Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

Loneliness was declared a national epidemic in May 2023 and an international global threat in November 2023. Sense of belonging, or lack thereof, can greatly contribute to loneliness. Students who feel a sense of belonging at their institution tend to be more engaged and experience higher success rates, which can lead to increased persistence and retention. The objective of this professional innovation dissertation was to investigate how inclusive and equitable teaching practices might increase sense of belonging for students in the learning environment. This study advocates for marginalized students, placing the responsibility for a change in learning environment back on the institution with a specific focus on teaching practices. Maslow's hierarchy of needs provides the foundation for sense of belonging. That hierarchy combined with the intersectionality framework emphasizes how students often have multiple identities, and the combination of identities can impact the way they engage in the learning environment. The transformative paradigm provides institutions with the lens to consider how changes in the learning environment are necessary to provide the types of support students need to be able to develop a sense of belonging. The professional development materials created in this dissertation suggest that critical self-reflection and transformative learning are necessary for faculty to gain an understanding of their students and provide the inclusive and equitable experience they need to develop a sense of belonging, overcoming barriers created by the institution and the complexity of having multiple identities. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Lesley Jackson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Gary Delanoeye Ed.D. (Committee Member); Michelle Ramzan Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

The goal of this dissertation is the design of a theoretical model that will serve as a foundational reference in the creation of new programmatic solutions for successful aging. The dissertation addresses issues germane to Erikson's eighth stage of ego integration versus despair, the struggle that characterizes it, and seeks to examine the imperatives that determine its success or failure. Strategic impediments to achieving ego integrity borne of ageism and age discrimination are addressed, such as the societal and institutional prejudices that serve to handicap day to day functioning, self-actualization, and significant participation in the enterprise. It is hypothesized that primary vehicles for self-actualization might be found by examining the unlived life. We drill down for a more granular view to look at the component behaviors and schemas that determine outcomes, and recognize that having identified them, the next step would be to develop psychotherapeutic protocols (informed by the theories outlined) that will help seniors negotiate that stage and that struggle. The incorporation of Antonovsky's Salutogenesis Theory and Sense of Coherence (SOC) construct to determine the client's evolving goodness-of-fit towards Erikson's optimized state of ego integration, provides a pivotal capacity for evidenced-based testing and quantization in any practical implementation based on this theoretical model. This dissertation will be made available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu.

Committee: Brett Kia-Keating Ed.D (Advisor); Stephen Southern Ed.D. (Committee Member); Gary Linker Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Gerontology; Mental Health; Psychobiology; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Therapy

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Medical Humanities and Social Sciences

The classical social model of disability, though it has improved the lives of disabled people, implies that there is a distinct binary between abled and disabled people. Disabilities, however, will affect all living people through birth, accident, illness, or aging. As demonstrated here, it is necessary to look beyond the current models of disability in favor of a new model that indicates that all people, regardless of disability or ability, can reach their fullest potential. A revision of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs provides such a model, effacing the binary of abled and disabled.

Committee: Amy Shuman (Committee Member); Jim Phelan (Advisor) Subjects: Ethics; Literature; Medical Ethics

Master of Music, Cleveland State University, 2009, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Despite extensive research regarding student motivation in performing ensembles, little is known about student motivation in ensembles outside of the school environment. The literature regarding motivation in school ensembles shows motivation comes from five main categories: parents and family, peers, directors, environment, and the students themselves. This study asks basic questions regarding motivation of students in a large community performing ensemble, and compares them to responses from the same students regarding their school ensemble experiences. The responses to the questionnaire suggest that motivating factors in community ensembles fall into the same basic categories, but have slightly different nuances based on the environment. Looking through the context of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this study adds to a growing body of research regarding student motivation, emphasizing the importance of parents, peers, and the director in student motivation and retention in ensembles both in and out of the school setting.

Committee: Rita Klinger PhD (Committee Chair); Birch Browning PhD (Committee Member); Howard Meeker Professor (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Fine Arts; Music; Music Education