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.
In this manuscript, the topic of breastfeeding is explored as it relates to a mother's economic and education level. More specifically, family income, employment status, marital status, and level of education are observed in order to identify any trends or patterns that may influence a mother to prefer breastfeeding over formula feeding. The data presented comes from a research study that utilized three prediction scales which aim to understand a mother's attitude towards infant feeding, self efficacy or confidence, and the chance of discontinuing breastfeeding prematurely. The purpose of this project is to call attention to disparities that may exist from a lack of education and resources for mothers to choose the form of infant feeding that is most beneficial to them.
This creative project aims to explore how interactive bonding and imaginative play can be used as a potential coping mechanism for both children with chronic illness as well as their families. Research has shown that parents of children with chronic illness have higher psychological and emotional stress. They face the obstacles of long hospital stays, financial burdens, and fear of losing their loved one. Parents can also place blame on themselves for their child’s illness and wonder what they could have done to prevent the situation. Most parents dream of having a healthy, happy baby, so when their child has an unexpected illness, it can be emotionally overwhelming, and make it harder to connect with the child. It can also strain a relationship between a husband and wife. In addition, it was found that parent stress could hinder a child's ability to cope with their illness, affect their confidence, as well as their social and emotional development. Therapeutic play has been commonly used in pediatric hospital settings. Therapeutic play allows one to express their feelings, it provides a creative space for engagement that serves as a distraction from the medical world, and it enhances development. The hope of this study is to find a way to use creative play and “artmaking” to create a safe, fun, and open space for the child and caregivers to connect and identify their emotions. The study is ongoing, so this paper will provide the process of the research.
