Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Educational Studies

While Perkins V legislation and newer career and technical education programs were designed to prepare students for success in both college and career pathways and modern career and technical education programs are supposed to expand college and career readiness outcomes for students, there is a lack of research examining supports that promote the academic engagement and success of Black male students in high school career academies. Career academies are a type of high school reform initiative that is designed to prepare students for college and careers in career fields such as engineering and informing technology (Fletcher & Tan, 2022; Fletcher et al., 2018). In the 1970s, career academies were designed as career-oriented schools that delivered college preparatory instructional curriculum, and operated as smaller schools within larger schools (ACTE, 2019; NAF, 2023). Comprehensive school reform efforts like career academies are likely to ensure that Black male students are prepared for college and careers with personalized resources and services such as trade and apprenticeship pathways, work-based learning, early career exploration, guidance counseling, and college-level examination programs. In this study, I described the need for research to examine college and career readiness of high school Black male students at a NAF (formerly known as the National Foundation Academy) Academy of Engineering. I utilized the theoretical frameworks of college and career ready by Stone and Lewis (2012) and culturally relevant pedagogy by Ladson-Billings (1992) to review the research questions, background of the problem, problem statement, purpose statement, and significance of the study. Since Black males are a vulnerable group of youth with lower academic achievement and performance and barriers to career prospects and access to higher education (Brown et al., 2019; Hines et al., 2014; Wright, 2019), I explored the role of career academies, culturally relevant education for Bla (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Edward Fletcher Jr. (Advisor); Christopher Zirkle (Committee Member); Antoinette Errante (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Cultural Resources Management; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Ethnic Studies; Gender Studies; Mathematics; Mathematics Education; School Administration; Science Education; Secondary Education; Sociology; Teacher Education; Teaching; Technology; Vocational Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Whiteness remains an intractable problem in American society broadly and within higher education specifically. In this project, I explore white emotionality among professionals in higher education and student affairs (HESA). Each chapter engages a different approach to understanding white emotionality, including autoethnographic research methods, phenomenological research methods, the literature from Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) in education, and the literature from Settler Colonial Studies (SCS) and decolonial thinking in education. From much of the literature in CWS, I identify a trap I call always-not-yet-but-maybe-someday-soon whereby attachment to the possibility of redemption defers the necessary but deeply unsettling emotional work of confronting whiteness. To address this, I turn to SCS and decolonial thinking and consider how the maintenance of whiteness through always-not-yet-but-maybe-someday-soon is interconnected with what Tuck and Yang (2012) refer to as “settler futurity.” Using key concepts from CWS, SCS, and decolonial thinking including unsuturing (Yancy, 2018), a politics of disappointment (Jones, 1999), and the scyborg (la paperson, 2017), I propose using professional development (PD) as one way to combat always-not-yet-but-maybe-someday-soon and settler futurity among HESA professionals. In contrast to accumulative and developmental perspectives on HESA professionals and multicultural competence (Pope et al., 2019), this vision of unsettled PD offers few guarantees but aims to provide opportunities for sustenance and accountability as HESA professionals grapple with the depths of white emotionality.

Committee: Natasha Levinson (Committee Chair); Tricia Niesz (Committee Member); Elizabeth Kenyon (Committee Member); Tara Hudson (Other) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Higher Education Administration; Multicultural Education

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2015, Leadership and Change

Young, Gifted and Brown is a journey of two directions converging. It is a study of Puerto Rican Diaspora in higher education, specifically, students making sense and meaning of their everyday. It is also a study of how I have related to them as a professor. Together, this is a story: research done creatively, toward the development of Critical Pedagogy for Puerto Rican Diaspora. The research question is: what has made the Puerto Rican Diaspora in the United States flourish and their lived experience meaningful? How can a diasporic people connect with and affirm their roots in an educational system far from home? The answer is rooted in creativity: how does poetry provoke students to teach each other about their experiences and to learn with each other through sharing their own poetry? This Dissertation was composed through poetic performance ethnography, from which I have developed my findings from students' reflections on their lives through the AutoEthnoPoetic. The process is deeply informed by Eugenio Maria de Hostos' moral social and Jose Marti's poetic pedagogy as well as race critical educational theories, including Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Through an AutoEthnoPoetic journey through puertorriquenidad, “Puerto Rican-ness,” or sense of being Puerto Rican, there are lessons for students and educators on how poetic performance ethnography can facilitate success and alegria (happiness) and inspire, motivate, and celebrate in an education system where diaspora are present. This Dissertation contains three MP3 files and 13 MP4 files. The electronic version of this dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohiolink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Committee: Philomena Essed PhD (Committee Chair); Carolyn Kenny PhD (Committee Member); René Antrop-González PhD (Committee Member); Ulrika Schmauch PhD (Other) Subjects: Aesthetics; American Studies; Community College Education; Curriculum Development; Educational Sociology; Educational Theory; Ethnic Studies; Higher Education; Hispanic American Studies; Latin American Studies; Pedagogy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, ED Policy and Leadership

