ERIC Number: ED653698
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 126
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3827-4781-1
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Navigating Tufts for Neurodivergent Students: Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Workshop Series at a U.S. University
Simone R. Dufresne
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Tufts University
The estimated prevalence of neurodivergent (ND) conditions is approximately 15-20% of the population in the United States (Doyle, 2020; Maenner et al., 2023). ND students are increasingly enrolling in mainstream colleges and universities (Bakker et al., 2019) but report that they are not receiving adequate support on campus (Dexter et al., 2024; Dwyer et al., 2023; Newman et al., 2019). This is particularly true at high-ranking "elite" institutions where supports are sparse (Nachman et al., 2022). To address these challenges, I developed, implemented, and evaluated a five-session workshop series at Tufts University, informed by the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST; Spencer, 2006) to support ND students in developing stronger coping mechanisms. An evaluation was conducted to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the workshop series per the British Medical Council's guidance on evaluating complex interventions (Skivington et al., 2021), as well as any perceived impact according to the participants. An advisory board of current ND Tufts students was consulted in the creation of the workshop curriculum and evaluation plan. Data on registration and attendance rates, as well as participant feedback on the workshop format, content, and perceived impact, were collected through surveys and interviews. Overall, the workshop was feasible and largely acceptable to students and made an impact in their approach to their higher education experience, primarily through the provision of information about strategies and resources, both on- and off-campus. The series also provided a comfortable and welcoming space for ND students to connect with one another. This project adds to the growing body of research on best practices for supporting ND students on college campuses and provides data on the necessity and efficacy of supports like this in a setting like Tufts. While the series accomplished its main goal, there were also challenges and areas for improvement for future iterations of the series, for ND-related programming and services in higher education at large, and for participatory intervention research with neurodivergent college students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Students with Disabilities, Workshops, Program Development, Program Implementation, Program Evaluation, Universities, Coping, Student Development, Student Attitudes, College Students, School Orientation, Access to Education
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A