Ethan Goodman

My research investigated improving student chronic absenteeism at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) in Cleveland, Ohio through a school-based management framework on governance structures and stakeholder participation. I used a mixed-methods approach to develop a framework to examine two research questions: (1) How do Ohio’s compulsory education attendance laws compare to California’s, and (2) What can be made to governance structures and stakeholder participation that will… Show more

My research investigated improving student chronic absenteeism at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) in Cleveland, Ohio through a school-based management framework on governance structures and stakeholder participation. I used a mixed-methods approach to develop a framework to examine two research questions: (1) How do Ohio’s compulsory education attendance laws compare to California’s, and (2) What can be made to governance structures and stakeholder participation that will improve student chronic absenteeism at CMSD. A practical framework was developed upon (1) relevant literature drawing on best-practices to improve chronic-absenteeism, school-based management, and family and community engagement, and (2) a case study looking at the macro, meso, and micro level's of the organizational governance structures of CMSD and Ohio House Bill 525- the mandating reform at CMSD. A comparative analysis was employed using a practical framework of school-based management's governance structures/school council and stakeholder participation between the Los Angeles Unified School District and CMSD. Show less

Grandparents with legal custody of a grandchild[ren] 18 or younger face the dual vulnerability of discrimination against them based on their housing voucher and familial status. This group research project explored two levels of housing discrimination against grandparent caregivers seeking affordable housing. First, to understand their experiences prior to becoming a caregiver, as well as their transitions to becoming full-time legal custodians and using a housing voucher as their “source of… Show more

Grandparents with legal custody of a grandchild[ren] 18 or younger face the dual vulnerability of discrimination against them based on their housing voucher and familial status. This group research project explored two levels of housing discrimination against grandparent caregivers seeking affordable housing. First, to understand their experiences prior to becoming a caregiver, as well as their transitions to becoming full-time legal custodians and using a housing voucher as their “source of income”- payment of rent via a housing voucher. Second, to understand a new affordable housing model for this population, intergenerational housing complexes. We scanned the literature on housing discrimination and disparate impact, case law, Federal Fair Housing Act documents, and HUD reports and databases. A focus group methodology was used from a convenient sampling of 11 residents at Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority’s Fairfax intergenerational housing complex. Questions were chosen to obtain candid portraits and to obtain high levels of self-disclosure. I transcribed the focus groups which we used to identify four key themes that articulated the breadth of experience. Show less

I assisted Dr. Alex Alvarez on coding and identifying trends in the pictures printed in “Der Sturmer,” a Nazi published newspapers. My specific responsibilities included researching information about the holocaust, review past research, identify specific dates that correspond with themes in pictures, coded seven years of printed pictures, assisted in the development of the webpage “Genocide Resource Project”, and supported data analysis and entry.

The project was presented at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association conference.

The study investigated resiliency, social problem solving, academic confidence, and social support as influential predictors of university retention. Approximately 113 Northern Arizona University first-year students from Fall of 2011 participated in the study. Their data was used to determine whether these predictors influence whether a student stayed or left NAU after their first year. A logistic… Show more

The project was presented at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association conference.

The study investigated resiliency, social problem solving, academic confidence, and social support as influential predictors of university retention. Approximately 113 Northern Arizona University first-year students from Fall of 2011 participated in the study. Their data was used to determine whether these predictors influence whether a student stayed or left NAU after their first year. A logistic regression found that negative problem orientation, a subscale of the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised scale, was the only factor predictive of retention for students who were retained at the university. Show less

This research investigated the interaction of tattoo placement on males and females and the attraction that each placement received. The participants involved were psychology students at Northern Arizona University. The total number of participants involved was 135, (45 males, 90 females). This research used an experimental design, with the data analyzed using five independent t-tests. The five placements tested were; ribs, arm, upper back, lower back, and hip. Results on the hip placement… Show more

This research investigated the interaction of tattoo placement on males and females and the attraction that each placement received. The participants involved were psychology students at Northern Arizona University. The total number of participants involved was 135, (45 males, 90 females). This research used an experimental design, with the data analyzed using five independent t-tests. The five placements tested were; ribs, arm, upper back, lower back, and hip. Results on the hip placement indicate females (M=3.41, SD=1.89) reported higher levels of attractiveness than did males (M=2.29, SD= 1.67), p<.05. Results on each placement indicate males (M=3.45, SD= 1.72) reported a higher level of attractiveness than females (M=3.45, SD= 1.72), p<.05. Females showed results of having a higher attraction level in four of the five tattoo placements tested. Conclusions can be made that the social construct of gender identity has shifted. The pleasure of aesthetics has moved from a more reserved society to one that allows expression of beauty.
Project presented at the Undergraduate Research Methods in Psychology conference at Northern Arizona University and received two awards: "Best research project" & "Most creative research project". Show less

I assisted Dr. Nora Dunbar with a multiphase research project as the lead undergraduate researcher alongside two other undergraduate student. Phase one involved an intervention focused on identifying first-year university student retention strategies. My specific responsibilities included reviewing literature on resiliency, social problem solving, academic confidence, and social support. I served as an intervention facilitator, conducted pre- and post-test assessments and scored results. I… Show more

I assisted Dr. Nora Dunbar with a multiphase research project as the lead undergraduate researcher alongside two other undergraduate student. Phase one involved an intervention focused on identifying first-year university student retention strategies. My specific responsibilities included reviewing literature on resiliency, social problem solving, academic confidence, and social support. I served as an intervention facilitator, conducted pre- and post-test assessments and scored results. I assisted with the analysis and dissemination of results. The findings were presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Phase two looked at academic engagement, social support, and social problem solving as predictors of first-year to second-year student attrition. We reviewed student attrition in higher education literature. We synthesized findings and reliable Psychological assessments and measures (Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised, The Dispositional Resiliency Scale, Brief Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced, The Optimism-Life Orientation Test, The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Neff’s Self Compassion Scale, and Accessing Resources on Campus Scale). We created a questionnaire derived from the assessments and measures to measure the degree and directionality of each factor related to attrition. The questionnaire was disseminated to a convenient sampling of 113 first-year students enrolled in Psychology 101. I input data into SPSS, and with support from Dr. Dunbar analyzed results using a logistical regression, ANCOVA, and t-test. Findings were presented at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association conference.
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