This study will examine the emergence of Israel studies at the university level. Historical precedents for departments of Hebrew language instruction, Jewish studies centers, and area studies will be examined to determine where Israel studies chair holders are emerging. After defining Israel studies, a qualitative methodological approach will be used to evaluate the disciplinary focus of this emerging area. Curriculum available from and degree granting capabilities of various programs will be examined. In addition, surveys taken of Israel studies scholars will provide their assessments of the development of the subject. Four case studies will highlight Israel studies as it is emerging in two public (land grant institutions) versus two private universities. An emphasis will be placed on why Israel studies might be located outside Middle Eastern studies. Questions regarding the placing of Israel studies within Jewish studies or Near Eastern Languages and Culture departments will be addressed. The placing of Israel studies chairs and centers involves questions of national and global identity. How scholars in the field conceptualize these identities, as well as how they are reflected in the space found for Israel studies scholars are the motivating factors for the case studies. Ritterband and Wechsler (1994) have examined the emergence of Jewish studies in American universities, with a focus on the “normalization” process in terms of academic mainstreaming. How and if it is possible to extend the process of “normalization” to Israel studies will be addressed. In addition, the dilemma of what Gerald Graff (1993) has described as “teaching the conflicts” within the context of Israel studies will be examined. In the four case studies, two public versus two private institutions, with varying institutional histories in terms of the “uses of knowledge” will highlight this dilemma.

Committee: Robert Lawson PhD (Advisor); Matt Goldish PhD (Committee Member); Douglas Macbeth PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education History; Judaic Studies; Multicultural Education; Social Studies Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2011, Educational Leadership

This multiple case study examined corporate involvement in Japanese public elementary schools through 3 corporate programs. In 2005 the Basic Law of Food Education, Shokuiku Kihon Ho was enacted. This law promotes food education as a national movement and encourages food makers to become actively involved with the public sector to provide food education programs. Major food makers approached public elementary schools as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Purposeful sampling was selected, and programs from 3 companies were identified as cases. This researcher conducted email interviews with 35 elementary school teachers and 3 company spokespersons to examine their motivations, implementations, advantages and disadvantages of the programs, benefits to the company, and changes in teachers' perceptions of the companies, if any. The findings first include sources, including governmental, from which teachers initially learned about the programs. Second, the primary reason for program use was food education. Third, the 3 corporate programs studied appeared to be very successful in obtaining publicity in the schools. Two out of 3 companies had their products present in the classroom and also gave their products as gifts. Fourth, teachers were satisfied with corporate programs because they gained professional knowledge, rich materials, and experience-based activities for children. Fifth, the major disadvantage was scheduling. Few teachers recognized that corporate programs effectively influenced the knowledge of teachers and children. Sixth, teachers' perceptions of the companies were positively changed after experiencing the programs. Teachers were impressed with professional knowledge and they tolerated corporate promotions. This study included implications: School policies and professional development are needed to address commercial activity and insure that the children's knowledge would be balanced.

Committee: Joseph Watras PhD (Committee Chair); C. Daniel Raisch PhD (Committee Member); Carolyn S. Ridenour EdD (Committee Member); Dean B. McFarlin PhD (Committee Member); Deron R. Boyles PhD (Advisor); Victor Kobayashi PhD (Advisor); Takao Kamibeppu PhD (Other); Kenta Nakamura PhD (Other) Subjects: Asian Studies; Business Community; Comparative; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; Public Health

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Drawing from two years of interviews, in-person participant observation, and digital fieldwork with the parents' rights group Moms for Liberty, this dissertation explores the growth of the anti-gender movement in the United States. I explore how and why Moms for Liberty has so quickly succeeded in their efforts to ban gender affirming care for trans youth, bar the discussion of LGBTQ identities and race in K-12 schools, and remove books about race and gender from school and public libraries. Moms for Liberty members situate the hierarchy of the Christian nuclear family as a roadmap for political hierarchy, using their roles as mothers to enshrine the familial subject positions of the Christian nuclear family as the basis for societal order. Arguing that the group achieved mainstream success by mobilizing the figure of the Child in danger, I demonstrate that Moms for Liberty uses normative ideas about childhood innocence and childhood development to radicalize parents into the anti-gender movement. By focusing on how M4L activists construct the Child as the private property of the nuclear family, I further explore how far-right groups situate public institutions as violations of their right to ‘ownership' over children. I conclude by demonstrating how Moms for Liberty's advocacy has contributed to a movement for the partial privatization of the education system at the state level.

