PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Counselors must be equipped to support clients who have histories of interpersonal trauma (SAMHSA, 2014a). Interpersonal trauma often involves experiences of powerlessness (Finkelhor, 1986), and counselors can risk retraumatizing trauma survivors by misusing or neglecting power (Sweeney et al., 2019). Therefore, it is essential that counselors understand clients' experiences of power within the counseling relationship. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the client's perspective of power within the counseling relationship. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to explore how adult women with histories of interpersonal trauma experience power within the counseling relationship. This constructivist grounded theory study (Charmaz, 2014) included semi-structured interviews and follow-up emails with 29 participants during concurrent data collection and analysis. Data analysis led to the construction of seven categories and one core category. Categories are sorted via the Corbin and Strauss (1990) model, leading to two contextual conditions (Sociocultural Mental Health Factors and Prior Experiences of Power), one causal condition (Choosing Counseling), two action strategies (Advocating for Needs and Assessing for Safety and Fit), and two results (Reclaiming Power and Reliving Disempowerment). The core category summarized all other categories and answered the research question: participants experienced power within the counseling relationship by Practicing Personal Power in Connection with Others. Analysis also included comparing the grounded theory to Relational-Cultural Theory. Findings illuminated implications and recommendations for counselors, educators, supervisors, leaders and advocates, and researchers.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2019, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

This qualitative study explores therapist views of the therapeutic relationship in adolescent residential treatment from an attachment perspective. The therapeutic relationship is a strong predictor of outcomes in adult psychotherapy and a significant body of research has relied on the attachment literature to understand its importance. Research yields comparable results when examining the significance of the therapeutic relationship with children and adolescents; however, there is virtually no literature exploring it from the attachment lens. This is particularly notable for children and adolescents in residential treatment. As treatment intensity increases from outpatient to inpatient to residential, challenges and opportunities within the therapeutic relationship increase, too: therapists form uniquely intense and intimate connections with children and adolescents they may see every day. This study employed constructivist grounded theory data analysis of semi-structured interviews with residential therapists exploring their views of the role of attachment in the therapeutic relationship with their adolescent clients. Key findings include role differences in therapists in adolescent residential treatment; the importance of affect management, attunement, and self-awareness within the therapeutic relationship in adolescent residential treatment; the healing nature of relationship, connection, and feelings of safety with adolescents in residential treatment; and the concept of attachment as fundamental in adolescent residential treatment. Implications for practice and training, limitations, and suggestions for future inquiry are also discussed.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

This study utilized Primary Care Provider (PCP) perspectives to unveil major barriers to prescribing buprenorphine to youth (ages 16-25) with opioid use disorder (OUD). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven PCPs recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted and recorded via Zoom video conferencing. Transcripts were generated and analyzed for themes using a Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) approach. The CGT of the present study describes four major barriers that limit PCP prescription of buprenorphine to youth: 1) PCPs Feel Overwhelmed, 2) PCPs Feel Ill Equipped to Treat Youth Patients with OUD, 3) PCPs Hold and Observe Stigma toward Patients with OUD—Especially Youth, and 4) Structural and Systemic Barriers. Each major barrier consists of related subcategories and sub-subcategories. Findings offer stakeholders suggestions for targeting individual, relational, clinical, and systemic level changes to increase primary care access to buprenorphine for youth ages 16-25.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2022, Leadership and Change

Children benefit from engagement in early education and care (ECE) programs that support their learning and development while also providing a point of connection to critical resources for their families. For children from economically disadvantaged families, the lack of access to high-quality ECE results in a persistent achievement and opportunity gap (Garcia & Weiss, 2015). A significant portion of ECE occurs in home-based early learning environments, also known as family child care (FCC) programs, which play a critical role in supporting children from low-income and immigrant families (Layzer et al., 2007; Porter et al., 2010). Unfortunately, this sector of ECE has seen declining numbers of licensed caregivers over the past decade, due to increased regulatory requirements, low pay, competing commitments, low professional status, and working conditions involving long days in isolation from colleagues or peers (NSECE Project Team, 2016; Tuominen, 2003; Stitou et al., 2018). Using grounded theory methodology, this study explored the lived experience of successful FCC educators, examining the impact of professional identity, intentionality of practice, and management of competing demands on educators' efficacy, psychosocial well-being, and job satisfaction. The stories shared by educators in this study underscore the value of maintaining and supporting this sector of the ECE ecosystem. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the conditions and social processes that allow FCC educators to be effective and thrive in their work. This insight is the key to retaining high-quality programs, recruiting new professionals into the field, and developing strategies to support and strengthen FCC programs that serve young children and their families. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

