CEHD Research & Innovation Day 2023

Research and Innovation Day 2023 was held on March 23, 2023.


CEHD Research Day 2023 was held on March 23 in Memorial Hall, McNamara Alumni Center.
Photos by Jairus Davis.

View posters from Research Day 2023

If available, click the poster title to view the poster PDF

Research Day posters from previous years are available in the UMN Data Conservancy

“I Can Do That, Too”: Green Physical Activity on Social Media

Author(s): Amanda L. Folk, Stephanie M. Grace, Chelsey M. Thul, Dunja Antunovic, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson

"Social media (SM) can create community for green physical activity (GPA) participants. To harness the power of SM as a health communication tool, understanding of how people view and interact with GPA-related content is necessary. Purpose: Qualitatively explore perceptions around GPA-related SM content. Methods: In 8 focus groups, participants (N=31) were queried on GPA history, SM content, and thoughts surrounding content. Two independent raters organized data into themes using an inductive approach. Results: When viewing GPA-related SM, participants feel inspiration, responsibility for the outdoors, and competition/comparison. They understand that SM is a construct beyond their control (e.g., algorithm awareness), think information evaluation is crucial (e.g., “is it true?”), and wish for accurate representation (e.g., “be real”). Participants seek diverse perspectives (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender) to curate their SM experience. They follow GPA-related SM for information-seeking, exposure to new activities, and outdoor scenery viewing. Content can remove gatekeeping (e.g., share resources/information) and provide social influence (e.g., modeling, motivation). Conclusion: Themes can inform SM health communication campaigns around improving GPA participation rates. "


“Time to award some medals”: A comparative social media analysis of Olympic coverage in Australia and the United States

Author(s): Meg Messer, Sam Dreher, Hannah Marshall, Kelsey Slater, Dunja Antunovic

This study examines Twitter postings from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games from Australia and the United States. The posts analyzed came from the countries main broadcasters for the Olympic Games, @7Olympics for Channel 7 for Australia and @NBCOlympics for NBC in the United States. Preliminary analysis suggests that the Twitter account from Australia highlighted the success of multiple countries and sports as well as their own national team, while the U.S. account’s main focus is on U.S. athletes. Building upon previous research stating that social media coverage mirrors prime time coverage, the authors hypothesize that on the @NBCOlympics Twitter platform, women’s events will be represented in a higher volume of tweets than men’s events during the 2022 Beijing Olympic. However, on the @7Olympics Twitter platform, women’s and men’s events will be represented in nearly identical volume of tweets during the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Theoretical and methodological implications for social media analysis in the context of the Olympics are discussed.


A Case Study of Undergraduate Biology Students’ Engagement in Blended Sensemaking During Mathematical Modeling Tasks

Author(s): Desi, Gillian Roehrig, Anita Schuchardt

Engaging in Blended Sensemaking – using science sensemaking to support mathematics sensemaking or vice versa – has a positive impact on student scientific understanding and problem solving skills. However, prior works have only examined whether blended sensemaking occurs by individual students, not how blended sensemaking occurs when students are working collaboratively in mathematical modeling tasks and the types of sensemaking involved. This case study investigated how blended sensemaking was developed between two individuals working in a pair to mathematically model the rate of population growth. The Sci-Math Sensemaking Framework was used to identify the types of sensemaking. This study found that the selected pair engaged in Individual and Shared Blended Sensemaking. The Shared Blended Sensemaking sometimes continued over several conversational turns. Moreover, students built on one another’s sensemaking to generate greater understanding of the phenomenon or the equation. These findings open up the interesting possibility that one benefit of active learning might be to provide opportunities for sharing of sensemaking resources. This new lens could be used to distinguish between active learning tasks and group structures that are more or less effective.


A Scoping Review of Parenting Beliefs and Practices Among Hmong in the U.S.

Author(s): Houa Vang, Sooky Park, Wendy Haight

In order to provide culturally responsive, effective services, U.S. social workers and educators need an elementary awareness of Hmong family systems and acculturative experiences. This scoping review describes the available research on parenting, parenting beliefs, and practices of Hmong families acculturating within the United States. Our methodology draws from the scoping framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. We searched 14 databases, hand searched four journals, and reviewed the current book lists of four university publishing companies. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Five used quantitative methods and six used qualitative. Five studies employed standardized assessments, six interviews, and one direct observation of parent-child interaction. Five studies focused on adolescence, one study on middle childhood, two studies on adults, and one study on young pre-school aged children. No studies included infants. Two studies looked at both adolescent and parents. Available research focuses on the ways in which parents and adolescents support one another’s acculturation, and the negative impact of parent-adolescent conflicts on adolescents’ academic and psychological outcomes. Gaps in the literature include: research on how Hmong parenting socialization beliefs and practices prepare or fail to prepare children to respond to racism in America, “thick descriptions” of Hmong socialization beliefs and practices, and research with children in early and middle childhood.


A scoping review of parenting beliefs and practices among South Koreans in the U.S. focusing on race and racism

Author(s): Sookyoung Park, Houa Vang, Wendy Haight

In order to provide culturally responsive, effective services, U.S. social workers and educators need an elementary awareness of the experiences of South Korean families. This scoping review describes the available research on parenting beliefs and practices of South Korean American and immigrant families within the United States focusing on responses to racism. Although many studies have focused on discrimination against Black, Latino and Indigenous peoples in the U.S., those of Asian heritage have been less studied due to the “model minority myth”. Since the onset of COVID-19, however, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased. Our methodology draws from the scoping framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. We searched 14 databases, hand searched four journals going back 23 years, and reviewed the current book lists of four university publishing companies. 22 studies met inclusion criteria. 11 used quantitative methods, and 7 qualitative. 11 studies focused on adolescence, and 4 studies on middle and early childhood. Available research focuses on the development and implementation of measurement instruments to assess racial identity development and the relationship of racial identity development to various academic, health, and mental health outcomes. Less information is available on actual socialization beliefs and practices pertaining to racism.


African American Women Elders’ Perspectives on Anti-black Racism Strategy.

Author(s): Jesscia Coleman and Priscilla A. Gibson

The study will present findings on the racial experiences of African American Women Elders (AAWE) that can be translated into contemporary strategies that African American youth can use to deal with racism. Racism is a persistent and multileveled phenomenon enmeshed within American society that adversely impacts the psychosocial health of African Americans (Kendi, 2016). AAWE have coped with racism throughout their lifespan (Shelby, 2004; Wilson & Gentler, 2021) and are viewed by the African American community as guardians of the generations (Bertera & Crewe, 2013). Nevertheless, they have been understudied as a natural resource that can help with this problem. To fill the gap, we conducted a qualitative research study utilizing a phenomenological approach with 21 AAWE recruited and interviewed about their experiences, concerns, and intergenerational interactions regarding racism. AAWE interviews were transcribed, and emic codes were induced. The findings suggested the importance of AAWE focus on building the next generation's strength and resilience, psychological and physical safety, and self-worth through positive racial socialization practices. The findings contribute to the literature by amplifying the voices of AAWE through centering their experiences and socialization strategies to inform social work education, practice, research, and policies.


Ankle position sense acuity does not decline in physically active older adults

Author(s): Jacquelyn VL Sertic, Jürgen Konczak

Ankle proprioception is essential for balance control. However, ankle proprioception can decline in older adulthood and has been linked to a higher incidence of falls. This study examined whether physically active older adults are spared from such proprioceptive decline. Using the Ankle Proprioceptive Acuity System (APAS) and applying an adaptive psychophysical testing paradigm, ankle position sense acuity in 57 neurotypical middle-aged and older adults (50-80 years) and 14 young adults (18-30 years) was assessed. A participants’ unloaded foot was passively rotated from a neutral joint position to a reference (15 or 25 deg plantarflexion) and a comparison position (< reference). Participants verbally indicated which position was further from neutral. Appropriate stimulus-response functions were fitted and Just-Noticeable-Difference (JND) thresholds and Uncertainty Areas (UA) were derived. The JND threshold is a measure of perceptual bias, while UA is a measure of precision. The main finding of the study: Between the middle-aged and older adult groups (50-60, 60-70, 70-80 years) no significant differences were found in JND threshold nor UA. These data indicate that active older adults may be spared from age-related decline in ankle position sense. These findings encourage older adults to become or remain active during aging.


