data collected. The next step is to look into other social media apps’ impact on self-esteem in order to find a significant correlation of social media usage on self-esteem.
Perceived Scarcity
Subject: Social Science (Psychology)
Presenters: Joshua Glazier
Faculty Sponsor:
Maysa DeSousa
Perceived scarcity is generally defined as the feeling of not having enough. It can be most prominently observed in individuals who have a partial or complete lack of material resources, time, or psychological resources. Scarcity is a complex topic for many reasons, mainly due to the subjectivity of the topic. Two individuals may be placed in the same situation, and one may feel extreme scarcity while the other feels no scarcity. Previous research reported perceived scarcity predicts self-reported health outcomes such as quality of life and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The aim of this study is to further understand the relationship between scarcity and health outcomes through participants’ descriptions of their experiences with scarcity. Archival data in the form of interview transcripts from 24 participants were used to perform secondary data analysis. Quirkos Version 2.5.3 was used for qualitative data coding; the transcripts were double-coded and merged to observe the most prominent themes identified by the participants. The most prevalent themes referenced by participants were material scarcity, general sacrifice due to scarcity with an emphasis on sacrificing health needs, and time scarcity. The data points to significant impacts on participants' health due to scarcity. Future studies investigating the relationship between scarcity and health outcomes should include a larger sample size to identify additional ways in which individuals may feel perceived scarcity is impacting their health.
The Relationship between Student Engagement, Stress, and Satisfaction in Springfield College Students
Subject: Social Science (Psychology)
Presenters: Maggie Donohue, Hannah Shields, Kyle Johnson & Robert Rubbo
Faculty Sponsor:
Matt Brubaker
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between student engagement, stress, and satisfaction levels among Springfield College students. After providing informed consent, 67 participants completed a survey consisting of four questionnaires, including a demographic questionnaire, the Student Involvement Survey, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a satisfaction questionnaire. The demographic questionnaire asked participants about various aspects of their identity. The Student Involvement Survey included five questions regarding the number and frequency of the student’s participation in on-campus extracurriculars, such as clubs, sports teams, and campus jobs. The PSS was used to assess the extent to which students have experienced stress in the last month, and the satisfaction questionnaire required students to indicate their level of fulfillment at Springfield College. In total, the participants responded to 24 questions in the survey, taking them about 5-10 minutes to complete. The first hypothesis of this study was that as student engagement increases in Springfield College students, their satisfaction levels will tend to increase until a certain point at which it will begin to decrease. The second hypothesis was that as student engagement increases in Springfield College students, their stress levels will tend to decrease until a certain point at which it will begin to increase. These hypotheses were formulated from past research findings, which examined the relationship between engagement patterns in college students and their satisfaction with their educational experience. This previous study found a correlation between student educational satisfaction and student involvement (Hwang & Wao, 2021). The results and their implications in terms of the relationship between student involvement, stress, and satisfaction will be discussed at Scholars in Action.
The relationship between personality, majors and academic success.
Subject: Social Science (Psychology)
Presenters: Mariah Pelletier, Brittany Cotter & Lila Sherman
Faculty Sponsor:
Matt Brubaker
Studies show that there are several consequences of parental marital instability that can lead to increased stress such as economic difficulties and familial conflict (D’Onofrio & Emery, 2019). The purpose of the present study was to see if there was any relationship between college-aged students’ perceived stress and their parent's marital status. Participants (N = 66) completed a survey that included questions regarding demographics (gender, age, race, income, political affiliation), parental marital status, and extracurriculars (including work and sports and the time spent on those activities), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which asks participants about their feelings and thoughts over the last month in reference to stress. The purpose of this survey was to understand the perceived levels of stress among the participants and whether there was any relationship between perceived stress and the parental marital status of the participants. Questions on the PSS portion of the survey were grouped into two categories, perceived helplessness questions and perceived self-efficacy questions. Perceived stress was calculated using the sum of these two groups. The survey also needed to include demographic questions, such as family income, employment, race, gender etc, so that we could take into consideration the many different factors that could potentially play a role in perceived stress, other than parental marital status. In total, participants responded to 28 items, taking approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. The hypothesis was that there would be a positive correlation between college students coming from homes with divorced, separated, or single parents and perceived stress. The results will be discussed regarding stress level and parental marital status data.