PHD, Kent State University, 2017, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this study was to explore how creativity and intuition were activated and encouraged by counseling supervisors within the clinical supervisory relationship with supervisees. Past research in this area was limited in scope, and suggestions for future research included uncovering what worked to encourage creativity and intuition for counselors within supervisory relationships to aid clinical supervisors, counselors, and potentially clients and counseling training programs (Carson & Becker, 2004; Faiver, McNally, & Nims, 2000; Jeffrey, 2012; Jeffrey & Stone Fish, 2011; Koltz, 2008; Kottler & Hecker, 2002; Lawrence, Foster, & Tieso, 2015). Constructivist grounded theory methodology was used for this study, and a purposeful sample of participants was selected via the use of Q-Methodology procedures, specifically, by using Q-sorts and Q-interviews to narrow down participants to those who used creativity and intuition in their clinical supervision practices. Twenty-nine participants (Ohio-licensed and endorsed clinical counseling supervisors) completed Stage 1 (the Q-procedures) of this study. Three factors (Factor Ci, Factor CI, and Factor ci) arose from Stage 1 (n = 20). Participants from Factor Ci (n = 12) and Factor CI (n = 2) were asked to continued with the study and 11 did so. The grounded theory that emerged was the supervisory interaction vortex, which stemmed from a strong supervisory alliance and relationship. This theory was developed into a new clinical supervision model, the Creativity and Intuition Supervision Model (CISM), and expanded upon existing literature about the use of creativity and intuition within supervisory relationships.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2025, Leadership and Change

This study focuses on the lived experiences of seasoned White facilitators of racial equity workshops to understand how they navigate the complexity of occupying a White racial identity while working to challenge the belief systems of white supremacy ingrained in themselves and others. Through applying Critical Race Theory as a framework to grounded theory methodology, this study examined whiteness as a sensitizing concept in micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis, situating this dissertation in the theoretical exploration of the multifaceted and pervasive nature of whiteness. Much of the research on racial equity work examines White participants in nascent stages of engagement, concentrating on the external behavior and impact of White race talk during conversations about race and racism. Applying dimensional analysis to 18 in-depth interviews of White facilitators, whose experience in racial equity work ranged from 7 to over 30 years, this study identified two co-core, interrelated dimensions of engaging on a learning journey to embrace the both/and. In addition to these co-core dimensions, four primary dimensions depicting the phenomenon of whiteness emerged from the findings: colluding with whiteness, stirring whiteness, unraveling whiteness, and interrupting whiteness. Through analysis of these findings, this study presents four theoretical propositions and a theoretical model representing variations of the social processes White facilitators move through to interrupt whiteness in themselves and others. The methodological exploration used in this study provides an opportunity to explore the fullness of what it means to be White and engage in racial equity efforts, potentially contributing to the literature on utilizing grounded theory as a process to explore social justice efforts. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

In today's mainline Protestant churches, young women clergy navigate a precarious leadership space. While women's ordination is well-established in American Protestantism (Burnett, 2017), Gen-X/Millennial clergy women find themselves at the crosshairs of conflicting gender narratives and unsustainable expectations of what it means to be both a woman and an ordained pastoral leader. Through the use of feminist constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study explored the lived experiences of Gen-X/Millennial clergy women who have left active ministry or a specific pastoral position due to concerns over their own interpersonal boundaries and psychological safety. Through dimensional analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 clergy women representing eight mainline Protestant denominations, this study identified the co-core dimensions of experiencing feminized servanthood as dehumanizing and experiencing feminized servanthood as abusive. The social processes within these co-core dimensions severely compromised the clergy women's physical and psychological safety and informed their decisions to leave their respective ministry contexts. Extending from these co-core dimensions were five primary dimensions: 1) developing a sense of call; 2) differentiating self from system; 3) exposing vs. protecting toxic leaders and harmful systems; 4) nail in the coffin; and 5) reconstituting self. As a result of these findings, this study presents five theoretical propositions that address 1) the shadow side of servant leadership in the context of feminized servanthood; 2) reclaiming Gen-X/Millennial women's leadership strengths; 3) perceptions of self-differentiated women leaders as a “dissident daughter” and an “emasculating disruptor”; 4) gendered scapegoating and the disappearance of Gen-X/Millennial clergy women; and 5) reconstituting self beyond “reckoning” and “resilience.” This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD cent (open full item for complete abstract)

