Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Psychology

Research on the development of mathematics attitudes and anxiety has found significant effects of parent and teacher mathematics anxiety and attitudes on developing children. These significant associations have been found as early as the 1st grade. However, little research has been done that examines the effects of parent and teacher mathematics anxiety and attitudes on younger children who are of pre-school age, and on the cusp of entering the more formalized educational system. The present study attempts to develop a measure of mathematics attitudes appropriate for pre-school children, named the Pre-School Mathematics Attitudes Task (PMAT). The present study also explores the test-retest reliability of the PMAT over a period of three months and explores the independent effects of parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes on their child's performance on the PMAT. Over a three-month period, the PMAT does not appear to demonstrate good test-retest reliability. Parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes were not significantly correlated with the PMAT. Nevertheless, this study lays important groundwork for future research in this area and examines a few promising areas for further study.

Committee: Lee Thompson (Committee Chair); Chris Burant (Committee Member); Heath Demaree (Committee Member); Elizabeth Short (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Psychology

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2000, Education : Educational Foundations

Virtual reality environments are beginning to be used in education. These environments provide sensory experiences that are created mathematically by a computer. A person can have experiences in a predetermined environment or can use the computer program to create or change the environment. This study examined the use of a virtual reality environment in a university art course taught by a sculptor. The course introduced the students to emergent technology, Alpha World and 3D network modeling, which enabled students to produce virtual installations. The goal was to have this technology integrated into student's art. This study assessed how the integration of a virtual reality environment into the course affected cognitive and social aspects of the course. This research was an ethnographic study of a particular university art course. There were three main opportunities for data collection: prior to the start of the course, during the course, and after the course ended. Participant observations and open-ended interviews were conducted. The cultural context of art education at a large, public, mid-western university helped frame both the methods used to collect the data and the analysis of this data. The results from this study illustrate the following pedagogy and art education points. A virtual reality environment was used successfully to teach 3D art and showed promise for broader educational applications. A virtual reality environment provided an additional opportunity for interactivity into the educational process. During this course, the students dialoged with Active World builders and students from other Universities around the world. Within a virtual reality environment, students created art that they could not create in real life. In education, virtual reality can allow students to do things they cannot do in real life. A virtual reality environment provided opportunities for art study, for design and modeling problem solving, and for the creative production of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Daniel Wheeler (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Technology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2003, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

Educational reforms currently underway in athletic training have focused on improving the quality of educational programs through new pedagogical paradigms. Assessment of students' individual learning styles can provide athletic training educators with an opportunity to develop a more personalized approach to instruction by facilitating students to learn through their own style. Matching or guided mismatch of student and educator learning styles could provide the best environment for cognitive growth. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish a valid, but efficient, assessment of undergraduate athletic training students' and educators' learning styles. The Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) was chosen to assess learning style differences. This instrument focuses on two-types of cognitive abilities in adult learners perception and ordering. Each cognitive ability is a bipolar continuum. The continua are combined using a quaternary design to create four mediation channels: concrete sequential (CS), abstract sequential (AS), abstract random (AR), and concrete random (CR). Two hundred (M = 68; F = 132) undergraduate athletic training students and 43 (M = 22; F = 21) program directors volunteered to participate. Principle components factor analysis with varimax rotation revealed reasonable construct validity. Internal consistency of the four channels yielded alpha coefficients of .53 to .68. Frequency analysis of the responses yielded 44.4% (n = 89) of students and 58.1% (n = 25) of program directors preferring the CS channel. The research design was MANOVA utilizing the CS, AS, AR, and CR channels as the dependent measures. The independent variables were gender, education level, and academic role. Data analysis revealed a significant main effect for gender (F4,194 = 3.13, p<.05) and academic role (F4,239 = 4.49, p<.01), but not for education level (p = .310). These main effects reflected mild associations with the dependent variables, partial η² = .061 and .070 (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ralph Martin (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1924, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1920, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, School Psychology

This thesis investigates the relationship between the presence of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and school staff attitudes toward and knowledge of LGBTQ+ students and issues. Drawing upon existing literature highlighting the significance of social supports for LGBTQ+ populations in educational settings, this study focuses on the attitudes and knowledge of LGBTQ+ rights and risk factors held by school staff in high schools with and without GSAs. A quantitative survey design was employed, utilizing adapted measures from existing research tools to assess school staff attitudes and knowledge regarding LGBTQ+ student populations. Results revealed no significant differences in knowledge or attitudes between schools with and without GSAs. These findings suggest that while GSAs provide vital support for LGBTQ+ students, additional strategies beyond their presence alone may be necessary to enhance school staff knowledge and attitudes, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive LGBTQ+ inclusivity initiatives within educational settings.

