Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2020, College of Education and Human Services

The culture of policing is rooted in a warrior ethos of preserving order against chaos and criminality in a hostile world. This ethos may be negatively influencing community relations. A guardian mindset encourages community engagement, fostering trust, and building allies within the community. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to understand in the context of strained relationships between Communities of Color and police, how officers develop their knowledge, skills, and experiences to become guardians in the communities they serve. This research considers: 1) what is the process of developing patrol officers that are competent in community relations within an urban context; 2) what knowledge and skills are expected of patrol officers to be competent in community relations within an urban context share; 3) what formal education and informal experiences contribute to a patrol officer's knowledge and skills in community relations within an urban context. Twenty-four police leaders, police officers, and trainers representing five police departments and training facilities located in diverse urban populations in Northeast Ohio participated in semi-structured interviews. Four community leaders and public safety organizers also participated in interviews. The theoretical model identifies departmental and individual barriers and facilitators that influence the professional development of officers relevant to community relations.

Committee: Catherine Hansman (Committee Chair); Anne Galletta (Committee Member); Ronnie Dunn (Committee Member); Jonathan Messemer (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Criminology; Public Policy

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2015, Curriculum and Instruction

This study utilized computer-mediated teacher professional development program to involve Chinese Heritage School (CHS) teachers investigating their teaching practices, focusing on the content of building up a contextualized teaching and learning environment for CHS learners. By examining the process of CHS teachers' development, this study aimed to: first, understand the CHS teachers' primary understanding and practices of the contextualized language instruction in CHS classrooms; and second, examine the change made on CHS teachers' understanding of contextualized language instruction over time.

Committee: Marcella Kehus (Committee Co-Chair); Chiarelott Leigh (Committee Co-Chair); Anchung Cheng (Committee Member); Florian Feucht (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Foreign Language; Teacher Education

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Education : Educational Foundations

A consortium of 10 school districts piloted the implementation of Local Professional Development Committees created by a state policy giving local districts control over the re-licensure of educators. These committees were charged with both accountability for re-licensure of educators in a given district and with monitoring educators' continued professional growth in relation to local plans for continuous improvement. The 10-district consortium organized to support each other in the creation of district policies translating state policy to local contexts, and to examine the application of principles of quality professional development to the creation of these local policies. The research set out to look at professional learning in this context of local policy development around the professional development principles. Little change in attitudes regarding the principles, expressed on a pre- and post-assessment were detected in the 16 months from the beginning to the end of the pilot. However, local policy documents produced by the pilot committees showed notable variation in the extent to which the individual districts' documents incorporated the professional development principles. These differences corresponded to variations in certain elements of the committees' processes and contexts. Two committees, whose processes had been closely observed over the course of the pilot, produced local policy documents at opposite ends of the continuum for the extent to which they embraced the professional development principles. The two committees also exemplified committee processes and contexts that were at opposite ends of the continuum. This finding was corroborated by differences in the two committees on 14 indicators of organizational learning. A final analysis of all 10 committees and their school districts according to 13 facilitators of organizational learning, again, found a pattern of variance that was similar to that shown by the local policy documents. The study con (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Mary Anne Pitman (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Teacher Training

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2013, Music

Learning communities were essential to the teaching practices of exemplary mid-career elementary general music teachers. Meaningful stories contributed insight into the teachers' communities, career development, attitudes, and resilience. Accounts at a specific time in the teachers' careers initiated documentation of elementary general music teachers' career life cycle. Twenty-four exemplary mid-career elementary general music teachers were selected with combination criterion and snowball method. Teachers participated in a pre-interview descriptive survey and an interview. Most teachers allowed a classroom observation without students and submitted documents reflecting the incorporation of their learning community into their teaching. Research questions resulted in a description of their learning communities, meaningful experiences from their learning community, and how theses events influenced their teaching and their students' learning. Data emerged in two forms: individual teacher profiles and four broad themes across all interviews: (a) Multiple Learning Communities, (b) Membership Rationale, (c) Professional Development, and (d) Job Satisfaction. The exemplary mid-career elementary general music teachers (a) were dedicated, (b) loved music and loved teaching music, (c) practiced systematic reflection, (d) responded to change, (e) revealed an intrinsic drive towards being a life-long learner, (f) sought their own professional development, (g) reflected upon their professional development needs, and (h) valued sharing with other teachers. The teachers' learning communities were (a) diverse, (b) rich, (c) multiple, and (d) involved greatly with the teachers' practices. Inspiration and adaptation to change were themes associated with lifelong learning. Developing teacher biography would lead to further knowledge about resilience and lifelong learning. Further research into the use of learning communities for sustainable professional development is requi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patricia Flowers (Advisor); Edwards Jan (Committee Member); Williams Kenneth (Committee Member); Danielle Marx-Scouras (Committee Member) Subjects: Music Education; Teacher Education

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The Education Center serves many adult learners that have the goal of receiving their high school equivalency. Adult learners face many barriers when pursuing this goal. The research in adult education focuses on the barriers that learners face and what drives them to succeed. There is limited research on what learners' perception of knowledge is. This study was conducted utilizing five case studies to explore learners' lived experiences and how those experiences affected their perceptions of knowledge. Findings showed that the barriers and motivations that they experienced affected how they perceived what success was and that the organization and its instructors need to take into consideration all individual learners experiences, barriers, and motivations to create individualized learning plans. An action plan was created to guide the organization towards creating an equitable learning environment and to improve success rates for all learners.