Attachment Nuances of Chinese Young Adolescents: Tests of Factorial Validity and Measurement Invariance of Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Revised (IPPA-R)

Author(s): Haoran Zhou, Qiwu Sun, Shizhong Du

The structural validity of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Revised(IPPA-R) has rarely been examined in non-Western contexts. This study aimed to assess the factorial validity and measurement invariance of the IPPA-R in Chinese early adolescents. With a sample of 1,568 primary school students and 1,367 junior school students, the results showed that a revised three-factor structure had a more acceptable model-data fit than models suggested before. Results of Multiple-group confirmatory analysis supported the measurement invariance between the primary and junior school students. Strengthened by the appropriate estimator for the ordinary categorical data, stratified sampling, and the relatively large sample size, the findings provided evidence of factorial validity of the IPPA-R in China and indicated measurement invariance at the stage of early adolescence. The revised structure of the IPPA-R suggested that Chinese young adolescents express their attachment differently from their Western counterparts. They tend not to evaluate their close relationships with parents and peers negatively and are more inclined to interpret the intention of their important others in a positive way.


Atypical activation of laryngeal somatosensory-motor cortex during vocalization in people with unexplained chronic cough

Author(s): Jiapeng Xu, Stephanie Misono, Jason Kang, Jinsok Oh, Jürgen Konczak

"Importance: Chronic cough (CC) affects up to 10% of the general population, yet its etiology is not well understood. Enhancing our understanding of how peripheral and central neural processes contribute to CC is essential for treatment design. Objective: Determine whether people with CC exhibit signs of abnormal neural processing over laryngeal sensorimotor cortex during voluntary laryngeal motor activity such as vocalization. Design: The study followed a cross-sectional design. In a single visit, electroencephalographic signals were recorded from people with CC and healthy controls during voice production. Participants: A convenience sample of 13 individuals with chronic cough and 10 healthy age-matched controls participated. Outcome Measures: 1) Event-related spectral perturbation over the laryngeal area of somatosensory-motor cortex between 0-30 Hz. 2) Event-related coherence as a measure of synchronous activity between somatosensory and motor cortical regions. Results: In the CC group, the typical movement-related desynchronization over somatosensory-motor cortex during vocalization was significantly reduced across theta, alpha and beta frequency bands when compared to the control group. Conclusions and Relevance: The typical movement-related suppression of brain oscillatory activity during vocalization is weak or absent in people with chronic cough. Thus, chronic cough affects sensorimotor cortical activity during the non-symptomatic, voluntary activation of laryngeal muscles. "


Barriers and Facilitators of Physical Activity for Gender Diverse Persons

Author(s): Michael Urvig, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson

Using a socioecological perspective, this study’s purpose was to explore physical activity (PA) behaviors in gender diverse persons and the potential barriers and facilitators to being physically active. METHODS: Focus groups (n=7) via Zoom and an online survey were conducted. Survey participants (n=32) were individuals whose gender identities differed from their assigned sex at birth, ≥18 years of age, and lived within the United States; a subset (n=18) participated in the focus groups. RESULTS: Ten individual-level themes emerged: perception of PA, exercise, and sport; childhood experiences; coming out and/or transitioning; gender dysphoria; gender euphoria; gender expression; using PA for body change; personal health; muscular strength; knowledge of PA and exercise, four interpersonal-level themes: avoiding other people in PA or exercise settings; negative social pressures around PA and exercise; other people perceiving participant’s bodies or voices; positive social support, two community-level themes: gender binary settings and locker rooms/bathrooms; queer-based PA spaces, and five societal-level themes: COVID-19 pandemic; monetary costs of PA, exercise, and sport; gender binary and perceptions of gender in sport and PA; representation of trans and queer persons in sport; safety. CONCLUSION: This study identified key barriers and facilitators of PA behaviors for gender diverse persons.


Community-based youth mentoring for autistic adolescents by autistic adults

Author(s): Lila Khan, Zeba Ahmed, Emma Worthley, Meredith Gunlicks-Stoessel, Rebekah Hudock, & Lindsey Weiler

"The need for accessible and culturally-appropriate mental health programs for autistic youth is exacerbated by disparities in well-being and access experienced by Black, Indigenous, and other racial- and ethnic-minority autistic youth. The Autism Mentorship Program (AMP), which pairs autistic youth with autistic adults in mentoring relationships, shows promising behavioral and emotional outcomes (Tomfohrde et al., 2022; Weiler et al., 2022). To gauge the acceptability of AMP for racially- and ethnically-diverse communities, we conducted three Twin Cities community focus groups, identified as Black (n=7), Latino (n=7), and Somali (n=10). Community stakeholders participated in 90-minute focus groups. Participants included autistic individuals, family members of autistic youth, advocates, and educators. Thematic data analysis identified themes within and across each focus group. Results suggest broad program acceptability across communities, expressing the need for connection and belonging. Stakeholders described important considerations, such as matching mentors and mentees by race to increase mutual understanding, translating materials into multiple languages, and providing education on autism to reduce stigma. Youth mentoring programs can be individualized and tailored to reduce ethnic and racial disparities and support autistic adolescents' well-being. Future research should further ascertain factors critical to positive youth mentoring relationships and outcomes."


Competitive Balance in Professional Sport Leagues

Author(s): Neil D. Mendonça; Alexander Richert; Major Williams; Clinton J. Warren

Professional sports leagues are a common source of entertainment around the world, serving as a revenue-generating commodity for many organizations. Competitive balance stems from the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis, which suggests that fans and organizations are more inclined to be fans of competitively balanced leagues. The industry standard of analysis for competitive balance is the Herfindahl Index of Competitive Balance, which utilizes success ratios to determine balance across a league (Plumley et al, 2018). The body of literature surrounding competitive balance has primarily analyzed European soccer (Sung & Mills, 2018; Inan, 2018). This longitudinal study aims to answer questions about competitive balance in North American sport leagues from the turn of the millennium onwards. Research aims to determine whether there is an ideal level of imbalance for a league to grow and to be sustainable, and whether there have been structural changes that have significantly altered competitive balance. This study will focus specifically on Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League, allowing future research to identify differences between North American and European professional sport leagues, and utilizing sport management strategies in determining best practices for optimal growth and financial success.


COVID-19 Masking Behaviors: The Tale of Two Cities throughout the Pandemic

Author(s): Katelyn J. Kloubec, Amanda L. Folk, Eydie N. Kramer-Kostecka, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson

"The COVID-19 pandemic brought about masking policies in order to help minimize the human-to-human transmission of the virus. Understanding who followed the mask mandates at different timepoints of the pandemic is important to better guide future responses to pandemic. Purpose: Describe mask-wearing adherence in two metropolitan cities during 2020 at the end of the pandemic (Philadelphia, PA) and in 2021 a year into the pandemic (Minneapolis, MN). Methods: Data were collected through the observational Systematic Observation of Mask Adherence and Distancing (SOMAD) protocol. SAS 9.4 was used to summarize descriptive data (% and patterns of mask wearing). Results: Per SOMAD data, more people in Philadelphia wore masks than those in Minneapolis (45.5% vs. 11.8%). In both cities Asians wore their masks most often (62.9% Philadelphia, 24.5% Minneapolis). Females had a higher mask adherence than men in both locations (53.1% Philadelphia, 14.5% Minneapolis). Conclusion: Despite Philadelphia having a mask mandate in place at the time of data collection and Minneapolis not having one, similar mask wearing patterns emerged. These results can be used to help guide future public health initiatives and to better understand how to target populations of men and racial groups other than Asian more successfully. "


DataX: Exploring Justice-Oriented Data Science with Middle and High School Students

Author(s): J. Bartuz, T. Jeon, C. Chen, D. DeLiema, C. Scharber

This poster shares the DataX project -- a K-12 justice-oriented data science program. In collaboration with 3 Minnesota teachers, we are designing, using, and testing (a) a justice-oriented data science curriculum integrated in science and social studies classes; (b) a web-based learning platform that extends the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP) to support collaboration and sophisticated data practices; and (c) pedagogical practices that involve learners working together to analyze real-world data sets, interpret social phenomena, and engage in social change. Using participatory design, our guiding research question is: What scaffolds and resources are necessary to support the co-development of data, disciplinary, and critical literacies in secondary classrooms? Data includes qualitative sources gathered from design workshops and classrooms, as well as quantitative data from questionnaires and system logs. Using this data, we are examining students' data science skills, data dispositions, and social participation in data investigations.This project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF # 2101413).


Development of a coding system for dynamic system theory analysis of parent-child interactions

Author(s): Breanne Byiers, Caroline Roberts, Jaclyn Gunderson, Adele Dimian, & Frank Symons

Early parent-child interactions provide an important foundation for later development. Analyses based on dynamic systems theory, a framework for understanding change in complex systems, have been gaining traction, but have yet to be applied to developmental disability (DD) populations. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility and utility of a novel coding system for use with remotely recorded interactions among young children with DD and their parents. Reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients across two 5-min play sessions. Dependent measures included behavioral flexibility (i.e., the rate of transitions between dyadic behavioral states), and behavioral synchrony (the proportion of time both participants spent in positive behavioral states). Videos from 35 dyads (age range, 24-72 months, mean age = 49 months; 69% male) were analyzed. Overall, 87% of the sessions evaluated were codable. Reliability of synchrony values were moderate (ICC = .601) for a single session, but acceptable when averaged across both play sessions (ICC = .751). Similarly, reliability estimates for flexibility ranged from .669 to .802. These data provide preliminary evidence that using remote video conferencing to collect data on parent-child interactions in home settings is feasible and can provide reliable estimates.