Committee: Susan Davies (Committee Chair) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Educational Psychology; Glbt Studies; Psychology; School Counseling

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, School Psychology

Most US states prohibit firearms in K-12 schools; however, some states have adopted exceptions that allow teachers to carry guns in the classroom. In the implementation of any policy, especially one that integrates the sensitive topics of education and gun policy, it is important to consider the perspectives of key stakeholders. The present study examined the perceptions of K-12 teachers on the topics of school safety and the carrying of firearms within the school setting as a preventative measure. Participants included K-12 teachers who responded to a survey request. Results were consistent with the majority of extant research, indicating that a majority of participants demonstrated some level of opposition to teachers carrying firearms in K-12 schools. Proper training yielded a slight increase in approval; however, a majority of respondents were opposed to faculty carry firearms in any capacity. The majority of K-12 teachers, regardless of district typology, express strong disagreement for these policies, however, the percentage of the majority is substantially larger within the urban population than within the suburban and rural populations. Implications regarding generalizability and future research are discussed.

Committee: Susan Davies (Committee Chair); Meredith Wronowski (Committee Member); Elana Bernstein (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Psychology; School Administration; Social Psychology

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Music

Polyphonic music, especially the contrapuntal keyboard music of J.S. Bach and other Baroque composers, constitutes an important portion of classical piano literature. Baroque contrapuntal music corresponds to a period in tonal music where linear and vertical aspects of music were in almost perfect equilibrium. In studying Baroque contrapuntal music, students can experience how principles of voice leading affect harmony, dissonance, and musical texture of all tonal music. However, in the United States today, the general trend in piano education is to avoid teaching contrapuntal music until students reach an early advanced level. Even then, the learning of this style is often superficial, and students and teachers face difficulties in understanding and teaching its complexities in limited weekly lesson times. As for students who do not advance to such a level, their educational track often does not allow the opportunity to experience contrapuntal music at all. The effect, unfortunately, is a gap in students' learning of contrapuntal music and a disservice to the quality of music appreciation at large. Considering the generally inadequate understanding of contrapuntal music and Baroque style today, it seems that the current model of learning and teaching is not productive and that a new framework is needed. Constructivism has been an enduring movement in education in American education since the 1960s. The discussion and application of constructivist principles have permeated classroom music teaching since around the turn of the century, but very little has been discussed in private instrumental teaching. Constructivism allows students to learn through active participation by building upon previous knowledge and discovering principles through experiential learning. The framework of constructivism leads music teachers to consider how students might be guided to “discover” foundational principles by manipulating musical materials. Jeanne Bamberger has been applying (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kenneth Williams (Advisor); David Clampitt (Committee Member); Vera Stanojevic (Committee Member); Steven Glaser (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Music; Music Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

For many years, systemic academic achievement gaps between first-generation college students (FGS; e.g., students whose parents/guardians do not have four-year college degrees) and continuing-generation college students (CGS; e.g., students with at least one parent/guardian who has a college degree) have been documented. However, this literature does not consider the matriculation pathways of FGS in higher education. This is important, as many FGS begin their college careers in community college prior to transferring into four-year universities. The studies examining the educational psychology and academic performance of FGS only focus on FGS who matriculate into four-year universities as first-year students. Thus, it is necessary to examine how community college matriculation and transfer relates to the beliefs, perceptions, behaviors, and academic achievement of FGS in four-year universities. Researchers suggest that FGS, who often come from lower- and working-class backgrounds, tend to espouse collectivistic motives for attending college. These reasons can include wanting to make their families proud, honor their family names, and/or give back to their communities. This is in contrast to CGS, who tend to espouse more individualistic motives for attending college including identity exploration, personal enjoyment, and personal financial gain. According to cultural mismatch theory, the prevailing cultural value systems at four-year universities align more with the beliefs of CGS than FGS, which results in psychological and academic issues for FGS. However, there is preliminary evidence that community colleges offer a better fitting cultural environment for FGS, with the implication being that FGS who matriculate into community colleges prior to four-year universities may be buffered against the negative outcomes of cultural mismatch often documented in the literature. This prospect is, as yet, untested. To address this gap in the literature, I examined the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shirley Yu (Advisor); Eric Anderman (Committee Member); Christopher Wolters (Committee Member); Minjung Kim (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Educational Psychology

Black young adults not only experience the same difficulties and discomfort when developing an identity as all young adults, but they are also tasked with reconciling their identity within the context of race. Racial identity development (RID) and the role it plays in the life outcomes of Black young adults is a well-researched area of focus within education. Equally important to the development of identities for Black students is the curricula they are taught, which is less studied. The problem addressed in this study is the way in which stereotypical depictions and representations of Black people within the K-12 curricula impact how young Black college students conceptualize their RID. The current study examines how Black young adult college students describe their experiences with the K-12 curricula, view their RID, and discover if negative experiences with the K-12 curricula exacerbates a negative view of racial identity. This study used a convergent mixed methods research design by interviewing students (n = 15) and surveying their racial identity (n = 38) at a public metropolitan, research-intensive University. The quantitative data showed that significant positive relationships were found between centrality, private regard, and nationalist subscales on the MIBI-T. The qualitative data yielded several important findings. Participants shared that several factors including curricular content as well as relationships and interactions with the school environment and their teachers either positively promoted their RID, or acted as threats to their RID. This study discusses findings that include educational factors that impact students' conception of, and feelings toward their racial identity, as well as the saliency and meaning that Black young adult college students attach to their Black identity.