Committee: Davin Carr-Chellman (Committee Chair); Carol Rogers-Shaw (Committee Member); Darnell Bradley (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Organization Theory

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Champion Academy teachers in this mixed methods action research case study illuminate the conditions which support or hinder the process of making collective commitments with cycles for iterative improvement. The results of the study demonstrate how closely connected process is to outcome in the work of school improvement. Since the work of school revitalization hinges on change at the classroom level, it is paramount that teachers find the processes utilized favorable in order to increase the likelihood that they will want to engage and follow through. Cycles for iterative improvement are embedded in an intricate school ecosystem spanning multiple domains, from goal setting to instructional leadership, and therefore fidelity to enacting collective commitments rests on many factors. To understand the health of the professional learning community where teachers interface with cycles for iterative improvement, the Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised was employed. Semi-structured interviews were then utilized to gain a more complete picture of the community prior to asking interview questions about cycles for iterative improvement and the process of making collective commitments. Teachers shared that working toward a shared goal, collegial, supportive relationships, and incremental capacity building are essential to the success of cycles for iterative improvement. Teachers unanimously reported that they are more likely to change practice, using new knowledge and skills in their classrooms, when their voice is included and valued in the process. According to Champion Academy teachers, choice and bounded autonomy is fundamental to the process but insufficient. During interviews, teachers repeatedly encouraged leaders to consider how to make cycles for iterative improvement more participatory in the future. The result of this study is an action plan which purposefully integrates teacher voice at the outset of the improvement p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Davin Carr-Chellman (Committee Chair); Mary Frances Jones (Committee Member); Aryn Baxter (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Educational Leadership

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2023, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

The proposed qualitative year-long descriptive study explored how high school teachers who participated in a Professional Learning Community had their school leadership aspirations impacted while serving in the New York City Public School System. Currently, the system has a dire need to fill school and district instructional, supervisory, and administrative leadership positions. The Servant Leadership Theory (Greenleaf, 2007) and the Distributive Leadership Theory (Spillane et al., 2001) were used to underpin the study, giving credence to a supportive and collaborative environment. The study was guided by the following research: How do public high school teachers who participate in a professional learning community describe the influence of their participation on their school leadership aspirations at a New York City public school? The participants were 12 high school teachers who work in a public high school in a school district in New York City and agreed to answer semi-structured interview questions. Zoom was employed in the transcription and MAXQDA software was the primary tool used in the analysis of the themes born out of the coding of the interviews. The study findings uncovered three main themes: administration perception in PLC influenced teaches' perception of leaders; teachers gained leadership training and skills through professional learning communities; and participation in a professional learning community encouraged teacher leadership aspirations.

Committee: Wanda Fernandopulle (Committee Chair); Donis Toler (Committee Member); Solomon Tention (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

Although a focus on writing pedagogy is on the rise in English education programs, early-career teachers still often struggle with writing instruction. Writing is notoriously difficult to teach—even for seasoned instructors—and previous studies have indicated that novice English teachers tend to base their writing instruction more on influences from their permanent schools than on coursework from the university. What is less clear, though, is how the influence at the school level works. This dissertation research examines the influences on writing pedagogy of an early-career high school English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, focusing on how the institutional social influences at the school shape his instructional practices in teaching writing. To examine how the influences of the school affect teaching practices, this study begins with an institutional ethnography, interrogating the influences of and on professional learning communities in a high-school English department. Using findings from the institutional ethnography as a framework, the research then turns to a case study examining the classroom practices and instructional understandings of an individual early-career English teacher. Considering these two studies in conversation, the study concludes that classroom documents shared in professional learning communities serve as a vehicle through which institutional influence operates. In addition, both the institutional ethnography and the case study indicate that skillful use of questions in the classroom are common among the teachers studied, perhaps as a result of thoughtful professional development at the school level. The findings also indicate that teacher standpoints are heavily influenced by professional learning communities, indicating that understandings of students, colleagues, policies, and instruction are often shared within communities: these shared standpoints also influence approaches to instruction. For preparation progr (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lee Nickoson PhD (Advisor); Neil Baird PhD (Committee Member); Timothy Murnen PhD (Committee Member); Beth Sanders PhD (Other) Subjects: Composition; Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, English