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Recent political movements such as the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements have brought renewed attention to the social roles of White women and their unique position of intersectional privilege and oppression. White women experience the benefits of whiteness while simultaneously experiencing the gendered oppression of womanhood. However, there is a lack of research exploring how White women conceptualize and respond to their own positionality as both White individuals and as women. This study utilizes constructivist grounded theory to examine how White women navigate their social location within the context of working in the nonprofit sector, a space wherein White women are overrepresented and often in close contact with various elements of systemic oppression. The analysis revealed that White women view nonprofit organizations as protected spaces that allow them to foster careers without encountering overt sexism. However, White women also believe that nonprofits are fragile and easily threatened by external pressures. They seek to protect these spaces by maintaining a homogenous culture that aligns with White womanhood. They view increasing diversity as simultaneously aligned with their personal and organizational values and threatening to the organization's culture and internal stability. As a result, White women engage in a variety of maneuvers that serve to symbolically pursue diversity without altering the fundamental culture of the organization. These maneuvers allow White women to see themselves as benevolent and values driven, while also maintaining their systemic power over People of Color. The findings offer insight into the role White women play in maintaining systems of racial oppression in response to their own fears of gender-based oppression, and guide recommendations for further intersectional deconstruction of oppressive systems. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://e (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

Teacher educators play a multifaceted role in designing and implementing curriculum to nurture preservice teachers' growth in content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and teaching efficacy. Amidst evolving educational landscapes and diverse classroom environments, there's an increasing emphasis on fostering teacher agency and autonomy to navigate these complexities effectively, particularly in unique contexts such as School-based Agricultural Education (SBAE). Self-Determination Theory was used as a guiding lens for this study and offers a comprehensive framework for understanding human motivation. Supporting the basic psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence can enhance students' motivation, academic outcomes, self-regulation, and well-being. Research on motivation within the context of SBAE has seen considerable growth in recent years. Scholars who investigate the relationship between motivation and engagement agree that engagement consists of three main components: behavioral engagement, emotional/affective engagement, and cognitive engagement. However, scholars applying Self-Determination Theory to the study of student engagement have delved into how autonomous motivation encourages a fourth type of engagement, agentic engagement. Through this grounded theory study, I aimed to conceptualize the beliefs of agriculture teacher educators regarding student motivation and agentic engagement within the context of SBAE teacher preparation programs. Two research questions guided this study: (1) What do SBAE teacher educators believe about student motivation and agency within a teacher preparation program? and (2) How do SBAE teacher educators integrate beliefs of student motivation and agency within a teacher preparation program? Grounded theory was used to generate a substantive theory for SBAE teacher educators to conceptualize student agency and motivation. Working under a pragmatic lens, I aimed to capture SBAE teacher educators' experiences with (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

This dissertation project used an interpretivist qualitative research design to study how the right-to-read claim made by seven teenagers attending Detroit public schools in 2016 reflects, addresses, or describes contemporary discussions about educational access. Using situational analysis (SA) as a theory/method, the entirety of the claim comprises the situation of the social phenomenon being studied, not the people. This research combines critical race theory (CRT) with Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems and uses situation analysis to map historical discourses to conduct a study that examines the history of a present situation of inquiry as presented by this question: How does the 2016 right-to-read claim made by high school students in Detroit, Michigan reflect, address, or describe contemporary discussions about educational access? The study collected data to allow me to construct a prosopography that articulates an answer to the question that claims access to literacy is a public school policy right. Because situational analysis (SA) is designed to open research data to aspects of a circumstance that may have been overlooked, marginalized, or silenced, I was not certain the research results would answer this exact question. Additionally, critical theory and SA were used to conduct this qualitative research, examining historical data that addresses the right-to-read claim as a Foucaultian programmatic social problem. As such, it seeks to understand the complexities of recurring and historically situated education practices that limit actualizing U.S. education policies that embrace access to basic literacy skills as a human right. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2022, Mass Communication (Communication)