Committee: Mary Thomas (Advisor); Jian Chen (Committee Member); Wendy Hesford (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Education; Gender; Gender Studies; Public Policy; Social Research; Social Structure; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Arts Administration, Education and Policy

This dissertation and research study is dedicated to the exploration of critical posthuman educational technology. Research in this study determines, evaluates, and considers educational technology in U.S. art museums through a wide-reaching survey and case study evaluations of the implementation of digital content creation in museums during the COVID-19 era. Critical posthumanism provides a way to understand and restructure expectations of the educational goals of museums that are aligned with the experiences and expectations of digital learning as well as incorporate a multitude of ontological considerations through Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, and Critical Disability Studies. Beyond simply assessing what has happened in museums, this study seeks to find opportunities for greater change within the system of museum practice and education.

Committee: Dana Carlisle Kletchka (Advisor); Joni Boyd Acuff (Committee Member); J.T. Eisenhauer Richardson (Committee Member); Mindi Rhoades (Committee Member); Clayton Funk (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Museum Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Educational Studies

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for students in higher education, accounting or over 1,100 student losses each year (Appelbaum, 2006; National Mental Health Association & The Jed Foundation, 2002; Rodriguez, 2013; Silverman et al., 1997; Suicide prevention Resource Center, 2004; Wilcox et al., 2010). Moreover, recent data suggests that suicidal behaviors and prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders among the university student population is trending upward (Center of Collegiate Mental Health, 2020), highlighting suicide prevention and mental health (SP/MH) support and promotion as crucial considerations for student support at institutions of higher education. Data suggests that graduate students are at an elevated risk for suicide compared to undergraduate students (Silverman et al., 1997), however graduate students are underrepresented in literature exploring SP/MH in higher education (Bruns & Letcher, 2018; Evans et al., 2018; Garcia-Williams et al., 2014; Hyun et al., 2006; Moffit et al., 2014). Best practice for evidence-based prevention science advocates for a high fidelity between prevention programming and the target population (Castro et al., 2004; Chen et al., 2013). Therefore, it crucial that graduate students receive more focused attention in university SP/MH support and promotion research in order to inform guidelines and evidence-based practice for graduate student congruent SP/MH support and promotion in the campus setting. This study utilized a comparative case study methodology (Bartlett & Vavrus, 2016) to explore SP/MH support and promotion in graduate education. Four research questions guided this study: (1) What is the nature of the graduate academic programs' participation in mental health support and suicide prevention initiatives for graduate students? “Nature” is defined as the current and historical creation, maintenance, and sustainment of a network of relationships with campus mental health resources and suicide prevention (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brett Zyromski (Advisor); Jan Nespor (Committee Member); Colette Dollarhide (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Higher Education; Mental Health; Public Health

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership Studies, Xavier University, 2021, Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development

This mixed-methods study explored how a Black female school principal serves a low-income urban school based on a partnership with a private STEM industry in an effort to improve students' math and science performance. Using Lidens et al.'s (2008) servant leadership instrument and ad-hoc survey items related to the principal's contribution level of improving students' academic performance, exploratory factor analyses identified the principal's servant leadership and partnership competencies in a sample of 49 school community members consisting of 15 teachers, 13 paraprofessionals, and 21 parents. The servant leadership and partnership competencies included empowering community and helping others succeed, problem solving for others and organization, ethical and critical thinking skills, others' needs and interests, and principal's partnership with a private STEM industry. One sample T-Test revealed that the school community members perceived the principal's servant leadership and partnership competencies significantly contributed to the improvement of science and math performance. Further, the principal's partnership competency was significantly and positively correlated with the following two servant leadership competencies: Problem solving for others and organization and Ethical and critical thinking skills. The principal perceived that students have built authentic relationships with their mentors including the private STEM industry's volunteered staff and tutors, thereby contributing to student academic growth and community engagement. The survey findings were consistent with the narratives of the principal as shown a positive correlation with the principal's servant leadership competencies and students' academic growth in math and science through the partnership with a private STEM industry. Therefore, the study's data provide evidence that the Black female principal is well equipped with the competencies necessary for a servant leader and for building a partner (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ahlam Lee Ph.D. (Advisor); Littisha Bates Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rhonda Norman Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Educational Studies

