UWEC CERCA 2026

It has been argued that philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s concept of a practice offers a robust and valuable model for understanding how, when supported by institutions, rightly ordered work can not only produce goods effectively but also foster workers’ personal growth and flourishing. MacIntyre describes a practice as a coherent, socially cooperative human activity that aims at “internal goods” realized through the pursuit of standards of excellence specific to that kind of work. This project asks whether speech-language pathology (SLP) qualifies as a practice and, if so, what potential challenges arise in achieving its internal goods. Through a review of the literature, we examined current ethical frameworks, descriptions of practice within SLP, empirical research, and philosophical discussions through the lens of MacIntyre’s framework. Findings are presented that illustrate the ways in which the field of SLP aligns with MacIntyre’s definition of a practice, followed by theorizing about the field’s internal goods, standards of excellence, as well as the external and institutional pressures that could influence the pursuit of those goods.

Narrative language abilities are among the strongest predictors of academic achievement and social communication. Accordingly, speech-language pathologists routinely assess and treat narrative skills in ways considered best suited to help students navigate the demands of the school environment. While this approach is important and necessary, research from narrative psychology and philosophy suggests that narrative language (storytelling) serves broader purposes that extend beyond academic and social competence. The goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of school-based SLPs’ perspectives on these broader purposes, including self-authorship, meaning-making, narrative identity, moral imagination, and character development. We created a short educational video that introduces these broader purposes, along with a survey with Likert-scale questions for pre- and post-video self-reflection. SLPs were asked to evaluate their familiarity with and understanding of the expanded vision, and to offer their thoughts on whether they find this vision relevant and attainable in their work. Data collection is in progress. We expect the content to resonate positively with SLPs and their current practices, despite it being somewhat new for some. SLP input about feasibility and barriers to implementation will shape future efforts to support the broader purposes of narrative in their work.

Imposter Syndrome is a phenomenon that involves persistent feelings of self-doubt towards one’s abilities despite evidence of competence. Research on imposter syndrome within the field of speech-language pathology is scarce, indicating the presence of a research gap. Previous research within other fields indicates that imposter syndrome is prevalent in environments of high stress and achievement, making the student population particularly vulnerable to experiences of imposter syndrome. The aim of this study is to better understand the awareness of imposter syndrome (IS) among Speech, Language, and Hearing Science (SLHS) students and the ways it may manifest differently in SLHS undergraduate and graduate students. To address these aims, undergraduate and graduate SLHS students at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire were sent a Qualtrics survey containing various questions related to imposter syndrome. The anticipated outcome of this project is to understand whether UWEC SLHS undergraduate and graduate students report feeling IS and which characteristics of IS are frequently experienced in each student population. Ultimately, this could lead to strategies to support SLHS students in developing confidence so they can better support those they serve.

The purpose of this study is to better understand childcare teachers' beliefs about multilingual language development. Understanding these beliefs is essential, as inaccurate advice or inappropriate referrals may contribute to inequities in access to speech-language pathology services for multilingual children. Researchers have found that early childhood teachers often hold false beliefs about the impact of multilingualism on language development, including the belief that learning multiple languages hinders language development or confuses children as they develop their language systems. Undergraduate researchers contacted daycare program directors via email to explain the purpose of the study and how it would be conducted. For centers that agreed to participate, researchers delivered paper surveys for teachers to complete and collected them one week later. Data were analyzed to examine the accuracy of daycare teachers’ knowledge and how factors such as previous work with multilingual children, years of experience in daycare, and level of education related to knowledge accuracy. These findings could spur action and future research aimed at increasing daycare teacher knowledge. This could improve the accuracy of information shared with parents and the appropriateness of referrals to speech-language pathologists, enhancing care for multilingual children and their families.

All individuals have the inherent right to communicate (McLeod, 2018), and every person, regardless of age, deserves the opportunity to participate in their healthcare (Ward, 2015). However, children with complex communication needs (CCN) frequently encounter barriers to effective communication in healthcare settings. Interactions between children with CCN and nurses are often compromised, resulting in frustration for both parties (Fink et al., 2008; Shilling et al., 2012). These communication breakdowns can adversely affect care, delay recovery, and prolong hospital stays (Fink et al., 2008), while also requiring parents to assume the roles of advocates and protectors (Shilling et al., 2012). Furthermore, research indicates that both nurses and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) report low confidence in their ability to support the communication needs of children with CCN. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a pilot interprofessional training on the confidence levels of SLP and nursing students. Graduate SLP students provided instruction to nursing students on strategies for supporting hospitalized children with CCN. Subsequently, both groups participated in simulations in which they completed mock nursing tasks while facilitating communication with a “child” with CCN. Participants completed a retrospective pre-post rating scales assessing confidence in supporting children with CCN and engaging in interdisciplinary collaboration. Results indicated increased confidence among all students, with nursing students demonstrating greater gains than SLP students.