Committee: Lisa Pescara-Kovach (Committee Chair); Jennifer L Martin (Committee Member); Michael D Toland (Committee Member); Vicki Dagostino-Kalniz (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Black Studies; Curricula; Education; Educational Psychology; Educational Theory

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

Throughout the world today countries are competing to provide the highest quality STEM education to their pupils (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education to their K-12 students. However, in most countries, roughly half of those students, females, must compete also with negative stereotypes regarding their abilities in the academic discipline of mathematics, a field intimately intertwined with the other three components of the STEM acronym. The math–male association in the United States needs not elaboration. Even the best pedagogues can possess narrow, detrimental beliefs about the potential for their students to improve upon and develop their abilities in mathematics. Furthermore, these beliefs can either be conscious to the person or non-conscious, meaning either in or out of their awareness. This study sought to shed light on how two types of gender bias in mathematics may relate to each other and beliefs about growth in math intelligence in a sample of preservice teachers. Using the Implicit Association Test (IAT), implicit gender bias was measured subsequent to the completion of self-report measure on both explicit gender bias in math and beliefs about math intelligence (either a growth or fixed mindset). Implicit bias was unrelated to explicit bias, GPA and age. No differences were found between participant gender or intent to teach K-12 math. Further, implicit and explicit bias were also unrelated to intelligence beliefs and no differences were found between mindsets. This study highlights the nebulous nature of implicit bias and supports literature demonstrating its presence across diverse individuals and contexts.

Committee: Michael Glassman (Committee Member); Eric Anderman (Advisor) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Education; Educational Psychology; Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

Systems thinking, empirically derived from Systems Theory (Ludwig von Bertalanffy, 1950) involves the dynamic application of organizing, analyzing, and understanding information to solve complex problems. It is a cognitive process that requires a person to understand the links between components, the importance of each individual component, and the meaning of the whole as opposed to just the sum of its parts. Many subject matters (e.g., geometry, reading comprehension) require students to learn by considering knowledge as a complex system of knowledge. The current study proposes a coding scheme to help measure Systems Thinking levels of students who participated in a Virtual Reality Game-Based Learning intervention. Data came from Dr. Irina Kuznetcova's dissertation project (2022). A total of 169 students across 11 classrooms in three middle schools in a mid-western city in the United States participated in the study. The intervention took place in an elective STEM class. The participants in the experimental condition (n=96, 6 classrooms) played the intervention game during 4 sessions over the course of 2 weeks, while participants in the control condition (n=73, 5 classrooms) engaged in typical class activities. For the current study, seven audio recordings of students' gameplay from the experimental condition (n=14, 3 classrooms) were analyzed to observe indicators of systems thinking levels based on their conversations during gameplay. Six levels of systems thinking were identified in the context of game-based learning: recognizing, understanding, applying, option consideration, sequence of events, and generalizable principles. Overall, students generated more low levels of systems thinking than high levels of systems thinking. Correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation between low levels of systems thinking and the duration of time students spent playing the game (F = .647, p < 0.05), but systems thinking was not correlated with visuo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Michael Glassman (Committee Member); Dr. Tzu-Jung Lin (Advisor) Subjects: Educational Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2022, Educational Psychology

This study utilized a convergent-parallel mixed methods design to explore the usefulness of a remote relaxation-based intervention's ability to foster mindfulness and self-determination for stress management by collegiate athletes. Although stress is a common experience related to college retention, collegiate athletes experience additional stressors related to athletic training and performance. Through thematic analysis, this research found that collegiate athletes identified managing academics, time management, use of technology, and finances as primary stressors. A remote relaxation-based intervention was offered the participants an opportunity to learn and experience deep breathing, guided imagery, mandala coloring, and self-hand massage interventions designed to increase mindfulness and coping for stress management while strengthen the basic psychological needs. Participant self-reports, identified that they were able to learn active coping skills that allowed them to manage stressors. They demonstrated mindfulness related to identification of their stress through their self-reports of symptoms, need for interventions, and benefits of techniques learned. Although statistical significance was not found, triangulation of the data allowed for a rich understanding of participants experiences and demonstrated that the participants were able to utilize the techniques learned to manage their stress levels with positive outcomes. Participants also reported that they were utilizing the techniques learned outside of the intervention sessions to manage stress. At the conclusion of the interventions, participants reported that if such interventions were made available to them on campus, nearly half reported they would utilize these resources again, demonstrating buy-in for the usefulness of the techniques by the participants.