Disparities in Service Access and Waitlists for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Author(s): Jon Neidorf and Brian Begin

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) most often look to their state IDD agencies to receive long-term supports and services (LTSS). However, access to these services varies significantly by state, and hundreds of thousands of people on LTSS waitlists nationally, some of whom wait more than a decade before being selected for services. Furthermore, while some states have eliminated waitlists and serve more people, this does not necessarily mean there are fewer people with unmet service needs. The Residential Information Systems Project (RISP) is a longitudinal study of LTSS for people with IDD that captures how states differ in access to and waitlists for Medicaid waiver-funded services (the most common type of LTSS). This poster will demonstrate with RISP data the state of LTSS access nationally, as well as differences by state in LTSS access, waitlists, and funding. We will also explain how RISP data challenges the notion that states with fewer people on waitlists have stronger LTSS systems.


Driven by Equity: Expanding the IGDI Enterprise

Author(s): Alisha Wackerle-Hollman, Erin Lease, Kelsey Will

"Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) are brief, easy to use, measures of language and early literacy skills for use with preschool children. Driven by equity, the IGDI Lab is continuing to expand the suite of IGDI tools through three active IES-funded projects to develop multilingual, dialectical content, develop new game-based assessment features, and leverage technology-based resources for continued scale of IGDI products. This proposal will describe the three active projects: Hmong IGDIs, Computer Adaptive Storybook Assessment (CASA), and APEL-Español and describe the ways that the IGDI Lab is committed to equity from the development to the dissemination of IGDI tools. "


Dyad motor learning in a wrist-robotic environment: Learning together is better than learning alone

Author(s): Leoni V. Winter, Stefan Panzer, Juergen Konczak

"Dyad motor learning is characterized by two learners alternating between physical and observational practice. Although empirical evidence shows that dyad learning leads to superior outcomes compared to physical practice alone when learning complex motor tasks, it has not been established as a rehabilitation tool. This study aims to determine the effects of dyad learning on motor performance in a wrist-robotic environment to evaluate its potential use in rehabilitation. Forty-two participants were randomized into three groups (N=14): Dyad learning, physical practice and control. Participants practiced a 2 degree-of-freedom gamified motor task for 20 trials using a custom made wrist-robotic device. Motor performance was measured at baseline, the end of training, and 24 hour retention. Motor performance did not differ between groups at baseline and all groups improved their performance compared to baseline (p<0.05). However, the dyad group outperformed the other groups at the end of training (p=0.001; Cohen’s d=0.954) and at retention (p=0.012; d=0.617). Compared to physical practice alone, practicing collaboratively by alternating between physical and observational practice leads to superior motor outcomes after practicing a robot-aided gamified motor task. Dyad learning may be a valuable tool in rehabilitation settings that leads to improved patient motor outcomes. "


"Effects Of Conventional And Virtual-Based Physical Exercise Programs On Health- Related Variables Of Corporate Workers"

Author(s): John Oginni, Grace Otinwa

"Purpose: Lack of access to a fitness center or an onsite fitness trainer usually is a barrier to exercise engagement. Nowadays, technology serves as a channel through which exercise programs can be delivered anytime and anywhere. This novel strategy has the potential to curb the prevalence of cardiorespiratory diseases and reduce the risks associated with obesity. This study examined the effects of conventional and virtual-based exercise programs on the health-related outcomes of corporate workers. Methods: Thirty corporate workers (16 F, 37.8 ± 8.8 years) were recruited from Nigeria. Participants were randomized into two experimental (i.e., conventional condition; which involves an onsite fitness trainer engaging the participants in an exercise program, and virtual condition; the participants receive a live exercise class delivered by an instructor via zoom) groups and a control group (usual practice). The intervention lasted for 6 weeks. Outcomes included resting heart rate, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio. These outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Results: One-way analysis of covariance yielded significantly greater decreases in the diastolic, F(2,27) = 3.7, p < 0.04; systolic pressure F(2,27) = 3.5, p < 0.04, body mass index, F(2,26) = 7.8, p < .01, and waist circumference F(2,27) = 39.1, P < 0.01, with no significant decrease in waist-hip-ratio, F(2,27) = .50, p < 0.61, and resting heart rate, F(2,27) = 2.47, p < 0.10 when compared to the control group. Conclusion: A remote, virtual-based exercise intervention was as effective as a conventional exercise intervention. A virtual-based exercise intervention creates flexible exercise time that may foster adherence to exercise programs among corporate workers."


"Effects of Gaming-integrated Physical Activity Interventions on Physical Health and Development in Healthy Preschoolers: A Systematic Review"

Author(s): Wanjiang Zhou, John Oginni, Juan Jose Palos Perez, Zan Gao

Increased obesity rate is one of major public health concerns among children and adolescents currently, which is largely due to poor adherence to participating regular physical activity (PA). Early PA interventions are critical to develop in preschool children, and gaming-integrated PA interventions can be an effective approach for increase PA outcomes. A current research trend is to utilize emerging technology in delivering PA interventions, such as exergaming and interactive video games, which provide the opportunity to be creative and unique. The systematic review synthesized current literature regarding the effect of gaming-integrated PA interventions on physical health and development in healthy preschoolers. We followed the PRISMA-P statement to search eligible original articles from electrical databases and used the Rayyan for screening and data extraction. The available evidence suggests that gaming-integrated PA interventions could be a promising channel to promote PA outcomes that contribute to physical health and development in preschoolers. Future studies are needed to replicate findings and test feasibility and efficacy of AVG PA interventions. While center-based interventions continue to grow, parents, childcare providers and public health professionals should take advantage of AVG PA interventions as a new opportunity for childhood obesity prevention.


Effects on family processes on personality Dysfunction

Author(s): Akib Ul Huque ,Umme Kawser, Arifun Nesa Putul

"This study aimed to investigate the association between family functioning and personality dysfunction in a sample of 262 participants in Bangladesh. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a family functioning scale, and a personality inventory, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to explore the contribution of predictor variables to personality dysfunction. The results showed that gender, strength and adaptability, and being overwhelmed by difficulty were significant predictors of personality dysfunction, collectively accounting for 2% of the variance in personality dysfunction. However, disrupted communication was not found to be a significant predictor of personality dysfunction. This study provides insight into the role of family functioning in the development of personality dysfunction in Bangladesh. The findings suggest that family functioning plays an essential role in the development of personality dysfunction in the context of Bangladesh. These results highlight the importance of addressing family functioning as a critical factor in the interventions for personality dysfunction in the Bangladeshi population. Furthermore, this study contributes to the broader literature on personality dysfunction by exploring the relationship between family functioning and personality dysfunction in a Bangladeshi context. These findings have implications beyond the context of Bangladesh and suggest that family-focused interventions, such as family therapy, should be incorporated into the treatment of personality dysfunction to improve family functioning and overall mental health outcomes. The study demonstrates the importance of considering cultural context in understanding the relationships between family functioning and personality dysfunction."


Elevating Principal Voice in Minnesota: Results from the First Biennial Minnesota Principals Survey

Author(s): Katie Pekel, Sara Kemper, Yue Zhao, Regina Seabrook, Coy Carter, Daniel Brogan

What do Minnesota school leaders say about their work? Through funding from the Joyce Foundation and the Minneapolis Foundation, the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) partnered with educational leaders across the state to develop a first-of-its-kind survey intended to elevate principals’ voices in state and local decisions. All public school principals, assistant principals, and school directors throughout the state of Minnesota were invited to participate in the first biennial Minnesota Principals Survey (MnPS) in Fall 2021. Our poster will summarize the perspectives of the nearly 800 school leaders who participated in the MnPS, along with findings from follow-up focus groups conducted with a team of graduate research assistants from both EdPsych and OLPD in Fall 2022. We offer insights on respondents’ working conditions, professional development, self-efficacy, and policy influence, and highlight several areas in which principals desire more support: staff and student mental health, culturally responsive school leadership, and community-engaged leadership. Concrete recommendations for policymakers, principal licensure and professional development programs, and other organizations and individuals that support principals’ work will be provided.


