Emily Graybill

Bullying in Schools Towards Sexual Minority Youth

ABSTRACT Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning and inter-sex (GLBTQI) youth, and those perceived to be GLBTQI, face extensive verbal and physical bullying in schools. Although increasing attention has been made at examining the safety concerns of sexual minority (GLBTQI) youth, there remain important gaps in the literature as well as significant sampling limitations. This article seeks to identify and respond to research gaps by: (a) reviewing existing literature about the causes and risk factors associated with homophobic bullying; (b) reviewing existing literature about the consequences associated with the victims of sexual minority bullying; (c) identifying the limitations to research procedures and methodologies that have been used to investigate this topic; and (d) proposing a research agenda for future investigations of homophobic bullying in schools.

Ecological Approaches to Organizational Consultation and Systems Change in Educational Settings

This article presents the conceptual foundations and specific features of an ecologically oriented model of school-based organizational consultation. We begin by providing an overview of ecological theory. This is followed by a brief description of a model of school-based organizational consultation with a special focus on the ecological elements of the approach. Next, several trends in educational service delivery (i.e., high-stakes educational assessment, Response to Intervention, Positive Behavior Supports, school climate, and social justice) that require substantial systemic changes are discussed. These trends highlight the need for effective ecological approaches to organizational consultation. We present recommendations regarding how an ecologically oriented model of school-based consultation might be used to facilitate systemic change efforts in relation to the educational trends discussed.

Gay-Straight Alliance Advisors: Negotiating Multiple Ecological Systems when Advocating for LGBTQ Youth.

This qualitative study investigated the barriers and facilitators that advisors of gay–straight alliances encounter when advocating for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) youth within schools. Twenty-two advisors were interviewed, and data revealed that multiple ecological systems (e.g., sociocultural, school, and individual factors) interacted to create barriers and facilitators to advocacy for LGBTQ youth. Results suggested an ecological systems perspective to advocacy in which advisors exist in multiple ecological systems simultaneously. An understanding of how these systems interact to create barriers and facilitators to advocacy may assist advisors in effectively working within these systems in order to create significant, lasting change in schools.

Demographic Trends and Advocacy Experiences of Gay–Straight Alliance Advisors

Using an ecological model, the individual-, school-, and sociocultural-level characteristics that affect gay–straight alliance (GSA) advisors were examined in the current study. The formation of GSAs has been one way that schools have sought to improve the school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Limited information is available about the demographics and experiences of GSA advisors who lead these clubs. GSA advisors are on the front line of LGBT advocacy in schools. The purpose of this study is to add to the minimal literature on GSA advisors by describing the demographics and the experiences of the largest known sample of GSA advisors in the research literature. In the current study, 262 GSA advisors provided information through a 67-item survey about their demographic characteristics and their experiences advocating for LGBT youth in schools. The results suggested this sample of advisors was a demographically homogenous group. Exploratory factor analysis identified two dimensions (i.e., barriers, facilitators) by which the advisors appeared to define their experiences when advocating for LGBT youth. These two factors accounted for 47.98% of the variance in the advisors’ experiences. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

An analysis of social justice research in school psychology

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current content analysis was to build upon previous empirical research both within school psychology and in other subdisciplines of psychology to refine the operationalized definition of social justice within school psychology research. Operationalizing the definition and substantiating it within the empirical literature is a critical next step for moving the discussion within the field of school psychology from the abstract to the concrete and measurable. We analyzed the research in school psychology to identify how much of the applied literature in school psychology journals between 2010 and 2013 had a social justice focus, what components of social justice were addressed, how they aligned with an established social justice framework from the literature, and what sociodemographic groups were represented. Of the 1,190 school psychology articles reviewed, 13% reported on applied research that included a focus on at least one component of our social justice definition. The majority of studies were conducted using elementary school-aged, English-speaking, White, and typically developing children as participants. Implications and future directions for school psychology research, practice, and training are discussed.

Using the critical incident technique to measure long-term outcomes of interprofessional education

ABSTRACT There is a critical need to develop methods that capture long-term trainee outcomes and link these outcomes to interprofessional education (IPE) to establish the value added from IPE. This article describes the use of the critical incident technique (CIT) to evaluate long-term trainee outcomes attributed to IPE. Critical incidents (CIs) are specific examples of behaviours that occurred within the recent past. Trainees of an IPE programme (n = 24) were interviewed using CIT. Across the trainees, 41 CIs were reported, of which 9 were collapsed due to similarity in theme. A final total of 32 CIs were mapped along the Kirkpatrick/Barr Model of Learner Outcomes. The mapping process revealed that all of the CIs reported described incidents at Levels 3, 4a, and 4b, indicating changes in trainees’ own professional behaviour and improvements in patient outcomes related to their IPE experience. Implications for evaluating IPE using the CIT method are discussed.