The roots of the close link between politics and education, recognized by numer-ous modern philosophers as well as contemporary scholars, can be found in ancient Western philosophy. This period of human history witnessed the emergence of philo-sophical movements which had more or less coherent political, educational, and meta-physical ideas, which used education as their main form of political activity, and which hoped to shape the system of education through politics. Examining and understanding these different ancient approaches is critical for making sense of the link between poli-tics and education today. Nevertheless, there has been little research exploring this link at its ancient roots. This study focuses on the Pythagorean, Socratic, Platonic, Cynic and Stoic movements. The politics of these movements are mainly explored through their views on gender, slavery, and socioeconomic systems, and categorized on a spectrum of con-servatives on one side and radicals on the other. The pedagogies of these movements are mainly categorized as teacher-centered or student-centered, and their curricula, educa-tional theories, practices and preferred student profiles are examined. This study aims to show that the political and educational approaches of these movements were in line with each other even if whether a movement is conservative or radical did not directly de-termine their pedagogy, which was rather determined by its political function according to the needs of the movement, and that education is necessary but insufficient for caus-ing social and political change. This study concludes with lessons drawn from the expe-rience of ancient philosophy for those who want to make a difference through education.

Committee: Bryan Warnick (Advisor); Jackie Blount (Committee Member); Winston Thompson (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2019, Instructional Technology (Education)

The aim of mobile learning (M-learning) is to overcome traditional constrictions of education such as the place and the time at which learning occurs. M-learning has been investigated in many areas; however, the impact of M-learning on graduate international students and their experiences have not yet been investigated. The research aims to answer the following questions: 1) What are the international students' perceptions of M-learning in Instructional Technology program; 2) What are the international students perceived benefits and challenges of M-learning while using this method in their courses; and 3) How do participants describe their use of M-learning? To answer these questions, a modified version of the UTAUT2 model was used to analyze interview data from eight international student participants who at the time of the study were enrolled in a post-graduate instructional technology (IT) program. The UTAUT2 model was used to analyze adoption rate and usage M-learning among specific populations by investigating how performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), and social influence (SI) determine behavioral intention (BI) to integrate. Data from the interviews were analyzed by using thematic analysis to identify relationships and patterns. The researcher developed narrative stories for each of the interviews to discover the overarching ideas. Identifying the key themes led to discovery of relationships, patterns and ideas to answer the research questions and to add to wider discussion on M-learning in the international student community in the United States. Findings suggest that M-learning may help increase learning productivity and academic gains. M-learning is convenient due to accessibility and usability and is becoming more ubiquitous in the informal learning setting. Participants indicated that they are likely to implement a hybrid model of face-to-face and M-learning techniques and tools in their teaching practice because it helps increase interact (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Greg Kessler (Committee Chair); Krisanna Machtmes (Committee Member); Danielle Dani (Committee Member); Min Lun Wu (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Technology; Instructional Design; Social Studies Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1999, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2016, Educational Administration (Education)

Research on Somali students' experiences is very limited and has been focused mainly on school-age children rather than college students despite their increasing presence in U.S. higher education. So far little is known about the circumstances of those in postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to explore Somali students' experiences in a major U.S. university. It particularly investigated the challenges undergraduate Somali students face in college and the support they receive in order to cope with those challenges. A qualitative case study methodology was employed to examine the lived experiences of ten students who participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews, which were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Findings of the study indicate that Somali students encounter many obstacles in college. The study also found that students cope with their challenges in various ways by drawing support from their institution, family, peers, faith and community, who provide them remarkable social capital and resilience. Findings will have implications for both practice and policy by providing an understanding of the obstacles Somali students encounter in U.S. colleges, as well as directions for future research. They will also be significant for research in that they will contribute to the literature by addressing the existing knowledge gap. Recommendations were made in light of the outcomes of the study in terms of ways that could be helpful for students to overcome their challenges.