Enhancing physical activity among older adults using Nao, a socially assistive robot (SAR)

Author(s): Maryam Mahmoudi, Haoyuan Du, Haoyi Shi, Renata Ticha, Vassilios Morellas, Brian Abery, Roger Stancliffe

"This project, funded by the CEHD Jump seed grant, addresses a current challenge in most societies, namely the rise of the ageing population and their ever-increasing disabilities and related needs while at the same time we witness the shortage of human workforce. It is a unique interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers and graduate students at the Institute on Community Integration and the Department of Computer Engineering. The project addresses risk factors that can pose barriers to healthy ageing, including a sedentary lifestyle and feelings of loneliness through the use of a socially assistive robot (SARs) programmed to support a healthier, more active lifestyle (i.e., active ageing). The aim of this project is to utilize a SAR (Nao) in a goal-setting program along with mentoring, with the intent to decrease the risk and effects of age-related disabilities. In this poster presentation, we will share our method and process for programming Nao for different functions, including reciprocal speech and interactive scenarios, and face, emotion, and object recognition. The Nao’s functions programmed by our team will be demonstrated during the poster session. Compared to many SAR studies that rely on human control, in this project Nao is programmed to respond more autonomously, without a need to be controlled by a human. In addition to learning about programming Nao, participants will be able to observe Nao’s actions and interact with Nao verbally and in motion during the poster session, and thus learning about the potential of using robotics in social services and related fields. "


Experiences of Asian American/Pacific Islanders Students Attending a PWI During and Emerging From the Pandemic

Author(s): Angela Sim, Mari Quanbeck, Erin Mellenthin, Ashley Watson, Sarah Leahy, Claire Erickson, & Sherri Turner

The pandemic has disproportionately impacted marginalized groups. In addition to the stresses caused by the pandemic on all college students, students from Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) backgrounds have the additional burden of navigating a heightened racialized environment. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to understand and amplify the experience of AAPI college students during and as we are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. In our study, we asked AAPI students what barriers and supports they were facing in their academic and social well-being in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a phenomenological design and coding structure to analyze the data from 1 focus group (n = 3) and 5 individual interviews. Our findings indicate the primary barriers AAPI students face are feeling of non-safety, stress regarding how to help family navigate COVID, and isolation. Primary supports include their peers, especially those from similar backgrounds, personal drive, and committed allies. Data interpretation indicates that while they are committed to completing school, they have become more intentional about their career paths and how these align with their personal and cultural values.


Exploring Post-school Goal Expectations of Students with Disabilities

Author(s): David R. Johnson, Yi Chen Wu, Martha L Thurlow

"This poster is based on secondary data analyses we recently conducted to explore predictors of future goal aspirations of students with disabilities based on data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012). For the purposes of the CEHD Research Day, we have analyzed the data to illustrate variations on post high school goal aspirations for different groupings of students. Groupings included (1) students with disabilities on an IEP 14-21 years of age, (2) English learners (ELs) with disabilities, and (3) students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). There were 6,340 students with IEPs from the NLTS 2012 data included in our analyses. Results showed ELs with disabilities had higher post-school goal expectations that they would be financially independent compared to non-English learners with disabilities, but not for the other two post-school goals. Students with IDD had significantly lower expectations than students with other disabilities. Overall, parents had lower expectations of their child’ postschool outcomes than youth did. These and other key findings along with implications for policy, practice, and future research will be discussed with Research Day attendees. "


Fitness-Related Instagram Use and Physical Activity Levels by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity Among a Diverse Sample of Emerging Adults

Author(s): SM Grace, ME Eisenberg, MR Weiss, D Antunovic, DJ Barr-Anderson

"Young people use social media to learn about physical activity (PA), and Instagram offers an abundance of fitness-related content. Understanding fitness-related Instagram use may aid social media-based PA promotion efforts. This study examined fitness-related Instagram use and PA levels among a diverse sample of emerging adults (mean: 23.7±3.5 years) and explored differences by gender and racialized/ethnicized identities. Participants (n=247) reported PA and daily Instagram use. Assessment of fitness-related Instagram use included daily viewing frequency, types of content accessed, content engagement activities, and reasons for access. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, and chi-square analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4. Most participants were women (59%) and reported at least one BIPOC identity (55%). Participants reported 7.4±10.9, 4.3±8.1, and 2.6±3.6 hours/week of light, moderate, and vigorous PA, respectively. Daily fitness-related Instagram use was common (55%). Many reported viewing content featuring everyday people (64%) and passively observing content (e.g., 63% reported scrolling through posts) which did not differ significantly between gender or racialized/ethnicized identities. An inspiration to exercise was the most reported reason for access (69%). Findings indicate that daily fitness-related Instagram use is prevalent across gender and racialized/ethnicized identities. PA promotion efforts may benefit from tailoring content to match desired qualities of existing content. "


Fostering Understanding and Promoting Inclusion for Individuals with Disabilities

Author(s): Yue Wu

Light in the Well is a unique, multi-sensory experience, using original music to present the emotional journey of including a loved child with disabilities in a family. The purpose of this study was to apply a phenomenology qualitative approach to better understand the audiences’ experiences of this multi-sensory music production that featured people with disabilities, and to incorporate that feedback into future performances. The findings of this study confirmed that there is a great need of integrated programs that involve both people with and without disabilities. Partnership and collaboration bring opportunities when bringing a variety of talent and expertise together. The purpose of programs like this is to focus on what people can do together, as one inclusive community.


Identifying patterns of parent-adolescent communication in person and using technology

Author(s): Eunyoung Park, Samantha LeBouef, and Jodi Dworkin

To extend our understanding of parent-adolescent relationships in the digital era, this study was designed to examine distinct groups of parent-adolescent communication using different modalities. The sample included 401 parents of adolescents recruited through Qualtrics. Parents reported frequency of communication with adolescents and preferred method for communication when seeking to receive or offer advice and recommendations or emotional support, keeping up-to-date, and making plans. Communication methods included in-person, using phone calls, texting/direct messages, and online video. Grounded in Uses and Gratification Theory, suggesting that media users select specific media to satisfy specific needs, latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted and identified four classes of parents preferred communication technology with their adolescents: Technology-Oriented (5%), Interactive multichannel (19.5%), In-Person-Oriented (7%), and Visual expression channel (68.5%). Examining demographic differences between the four classes revealed significant differences by gender, race, employment status, and age. Results add to the knowledge of how parents use technology to communicate with their adolescents by providing evidence for the distinctiveness of communication methods and purposes based on individual characteristics. Findings suggest understanding more about parent communication patterns and preferences for communicating with their adolescents could help strengthen parent-adolescent relationships.


Implementing Trauma-Systems Therapy for Refugees in Minneapolis public schools: Reflections on the role of relationships during rollout

Author(s): Johara Suleiman, Hopewell Hodges, Laura Soltani, Jasmine Banegas, Saida Abdi, Mimi Choy-Brown

This poster presents findings from a qualitative study focused on the initial rollout of The Collaborative for Immigrant and Refugee Children’s Leadership and Excellence (CIRCLE) Project in Minneapolis public schools. Refugee and immigrant children in the United States often experience traumatic stress, yet rarely receive services due to systemic barriers. The CIRCLE Project utilizes Trauma-Systems Therapy for Refugees (TST-R), which is a 4-tier evidence-based model for supporting and improving service-access for refugee children and families by increasing culturally relevant and trauma-informed service provision, and reducing stigma around mental health service utilization. The CIRCLE Project is being implemented in Minneapolis public schools in partnership with three community-based organizations that serve large refugee and immigrant populations in the Minneapolis area. This study utilized semi-structured interviews to examine The CIRCLE Project rollout experiences of implementers across three stakeholder groups: cultural brokers and clinicians, school staff, and administrators. Four cross-cutting themes emerged: 1) enthusiasm about the positive impact of TST-R for students; 2) the helpfulness of clear communication in consultations, role clarity, and implementation instruction; 3) the importance of cultural brokers and implementers with preexisting familiarity with TST-R; and 4) the importance of strong, trusting relationships in order to enhance the model’s responsive adaptability.


