Peter L. Kranz

Perceived stress in occupational therapy students

The purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress of entry-level masters occupational therapy (OT) students enrolled at a Texas university. A total of 29 students including nine men and 20 women participated in the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The participants were interviewed during the end of the first and second year of the entry-level masters programme in OT. Questionnaires, given at the same time, contained demographic data, open-end questions and force choice questions rated on a Likert scale. The results indicated that the majority of students (66.4%) rated their current level of stress as above average or the highest in their lives. The students expressed feelings of being overwhelmed, confused regarding course expectations and wanted more hands-on experience. When responding to how they managed stress, more than half of the students in the study took an active approach by utilizing exercise. Limitations of the study include using a non-standardized questionnaire, a small number of participants, and that the participants did not represent diversity and were for the most part Hispanic. It is recommended that future research address the cultural and generational issues that may affect perceptions of stress and how students cope with stress.

A Strategy for Involving Undergraduates in Research

Increasingly, colleges and universities value undergraduate educational research experiences, though traditional apprenticeship models may be infeasible due to faculty time and resource limitations. The “embedded researcher” method can provide research experiences to large numbers of students within traditional courses while generating valuable data for faculty. Our implementation of this method at a Hispanic-serving university yielded both high student satisfaction and meaningful research data. Advantages with Hispanic undergraduates, limitations, potential modifications, and future directions are described.

Notes on Emotional Components of Musical Creativity and Performance

We explored emotional accompaniments to stages of a musicians cycle of creativity through interviews with musicians. Creativity was defined in terms of performance or composition. These musicians described strong emotional vacillations that occur across the creative cycle and discussed ways of dealing with emotional issues involved in moving from one work to the next. Parallels were drawn between emotional aspects of completing a performance or composition to emotional aspects of termination in psychotherapy. Suggestions were offered to musicians for means of dealing with naturally occurring but powerful emotional components of creativity. In addition, some of the musicians suggested that music educators consider teaching students about potential emotional issues that may accompany creative effort. An integration of these issues into music education programs might better prepare students for careers as professional musicians.

Successful Teaching Techniques in a Race Relations Class

The authors present suggestions for enhancing a university course in race relations. These approaches were used in a series of classes offered at a state university in the southeastern United States during a historical period of notable racial tension. This course provided a supportive arena for personal questioning, student interaction, and positive change. Even 20 years later, former students reported that experiential components, such as living with a family of another race, were powerful instruments in self-growth, development, and racial understanding. Many reported this class as the basis of profound, life-long positive changes in racial attitudes.

Current Trends in the Use of Limits in Play Therapy.

Summary The present study examined differences in locus of control orientation of Anglo, Black, and Chicano adolescents with respect to success and failure in three domains, intellectual, social, and physical, using a domain-specific locus of control measure, Locus of Control in Three Achievement Domains (LOCITAD). Results of a multivariate analysis of variance indicated that overall differences across groups were significant (p ≤ .003). A separate examination of the univariate Fs for each of the domains indicated significant differences with respect to failure (p ≤ .001) in the intellectual domain, and success (p ≤ .001) and failure (p ≤ .05) in the physical domain. Patterns of means indicated that Chicanos were consistently more internal than Whites, who in turn were consistently more internal than Blacks. These findings indicate that generalizations which characterize minority groups as a single entity are clearly unwarranted.

A Dilemma of Play Therapy Termination Anxiety in the Therapist

The therapist, as well as the client, requires attention from the instructor in order to provide acceptance of separation.

Retrospections on the Home Visit: A Positive Intervention in Race Relations

Abstract An upper level course in race relations was taught at the University of North Florida from 1972 through 1977. One unique aspect of the course, “Human Conflict: Black and White,” was a required 7-day, live-in experience in the home of a family of another race. Approximately 2 decades later, members of the classes were interviewed to gain a retrospective, including perceptions of what they learned, their recall and current perceptions of the experience, and suggestions resulting from the experience. Nineteen class members were located; 16 were interviewed in person and 3 responded by mail. The reports included many themes about racial perceptions and how direct experience can positively affect perceptions and interactions.

Enhancing Racial Understanding: A Class Visit to a Black University.

After 20 years, students recalled a race relations class as one of their most meaningful and profound educational experiences. The course, taught in the “deep South” during the early 1970s by a licensed psychologist, included experiential components: a required seven-day, live-in home visit and a visit to a predominantly black college or university. These experiential aspects provided important opportunities for students to explore racial attitudes and beliefs that had been discussed in class, in “real world” contexts. Twenty years later, black and white students were interviewed about their recall of the significance of the course, the live-in home visit, and the visit to a black institution. Observations are included which may be of benefit to others who consider designing a similar educational experience.

The Embedded Researcher Method for Involving Undergraduates in Research New Data and Observations

Undergraduate research provides multiple educational advantages, and Hispanic students may reap particular benefits. The embedded researcher method avoids difficulties inherent in traditional apprenticeship models, providing meaningful research experience to multiple students within a standard didactic course structure while yielding valuable research data. The authors report implementing this method within an undergraduate course at a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI), with improvements from previous implementations. Outcomes were highly positive. Limitations and suggestions for application at other institutions are described.