Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- All Subjects: Mental Health
Description
Social-emotional learning (SEL) methods are beginning to receive global attention in primary school education, yet the dominant emphasis on implementing these curricula is in high-income, urbanized areas. Consequently, the unique features of developing and integrating such methods in middle- or low-income rural areas are unclear. Past studies suggest that students exposed to SEL programs show an increase in academic performance, improved ability to cope with stress, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school, but these curricula are designed with an urban focus. The purpose of this study was to conduct a needs-based analysis to investigate components specific to a SEL curriculum contextualized to rural primary schools. A promising organization committed to rural educational development is Barefoot College, located in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India. In partnership with Barefoot, we designed an ethnographic study to identify and describe what teachers and school leaders consider the highest needs related to their students' social and emotional education. To do so, we interviewed 14 teachers and school leaders individually or in a focus group to explore their present understanding of “social-emotional learning” and the perception of their students’ social and emotional intelligence. Analysis of this data uncovered common themes among classroom behaviors and prevalent opportunities to address social and emotional well-being among students. These themes translated into the three overarching topics and eight sub-topics explored throughout the curriculum, and these opportunities guided the creation of the 21 modules within it. Through a design-based research methodology, we developed a 40-hour curriculum by implementing its various modules within seven Barefoot classrooms alongside continuous reiteration based on teacher feedback and participant observation. Through this process, we found that student engagement increased during contextualized SEL lessons as opposed to traditional methods. In addition, we found that teachers and students preferred and performed better with an activities-based approach. These findings suggest that rural educators must employ particular teaching strategies when addressing SEL, including localized content and an experiential-learning approach. Teachers reported that as their approach to SEL shifted, they began to unlock the potential to build self-aware, globally-minded students. This study concludes that social and emotional education cannot be treated in a generalized manner, as curriculum development is central to the teaching-learning process.
ContributorsBucker, Delaney Sue (Author) / Carrese, Susan (Thesis director) / Barab, Sasha (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Eating disorders are complex psychiatric illnesses often resulting in severe disturbances in eating behaviors and body-image related thoughts. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, nearly 30 million Americans have an eating disorder at a given time (2017). There are various types of eating disorders, the most common being anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED). Moreover, eating disorders are diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
This review paper analyzes the current research on eating disorders. Some potential causes of eating disorders include the media, familial influence, and peers (Hogan & Strasburger, 2008). Also, college students are a high-risk population for eating disorders, with athletes and nutrition-related students being more high-risk than others (Arnett, 2004). The potential warning signs of an eating disorder may include (but are not limited to) weight fluctuations, excessive exercise, avoidance of food/functions with food, skipping meals, and evidence of disordered eating behaviors (such as purging) (2017). Moreover, acute medical complications may include amenorrhea (in females), dizziness, dry skin, brittle nails, unhealthy gums and teeth, lanugo, hair loss, muscle weakness, stomach cramps, poor wound healing (2017). Chronic complications of eating disorder behaviors may include osteoporosis, infertility, poor oral health, and cardiovascular abnormalities (2017). Furthermore, this paper also outlines how I have spread awareness of the topic at Arizona State University.
This review paper analyzes the current research on eating disorders. Some potential causes of eating disorders include the media, familial influence, and peers (Hogan & Strasburger, 2008). Also, college students are a high-risk population for eating disorders, with athletes and nutrition-related students being more high-risk than others (Arnett, 2004). The potential warning signs of an eating disorder may include (but are not limited to) weight fluctuations, excessive exercise, avoidance of food/functions with food, skipping meals, and evidence of disordered eating behaviors (such as purging) (2017). Moreover, acute medical complications may include amenorrhea (in females), dizziness, dry skin, brittle nails, unhealthy gums and teeth, lanugo, hair loss, muscle weakness, stomach cramps, poor wound healing (2017). Chronic complications of eating disorder behaviors may include osteoporosis, infertility, poor oral health, and cardiovascular abnormalities (2017). Furthermore, this paper also outlines how I have spread awareness of the topic at Arizona State University.
ContributorsDaryanani, Anita Sonu (Author) / Kniskern, Megan (Thesis director) / Vargas, Jenna (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Objectives: To explore the feasibility and effects of using a meditation mobile app 10-minutes a day for 4-weeks to reduce burnout (primary outcome), improve mindfulness, reduce stress, and depression in physician assistant (PA) students compared to a wait-list control.
Methods: This study was a randomized, wait-list, control trial with assessments at baseline and post-intervention (week 4). Participants were asked to meditate using Calm for 10 minutes per day. A p value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The majority of participants (n=19) stated using Calm helped them cope with the stress of PA school. The intervention group participated in meditation for an average of 76 minutes/week. There were significant differences in all outcomes for the intervention group (all p ≤0.06). There was a significant interaction between group and time factors in emotional exhaustion (p=.016) and depersonalization (p=.025).
Conclusions: Calm is a feasible way to reduce burnout in PA students. Our findings provide information that can be applied to the design of future studies.
Methods: This study was a randomized, wait-list, control trial with assessments at baseline and post-intervention (week 4). Participants were asked to meditate using Calm for 10 minutes per day. A p value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The majority of participants (n=19) stated using Calm helped them cope with the stress of PA school. The intervention group participated in meditation for an average of 76 minutes/week. There were significant differences in all outcomes for the intervention group (all p ≤0.06). There was a significant interaction between group and time factors in emotional exhaustion (p=.016) and depersonalization (p=.025).
Conclusions: Calm is a feasible way to reduce burnout in PA students. Our findings provide information that can be applied to the design of future studies.
ContributorsWorth, Taylor Nicole (Author) / Huberty, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Will, Kristen (Committee member) / Puzia, Megan (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Six Years From Now is a verbatim theatre piece all about mental health. This creative project involved interviewing twelve different people about mental health and residential treatment centers, and then creating a play consisting of a series of monologues created from the exact words spoken in the interviews. The goal of writing this play was to help tell other people's stories, educate others about what living with mental illness is really like, educate others on modern residential treatment centers, and reduce the stigma around mental health and mental illness.
ContributorsHirsch, Jenae Danielle (Author) / McMahon, Jeff (Thesis director) / Partlan, William (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The United States has been long considered a country of immigrants. Throughout U.S. history the implementation of immigration policies has oscillated from lenient to highly restrictive. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security manages the largest detention system in the world. In December 2019, the National Detention Standards that govern the level of care in detention were revised. These revisions grant more oversight to private detention companies, including mental health treatment options and the use of solitary confinement. This is concerning given the amount of suicides that have occurred in detention. Despite an increasing trend in funding for detention centers, mental health resources are scarce and increasingly remiss in detention centers. Individuals held in civil detention are subject to deteriorating mental health due to the locations of detention centers, solitary confinement and high costs associated with outbound calls and visitations.
ContributorsPelayo, Berenice (Author) / Serat, Leah (Thesis director) / Hinojosa, Magda (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05