Game developers use verbs, actions that players take to alter the gamestate, to craft games but lack a language to communicate about these verbs. This grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) project generated a detailed modeling system for game verb systems. A total of 12 games were used to develop the model (all Nintendo or PC titles) and engage with four areas of interest: nuance in platformers, verb themes, shifts in franchises over time, and violent verbs. In addition to the modeling system, a system for quantifying the emergent properties of games was developed which demonstrated the extraordinary emergent properties in games from Super Mario Bros. to Portal. The developed theory links Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics (MDA) theory with emergence, ludo narrative dissonance, and procedural rhetoric. The grounded theory portion was embedded in an “exploratory–confirmatory MM-GT design” (Shim et al., 2021). The quantitative validation suggested users can understand the system but may consider it challenging.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Public Health

Peer recovery support services are being prioritized in the United States to combat the rising drug overdose death rate. Peer support services have shown their effectiveness in improving substance use disorder outcomes like increasing linkage to medication for opioid use disorder and decreasing the number of reported overdose events. Peer recovery supporters (PRS), those delivering these services, are individuals who have lived experience in mental illness and/or substance use. PRS are certified by their state of practice, work in a variety of settings (e.g. emergency departments, correctional facilities, recovery community organization), and receive regular supervision. Though the evidence for peer-based services for substance use disorders is established, there is little published research on the experience of delivering these services. This study explores the recovery experience of Ohio PRS and the impact of delivering peer services on personal recovery. Because more research that recruits PRS is needed, the study first describes recruitment practices in both the pilot and main study. Challenges accompanying the recruitment and subsequent improvements are detailed, as well as considerations for future research involving PRS participants. Next, the methods and results of a survey that used PRS work category (working in peer service delivery, working in another position, and not working at all) to predict recovery related outcomes (burnout, burnout, self-stigma, and recovery capital) are presented and discussed. The multiple linear regression models found that PRS working in a peer service delivery position was significantly associated with higher hopefulness scores compared to PRS not working at all. Univariate results also demonstrated differences by race in multiple outcomes with racial minority PRS showing associations with improved burnout and self-stigma scores compared to white PRS. The results were integrated into the qualitative portion of the study (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2022, Leadership and Change

I have been an educator for my entire career. First, as a teacher and over the last decade as a school administrator. During my tenure, I have continually noticed the underrepresentation of women in the highest office: the school superintendent. This has vexed me over the years, and as a scholar practitioner in leadership and change, I have devoted my research to unearthing the inequalities and disproportional realities that exist within high-profile leadership, particularly the public school superintendency. Utilizing a grounded theory approach, this dissertation sought to better understand what happens at the micro-level, especially during and after the superintendent search and selection process, for women who successfully land a final round interview, but ultimately are not selected for the position. More often than not, women are quick to make the shortlist of finalists, and as nearly 74% of all superintendents are male (Tienken, 2021), yet only rarely get offered the position. Through the use of constructivist grounded theory methods, this dissertation reveals a navigational journey riddled with gendered and racialized-gendered experiences rife with barriers for the women who strive for the position. Despite these difficult and challenging obstacles, this dissertation found strength, resilience, and fortitude within the data and the following dimensions: navigating gendered and racialized-gendered experiences, living my core, drifting from self, The Big Kaboom, and finding peace. As a result, this study asserts three theoretical implications related to the experiences of women as they seek the superintendency. This dissertation is available in open access in AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Communication Studies

