All posts by derekmos

“I think a lot of kids could have progressed further, but was that the point of the game?”: Exploring considerations from preschool teachers of a gamified tablet assessment of executive functioning

3-3:50pm Concurrent Poster Sessions

Krystal Starke (Learning and Instruction)

Continue reading “I think a lot of kids could have progressed further, but was that the point of the game?”: Exploring considerations from preschool teachers of a gamified tablet assessment of executive functioning →

Norms and Bystander Intervention Training (NAB IT!) for Bullying and Sexual Harrasment Prevention in High School

9-9:50am Panel Session 1

Julianna Casella,  Maggie Manges, Kay Huang,  Dylan Harrison, Lucia Sun  (Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology)

Zoom Link https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/97400885655?pwd=V3gzcjVqQytTbktXaW12ajcvZVdOUT09

The proposed panel will include three papers focused on different aspects of a study conducted by the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention evaluating the Norms and Bystander Intervention Training (NAB IT!), which aims to prevent bullying and sexual harrassment in high schools students.

The first paper examines the impact of a social norms campaign on personal normative attitudes and perceived peer norms, as well as the relationship between personal norms, perceived peer norms, and perpetration (i.e., bullying, cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and homophobic name calling). Correlation analyses reveal that perpetration variables at pre- and post-test are related to one another, and to social norms. Wilcoxen Signed Ranks Tests indicate that personal norms at pre- and post-test are significantly different, with post-test scores being more prosocial (Z = -2.30, p = .022), and with personal norms being more prosocial than perceived peer norms at pre-test (Z = -6.00, p = .000) and post-test (Z = -5.91, p = .000). Item-level differences will be highlighted in the context of the social norms campaign. Implications for the NAB IT! campaign and the utility of social norms campaigns broadly to address perpetration in high schools will be discussed.

The second paper will further examine the impact of a social norms campaign to target bullying and sexual harrassment in high schools by disscusing student and faculty’s impressions of the campaign. Students and faculty participated in focus groups asking about their thoughts, opinions and suggestions about the social norms campaign, which were then coded for overarching themes across participants. Themes from the student focus groups indicated positive feelings about the appearance, messages, and locations of the posters. Students also raised concerns about exposure and awareness to the campaign, due to remote schooling, as well as believability of the messages on the poster. The faculty focus groups indicate similar positive feelings about the poster and campaign design and message, as well as similar concerns about impact due to remote learning.  Teachers also discussed the interactions they had with students about the campaign, as well as suggested improvements. These themes will be discussed in further detail, highlighting implications for the NAB IT! campaign and usability of social norm campaigns in high schools.

The third paper explores the impact of the Bystander Intervention Training component of NAB IT! on high school student leaders  knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported bystander intervention behaviors. The study also examines students  and faculty s reactions and feedback to the training by participating in focus groups, which were then coded for broad themes across participants.

Narrow the Completion Gap Through Best Practices for At-Risk Student Advisement

11:20-11:50am Concurrent Paper Session A

Diana Centanni (Learning and Instruction)

Zoom Link: https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/97817392569?pwd=UXNvbzBRVFBFTDhJMXNhalJPWE9tdz09

Higher education institutions have a responsibility to ensure that all students are offered the same opportunity to earn their degree despite pre-determined risk factors. As a regular practice, educational leaders use the term “at-risk” to label undergraduate students who need additional support due to various pre-determined factors including academic background (e.g., preparation for college), past academic performance (e.g., high school GPA), personal characteristics (e.g., race, gender, cultural background, income), or technology exposure and access (Dix et al., 2020; Laskey & Hetzel, 2011). To balance these attributes, an academic advisor is assigned to offer guidance, reassurance, and support early in the enrollment process (Lema & Agrusa, 2019; Strayhorn, 2015). Students voiced the importance of the advisor role as a source of connection and information (Baily & Brown, 2016; Gravel, 2012) and an active advisor presence has been shown to influence engagement and persistence (Kahu & Nelson, 2018; Tinto, 2012).

How does the advisor influence change when at-risk students attend college online?  Distance learning options continue to grow, and so do concerns for dropout rates because online students’ success rates are lower than those of campus students (Figlio et al., 2013; Gravel, 2012; Rovai, 2002). This heightens the concern for students who are not ready to perform at expected college-level academic standards.

This session will feature findings regarding distance-based at-risk student perceptions of the advisor role gathered from a qualitative case study completed in June 2021. Audience members will better understand access, technology preferences, availability, and limitations to the advisor role in online settings. Participants will be asked to share practice-based suggestions to guide service delivery for underprepared students to help encourage persistence and retention.