PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

As place-based institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) have the intellectual capacity and resources, both private and public, to transform communities facing human and social development issues. As such, HEIs must revisit their role/contribution and recognize their social responsibility to remain relevant in today's society. Indeed, social responsibility requires new community research and revitalization, job creation, teaching, and innovation. This study explores the role/contribution of Cameroonian HEIs in addressing human and social development issues through a qualitative case study of the University of Douala. More specifically, this study explored how the university advances development agendas through the use of interviews and a photovoice project, examining historical, social, and political events and practices that frame the role/contribution of HEIs in Cameroon. The findings suggest that HEIs are an important asset for the community and make significant educational, social, environmental, economic, and cultural contributions to the community. Specifically, the findings indicate the contribution of the University of Douala in the following areas: service, innovation, advocacy, leadership, and capacity building. Consequently, HEIs can help to advance human and social development. However, their contribution in these areas remains underutilized. Also, stakeholder engagement and lack of funding emerge as elements that downplay the contribution of the University of Douala in human and social development issues. Adaptive solutions for complex issues should consider the potential contribution of HEIs. This study concludes with recommendations and implications that aim to educate different stakeholders and practitioners on how HEIs can maximize their potential. En tant qu'institutions operant dans les territoires, les etablissements d'enseignement superieur possedent des capacites intellectuelles et materielles pouvant transformer les communautes co (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Constance Kendall Theado Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Mary Brydon-Miller Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Edelman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joseph Takougang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education

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

The publication of the Family Engagement Core Competencies by the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement in 2022 provided a body of knowledge of the work of educators engaging with families, a domain not well-understood previously. Situated in the pandemic recovery phase in U.S. education, this dissertation study aimed to explore the nature of efficacy beliefs of educators in family engagement, a latent construct grounded in social cognitive theory. To achieve this aim, a survey measure was developed, and an interpretation and use argument (IUA) anchored the process of the validation of the interpretation and use of its scores. The study was conducted in five phases. In the first phase, the Family Engagement Efficacy Beliefs of Educators (FEEB-E) survey was drafted based on a review of literature, existing instruments, and subject-matter expert and user feedback. In the second phase, the FEEB-E was piloted with a national sample of educators, and exploratory factor, parallel, and reliability analyses were conducted. In the third phase, the FEEB-E was revised based on findings from the pilot study. In the fourth phase, the FEEB-E was administered to a sample of teachers in two Ohio urban school districts, and confirmatory factor, correlation, and reliability analyses were conducted. In the fifth phase, the IUA was constructed, and the appropriateness of the interpretation and use of the scores from the FEEB-E was determined. The study found that survey items were valid for interpretation as representative of their target domain of self-efficacy beliefs for family engagement. There were no extraneous sources of variability in wording of items and directions, order of items, or the scoring scale. The survey items measured the intended population by reflecting a range of efficacy beliefs around multiple dimensions of family engagement and did so reliably (α = .917). Further, the FEEB-E was found to be valid for use as a research instrum (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Stansberry Beard (Advisor); Minjung Kim (Committee Member); Roger Goddard (Committee Member); Barbara Boone (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Families and Family Life; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2021, Theology

The principle of subsidiarity is a signature concept in Catholic social doctrine and papal teaching. Yet, an incomplete understanding of the full principle and papal refrain from prescribing policies or concrete examples of the principle has created difficulties in developing subsidiarity within specific social and cultural situations. This project uses theological and historical methods to investigate the social work and thought of Bishop Bernard James Sheil, his collaboration with Saul Alinsky, and the results of their collaboration in the institutionalization of Alinsky-style community organizing in the American Catholic Church in the form of the Campaign for Human Development, to determine how Catholic subsidiarity is influenced by an adaptation to American democratic culture and the demands that Catholic subsidiarity makes on American liberal democratic social imagination. This study shows that Bishop Sheil's collaboration with Saul Alinsky represents a full embodiment of the structural pluralism, structural-pluralistic subsidiarity and associational subsidiarity that make up the principle of subsidiarity while also attending to American democratic culture's focus on the liberal individual. In short, Bishop Sheil's legacy, in the form of the institutionalization of his collaboration with Saul Alinsky in the CCHD, is representative of a distinctly American and wholly Catholic form of subsidiarity.