The Relationship Between College Students’ Parental Marital Status and Their Perceived Stress
Subject: Social Science (Psychology)
Presenters: Giles Paradie, Annalee Pagliaro & Griffin Polga
Faculty Sponsor:
Matt Brubaker
The purpose of the present study was to see if there was any relationship between college-aged students’ perceived stress and their parent's marital status. Participants (N = 66) completed a survey that included questions regarding demographics (gender, age, race, income, political affiliation), parental marital status, and extracurriculars (including work and sports and the time spent on those activities), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which asks participants about their feelings and thoughts over the last month in reference to stress. The purpose of this survey was to understand the perceived levels of stress among the participants and whether there was any relationship between perceived stress and the parental marital status of the participants. Questions on the survey were grouped into two categories, perceived helplessness questions and perceived self-efficacy questions. Perceived stress was calculated using the sum of these two groups. The survey also needed to include demographic questions, such as family income, employment, race, gender etc, so that we could take into consideration the many different factors that could potentially play a role in perceived stress, other than parental marital status. In total, participants would respond to 28 items, taking approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. The hypothesis was that there would be a positive correlation between college students coming from homes with divorced, separated, or single parents and perceived stress. The results will be discussed regarding stress level and parental marital status data.
Is Test Taking the most effective way to track students progress?
Subject: Social Science (Elementary and Special Education)
Presenters: Haley Marino, Julia Merk & Megan Casey
Faculty Sponsor:
Emily Lyons
Testing is ubiquitous in US classrooms. Starting as early as Kindergarten and on through college, students are asked to demonstrate what they know through tests (Basok et al., 2016). But: is test taking the best and most effective way for us to be tracking the progress of our students in the classroom?
There have been studies done that show that even when students know information, their full knowledge is not always demonstrated through the form of a test (e.g. Arias et al., 2023; Ballen, 2017). Students may be especially likely to underperform relative to their knowledge base on high stakes tests, as anxiety can interfere with cognitive performance (see Beilock, 2008) . In addition to in some instances not measuring student learning effectively, the prevalence of test-taking may have detrimental impacts on students’ mental health. This study implemented a mixed methods approach, eliciting perspectives from key stakeholders including HS students (26% of respondents), College Students (37 % of Respondents) parents and teachers (37%). on their beliefs about the role of tests.
Across groups, 100% of respondents believed there should be alternative ways to measure students progress, and nearly all (93%) of respondents reported that test taking during their time in school negatively affected their mental health, either sometimes (46.5% ) or frequently (46.5%). However, the majority of respondents (75%) also believed testing can sometimes be an effective way to measure progress. In qualitative responses, participants described a wide range of benefits and drawbacks to testing, and shared ideas for alternative ways to track student progress.
Identity & How it Affects the Student Experience
Subject: Social Science (Education)
Presenters: Evan Davidson & Michaela Lamoureux
Faculty Sponsor:
Emily Lyons
This qualitative study sought to examine the relationship between identity and the student experience, specifically in a secondary education setting. The participants of this study include people at a collegiate level.
We explored the student experience of students with intersectional disenfranchised identities, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people within the LGBTQ+ community, when compared to their peers that come from more privileged identities and backgrounds.
We researched information on identity and its effects on the experiences of students in their daily lives, including subjects like pronoun usage, student behavior and bullying, influence from their upbringings and surroundings, and whether or not they were familiar with certain topics and other necessary conversations that may not pertain to their identity.
The study utilized a mixed methods approach, combining information from qualitative interviews and feedback received on a Google Forms survey in order to better understand the day to day student experience of those living with intersectional disenfranchised identities versus living as a straight, white, cisgender male.
Results show a dichotomy in both how they navigate school and social life as well as what they know in terms of how difficult it may be to live with those identities.
The results of both the questionnaire that we created and the statements from the video found that the student experience is directly tied to the students’ identities; whether it affects them positively or negatively, the relationship between the two is undeniable. Findings from this study highlight the importance of spreading awareness on the matter, as we need to have these conversations in order to create a safe, welcoming environment in schools across the nation, which is what we hope to achieve through presenting at Scholars in Action.
Impacts of food and alcohol intake on health metrics: A mixed-methods study
Subject: Social Science (Exercise Science and Athletic Training)
Presenters: James Russo & Jacob Halfrey
Faculty Sponsor:
Chelsea Allison
Background: The relationship between food and alcohol intake and health metrics, such as heart rate variability (HRV), remains a critical area of research. Using biometric tracking rings (BTR) may be a novel strategy for individuals to objectively identify the impacts of food and alcohol intake on such metrics.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore participant reports of how food and alcohol consumption impacted health metrics.