Within the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking from an intimate partner (CDC, 2018). Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with poor health, substance abuse, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Additionally, the post-IPV period is linked with depressive disorders resulting in diminished self-esteem, lower levels of perceived social support, and reduced quality of life. There is a growing interest in understanding how post-IPV individuals recover from violent relationships and maintain non-violent romantic relationships. Although these studies highlight the complex and multidimensional ways in which post-IPV recovery occurs, the role of communication in the post-IPV recovery process and romantic relational meaning-making has yet to be explored. Therefore, Hecht's (1993) communication theory of identity (CTI) was used as a sensitizing framework for this dissertation. To accomplish these research goals, I employed a qualitative approach, utilizing Charmaz's (2014) grounded theory to conduct intensive co-constructed in-depth interviews with 22 post-IPV adults and were not currently in violent relationships. This dissertation identified several new understandings of post-IPV identity construction, management, and communication. In analyzing the personal, enacted, relational, and communal layers of post-IPV identities, this dissertation discovered particularly noteworthy findings. These include how IPV trauma can result in identity veils and four identity gaps, which emerged both during IPV perpetration and the post-IPV recovery process. These identity gaps included personal-personal, personal-enacted-relational, personal-relational, and personal-communal. Understanding how these gaps inhibited participants from fully communicating their post-IPV identities, this study explored how these gaps can be negotiated. Findings also include four essential elements to post-IPV roman (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2019, Communication Studies (Communication)

I began this dissertation with two goals in mind: 1) to understand how queer Appalachians negotiate their intersectional identities to reframe our understanding of queers, Appalachians, queers in Appalachia, and queer Appalachians, and 2) to investigate the types of social support available to queer Appalachians as well as their awareness of and perceived access to these resources. Using grounded theory and an engaged scholarship approach, I examine how queer Appalachians in/from Central Appalachia negotiate their queer and Appalachian identities, and how they experience outlets of and access to social support. Drawing on 14 semi-structured interviews with individuals who self-identify as queer and live in or are from Central Appalachia, I explore how individuals navigate their identities and utilize various forms of social support. I utilized a constant comparative method to analyze the data (Charmaz, 2004) and report the findings in three chapters. First, I situate negotiations of a queer identity, and the identity itself, along a continuum between the public and the private where several contexts and factors influence identity negotiations. Then, I offer a participant-produced definition of “Appalachian” and describe identity negotiations within this definition. Finally, I highlight the ways in which queer Appalachians are resilient in a seemingly unsupportive region and I detail three major needs for queers in/from Central Appalachia. To conclude this project, I use the communication theory of identity (CTI) as a sensitizing framework and propose an extension to the theory. At a time when national conversations about Appalachians are abuzz, I strive to contribute new voices and queer narratives.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2018, Organizational Behavior

Social Inclusion is an emerging term, used most prominently by the United Nations to encompass ideas of equity, social, economic and civic participation, and the proactive protection of human rights. Posited as an antidote to the global phenomena of social exclusion, social inclusion is also increasingly understood as a process and outcome, rather than just an outcome. In the United States, one potential vehicle for the process of social inclusion is the development of mixed-income communities. Using a process perspective, this study explores the design and practice of social inclusion in the context of mixed income communities, by conducting a qualitative analysis of the federal Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, which funds mixed-income community development across the United States. Utilizing a combined content analysis and grounded theory analysis of archival grant reports and conducted interviews, this study aims to answer the question: How do mixed-income communities design and practice social inclusion? Within that question, what are the conditions for the practice of social inclusion? How do organizational structures, programs, and processes, enable the individual and collective practice of social inclusion? How is social inclusion designed and practiced at the structural, social, and individual levels? The content analysis focused on 55 Choice Neighborhoods planning grant Transformation Plans and 18 implementation grant narratives. This study also conducted and analyzed through grounded theory an additional 60 semi-structured interviews. The study generated an integrated process theory of social inclusion, through this analysis that identified 545 first order codes, 123 second order codes, and 24 aggregate dimensions. This study also presents the underlying dynamics that enable and limit social inclusion. In addition to this contribution to theory, this study will also contribute toward those working in the mixed-inco (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2017, Leadership and Change