Committee: Vincent Miller Ph.D. (Advisor); Kelly Johnson Ph.D. (Committee Member); William Portier Ph.D. (Committee Member); Anthony Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member); David O'Brien Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Theology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Leadership and Change

The multitude of different tribes in Africa is what makes the continent rich and diverse. At the same time, this diversity, when combined with self-centered and exclusive behaviors, can yield detrimental impact on the economy and society. This dissertation examined tribalism, defined as favoritism based on kinship, and its impacts on socioeconomic development on the Republic of Chad. Specially, this research investigated tribalism and its direct and indirect influence on corruption, human capital potential, social justice, and socioeconomic development in Chad. This mixed-methods study comprised a two-phase design. The first phase was mainly a quantitative survey that was administered to 161 participants, followed by a qualitative approach comprised of semi-structured interviews. Finally, an integrated analysis, synthesizing findings from the two phases, provided a comprehensive view on tribalism and its impact on socioeconomic development in Chad. Findings from this study demonstrated that while tangible progress has been made on many fronts in Chad, participants' perception about tribalism, corruption, human capital potential, social justice, and socioeconomic development indicated that more work remains to be done. The study also highlighted the existence of multiple linkages among tribalism, corruption, human capital potential, social justice, and socioeconomic development. The findings further indicated that in addition to direct linkages with socioeconomic development, tribalism indirectly influenced development goals through corruption, human capital potential, and social justice. Finally, the results and insights informed the creation of an emergent model on tribalism and its impacts on socioeconomic development. 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/.

Committee: Aqeel Tirmizi Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Carol Baron Ph.D. (Committee Member); Simplice Asongu Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African Studies; Ethnic Studies; Organizational Behavior; Public Administration; Public Policy; Social Research; Sociology; Sub Saharan Africa Studies

Bachelor of Arts, Capital University, 2021, Psychology

The purpose of this research was to examine how young adults aged 18-24 at Capital University, a small Midwestern liberal arts institution, post items on Instagram with specific focus on the level of accuracy of their self-representations. Social media has changed the way that people communicate with each other, including changing the self perceptions they project about their lives. Participants completed surveys that assessed the level of self-reported isolation; further, they reported how they view themselves through social media. Guided by both sociological and psychological theoretical frameworks, including Charles Horton Cooley's theory of the 'Looking Glass Self' and Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Human Development, the results support the need to test theories that have long influenced our understanding of the importance identity development and self-perceptions have within an ecological framework. Specifically, how can we use these theories to understand present day social media? Such studies can glean information about the role of social media young adult development, specifically within relationships.

Committee: Pam Ellwanger-Schmidt (Advisor); Stephanie Wilson (Advisor) Subjects: Developmental Psychology; Psychology; Social Psychology; Social Work

BUP/MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Asset Mapping utilizes the concepts of physical capital, human capital, and social capital, as a holistic way of evaluation for revitalization and economic development. Challenges exist within most communities and focusing on only one aspect of development and/or revitalization separate from the others is not beneficial in the long run for sustainable planning and more often than not causes a disconnection between residents, organizations, and local/regional institutions. Asset Mapping encourages cooperation between the components of a community that make it work, or not, and examines the structures of process. A capacity building initiative, Asset Mapping focuses on positive resources instead of needs and problems, encouraging momentum towards networking that can build a strong foundation connecting social and institutional dichotomy. Asset Mapping makes it easier to deal with community negatives by identifying and accentuating the positive resources which can be utilized efficiently and directly to resolve challenges and issues.

Committee: Mahyar Arefi Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Rainer Vom Hofe Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Jan Hillard Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joyce Malek Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Kennedy (Advisor) Subjects: Area planning & Business Community; Social Research; Urban Planning; development

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among the extent of participant involvement in cross-cultural learning activities, individual differences of participants, and adaptation of expatriate managers to the host country in a Korean multinational corporation. Correlational research was used to investigate the relationships among the above variables. This study is ex post facto in nature. The treatment, cross-cultural learning activities, had already occurred, and expatriate managers self-reported their degrees of adaptation. The data for the quantitative research were collected from an online survey questionnaire. The potential respondents for this study were expatriate managers of a global manufacturing corporation. The total number of respondents was 136 (40.12%) out of 339 randomly selected employees who were working as expatriates in the overseas subsidiaries at the time of the survey. The survey data was analyzed with the PASW Statistic 18. Both descriptive and correlational statistics were used according to the nature of the research questions. This study provides implications for future research and practices in CCL and HRD.