Methods: One hundred twenty employees at a small, private college participated in a year-long study, which included collecting BTR health metrics and semi-structured interviews to understand their experiences and any changes in lifestyle due to wearing the BTR. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, participant interviews (n = 108) were screened for any discussion about nutrition using specific keywords (nutrition, diet, drinking, and alcohol). Of the 31 participants who discussed nutrition, 15 discussed food or alcohol impacting BTR metrics. These fifteen interviews were coded using an a priori codebook to inform thematic analysis. Themes were compared to mean changes in HRV score between time points. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze monthly mean HRV scores and demographics. All quantitative data were analyzed via SPSS 29.0.
Results: Participants were 40% faculty, 47% staff, and 13% senior leadership team. The mean Fage was 49.3±8.7 and 80% identified as female. Two themes regarding intake and influence on BTR metrics were found: 1) Participants reported consuming food or alcohol before bed impacted BTR metrics and 2) Participants' increased awareness promoted a desire to change behaviors to improve BTR metrics. Quantitative data analysis revealed an overall 2.15-point decrease in HRV from time point 1 to time point 2. When the themes were compared to the quantitative data, a divergence in data was found: the increased awareness of HRV impacts did not facilitate any improvement of HRV scores.
Conclusion: This research highlights the potential of wearable technology to promote healthier lifestyle choices through increased self-awareness and provides valuable insights into the subjective and objective effects of diet and alcohol consumption on health metrics.
Contributors of negative attitudes towards sleep data in biometric-tracking ring users: A qualitative study
Subject: Social Science (Public health)
Presenters: Hrishikesh Lamichhane
Faculty Sponsor:
Chelsea Allison
Background: Biometric-tracking rings (BTR), devices that track user health metrics, can be tools for health programs; thus, it is essential to understand attitudes regarding the BTR data provided to users. This study aimed to explore factors that contributed to the negative attitudes of users toward the BTR sleep data.
Methods: BTR metrics were collected over 11 months from 120 employees at a small private college. Most participants (90%) completed an interview about their experience wearing the ring; of these, 74% discussed the sleep data in detail. Attitudes towards the sleep data were deductively coded as either positive (55%), negative (22.5%), or indifferent/insignificant (22.5%). Then, transcripts were coded using data-driven inductive techniques. Code mapping was used to inform thematic analysis. Descriptive statistics analyzed participant demographics using RStudio Version 2023.12.0+369.
Results: Participants included faculty (50%), staff (38%), and administrators (11%). The mean age was 50±8.6, and 67% identified as female. Three themes contributed to negative attitudes: expectations of the data, experiences with data accuracy, and knowledge of the data metrics. Though expectations varied, participants reported distrust in the data or reported unmet expectations. Participants discussed inaccuracies due to the data not aligning with how participants felt or providing extreme, unexplainable shifts in metrics. Additionally, participants found the data complex and challenging to interpret due to limited knowledge of the health metrics.
Conclusions: Negative attitudes toward the BTR sleep data were due to various factors that should be considered to maximize the acceptability of health programs.
How does social anxiety develop within first year college students transitioning from high school to Springfield College?
Subject: Social Science
Presenters: Israel Gonzalez, Isabel Navarro & Anna Nyberg
Faculty Sponsor:
Matthew Brubaker
The purpose of our study was to determine the impact social anxiety has on first year students transitioning from high school to college. With the increase of mental health issues in young adults, experiencing a major life change can be difficult to cope with. 15 participants completed a survey consisting of twenty-five questions relating to their experience here at the Springfield College campus as a first-year student. The questions focused on the student’s background and open ended questions about their possibility of experiencing social anxiety on campus in relation to how active they are on campus. This includes participation in different campus activities including varsity sports teams, club sports teams, on-campus clubs, on-campus jobs, study groups, etc. We did not include current seniors as participants in the survey because during the time of their first year, COVD-19 and remote learning disrupted the college experience so much that it would not be comparable to other year’s cohorts.. There were 15 variables and 25 questions to take into account when conducting this survey. Each variable added personality to each student’s answers and made for some compelling evidence supporting our hypothesis that if first year students are able to be socially present on campus (i.e. involvement in sports/clubs) then we predict lower levels of social anxiety. Results and implications will be discussed in terms of the impact that student involvement has on students’ first-year transition to college.