Committee: Emmanuel Jean Francois (Committee Chair); Mona Robinson (Committee Member); Bill Larson (Committee Member); Edna Wangui (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Educational Leadership

This study demonstrates the value of organization-specific articulations of exemplary leadership. The research topic relates to leadership and organizational studies in general, and higher educational leadership and organizational commitment in particular. The focus of inquiry is the complex, human-organizational phenomenon of exemplary leadership commitment to mission and identity among lay leaders in the Catholic and Marianist tradition of one top-tier research university in the United States. The context of inquiry is the emerging prominence and critical role of lay leadership in Catholic higher education. The researcher offers an in-depth examination of how exemplary lay leaders experience and practice their personal commitment to Catholic-Marianist mission and identity. The research objective is to understand and describe the essential meanings in the lived experiences of exemplary lay leaders, presenting individual descriptions and collective syntheses of the phenomenon in focus. The intended audience includes leaders in Marianist and Catholic higher education; administrators involved in leadership development and mission and identity enculturation; and researchers in higher education, phenomenology, and interdisciplinary studies in leadership and organizational behavior. Using the transcendental phenomenological research method, the researcher generates eight individual “portraits-in-words,” containing multilayered human portrayals that allow the reader to intuit and empathize with the interior experiences and meaning making of the exemplary lay leaders in this study. The researcher also analyzes the experiential data collectively, presenting numerous “composite syntheses” of the apparent textures and underlying structures of the phenomenon in focus. Finally, the researcher describes three “streams” within the lived experience of the phenomenon, namely: exemplary lay commitment, exemplary Marianist leadership, and the experience of Catholic and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Molly Schaller (Committee Chair); Carolyn Ridenour (Committee Member); Joseph Watras (Committee Member); David Fleming S.M. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Philosophy; Educational Leadership; Ethics; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Management; Organizational Behavior; Personal Relationships; Philosophy; Spirituality; Teaching

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

With more individuals obtaining undergraduate and graduate degrees and the job market still recovering from the 2008 recession, the instances of college graduate underemployment have increased throughout the United States. This study employs a Marxian theoretical analysis and a dialogical qualitative analysis to examine college graduate underemployment (CGU) in order to ascertain what features of capitalism contribute to CGU and what are the dominant modes of experience of those graduates who are currently underemployed.

Committee: Mary Brydon-Miller Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Annulla Linders Ph.D. (Committee Member); John McEvoy Ph.D. (Committee Member); Miriam Raider-Roth Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2014, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

This dissertation reports on a study designed to estimate the causal effect of taking pure mathematics courses in high school on the likelihood of placing out of postsecondary remedial mathematics. A nonparametric variant of propensity score analysis (marginal mean weighting through stratification) was used on a nationally representative dataset to test for a practically significant causal effect in three groups of students: all comparable students, students who were unlikely to take high-level mathematics courses, and students in a range of demographic categories. In the original analysis, two thirds of the analytic sample had to be discarded because students were not comparable on baseline characteristics; implications of this lack of comparability are discussed. A second analysis included twice as many students by recoding the treatment variable into a more equally-distributed hierarchy of mathematics classes. In both analyses, the estimated causal effect of taking mathematics courses on placement out of PRM failed to reach practical significance; with few exceptions, the same nonsignificant result was found regardless of propensity level or demographic category. The causal effect was lowest among students who had been least likely to take high-level mathematics courses in high school. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the impact of missing values and to test the results under different assumptions. These findings suggest that enrollment in high school mathematics courses may not have as strong of an effect on placement out of postsecondary remedial mathematics as typically claimed in the research literature. More generally, the results suggest that hidden selection bias in many previous education studies may have unwittingly masked the inequity in the U.S. education system. Implications of these findings are discussed for policymakers, student-level decisionmakers, teachers, and researchers.

Committee: Robert Klein (Committee Chair); Hea-Jin Lee (Committee Member); Gordon Brooks (Committee Member); Ginger Weade (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics Education; Statistics

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Education : Educational Leadership