We have seen a noticeable lack of understanding amongst undergraduate SLHS students in upper-level courses when recalling information on how speech sounds are made by mouth. We developed a game to reinforce knowledge about the articulation of speech sounds necessary for graduate school and a career as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist. To play the game, the course professor will give each student a notecard and display a prompt. Each student will identify a word that fits based on syntactic constraints. Students will identify sounds and write down the place, voice, and manner of articulation for each sound in the word. When finished, students exchange their work with another and identify the phonetic symbols for all sounds described. This game was played often throughout the 2025 Spring and Fall semesters, and the data is analyzed in the following semester. From the data analyzed for spring of 2025, students made errors in phonetic transcriptions with orthography, place, voice, manner, and the number of phonemes in the word. Through anecdotal evidence, students improved speed and accuracy of their transcriptions over time. This data indicates that the game is effective for helping students engage with knowledge about place, voice, and manner.

Individuals with aphasia experience changes in communication that alter identity and life outlook. The poetry modality is less constrained by rules, expresses sense of self, improving self-expression, sharing things otherwise not shared, and processing trauma and getting it out. The indirect, metaphorical language of poetry improves self-expression, partly through externalizing and distancing oneself from their writing. It leads to an increased sense of agency, new identities, sense of belonging, purpose, and a renewed sense of self. Research aim: Understanding the benefits of poetry for individuals with aphasia and CCD. 90-minute weekly sessions were delivered on Zoom to individuals with aphasia and/or cognitive-communication disorders by two graduate speech-language pathology students and a poet. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 poets and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Themes include poetry stigma, helping others (poems help others with aphasia, others can understand ones’ experience through poetry), helping self (processing trauma; expressing feelings is healing; accomplishment; growth; new identity; confidence), power of poetry modality (metaphors helps sharing, putting feelings into words, expressing the inexpressible), and power of group (belonging, group is relief, inspired by peer poets, feeling vulnerable). Poetry is a powerful modality for identity recovery when coupled with group interactions and project-based interventions

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from an external force, causing impairments to social communication between loved ones. Individuals with TBI experience word-finding, poor turn-taking, disinhibition, and repetitiveness. TBIconneCT is a 10-week manualized telerehabilitation program from Australia, shown to produce significant gains in social communication behaviors. Our first aim addressed whether the delivery of the North American version of TBIconneCT via Telehealth videoconferencing improves communication awareness and confidence in the large group context. Our second aim addressed whether the program reduces negative communication behaviors and increases collaborative communication features. Participants engaged in collaborative video review in large group, discussing reactions to pre-developed, contrasting examples of effective and ineffective conversations. Large-group portions of session videos were examined qualitatively through qualitative content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative content analyses identified value in sharing experiences with other individuals with TBI, recognition of communication breakdowns, metacognitive discussions of repairs and preempting breakdowns, the value of peer feedback, and partners identified the value of seeing other individuals with TBI to help put their partner’s behaviors into context. Reflexive analysis indicated that large group interactions created a sense of shared experience, better recognition of communication breakdowns, increased repairs and self-regulation, and the value of peer feedback.

Rural communities may experience barriers to healthcare access, such as provider shortages, long travel distances, and challenges with technology or internet connections, which have a negative effect on overall patient outcomes. The purpose of this project was to examine patient perspectives on rural healthcare access in the Eau Claire region. Older adults living in rural communities around Eau Claire were interviewed about their perspectives and experiences in accessing healthcare services. These interviews included questions related to telehealth and artificial intelligence, as these have emerged as potential solutions for addressing healthcare needs in rural communities. The participants’ responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Themes, categories, and exemplars from the participant interviews will be presented.

Previous studies have indicated a gap in healthcare access between urban and rural environments, primarily associated with travel distances and relative availability of providers. Technological solutions, such as telehealth, have been proposed as a way to close the access gap, but it is unclear whether telehealth and other technologies are having a sufficient impact. The purpose of this project was to examine providers’ perceptions of rural healthcare access in communities near Eau Claire, and particularly how technology plays a role in rural healthcare. Healthcare providers from the region completed an anonymous survey to share their experiences and perceptions. The participants’ responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and themes, categories, and exemplars will be presented.

Individuals living in rural communities may face challenges in accessing healthcare services related to internet availability, provider options, and travel distances to healthcare facilities. Telehealth, virtual healthcare, and other technology-driven options have emerged, but may not fully address the needs of rural communities. The purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of healthcare providers to perceptions of patients, particularly related to the value and effectiveness of technological solutions to healthcare access. Surveys of rural healthcare providers and interviews with rural older adults who access healthcare were gathered. Both groups responded to similar questions related to access, as well as the use of technology, telehealth, and artificial intelligence in healthcare settings. Comparisons between the perceptions of providers and patients will be presented.