Diane M. Harnek Hall

Outcomes from a Baccalaureate Program's Writing Improvement Initiative

Using a writing-in-the-discipline approach, our department explored teaching writing through faculty development and evaluated the results achieved after designating writing-intensive courses in th...

Does the Availability of Parental Health Insurance Affect the College Enrollment Decision of Young Americans

The present study examines whether the college enrollment decision of young individuals (student full-time, student part-time, and non-student) depends on health insurance coverage via a parents family health plan. Our findings indicate that the availability of parental health insurance can have significant effects on the probability that a young individual enrolls as a full-time student. A young individual who has access to health insurance via a parent can be up to 22% more likely to enroll as a full-time student than an individual without parental health insurance. After controlling for unobserved heterogeneity this probability drops to 5.5% but is still highly significant. We also find that the marginal effect of the availability of parental health insurance has a larger effect on older students between ages 21 and 23. We provide a brief discussion about possible implications of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 in this context.

Sexuality Education and Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities: Assessment, Policy, and Advocacy

ABSTRACT People with disabilities are sexual beings who, like all of us, benefit from sexuality education that examines relationship skills and knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and values that promote healthy sexuality within those relationships. This article provides an overview of landmark policies relevant to persons with disabilities, defines the strengths perspective in the context of curriculum development, and describes a survey built on this perspective that evaluates sexuality education curricula on the strengths rather than the deficits of people.

Reducing Student Bias Against Older Adults Through the Use of Literature

Human services educators must address the issue of students’ bias toward older adults to encourage interest and meet the growing need for professionals in the field. The use of literature can challenge students’ preconceptions of older adults while innovative teaching methods can guide their development of more tolerant views and introduce them to a field that they may have previously given little consideration. Based on a model of cultural competence development, teaching strategies, learning objectives, literature, and an evaluation are suggested.

Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Argument Resolution, Unity, and Love in Same-Sex-Headed Families

This study examines perceptions of same-sex-headed households held by undergraduate students. Participants (N = 165) responded to surveys after reading one of two possible vignettes. Half of the students read a vignette that included gay grandparents as part of a family, while the remaining students read a similar vignette that did not broach the matter of sexual orientation. Themes that emerged from qualitative analysis include resolution of arguments, anger, and sexual orientation as sources of family conflict. Further analyses reveal that family unity was rated significantly lower by the group who read the scenario involving gay grandparents. No significant differences between groups were found for the following variables: likelihood of argument resolution, relationship commitment, passion, or intimacy. Implications for how these findings may be applied to the field of human service and education as well as considerations for future research are discussed.

Appreciative Inquiry in Service-Learning Courses

Service-learning provides an opportunity for BSW students to actively apply course concepts in the field. Experiential learning can transform abstract theories that substantiate multidimensional contexts into practical scenarios in the field. Although service-learning courses are encouraged, faculty workload concerns and the need for guided, structured experiences deter many faculty members from participating. Appreciative inquiry, a strategy focused on using strengths to build solutions in agencies, can provide a framework for student assignments that entail student-group work with community agencies and communities. Using this framework, BSW students and instructors can co-create a learning experience through planned and structured interactions with community agencies. An explanation of appreciative inquiry and its utility in the service-learning classroom are presented.