There has been an increase in recent years of women faculty in Educational Administration; however very few of these women have risen to the rank of full professor (McCarthy & Kuh, 1998). The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership experiences and contributions of women faculty who hold the rank of full professor in Educational Administration. This study combined two variables and looked at women who had played the dual roles of scholars and leaders. The research sought to answer three questions. What are the leadership experiences of women full professors in Educational Administration? What are the contributions of these women to the field of Educational Administration? How has the presence of these women professors changed the organizational culture of preparation programs? Several noteworthy comprehensive investigations of the educational administration professorate had been conducted spanning the past three decades. However, getting to the hidden tacit knowledge of organizational processes through the use of life stories, personal narratives and archival data on participants, had yet to be explored fully. The study design was therefore, qualitative and involved the analysis of in-depth interviews, field observations, and documentary data. It was found that the seven women professors were excellent teachers and researchers and had offered extensive service to their institutions and professional associations. They had published books, book chapters, book reviews, refereed journal articles, monographs and technical reports and had written and been awarded major grants. In recognition of their contributions to the field, they had each received various distinguish awards at their institutions and national levels. In addition, all of them had served in various leadership roles ranging from project directors, graduate program officers, department chairs, associate dean, dean, vice president, vice chancellor, and president, either in their institution or in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: DR. NANCY EVERS (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, EDU Policy and Leadership

The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide a response to the following question: Does the use of video case studies focused on motivation increase undergraduates' sense of efficacy for applying principles of motivation? I examined the proposed research question using quantitative methods over the course of two 10-week quarters. Participants in the study were undergraduates enrolled in four sections of an educational psychology course. Participants completed four existing measures at three time points. During the second time point subjects were assigned to an experimental group that viewed a video case study or a control group that watched a lecture on motivation. Multiple repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that those who viewed the video case study were significantly less likely to believe in using performance approaches in their future classrooms than those who watched the control video but were slightly more likely to have a lower sense of personal teaching efficacy. Results of this study indicate further research is needed involving greater exposure to cases and deeper integration of cases in teacher education programs.

Committee: Anita Hoy (Advisor); Eric Anderman (Committee Member); Bryan Warnick (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Theory

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, English

“The Lure of Literacy: A Critical Reception of the Abolition Debate” uses the century-long tradition of proposals for the abolition of compulsory composition to uncover pervasive assumptions about literacy. Chapters of this project revisit touchstones in the debate to show how arguments on all sides of the issue depend on ambiguous and contradictory attitudes about literacy as well as exaggerated expectations of the consequences of possessing it. This project re-contextualizes calls to abolish compulsory composition and proposes questions that may be used to inform a new model for first-year writing, one aspiring to complicate students' attitudes about literacy more generally. In arguing for a different model for compulsory composition programs, this dissertation offers a way out of an unproductive debate that has gripped composition for over a century. Following a prologue that surveys relevant literature in the abolition debate, Chapter 1 demonstrates how exaggerated expectations of the powers of literacy underline calls to abolish compulsory composition. Using principal contributors of the New Literacy Studies, I reread the first printed calls to abolish compulsory composition. I show how the period of academic specialization (1865-1920) and exaggerated understandings of the ostensible powers of literacy inform these proposals, complicating attempts to bring about lasting reform in the teaching of composition. Chapter 2 supplements existing histories of the abolition debate by incorporating overlooked voices of both abolitionism and reform. I question the validity of a distinction posited by contemporary receptions of the abolition debate; namely, between “abolitionists” and “new abolitionists.” My view is that this division is only possible if we ignore persistent continuities in the debate, especially with respect to the attitudes and definitions of literacy that inform these studies. In Chapter 3, I challenge dominant narratives of abolitionism in composition (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kay Halasek (Committee Co-Chair); Harvey Graff (Committee Co-Chair); Cindy Selfe (Committee Member); Louie Ulman (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition

Master of Education (M.Ed.), Cedarville University, 2004, Education Department

How are first grade classrooms using technology? How are children using technology at home? Does the use of technology really improve academic achievement? An experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using technology to teach a unit in Social Studies to first grade students. The study occurred in a Christian school in Lancaster, Ohio using thirty-seven first grade students. One class comprised the control group with Social Studies instruction taught in a traditional manner. The other class was the experimental group, which used technology such as the Internet, PowerPoint Presentations, and video and audio recordings to provide the instruction. One Social Studies unit was used in the six-week study with an assessment taken each week. Independent-Samples T-Tests were done on the six assessments. Only one of the assessments showed a significant difference in scores in favor of the experimental group. The other five assessments did not show a significant difference. Due to the experimental group having one of the assessments showing a statistically significant difference, and to the fact that the means were higher on four of the other tests, although not significantly, the researcher is encouraged that technology does provide a difference in student achievement. When combined with the increase in interest and enjoyment of the students using technology, technology appears to be a positive motivation for student achievement.

Committee: Stephen Gruber (Advisor) Subjects: