Search

The relative high rates of homelessness and housing insecurity among college students has become a public health concern within the U.S. This study explores the relationship between housing instability in relation to academic and mental health outcomes. College students attending a larger public university (N = 1,416 students; M age = 22.54; 47.2% Pell Eligible; 54.6% racially/ethnically minoritized students) were surveyed employing cluster-sampling in the Fall Semester of 2019. Participants completed validated measures of housing instability, mental health outcomes, and demographics. Additional measures were matched with survey responses through the Office of Institutional Research (i.e., GPA, Pell Grant eligibility). Students who experienced housing insecurity and homelessness were more likely to have a lower GPA as well as poorer mental health outcomes. Findings highlight implications surrounding the need for housing programs and additional financial support in an effort to bolster students' academic performance and mental well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty simulations are a promising approach to engaging college students in learning about poverty because they provide direct experience with this critical social issue. Much of the extant scholarship on simulations describe them as experiential learning; however, it appears that educators do not examine biases, assumptions, and traditions of power inherent in some traditional approaches. This is particularly problematic with poverty simulations because they are tools designed to specifically address systems of inequality and oppression. This case study describes an attempt to implement a poverty simulation and measure its longitudinal effectiveness and uses findings from this study to examine poverty simulations as contexts for experiential learning. It is argued that, when implemented without critical consideration, simulations might actually perpetuate inequality rather than empower students to address poverty through civic action.

This mixed methods study explores predictive factors for housing insecurity (HI) and homelessness. Using multi-variable analyses with data from an original survey (48% response rate, n = 1,416 students), we found that income, race/ethnicity, awareness of services and being impacted by a natural disaster, all significantly impact HI and homelessness. Focus groups and interviews corroborate the quantitative results. Implications for practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreation students today need to be prepared to engage in the topic of poverty as a social justice issue affecting our communities, yet many instructors do not have the tools to effectively teach this complex topic. One way instructors might learn how to engage students with poverty is through an interdisciplinary community of practice (CoP). Some disciplines, such as social work, centralize poverty in their curricula (e.g., Davis & Wainwright, 2005), giving them expertise recreation faculty might use to inform their teaching practices. On the other hand, many recreation instructors have unique pedagogical skills (e.g., simulations; Barney, 2012; service learning; Tobias, Powell, & Johnson, 2010; civic engagement; Biaett, 2011) that might improve others' understanding of how to teach poverty. This paper presents a case study in which a CoP was formed around the practice of a poverty simulation. From this case the authors offer several recommendations for ways recreation instructors might gain from and contribute to a CoP that focuses on teaching poverty.

Survey data reveal that poverty simulations are an effective tool in changing student attitudes about poverty. What is not well documented in the literature is exactly how students learn through this type of experiential education. Using students as co-researchers in an action research model, this study sought to better understand how students learn about poverty through a poverty simulation, which is a pedagogical tool known to impact students' attitudes and understandings of poverty. Results map closely with transformational learning theory, including that personal background and previous learning experiences shaped students openness and willingness to engage in a new learning opportunity. Students reflected how the climate of the learning environment, in this case the poverty simulation, was as a significant factor that impacted the learning process. Finally, findings from this study indicate that students had both an increased interest in issues of social justice and felt less judgmental of people experiencing poverty following the simulation. Additionally, the student research team itself had a learning opportunity which resulted in an increased interest and appreciation for participatory research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Soter: Journal of Religious Science / Religijos Mokslo Žurnalas is the property of Vytautas Magnus University, Faculty of Theology-Philosophy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)