Scholars have identified various reasons for the underrepresentation of women in the upper echelons of organizations. This study used grounded theory methodology enhanced by situational analysis to explore how American women at senior levels in large organizational contexts engage and negotiate the totality of their situation. Utilizing a predominately White, married, middle to upper class, heterosexual sample, this study sought to understand how women create and consign meaning around their experiences; how they experience the fluidity and boundaries of multiple identities; and how they experience the entanglement of macro, meso, and micro societal forces. It explores relationships among factors participants named as influential in experience in leading. Most importantly, this study sought to elevate not just one component as problematic, but to elucidate all interconnecting complexities that are problematic. Five key contexts were identified in the situational analysis as spaces of influence, related to the conditions of the dimensional analysis. Five emergent dimensions were rendered in the dimensional analysis: Growing in Leadership, Solving for Having It All; Stalking the Unknown, Leading in a Glass Box and Negotiating Equality. A grounded theory model was developed of the experience of women who lead, providing an interactive model of how women interpret and engage with the totality of their situation. Four theoretical propositions were extrapolated from the study. The study combined a commanding view of the situation in which women lead, with an interactive theoretical model, mapping places of entry toward resolution of gender leadership parity. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Nursing: Nursing - Doctoral Program

Background: Despite tremendous advances in HIV treatment, less than 30% of the more than 1 million people living with HIV in the US are achieving optimal treatment outcomes. Researchers have recognized that there is an urgent need to understand factors and processes that influence individuals with HIV to initiate HIV care. Purpose: The specific aims of the study were to develop a theoretical framework to explain the psychosocial process of care initiation in individuals living with HIV to identify the critical junctures, defined as pivotal events reported by study participants, that influence individuals living with HIV in their decision to initiate HIV care Methods: Grounded theory was the method used to analyze in-depth interviews with individuals living with HIV. A team of IRB-approved researchers analyzed the data using three levels of coding: Open coding, selective coding, and theoretical coding. Analysis was conducted with an aim of identifying the psychosocial process of care initiation by individuals living with HIV. Results: 30 individuals living with HIV (28 men, 2 women) participated in the study. Participants shared their stories about how they went from learning that they had HIV to the point of HIV care initiation. The core category discovered in the data was concept of HIV as news. News, by definition, is impactful information that was not previously known that is delivered by one party and received by another. Participants described a process in which they progressed through five distinct stages: a) receiving the news, b) interpreting the news, c) incorporating the news, d) acting on the news, and e) moving beyond the news. Each stage was moderated by influential factors including perceived susceptibility to HIV infection, symptoms, HIV information, and feedback from others. The initial receipt of the news was typically interpreted as `bad news'. However, through reflection, interaction with others, and information seeking, participants l (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Humanities (MHum), Wright State University, 2014, Humanities

Gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, questioning/queer, and ally (GBLTQA) programming and spaces at predominately White universities often struggle to meet the needs of GBLTQA students of color. Findings from questionnaire results, interviews, and focus groups demonstrate many of the factors that prevent GBLTQA programming and spaces from increasing inclusion. The main goal of this research is to explore the current problems that exist in terms of race in the Wright State University GBLTQA campus community. I will then discuss strategies that GBLTQA organizations and higher education administrators can employ to increase representation of GBLTQA students of color in programming, resources, and spaces.

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

This dissertation was a study of employee theft within small businesses focused upon understanding how these acts affect the owners and managers of small businesses, as well as understanding their perceptions of this problem. The problem of employee theft has received scholarly attention from multiple academic disciplines, and is also a common topic of discussion among business owners and managers, as well as within industry associations. However, employee theft occurring specifically within small businesses has received much less empirical attention, and almost no attention has been given to how these acts affect the owners and managers of small businesses. This study was an attempt to fill these gaps by studying the problem of employee theft within small businesses from the perspective of the owners and managers of those businesses. This study used a mixed-methods process of data collection, which required the collection and examination of quantitative and qualitative data obtained from a sample of small business owners and managers within the greater Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area. This study focuses mainly upon how elements of guardianship within the business influence opportunity structures for employee theft. However, when explored from the perspective of the owners and managers of small businesses, this examination of business guardianship also touches upon issues of target suitability and offender motivation. In total, this study provides important and unique information about a topic of importance to many academic disciplines, while also providing useful information for the actual owners and managers of small businesses. This study of employee theft within small businesses represents a valuable contribution to both researchers and practitioners interested in better understanding a serious problem that has the potential to threaten small businesses in the United States.