Browse the Healthy Communities Research Initiative Collections
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The S.T.A.R.S.The S.T.A.R.S. An Examination of Kent State University’s Academic S.T.A.R.S. Program Kendra Rose Hughley Khughle4@kent.edu Advisor: Mwatabu Okantah, mokantah@kent.edu Associate Professor, Department of Pan African Studies, Kent State University Abstract As a result of obtaining knowledge of ancestral history, a person’s cultural identity is developed and nurtured. Cultural identity enhances an individual's self-esteem, sense of belonging and can expand their engagement with others. For college students, this is imperative because there are various types of people and cultures on campus. For students of color at a predominately White institution, cultural enrichment is vital. For the past two summers, I have assisted with documenting two, academic Summer cultural-enrichment-programs. The S.T.A.R.S. Programs at Kent State University and at West Virginia University, provide incoming freshmen of color the opportunity to prepare for college. Through rigorous academic coursework and historic cultural practices, such as drumming, dancing, and introduction to Akan protocols, students reported feeling academically prepared and culturally enriched, with a strong sense of self-awareness and confidence. The upshot of this research examines the effects of academic preparation and insight of ancestral history on freshman of color, participating in both Academic S.T.A.R.S. Programs. The research was conducted through the obtainment of both quantitative and qualitative results (retention rates, graphs, interviews, testimonials etc.) |
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Virtual Harmony: Music Interaction with Virtual Reality to Reduce Stress
According to the APA, the most common stress coping strategy is listening to music. Virtual Harmony (VH) is designed to apply Virtual Reality (VR) in a Music Therapy (MT) environment to reduce stress. The treatment combines VR and MT to stimulate audition through background music, vision through three dimensional VR, and touch through virtual percussive instruments. VH applies current MT practice in several novel ways. Firstly, by using the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, the VH prototype employs a steady tempo about the average heart rate and ten second melodic sequences corresponding to the production of a healthy heart rate and blood pressure. Secondly, VH engages participants in rhythm generation, an important component of MT. A pilot study was conducted among college students, in which participants used VH and provided pre- and post-exposure questionnaire responses about their experiences. 90% of participants reported that VH was effective and worth purchasing, and 32% of participants reported lower stress levels after having used VH. Only 5% reported that their stress increased which may be related to past experiences with severe vertigo. Further controlled experimentation is needed, but these early results are consistent with VH being a promising, affordable, and accessible way for users to manage their stress.
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