Committee: Ronald Jacobs (Advisor); Joshua Hawley (Committee Member); Shad Morris (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Business Administration; Business Education; Education

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2011, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science

A long standing tradition of research has shown that communities do affect human development. A number of community characteristics have been shown to either, “undergird or undermine positive human development” (Sampson, 2001, p.3). A community's capacity to positively or negatively affect the development of children, adolescents, and families is dependent upon a number of social mechanisms and processes, such as social capital. A community's social capital, network of trust and relationships that creates benefits for the community, is a key indicator of its capacity to promote positive development. The institutional component of social capital is the resource stock of the neighborhood organizations and their linkage with other organizations both within and outside the community (Morenoff et al., 2001; Sampson, 2001, ). Venkatesh (1997) presents a three tier hierarchical framework for understanding the institutional capital that exists in poor urban communities. The current study utilizes Venkatesh's framework and survey data on 80 social service agencies, serving youth and families in a targeted area of Columbus, OH, and their 423 partners to analyze the institutional resources and relationships that are available to that community. Descriptive results reveal over 647 partnerships that exist between agencies serving this targeted area. GIS mapping reveals that a large number of agencies serving the target area are not located within its geographical boundaries. Social network analysis reveals that despite the large number of partnerships that exist, relationships more frequently exist between agencies that fall within the same tier structure (i.e. organizations with the same hierarchical structure, size and capacity, social networks, and community relations). The knowledge gained from this study reveals that there is a large social network of agencies serving the target area. However these social networks appear to be rigid and somewhat closed based upon resources (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Deanna Wilkinson PhD (Advisor); Anastasia Snyder PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Sociology

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2011, Theological Studies

This thesis offers a critique of the publicly traded, for-profit corporate form of business organization in light of the Catholic social tradition. It highlights the ways in which this organizational form is inconsistent with the view of the human person, work, and participation in the economy articulated in Pope John Paul II's encyclical Laborem Exercens and Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Caritas in Veritate. The thesis argues that the corporate form creates moral problems for both shareholders and employees, and it maintains that responses to Benedict XVI's encyclical that seek positive social change through business must address legal and organizational issues of business structure. This thesis shows how a participatory ontology and deeper understanding of freedom as kenosis (in contrast to the unchecked freedom of the individual that undergirds the modern corporation) can help point the way toward new forms of business organization that seek to ameliorate the moral problems inherent to the corporate form. By engaging the work of John Milbank, D. Stephen Long, and others who, following Aquinas, articulate a participatory ontology, the thesis argues that such an ontology is critical to understanding human work and participation in the economy, as it allows the opportunity to question the prevalent understanding of individual freedom and its resulting lack of a unified economic telos. The last chapter responds to Pope Benedict XVI's call to find new ways to understand business. Drawing on lessons learned about human work, the role of the person in economy, the critique of the corporation, and by engaging an ontology of participation, the thesis explores existing alternative business structures (including microfinance through Catholic Relief Services, the Economy of Communion business model, and the TOMS' Shoes company) and suggests ways to mobilize the resources of the church as a means by which Christians might respond to Benedict's call.

Committee: Kelly S Johnson Ph.D. (Advisor); Vincent J. Miller Ph.D. (Other); D. Stephen Long Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Theology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2011, Sociology

The major aim of this dissertation was to assess the utility of general social strain theory (Agnew 1992) in explaining substance use among Black, Hispanic, and White adolescents. In terms of my outcome variable, I examined a cumulative measure of substance use, marijuana use, and alcohol use separately. Data were analyzed from wave three of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (2000-2002). This study explored how under-researched race/ethnic-related social strains such as racial discrimination and general forms of strain such as witnessing violence, physical and verbal victimization affected adolescent substance use. In addition, I examined two important mediating negative affective states, depression and fear. Finally, and in accordance with social strain theory, the moderating effects of parental social support and religion were also included in my statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was primarily composed of path analysis using full information parameter estimates. With respect to fear as a negative affective state, results indicated that reporting fear decreased substance use among adolescents while depression had no significant effect. Other findings indicate that racial discrimination, witnessing violence, and being the victim of verbal bullying indirectly affected alcohol and marijuana use as separate constructs through fear. Physical victimization was the only social strain that had a direct positive effect on marijuana and alcohol use. Social support and religion had a direct negative effect on alcohol and marijuana use. As respondents report higher rates of social support and religious participation, respondents reported less substance use. However, social support and religion did not moderate the relationship between social strains and substance use as theoretically expected. Finally, the sample was separated into three race/ethnic categories: African American, Hispanic, and White. The results revealed that social strains may (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Peralta Dr. (Advisor); Juan Xi Dr. (Committee Member); Brian Pendleton Dr. (Committee Member); Kristen Marcussen Dr. (Committee Member); Peggy Stephens Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Sociology