Filtering by
- Creators: School of Life Sciences
- Creators: Ganesh, Tirupalavanam
Self-efficacy in engineering, engineering identity, and coping in engineering have been shown in previous studies to be highly important in the advancement of one’s development in the field of engineering. Through the creation and deployment of a 17 question survey, undergraduate and first year masters students were asked to provide information on their engagement at their university, their demographic information, and to rank their level of agreement with 22 statements relating to the aforementioned ideas. Using the results from the collected data, exploratory factor analysis was completed to identify the factors that existed and any correlations. No statistically significant correlations between the identified three factors and demographic or engagement information were found. There needs to be a significant increase in the data sample size for statistically significant results to be found. Additionally, there is future work needed in the creation of an engagement measure that successfully reflects the level and impact of participation in engineering activities beyond traditional coursework.
This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of first responders in communicating with patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) in emergency situations and the impact those language barriers have on their self-efficacy. After the completion of a literature review, 20 first responders (fire, police, EMT, paramedic) were interviewed about their experiences and perceptions of language barriers. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically, resulting in the identification of these main themes: regional language variability, urban vs. rural language resource availability and incentives, differing language needs of police vs. non-police, language barrier impacts on the quality of care received by LEP individuals, cultural understanding vs. language proficiency, desire for a video/facetime translation resource, and the role of children as bilingual translators. Findings suggest that language barriers do have an impact on the self-efficacy of first responders and the quality of care provided to LEP patients, with 50% of participants recalling an experience in which a language barrier impacted the quality of care they provided to LEP patients. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by first responders in communication with LEP individuals and provides insights into much needed and desired strategies for overcoming language barriers to improve professional self-efficacy and equitable patient care in emergency situations.