Inclusion of Social Validity Assessment in Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Disabilities

Author(s): Amber Reilly, Jennifer Lynberg, Savana Bak

" Much progress has been made in the recognition of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for students with autism (Steinbrenner et al., 2020). However, a curation of EBPs is not enough to enable positive student outcomes. Research suggests that some practitioners engage in unvalidated practices at a similar or greater rate than EBPs (Burns & Ysseldyke, 2009). Some qualitative research suggests that this may be because practitioners doubt researcher-developed interventions will align with students’ and caregivers’ needs (Hudson et al., 2016; Simpson et al., 2007). The concept of social validity refers to the degree that an intervention has socially valuable goals, acceptable procedures, and satisfactory outcomes (McNeil, 2019). Reporting measures and considerations for social validity has important implications for interventions in natural settings by in situ service providers. The results show overall lack of reporting of social validity measures. When conducted, they were usually done as an “after thought” post-intervention and were mostly focused on the dimension of outcomes, failing to address goals and procedures. Social validity reporting in research can provide practitioners valuable insight to provide inventions meaningful FOR students, as opposed to “training” them based on non-meaningful, inconsistent, and non-applicable, variables reported in research articles. "


Inference Galaxy

Author(s): Pani Kendeou, Kristen McMaster, Joseph Burey, Jasmine Kim, Susan Slater, Rina Harsch, Emily Reno, Kyle Stagnaro, HyeJin Hwang, Seohyeon Choi

Reading comprehension is an important, yet difficult skill; only about one-third of U.S. fourth graders reached proficiency in reading in 2019 (NAEP, 2019). To experience success in reading, students must be able to make inferences. Not only is inference-making the cornerstone of reading comprehension, but it is also a general skill that extends beyond reading (Kendeou et al., 2008; Kendeou, 2015; McNamara & Magliano, 2009; Oakhill & Cain, 2012). Inference Galaxy is an evidence-based suite of online, video-based tools that helps kindergarten through second grade students build their inference-making skills through scaffolding and feedback, with no reading necessary. Inference Galaxy is aligned with the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework and is composed of an in-house measure of inference-making (MIA), a Tier I inference-making instructional tool (ELCII), and a Tier II inference-making targeted intervention tool (TeLCI). Evidence indicates that through TeLCI and ELCII, students improved their inference-making skills. These gains were evident on proximal measures such as MIA and performance throughout ELCII and TeLCI modules, in addition to a distal measure, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Understanding Spoken Paragraphs subtest.


Innovative Tips: Engaging Parents/Caregivers who are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse

Author(s): Charity Funfe Tatah Mentan, Marianna Quanbeck

"Some parents/caregivers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experience barriers when navigating the school system and communicating about their children’s educators. This process is more complex when their child has a disability and the parents need to participate in IEP teams. They may experience language and cultural barriers, and a lack of empathy from some educators. This can lead to a lack of access to educational resources or inequities in the school system for these families. Innovative approaches are needed to ensure families are receiving all the services needed for their children’s academic success. Fostering two-way communication between parents, teachers, school leaders, and other school staff can build trust and contribute to a child’s educational success. This presentation will discuss some challenges that culturally and linguistically diverse parents/caregivers of students with or without disabilities face when navigating the school system. It will provide innovative tips for engaging parents and building effective two-way communication. These tips include resources and material translated into parents’ home languages; offering both audio and written formats; and intentionally designing materials to be culturally responsive and inclusive. These tips can help create a shared understanding and a caring school community where all students are valued. "


Journaling to Support Recovery from Alcohol and OtherSubstance Use Disorders: Feasibility Results from a Randomized Controlled Pilot

Author(s): AR Krentzman, SS Hoeppner, BB Hoepner, NP Barnett

"Purpose: “Positive Recovery Journaling” (PRJ) is a daily practice designed to improve wellbeing during early recovery from addiction. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of PRJ while administered remotely during COVID 19. Methods: The treatment group journaled and the control group completed questionnaires. Multilevel models determined whether study activities were difficult, easy, satisfying, pleasant, and helpful and whether these differed by group assignment. Results: 94.2% of those screened agreed to participate. Attendance at group sessions ranged from zero to eight (M = 5.3, SD = 2.8). The 42 treatment group members submitted 584 journal entries. Retention rates were 53.4% for the treatment group and 71.8% for the control group (X2 p = .072). Participants from the two groups rated study activities as equally easy and not difficult. The treatment group rated PRJ as more satisfying, pleasant, and helpful (p < .001). Conclusions: This population showed a strong interest in journaling. Despite conducting a study remotely, it was still possible to recruit and retain a treatment sample who attended the majority of group sessions and rated PRJ as no more difficult, and yet more satisfying, pleasant, and helpful, than the control group’s activities. "


Keeping our ACT team together: Protective role of evidence-based supervision strategies in fortifying resilience in the community mental health workforce

Author(s): Mimi Choy-Brown & Will Carlson

Healthcare systems rely on their workforce to provide critical patient services even in the wake of unpredictable system shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Albott et al., 2020; Mills et al., 2020). Large-scale burnout and resignation within the healthcare workforce threatens the availability of healthcare. Resilience scholarship highlights promotive factors – such as shared team identity, ongoing support and trust, and shared leadership (Madrigano et al., 2017) – that may facilitate effective navigation of pandemic-level stressors while responding to the essential health needs of the people they serve. This study examined the associations between supervisory promotive factors (empirically supported leadership and supervision strategies, supervisory relationships) and supervisee resilience (depersonalization of patients and intent to leave) among community mental health providers (N=335) implementing Assertive Community Treatment teams across four states in 2021. Findings demonstrate that supervisees’ experiences of empirically supported leadership and supervision strategies were significantly associated with ratings of greater supervisory working alliances with their supervisors and reduced ratings of depersonalization and intent to leave. These findings contribute to the paucity of evidence that provide actionable strategies for supervisors to fortify their teams and supervisees to weather future external shocks while providing essential healthcare services.


Loneliness and Social Isolation among Autistic Adults: An Exploratory Pilot Study

Author(s): Quinn Oteman, Lynda Lahti Anderson, Jennifer Hall-Lande, Tom Cox, Uma Oswald

Loneliness and Social Isolation among Autistic adults is an underrepresented issue. In general, research about Autistic adults is slim compared to Autistic children. A recent literature review identified a meager 34 articles about loneliness and social isolation in the Autistic adult population (Umagami e al., 2022). The authors identified various ideas for future research. One recommendation was to explore the pathways that lead to loneliness among Autistic adults. To explore this recommendation, the aim of this pilot study was to explore these potential pathways to learn more about how Autistic adults experienced loneliness, spent their time alone, and with other people. This qualitative exploratory research study applied Milton's (2012) double empathy theory to conceptualize our study and used principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methodologies to capture an authentic perspective from participants. Two focus groups were conducted via zoom for about 1.5 hours with two groups of Autistic adults (e.g., ages 18 - 21 and 45>). Participants responded to questions about their experiences and spoke to themes related to support, advocacy, and the importance of relationships. Future research should expand on these pathways and consider learning more about the validity of loneliness scales for Autistic individuals.


Necessity of Model Selections in CD: The Absolute Fit Indices Versus the General Classification Methods

Author(s): Hyunjee Oh & Chia-Yi Chiu

The study aims to assess the necessity of using the absolute model fit indices in CD in contrast to the generalized DINA (G-DINA) model and the general nonparametric classification (GNPC) method. Various conditions were formed with a special focus on sample size. Three absolute model fit indices, including SRMSR, RMSEA, M2 were considered. The simulation results showed that when samples were small or when samples were large and examinees' attribute profiles were uniformly distributed, the GNPC method appeared to be the best choice. However, when samples were large and examinees' attribute profiles followed the multivariate normal threshold model, fit indices were preferred. The findings of this study can serve as a practical guideline on the selection of the most appropriate approach to maximize the classification rates in CD based on the sample size and data generation.


Nonparametric Classification Method for Multiple-Choice Items in Cognitive Diagnosis

Author(s): Yu Wang, Chia-yi Chiu, Hans Friedrich Köhn

The multiple-choice (MC) item format has been widely used in educational assessments across diverse content domains. MC items purportedly allow for collecting richer diagnostic information. The effectiveness and economy of administering MC items may have further contributed to their popularity not just in educational assessment. The MC item format has also been adapted to the cognitive diagnosis (CD) framework. Early approaches simply dichotomized the responses and analyzed them with a CD model for binary responses. Obviously, this strategy cannot exploit the additional diagnostic information provided by MC items. De la Torre’s MC Deterministic Inputs, Noisy “And” Gate (MC-DINA) model was the first for the explicit analysis of items having MC response format. However, as a drawback, the attribute vectors of the distractors are restricted to be nested within the key and each other. The method presented in this study for the CD of DINA items having MC response format does not require such constraints. Another contribution of the proposed method concerns its implementation using a nonparametric classification algorithm (MC-NPC), which predestines it for use especially in small-sample settings like classrooms, where CD is most needed for monitoring instruction and student learning. In contrast, default parametric CD estimation routines that rely on EM- or MCMC-based algorithms cannot guarantee stable and reliable estimates—despite their effectiveness and efficiency when samples are large—due to computational feasibility issues caused by insufficient sample sizes. Results of simulation studies show that the MC-NPC method results in higher correct classification rates than the traditional CD methods for dichotomous data and outperforms the MC-DINA model when the samples are small.


