Daily Archives: October 12, 2017

Brian Bruijn Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Brian Bruijn

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

October 30, 2017 at 11:00 am in Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Elin Ovrebo, PhD

Domestic Sex Trafficking Survivor-Advocates’ Experience with Aftercare

ABSTRACT: In recent decades, the United States government passed laws to make human trafficking a federal offence and fund efforts to mitigate the use of humans for illegal labor. There has been little research regarding aftercare services for survivors of domestic sex trafficking. For this qualitative study, eight survivors of domestic sex trafficking (DST) were interviewed about their experiences with aftercare. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. The core category, or central finding, of this study was “For DST survivors, a successful restorative aftercare experience is bookended by high-risk phases of building trust and connection that is critical to healing, hope, and future success.” Other findings focused on relapse (or going back to one’s trafficker after having sought restorative support), continued support for survivors when the aftercare program is complete, and the importance of community collaboration for service provision. It takes a concerted effort on the part of survivors, service providers, and communities working together, in the context of a safe and ethical aftercare setting, to establish an environment where healing can occur.

Margie Stevens Dissertation Final Defense

The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Margie Stevens

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

October 30, 2017 at 1:00 pm in 103 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Alison Happel-Parkins, PhD

Navigating Cultural Differences in an Afterschool Literacy Program

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how undergraduate tutors navigate cultural differences with second grade students in an afterschool literacy tutoring setting. This study explored the following research questions 1) What cultural assumptions do tutors make throughout the tutoring process about the students they tutor? 2) How do tutors’ cultural assumptions influence the tutoring process? 3) How do tutors and students navigate instances of cultural misunderstandings as they arise? 4.) How do the tutors perceive a change in their cultural assumptions by the end of their participation in the tutoring program? Findings revealed four themes that influenced how novice tutors navigated cultural differences in tutoring elementary students in an afterschool literacy tutoring program. These findings included: 1) Caring and respectful relationships were purposefully established; 2) Race and socioeconomic differences led to misunderstandings between the tutors and students; 3) Incorporating the student’s home culture and technology bridged cultural mismatches; and 4) Discussions of racist events disrupted the normal flow of tutoring. Findings indicate that while purposefully developing caring and respectful relationships is time consuming, it is an important asset in the tutoring relationship. Second, it is argued that the tutors need to develop skills related to cultural competency. Finally, in addition to becoming culturally competent, tutors need to develop a racial and intersectional awareness.