MSVU e-Commons

The MSVU e-Commons is the institutional repository for Mount Saint Vincent University. It allows MSVU faculty, students, and staff to store their scholarly output, including theses and dissertations. Works in the e-Commons have permanent URLs and trustworthy identifiers, and are discoverable via Google Scholar, giving your work a potential local and global audience.


In addition to free storage, the e-Commons provides Mount scholars with an open access platform for disseminating their research. Depositing your work in the e-Commons complies with the requirements for open access publication of work supported by Tri-Agency funding (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC).


If you would like to deposit your work in the e-Commons, or you have any questions about institutional repositories, copyright, or open scholarship, please contact the MSVU Library & Archives.


 

Communities in DSpace

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Recent Submissions

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Older Adults and Storytelling – a Lifelong Learning Exploration
(Mount Saint Vincent Univerity, 2024-09) Thompson, Xandie
We make use of stories every day to express our feelings, to share experiences and traditions, and to help teach others. Across the world, there is a long and diverse history of storytelling, but its power has diminished in the modern and Westernized world. This research focuses on the stories that older adults tell people in their community, within the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia. It focuses on people between the ages of 65 and 85. This study highlights the stories that older adults tell and explores what these stories entail, the intention of sharing these stories, where they are told and to whom. This research makes use of storytelling methodology. People are storytelling beings who, individually and socially, live storied lives. Storytelling methodology allows for research to be conducted in more inclusive and diverse ways. Additionally, stories can give us access to complex feelings, behavior, and traditions. The main research question is, what stories do older adults tell to convey their culture to others? Resonant themes include stories as learning opportunities, stories as social connectedness, stories as sharing lived experiences, stories as entertainment, and stories about meaningful things. This research highlights the importance of storytelling as informal learning and the role of older adults in communities.
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Exploring Trust Between Parent Influencers and Parent Audiences on Social Media
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2024-09) Osei-Essah, Janice
A trend within the current digital landscape is the rise of social media influencers— individuals who have cultivated significant followings by sharing various forms of content. Among these influencers, parenting influencers have gained notable footing, focusing on discussing topics relevant to parents in the form of parenting advice and support. Influencers achieve this through a blend of sharing and parenting, which describes how parent influencers utilize social media to disclose aspects of their daily lives and parenting experiences while educating their audience. Based on Sztompka’s (1999) framework of trustworthiness, this study explores how parenting influencers establish, maintain and convey trustworthiness on social media platforms with their audiences. Using a digital netnography approach as method and Instagram as platform, the findings of this qualitative study were grouped according to themes related to three dimensions of the framework of trustworthiness. That is, performance (education and credentials; commitment and consistency), reputation (peer -to-peer cross promotion; testimonials) and appearance (relatability and authenticity). Future research can explore trust- building strategies from both the influencer and audience perspectives and across diverse influencer types and platforms to address existing gaps and further enrich the understanding of trust in social media contexts.
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Exploring Provincial Government Use of Instagram for Mental Health Outreach and Education Aimed at Youth in New Brunswick, Canada
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2024-09) MacMillan, Emma
Youth mental health in Canada is declining, while their use of social media holds steady. This combination provides an opportunity for provincial governments and Regional Health Authorities to utilize social media for outreach and education regarding mental health aimed at youth. Previous research demonstrates that governments have used social media for healthcare information-sharing, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies further demonstrate that social media is a popular choice for youth seeking information about their health. This research comprises a case study exploring how the provincial government and two Regional Health Authorities in New Brunswick, Canada, have used social media for mental health outreach aimed at youth. Applying social exchange theory and social cognitive theory, a content analysis was conducted analyzing the topics and themes of Instagram posts published by the Government of New Brunswick and its two Regional Health Authorities between September 1, 2019, and August 31, 2023. Overall, findings indicate that there was little outreach aimed at youth regarding mental health and that these limited posts focused foremost on sharing support resources and recruiting or featuring staff. Prominent themes included supporting treatment and prevention, building connections, and fostering community. Mental health is an area of public health that merits intentional content from the New Brunswick healthcare system to promote positive mental health and mental health education so as to, in turn, positively influence the quality of life of young New Brunswickers.
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A Pan-Canadian Analysis of Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum Outcomes In Elementary Grades
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2024-09) Hall, Julia
Research over the past few decades has demonstrated the efficacy of tier 1 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs to improve student outcomes including social skills, mental health, and academic outcomes. However, there has been no analysis or evaluation of the current inclusion of SEL-related outcomes in Canadian public school curricula. While SEL has been shown to be effective when implemented with fidelity, the current inclusion of SEL in Canadian curricula may be too scattered and fragmented to lead to consistent implementation or the positive outcomes associated with SEL reported in literature. The purpose of this study was to identify the SEL-related knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours currently represented in Canadian elementary curriculum documents. The analysis was descriptive and deductive and provided insights into the current state of SEL inclusion in Canadian elementary curricula. Qualitative thematic coding was implemented to identify the themes currently addressed in curricula. Results indicated that despite significant variation in each province/territory’s approach to curricula, emphasis was placed on teaching students social skills such as prosocial behaviour, conflict resolution, and social cues. All provinces placed the least amount of emphasis on teaching or enforcing attitudes such as optimism, enthusiasm, openness, and gratitude.