Building Self-Determination Through Inclusive Extracurricular Programs

T EA C H IN G E xc ep ti on al C hi ld re n , V ol . 48 , N o. 5 , pp . 25 8 – 26 5. C op yr ig ht 2 01 6 T he A ut ho r( s) . D O I: 1 0. 11 77 /0 04 00 59 91 56 26 12 7 Extracurricular activities provide students a range of rich experiences that influence their academic achievement, leadership and communication skills, and career paths. Students with disabilities (SWDs) historically have had limited access to extracurricular programs and thus fewer opportunities for academic, social, and vocational development. Educators and administrators need to understand the importance of inclusive extracurricular activities and also how to successfully implement these programs. The theory of selfdetermination can help guide the development and implementation of inclusive extracurricular activities. What are proven ways to establish, implement, troubleshoot, and sustain inclusive clubs at the middle and high school levels?

Comparing Traditional Versus Retrospective Pre-/Post-assessment in an Interdisciplinary Leadership Training Program

Objectives As the U.S. healthcare system shifts toward collaboration, demand for leaders with interdisciplinary skills increases. Leadership competencies guide interdisciplinary training programs; however, identifying cost-effective methods for evaluating leadership competencies is challenging, particularly when interdisciplinary trainees have different areas of expertise and professional goals. Traditional pre-/post-testing, a common method for evaluating leadership competencies, is subject to response-shift bias, which can occur when participants’ understanding of a construct changes between pre- and post-test. As a result, participants may rate their knowledge of the construct lower at post-test. Retrospective pre-tests are one method thought to reduce response-shift bias in pre-/post-tests. The current study explores the use of a retrospective pre-test to control for response-shift bias in an interdisciplinary training program. Methods Over three cohort years, thirty-four trainees from an interdisciplinary leadership program completed a self-assessment aligned with MCH leadership competencies. The traditional pre-test self-assessment was completed at the beginning of the training program. The retrospective pre-/post-test self-assessment was completed at the end of the training program. Results Retrospective pre/post-test scores indicate significant self-reported increases in all 24 leadership areas (p ≤ .001). Furthermore, participants’ self-ratings were significantly higher on the traditional pre-test for all 24 areas than on the retrospective pre-test (p ≤ .001). Conclusions for Practice Retrospective pre-tests appeared to control for response-shift bias and may be a cost-effective way to evaluate trainee change within an interdisciplinary leadership program. These findings suggest the methodology’s usefulness in interdisciplinary training and its potential use in the broader world of community-based MCH training initiatives.

Improving Culturally Congruent Health Care for Children With Disabilities: Stakeholder Perspectives of Cultural Competence Training in an Interdisciplinary Leadership Training Program

Introduction: Racially/ethnically diverse children with disabilities experience increased risk for health care disparities when compared to non-Hispanic White children with disabilities or racially/ethnically diverse children without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to progress culturally congruent health care by exploring cultural competence (CC) for an interdisciplinary leadership training program designed to improve services for children with disabilities. The study also sought to bridge a gap in the literature by including the perspectives of diverse health care consumers. Method: Q-methodology was used to support participant groups’ sorting of CC training outcomes by importance to identify factors of CC. Results: Data collected from 51 participants were subjected to a by-person factor analysis that yielded six factors explaining 50% of variance. Discussion: Findings validate some common elements of existing CC models and provide new perspectives regarding potentially overlooked aspects of CC, with many new perspectives provided by racially/ethnically diverse parents of children with disabilities.

Including the Family Member in Interdisciplinary Team Meetings Communication Trend Analysis

This study explored the interaction patterns of family members of individuals with disabilities in a simulated interdisciplinary team problem-solving process. Participants included 15 members of a training cohort within a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities program. Family trainees and non-family trainees engaged in a simulated team discussion at two points during the training year (Time 1 and Time 2). To understand how family members and other professionals interact in interdisciplinary problem-solving meetings, we applied three coding schemes to the interdisciplinary team discussions to measure language similarity, dominance and domineeringness, problem solving, and balance of power. The results suggested there were trends in the communication dynamics between family trainees and non-family trainees at Time 1 and Time 2. For example, language similarity between groups was high at both Time 1 and Time 2, yet families were less successful at controlling the team conversation at Time 2. The implications of these and other results are discussed.