Committee: Revathy Kumar (Advisor) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Mental Health; Peace Studies; Recreation

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2021, Educational Psychology

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the integration of the latest scientific evidence with clinician expertise while considering patient values and preferences. It is a complex, problem-solving approach proven to improve patient quality and outcomes. The importance of EBP in healthcare is expressed by the Institute of Medicine's goal of establishing that 90% of all clinical decisions be based on current scientific evidence. Despite this, there remains a research to clinical practice gap. Factors contributing to this gap need to be further explored. This study examined cognitive factors related to evidence-based implementation practices. The goal was to investigate potential relationships between need for cognition, reflective thinking, and EBP beliefs with EBP implementation. Understanding metacognition as it relates to evidence-based implementation practices may offer insight into practice adoption as well as fill a gap in the literature. A 53-item survey was compiled using scales to measure need for cognition, reflective thinking, EBP beliefs and EBP implementation practices. The survey was disseminated electronically to approximately 5200 acute care registered nurses in a Midwestern healthcare organization. One hundred thirteen nurses initially responded with 75 nurses completing the survey in its entirety. Descriptive statistics and Pearson bivariate correlation were used to analyze the data. The results showed a weak, positive correlation between EBP beliefs and EBP implementation. There was no relationship found between need for cognition and reflective thinking with EBP implementation. Further studies are needed to identify cognitive factors that promote EBP implementation

Committee: Vicki Dagostino-Kalniz (Advisor) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Health Care; Nursing

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Educational Studies

Medical trainees lack basic knowledge and education in eating disorders, including diagnostic criteria and effective treatment according to prior research by Anderson et. al. An educational intervention is needed during training to improve the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of eating disorders among adolescent patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of retrieval practice on knowledge acquisition in the field of eating disorder education among medical trainees. A secondary aim is to evaluate change in self-perceived comfort, knowledge, and skills concerning eating disorders. An exploratory prospective cluster-randomized trial was conducted over fourteen, four-week blocks. Participants were randomized by block to either the retrieval-based educational format (intervention group) or the conventional lecture-based format (control group). Groups completed 9-item, multiple choice pre- and post-rotation knowledge tests as well as pre- and post-rotation surveys. The intervention group outscored the control group on the post-rotation knowledge test, though this difference was not significant (p=0.288). Despite the control group reporting improvements overall in self-perceived competence managing patients with eating disorders, reports of increased competence was inversely correlated with knowledge test scores, approaching significance (r=-0.502, p=0.011). Standard lectures may confer false confidence to learners which may not accurately align with actual knowledge acquisition.

Committee: David Stein PhD (Committee Chair); John Mahan MD (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Education; Medicine

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Educational Studies

Current distance education practices can be susceptible to types of content-heavy, top-down instruction often seen in physical classrooms. These practices are similar to the activities of corporations, which use recommendation systems and game theory to mold the public sphere and fragment it. We propose that free knowledge creation through open, multichannel communication needs to be used in distance education to allow both individual and collective agency for students to process knowledge and develop higher order reflectivity. Such frameworks would help students of distance education, and instructors to use critical thinking to discuss concepts as equal stakeholders, and develop varied ideological outcomes that could contribute to creating social change. This conceptual paper places current distance education practices within Habermasian theory, discusses ways in which the Internet, and its educative potential has come to be viewed thus far, and suggests platforms that could open distance learning to new possibilities.

Committee: Michael Glassman (Advisor); Bryan Warnick (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Political Science; Psychology; Sociology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

This dissertation serves as a counter-narrative to the standard deficiency model in published research that characterizes most first-generation college students as feeble and unequipped when it comes to thriving in, persisting in, and graduating from college. This is one of the few studies that examines the success of first-generation college students from the students' perspective. First-generation college students who graduated from college participated in a Delphi study that addressed this question: What factors influence first-generation college students' ability to graduate college? Three rounds of data collection resulted in ten themes, roughly in order of importance based on feedback from study participants: Self Starter, Financial Support, Finding a Passion, Social Network, Self-Development, Cultural/Identity Development, Family, Campus Resources and Programs, Work, and Service. The dissertation concludes with three sets of recommendations for improving outcomes of first-generation college students, aimed respectively at secondary school personnel, college officials, and first-generation college students themselves. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Committee: Jon Wergin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Holloway Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Stebleton Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education

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

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education