Parental Perspectives on School Discipline and Online Learning During COVID-19: A Qualitative Research Study

Author(s): Channel L. Lowery; Ceema Samimi

"Background and Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents had to shift to having their child(ren) 's educational experience at home. Additionally, parents were asked to take on both disciplinary and educational roles that were more immediate while also facing work and other life demands. This qualitative research study aimed to gain the perspectives of these parents and understand their experiences related to these changes. Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually on Zoom with seven parents whose children attended public school and shifted to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents were asked about their perceptions of school discipline throughout the shift to online learning and about their experience interacting with the school system during this time. Interviews were then transcribed, de-identified, and coded for significant themes using process coding. Outcomes: Preliminary results suggest that parents made choices about the prioritization of their child(ren) 's mental well-being and education. Parents also noted that the stresses of maintaining their employment made it difficult to be fully present in their child(ren) 's educational experience. "


Perception of virtual affordances for receiving serves in volleyball: The effects of serve height

Author(s): Danilo Arruda & Thomas Stoffregen

Volleyball players are able to recognize the actions they can take based on the characteristics of the game and their own characteristics (height, jump ability, etc.). In other words, players can perceive affordances. In volleyball, there are two ways to receive a serve: overhand (arms pronated) and underhand (arms supinated). Based on the serve's properties, such as its height relative to a player's maximum reach height, one technique may be preferred over the other. Consequently, in a head-mounted virtual reality simulation, balls were served at heights ranging from 1 - 2.75 m, and participants responded using either the overhand or underhand technique. We also measured participants’ maximum vertical reach and used this to determine the scaled action boundary. Following previous research on physical volleyball serving, we expected that the action boundary would scale with maximum reaching height. Indicating that players systematically perceive the appropriate technique given their own body properties. Finally, we hope to show that head-mounted VR can be used to obtain action-based measures of affordance perception in volleyball.


Potential of ELCII in Supporting Students at Risk of Reading Comprehension Difficulties

Author(s): Jasmine Kim, HyeJin Hwang, Rina Harsch, Bess Casey Wilke, Emily Reno, Joseph Burey, Kyle Stagnaro, Seohyeon Choi, Susan Slater, Nidhi Kohli, Kristen L. McMaster, and Panayiota Kendeou

"Inference-making is critical for successful reading comprehension and needs to be supported early. However, supporting inference-making in early grades is challenging especially for students who are already at risk of reading difficulties. To address this issue, we assessed whether ELCII, a technology-based supplemental instruction, could support inference-making in students who are/are not at risk of reading difficulties based on their decoding and language comprehension skills. In ELCII, kindergarten students watched videos and practiced answering inferential questions over an 8-week period. Using benchmark norms on standardized measures of language comprehension and decoding, we identified four student groups (high-in language-comprehension-and-decoding group, low-in-language-comprehension-and-decoding group, high-in-decoding-and-low-in-language-comprehension group, high-in-language-comprehension-and-low-in-decoding group) and compared their inference-making performance across time. The results of analyses revealed that overall performance on ELCII was the highest for students with high-language-comprehension-and-decoding skills, followed by those with high-language-comprehension-but-low-decoding skills, those with high decoding-skills-but-low-language-comprehension-skills, and those with low-language-comprehension-and-decoding skills. In addition, students with high decoding skills improved at a significantly faster rate than the other students, suggesting that decoding may compensate for students’ language comprehension skills. These findings highlight the importance and need of supporting early comprehension instruction in addition to decoding for all students. "


Promoting Excellence in Transition Programs for Students with IDD

Author(s): Roqayah Ajaj, Emily Unholz-Bowden, Renata Tichá, Brian Abery

"For youth with disabilities, transitions are critical points in life that can be especially challenging as they are tied to services and supports they need for progress. In this poster session, we will highlight the transition of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) from high-school to adulthood (i.e., to working, leisure activities, living independently, etc.). We will present initial findings from a five-year Project of National Significance, which aims to develop a culturally competent, community-based system of transition for students with IDD in collaboration with Minnesota state agencies. We conducted a landscape analysis across four transitions programs and initiatives. This included focus groups with teachers, staff, and families of students with IDD, interviews with transition-aged students, and observations of work-based learning sites. The collected data were analyzed to identify strategies and practices within the five pillars of the Taxonomy of Transition Programming (Kohler, 2016). Initial findings indicate that there are barriers that affect outcomes of transition programs, including a lack of work-based learning opportunities, transportation, job coaches, and standardized curricula. There are however several innovations that lead to positive experiences of youth with IDD, including partnerships with community employers and a new framework for standardizing transition across the state. "


Research Participants Describe Recovery-Oriented Surveys as Beneficial To Recovery from Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders

Author(s): AR Krentzman, JC Gass, CL Lowery

"Purpose: The self-monitoring of recovery-oriented factors (e.g., writing a gratitude list, reaching out to others, happiness with recovery) is rarely investigated but could yield valuable insights for the development of new tools to support ongoing recovery. Methods: Participants were control-group members in a randomized trial who completed surveys on a range of recovery factors daily for 30 days. Surveys were intended only as measurement but participants described the surveys in interviews as supportive of their recovery. This mixed-methods study answers these questions: Did participants obtain benefit from the surveys, and if so, to what degree? Which instruments were most frequently mentioned as impactful? Results: Participants described high (n = 24, 75%), moderate (n = 3, 9%), low (n = 4, 13%), and no (n = 1, 3%) benefit from completing surveys. The top three most frequently referenced questionnaires were the PANAS affect survey (mentioned by 84% of the sample), the queries of recovery practices (69%), and items assessing urges (50%). Conclusions: Recovery-oriented self-monitoring has potential as an intervention and can cause measurement reactivity. Developers of recovery mobile apps should include assessments of affect, recovery activities, and urges, as these queries were most frequently mentioned as impactful. "


Restorative Practices in Schools: Impacts of Circles on K-12 Education

Author(s): Jacob Otis

Restorative practices in schools are become more and more popular throughout the United States. Research has consistently shown success of restorative practices towards reducing detentions, suspensions, and expulsions. However, research has not paid adequate attention towards other measure of effectiveness of restorative practices, such as shifts in school culture. This poster presentation presents an evaluation of the impacts of restorative practices in one elementary school over one academic year. Over 230 survey responses were collected in the Fall and Spring from students and 6 interviews were conducted with teachers. Students’ sense of belonging, empathy, relationship quality, openness, and safety were measured. Survey results include support of restorative practices for increases in empathy, helping others, comfortability, and feelings of safety; but results also showed decreases in trust with adults and relationship quality with adults. Interview results included recommendations for improvement of restorative practices including requests for more training, more time for one-on-one time with students, and the use of restorative practices for teacher-teacher meetings and conflict resolution. Implications for schools include the need for expanding training throughout the year, more investment in teacher-student relationships, and the “cross-pollination” of restorative practices methods across classrooms.


Rural-Urban Differences in Healthcare Unaffordability during the Postpartum Period

Author(s): Hannah MacDougall, Erika Eliason

"Abstract Purpose In the United States, rural people face high rates of medical debt, and postpartum people are more likely to experience rising out- of- pocket costs. Using national survey data, we examined the relationship between rurality, postpartum status, and health care unaffordability. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional observational study using National Health Insurance Survey (NHIS) data from the 2019-2021 (n=17,800). Chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between rurality, postpartum status, and health care unaffordability. Findings In chi-squared analyses, postpartum respondents were significantly more likely to report being unable to pay medical bills (11.87% vs. 9.20%, p<.001) and having problems paying medical bills (16.92% vs 14.06%, p<.001) compared to non-postpartum respondents. Rural respondents were also significantly more likely to report being unable to pay medical bills (12.43% vs 8.93%, p<.01) and having problems paying medical bills (18.33% vs 13.67%, p<.01) compared to urban respondents. In multivariable logistic models, postpartum status was significantly associated with higher odds of being unable to pay medical bills (AOR: 1.38, CI: 1.08-1.76) and higher odds of having problems paying medical bills (AOR: 1.29, CI: .93-1.37). Rurality was not significantly associated with the three unaffordability outcome measures in multivariable logistic models. Conclusion Rural residents and people in the postpartum period face greater concerns regarding health care unaffordability. This study highlights a need for efforts to improve affordable health insurance coverage during the postpartum period spanning geographic context. "


Searching for biological correlates of parental suicidal behaviour history in school-aged children: subcortical brain as a ending point

Author(s): Salahudeen Mirza, Andrea Wiglesworth, Mark B. Fiecas, Kathryn R. Cullen, & Bonnie Klimes-Dougan

Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Though a variety of factors elevate risk for suicidal behaviour, a particularly strong risk factor is history of parental suicidal behaviour. The mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of suicidal behaviour likely involve genetic and experiential substrates. Though it is generally yet to be understood whether reliable early signs of risk can be detected in offspring given that not all develop suicidal behaviour. Additionally studies of populations enriched for risk can inform understandings of the general population if it is assumed that similar risk mechanisms are involved but at a lower frequency. This is especially relevant to studies of suicidal behaviours given that they are relatively uncommon (especially suicide death) so it can be a challenge to assemble large enough samples of clinical cases or collect retrospective childhood data. This study aimed to evaluate possible early signs of biological dysfunction in the school aged children of suicide attempter or decedent parents. The focus of this preliminary study was subcortical brain given the established relevance to affective processing and known developmental changes in subcortical-cortical coordination across the transition to adolescence, a high risk period for emergence of suicidality and broader internalizing dysfunction.


Siblings and Social Interaction Development of Autistic Individuals: A Systematic Review

Author(s): Qichao Pan, M. Y. Savana Bak, LeAnne D. Johnson, Lalinne S. Bell, Natalie Dumas

"Sibling relationships may contribute to social developmental outcomes of autistic individuals. Although research has investigated the involvement of siblings within intervention contexts, from a holistic view of family system, there is much to be learned about the role siblings may play in social interaction skills development of autistic individuals. Therefore, this review aims to explore 1) In what ways were siblings of autistic individuals involved in previous investigations of social interaction development? 2) What are the implications for future research and practice? A keyword search in databases was conducted first to identify relevant studies. Full-text screening was conducted based on the inclusion criteria. A total of 105 studies were included in this review given the investigation of siblings and the social interaction development of autistic individuals. Most of the included studies (77.14%) focused on social interaction outcomes of non-autistic siblings. Reporting of other targeted variables in included studies was inconsistent. A subset of 24 studies that focused on autistic participant outcomes was further analyzed. Possible implications from this review include (1) identifying appropriate social interaction outcomes for autistic individuals, (2) exploring diverse roles and enhancing engagement of siblings, and (3) developing naturalistic sibling-mediated social interventions. "


SWPBIS and School Climate as the Students See it: A Systematic Review

Author(s): Peter Reinke, Faith Miller

School Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a promising prevention-focused intervention framework that has been associated with a plethora of positive outcomes, including school climate. However, student voices have often been left out of this research, especially the voices of students who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). Twelve studies were identified for inclusion in this systematic review from a search of the following databases: Academic Search Premiere, ERIC Education, Education Source PsychInfo, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. These studies were identified as assessing the association between SWPBIS and student perceptions of school climate, and included peer-reviewed journal articles and doctoral dissertations covering over 225,000 students in over 400 schools. Examination of statistically significant results and effect sizes (Cohen’s d) concluded that there is a very small association between SWPBIS implementation and increases among general student population perceptions of school climate. Only one study disaggregated by race, indicating a small negative association. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.


Teacher Beliefs and Equitable Social Emotional Learning (SEL): A Mixed Methods Analysis

Author(s): Anna Li, Faith Miller, Nariah-Belle Sims, Tessa Walker

Equity-centered, PreK-12, social emotional learning (SEL) practices are becoming increasingly important in the U.S. with the growing diversity of the country. SEL has demonstrated positive impacts on students, from boosting social relationships to academic engagement (Durlak et al., 2011). Teacher beliefs can influence how teachers implement SEL programming (Zinsser et al., 2014) and represent an important area of study particularly in relation to the implementation of equity-centered SEL practices. Accordingly, this study examined how teacher beliefs about SEL predicted teachers’ responses to the following equity-centered SEL statements: (1) I believe that equity-focused SEL is important and (2) to what extent are issues of equity addressed in your current SEL practices? This study measured the beliefs of 103 teachers through the Teacher Beliefs Scale (Brackett et al., 2012) and leveraged mixed-methods quantitative secondary survey data analysis and qualitative thematic analysis. Results indicated that, of the three subscales of the Teacher Beliefs Scale, teacher comfort with implementing SEL was most predictive of teacher responses to these questions. Moreover, qualitative analyses of open-ended teacher survey responses suggested that teachers varied in personal values and desired outcomes of SEL programs. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.


The Relation of Caregiver-Reported Pain and Sleep Experiences in Cerebral Palsy

Author(s): Alyssa Merbler, Chantel Burkitt, Breanne Byiers, Alexis Friesen, Frank Symons

Current literature suggests a bidirectional relationship between pain and sleep. Our purpose was to identify if sleep moderated the relationship between pain intensity and pain interference in children with cerebral palsy (CP). We assessed maximum pain intensity (0-10 scale) and pain interference of daily activities (self-care; 0-10 scale) in the last week and the frequency of a range of sleep behaviors in the last month for 46 participants via proxy-report (Mage = 11.9 years, 52% female). Seventy-two percent of caregivers reported their child had pain in the last week, with some never having pain-free days. For those with pain in the last week, the mean max pain intensity was 5.2/10 (SD=2.4. Max pain intensity and two SNAKE subscales were positively moderately correlated with pain interference, indicating more intense pain and poorer sleep were related to more interference. The interaction analysis of SNAKE subscales scores moderating the relation of max pain intensity and pain interference was not significant. These data suggest sleep health and pain intensity present two highly relevant but independent intervention targets to reduce the amount of pain interference for individuals with CP, as sleep scores did not moderate the relation of max intensity and pain interference.


The Relationship Between Demographic Variables and Physical Activity Behavior Among Postpartum Women

Author(s): Kaitlyn Swinney, Beth Lewis, and Katie Schuver

"Approximately 18% to 37% of U.S. pregnant and postpartum women meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. The current study examined physical activity and sedentary data from a behavioral trial of postpartum women in the Midwest (Lewis et al, 2021). Low active, postpartum women (n=450) who had a history of depression were recruited from two large metropolitan areas in the upper Midwest. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to a telephone-based exercise intervention, a telephone-based health and wellness condition, or a wait-list usual care condition. Descriptive statistics such as mean physical activity and sedentary time were reported. Analyses found that group intervention was associated with differences in PA at six months, with the exercise intervention reporting higher PA than the usual care group, but this effect was not significant at nine months. Additionally, single participants reported less PA than divorced participants at the six- and nine-month time points, and less PA than married women at nine months. The current study has found that physical activity interventions can be effective in increasing physical activity in postpartum women and illuminated the need for future research that is focused on specific demographic factors that could impact PA and SB levels. "


The Self-Determined Career Development Model Supporting People: A Systematic Synthesis

Author(s): Julie ED Kramme & James Houseworth

Many unemployed people with disabilities who would like to have a job express difficulty obtaining employment. Self-determination is related to obtaining employment among adolescents and adults with disabilities, but people with disabilities are also more likely to have lower levels of self-determination than people without disabilities. Self-determination increases when people explore their strengths and weaknesses, reflect on their self-efficacy, set and attain goals, problem-solve, and self-regulate their skills and progress toward their goals. The Self-Determined Career Development Model (SDCDM) is designed to provide opportunities to develop self-determination while working with a facilitator to progress on an employment or career development goal(s). The SDCDM has been utilized in research for decades, but it has not been systematically evaluated. We conducted a synthesis to examine how and where the SDCDM was utilized, participant demographics, which outcomes were assessed, efficacy of the SDCDM, and the quality of the evidence.


Transformative Practices for the Linguistic Ideological Becoming of WL Preservice Teachers

Author(s): Dustin J. Hemsath

Much of the research on WL teacher education focuses on identity and skill development. Yet Tye (2000) suggests the cultivation of firm ideologies before equitable identities and practices can develop. This poster describes a Poststructural Discourse Analysis of the negotiations of language ideologies between a student teacher and his cooperating teacher during a 10-week secondary WL placement. Based on Bakhtin’s (1981) theories of ideological becoming and authoritative/internally persuasive discourses, findings implicate a need to increase the collaborative work between schools and universities. In addition to the research process, it focuses largely on three important considerations that may prepare new WL teachers to enter the field with firm, equitable, and transformative language ideologies: (1) an open environment to explore teaching practices, (2) more time in a single placement, (3) uninterrupted time to reflect with cooperating teachers.


Undergraduate Students’ Food Insecurity at Eighteen Research-Intensive Universities

Author(s): Bonnie Horgos and Daniel Jones-White

Access to healthy, nutritious food is vital for student wellbeing, yet food insecurity is a widespread issue across college campuses. This poster uses data from the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey administered during 2022 to undergraduate students at eighteen R1 institutions including the University of Minnesota (n = 114,947). It addresses the following research question: How did the University of Minnesota’s levels of food insecurity compare to seventeen other institutions in the SERU Consortium during 2022? Food insecurity was assessed using a six-item food insecurity screen. University of Minnesota undergraduate students experienced less food insecurity (37.5%) versus all students at 17 other public R1s (more than 40%). Furthermore, social class was the greatest predictor of food insecurity. Finally, results suggest that students from marginalized backgrounds (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or international students) experience even greater levels of food insecurity. While results at all institutions were comparable, these data suggest that campuses must continue addressing food insecurity.


Using Response Time of a Computer-Administered MOCCA to Predict Reading Proficiency

Author(s): Yun Leng Wong, Mark L. Davison

Reading involves several stages of information processing. Individuals without reading comprehension difficulties had shorter information processing times because they had achieved automatic information processing in reading. This suggests that response times can provide information about reading automaticity, a necessary characteristic for reading-to-learn. This study examined whether reading response times provided additional information, over and above item responses, in predicting third through fifth grade students’ end-of-year statewide test performance. Specifically, the study examined whether the response time on correctly answered test items can be used to improve the prediction of proficiency on the statewide test. Results showed that students from all three grades who have a higher number of fast and correct responses have a lower expected probability of being at-risk than students whose responses are slow and correct. Although slow and correct responses helped predict proficiency status in all three grades, it added less value to the model. Lastly, the AUC showed that the predicted probabilities of all three grades are relatively accurate in predicting proficiency. Considering the detrimental effects of misidentifying at-risk or not-at-risk students, it is important to correctly identify at-risk students and provide instructions at an early stage, as reading comprehension is crucial for children’s future success.


"Utilizing Cognitive Interviews to Improve Items that Measure Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Community College Algebra "

Author(s): Bismark Akoto, Dexter Lim, Irene Duranczyk, AI@CC 2.0 VMQI Research Group

"Validating Measures of Quality Instruction (VMQI) project is a nationally funded project that is developing an instrument to measure mathematical knowledge for teaching community college algebra (MKT-CCA) and to identify the dimensionality of this knowledge. We hypothesized that the knowledge that community colleges (CC) instructors need to choose problems for teaching college algebra can be distinguished from the knowledge that they need to understand students’ work. These two tasks of teaching cut across several of Ball and colleagues’ (2008) hypothesized dimensions of knowledge for teaching. We structure our instrument by Tasks of Teaching (Herbst & Ko, 2019) and Function Types (linear, exponential, and rational functions) that are foundational for calculus. Cognitive interviews play a significant role in the development of an instrument (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2009). Cognitive interviews were conducted with CC instructors teaching College Algebra. Thirty-six drafted MKT-CCA items were reviewed. In this poster, we present lessons learned from the preliminary analysis of the cognitive interview using the following research questions to guide the analysis: how do CC college algebra instructors interpret our developed items in relation to the dimensions of our blueprint? and what knowledge do CC college algebra instructors use to respond to the MKT-CCA instrument?"


Vision-Based Analysis of Bilateral Arm Use in Children for Assessment of Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy

Author(s): Shelby Ziccardi, Kathryn Raddatz, Stephen J. Guy, Rachel Hawe

Many activities of daily living (ADLs), such as buttoning a shirt, opening a jar, and using a knife, require bilateral coordination of the upper limbs. Conditions that affect neuromotor control asymmetrically, such as Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy (HCP), impair an individual’s ability to coordinate tasks bilaterally. In order to address impairments such as these, we need to be able to assess and evaluate an individual's deficits. However, there currently exist only two methods of evaluation that focus specifically on bilateral coordination: the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) and accelerometry. Neither of these methods quantify movements; the AHA provides no quantitative information and accelerometry provides an overall quantity of movement, but cannot provide kinematic information on specific movements. In this work, we propose a new analysis pipeline that uses pose information captured from video of natural movement to provide summative plots, automated metrics/counts, and an interactive visualization tool. Our implementation uses only a singular camera and can capture spatial and temporal kinematic information across large and small time scales. Our interactive visualization tool allows users to investigate key moments in movement both quantitatively and visually. We demonstrate this pipeline with a case study of a neurotypical child performing the AHA and extract meaningful information about movement patterns and specific gestural moments (e.g., reaches) for both dominant and non-dominant upper limbs. A case study involving a child with HCP and the resulting comparative analysis are forthcoming. We seek to show that this pipeline will enhance the efficiency and depth of understanding for existing measures of bilateral coordination.


Visuomotor Strategies During a Bilateral Reaching Task in Typically Developing Children

Author(s): Alexandria Richardson, Danielle Wang, Ellie Kohl, Rachel Hawe

Bilateral coordination develops gradually throughout childhood and is critical for performing many everyday motor skills. Young children typically have difficulties performing complex motor skills (such as tying shoelaces), but develop necessary coordination patterns over time and practice. Children learn to identify relevant visual information in the environment to modify limb coordination patterns. During unilateral reaching tasks, visual attention is directed towards an end-goal object throughout a movement. However, the role of visual attention during bilateral coordination tasks is not well-characterized, particularly during development. The goal of this study is to assess children’s visuomotor strategies during a bilateral reaching task. Seventeen typically developing children (8-17 years old) have participated in this study thus far. Participants performed a bilateral visually-guided reaching task while a gaze tracker simultaneously recorded ocular kinematics. Outcome metrics are designed to characterize the temporal and spatial coordination of hand kinematics and gaze point-of-regard during both symmetrical and asymmetrical bilateral movements. Gaze behavior shows a trend of fixating on one peripheral target during a movement. Depending on target symmetry, gaze may shift between end targets after at least one hand has reached its end target. Corrective hand movements are coupled with gaze movements at the end of a reach. In conclusion, vision is integral for planning the initial trajectory and maintaining accuracy throughout a bilateral reach in typically developing children. Overt visual attention is utilized to fix trajectory errors and guide hands to their respective end targets.


When support matters: Predictors of child protection workforce retention during welfare reform

Author(s): Kristine Piescher & Dongwook Kim

Child welfare systems play a critical role in promoting safety and wellbeing of children and families. The high-profile cases of child abuse heighten media attention and public outrage, culminating in reactionary system reforms. Reform efforts can have unintended consequences on the workforce when reforms are implemented in a way that does not adequately support and engage child welfare professionals. Nevertheless, the nexus between welfare system reform and workforce stability has not been robustly researched. This study assessed the association between child protection workers’ perception of support during the welfare reform and their intentions to remain employed. We hypothesized that workforce perception of support during reform could be transformed into a measurable scale (i.e., Support During Reform Scale). We then tested whether scale could predict workforce retention and above other factors commonly discussed in the literature. Drawing on the cross-sectional survey (n=734), researchers conducted a hierarchical regression analysis to fit the workforce predictive model. We found that our candidate model (R2adj=.45) includes four-point Likert-scaled perceived support during reform could explain the most variance in intentions for child protection workers and supervisors to stay in their current positions. The findings underscore that supports agencies offer are critical in child protection workforce retention.


Why are you Here? A Lack of Belonging Among Black High School Students.

Author(s): Labibah M. Buraik

"Background: While significant gains have been made in terms of academic achievement in the last 45 years, these gains have not been realized for all students (Bohrnstedt et al., 2015). Research has shown there are significant academic related differences and disparate disciplinary sanctions between Blacks and White students (Bohrnstedt et al., 2015). Methods: This study used a grounded theory methodology to ensure the data accurately captured the students' experiences. Study participants had to Identify as Black, attend Crest Academy high school, and have parental consent. Data was collected from 8 focus groups, all of which were conducted in-person, audiotaped, and professionally transcribed. Findings: Data analysis revealed that Black students did not feel a sense of belonging in their school or community. Students reported receiving spoken and unspoken messages from the police, community, administration, teachers, curriculum, extra-curricular activities, and school practices, that they did not belong. In this study, sense of belonging had four primary components that were essential parts of belonging for Black students: Welcoming Environment, Mattering, Racial Sensitivity, and Seeing Yourself Reflected. "


Working Across Systems to Understand Early Childhood Education Participation for Young Children in Foster Care

Author(s): Amy Dorman, Debra Ingram, Frederique Corcoran, Traci LaLiberte, Kristine Piescher, Ann Bailey

Early childhood education (ECE) participation has significant benefits for young children and families with child welfare system involvement and may help reduce disparities over the lifespan. Yet, ECE participation of young children in foster care remains low, despite federal efforts to prioritize their enrollment. This poster presents Minnesota-specific learnings from 1) quantitative analysis of integrated, statewide administrative data, and 2) interviews with state agency staff who provided broad-level perspectives around barriers and facilitators to ECE participation for young children in foster care, with particular attention to group differences in experiences by race/ethnicity, age, and geography (urban, suburban, rural). We find interagency collaboration to be essential to effectively identify and address challenges in policy, practice, and knowledge and to increase ECE participation and these programs’ myriad benefits for children and families with child welfare system involvement. This study was a partnership between the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare and the Center for Early Education and Development, in consultation with the Minnesota Departments of Human Services and Education.