Composition scholars and writing instructors have mobilized developments in theories about audience, rhetorical labor, and the rhetorical situation to help students examine and interact with exigences outside the classroom. Pedagogies such as service-learning, client-based teaching, and community-engaged writing situate students with(in) communities, clients, and/or partners for the purpose of immersing them in "real-world" rhetorical contexts. Although collaborating across rhetorical situations that expand beyond the classroom can create educational opportunities and meaningful projects, such an undertaking comes at a cost. Successfully understanding, managing, and delegating labor within client- and partner-based composition pedagogy can be a challenge to coordinate effectively. Misunderstanding complexity in client- and partner-based composition courses can result in unsatisfactory or unfulfilling outputs, unethical authority imbalances, and marginalized course participants and partners. Addressing these challenges depends on localized and inductively derived frameworks to navigate this labor distribution well. From my case study of a partner-based digital composition course, I posit two frameworks for comprehending and executing ethical and successful client- and partner-based composition courses: a "macro-rhetoric" model to understand and strategize rhetorical labor, and an authority|collaboration matrix to negotiate distributing that rhetorical labor. I developed these frameworks inductively using institutional ethnographic strategies to gather data and grounded theory to analyze it. Macro-rhetoric emerges from this study as a localized theory that explains the complex interaction of components in a rhetorical situation. In essence, a macro-rhetoric model of labor in client- and partner-based composition courses encourages participants to explicitly think about and strategize their partnership as a networking endeavor. Thus, macro-rhetors in a client- a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christa Teston (Committee Chair); Jonathan Buehl (Committee Member); Beverly Moss (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Rhetoric; Technical Communication

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2015, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Superintendents and school boards must balance state and federal mandates, requirements of new legislation, and policy changes as they search for best practices in education that will result in increased student achievement. Pressure has increased, with an emphasis on high stakes testing and accountability since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind legislation in 2001. Federal dollars, in the form of demonstration grants, have been used by some districts to try innovative instructional practices. The challenge for school districts is sustaining effective change practices after the grant money is gone. The purpose of this study is to examine a federal arts demonstration grant, the Art in Action grant, implemented for three years in three rural elementary schools in northwest Pennsylvania. Feedback from participants in the grant is used to identify important characteristics of successful implementation and sustainability. One of the schools in the study implemented Professional Learning Community (PLC) practices. Participants were surveyed about their experience with the Art in Action grant. The survey generated a concourse of statements that formed a Q Set. Twelve participants performed a Q Sort using the statements from the concourse. PQ Method was used to analyze the responses. Trained facilitators conducted interviews with participants. Results indicated participants found the Art in Action experience beneficial for students, especially those with special needs. Sustainability of the program appeared dependent upon principal support and a philosophical or emotional connection made by the teacher to the art inclusion instructional practices. Teachers valued the collaboration time provided by the grant.

Committee: Karen Larwin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Charles Vergon J.D. (Committee Member); Kathleen L. Cripe Ph.D. (Committee Member); Andrew Pushchak Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Education; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; Music Education; Teaching

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Business Education

The purpose of this qualitative within-site case study was to better understand the perceived professional development needs of community college business faculty. The study was important, because few studies had described the professional development needs of community college business faculty, which annually serve more than 7.2 million students. Because the teachers provide timely and relevant instruction, they need professional development to stay abreast of changes within their professional disciplines (e.g., accounting, business communications, office administration technology). The findings in this study reveal that community college business faculty need professional development focused on meeting the needs of students from across the lifespan, from diverse family and socioeconomic backgrounds, technology, the selection and implementation of teaching methods, and understanding theory and its application to classroom settings. Further study is recommended to determine the extent to which findings in this study may be applicable to the larger population of community college teachers of business and recommendations for practice include designing and delivering professional development that coheres with the perceptions of target participants.

Committee: Frederick Polkinghorne Dr. (Advisor); Vera Lux (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Business Education; Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Technology; Educational Theory

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2014, College of Education

This study explores the differences in perceptions among educators regarding whether an empathic connection between themselves and students has a positive impact on the learning process and social issues like bullying. The exploratory study is based on responses to four survey statements regarding empathy based on a 7-point Likert scale. An independent t-test analyzed the data after a split half reliability test established the survey instrument as reliable. The data were analyzed in response to two research questions: Is there a difference between perceptions of empathy by those serving as school support personnel as opposed to those serving as teachers, and is there a difference in perceptions of empathy among those classified as limited longevity educators as opposed to those classified as veteran educators? Of the eight areas of analysis, the findings of this study concluded there were two areas that had statistically significant different outcomes from respondents. Both instances of statistically significant differences occurred within the demographic grouping of school support personnel and teachers with the differences in perceptions being in (a) whether they feel equipped as educators to be empathic with their students, and (b) if they believe that teaching empathy can have a positive effect on bullying.

Committee: Harold Wilson PhD (Committee Chair); Constance Savage PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Greg Gerrick PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; School Administration; School Counseling; Teaching

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2014, College of Education

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to provide an understanding of how collaborative teacher teams become successful and to discover the nuances that contribute both negatively and positively to their work. Evidence was collected from individual and focus group interviews of teachers and administrators from a large suburban high school in Ohio. Additional data sources included student demographic data, grant reports, and a collective efficacy survey completed by the school's teachers. Themes from interviews showed several keys to implementing teacher collaborative teams: (a) teachers' trust in the process, in the school administration, and in colleagues; (b) professional development; (c) time to meet face-to-face and build relationships among team members; (d) buy-in to the process, including open-mindedness and willingness to analyze and act on student performance data, and belief that the work will produce results; (e) teacher empowerment and teacher leadership; and (f) administrative support via long-term planning and research, consistency, and a clearly articulated vision. The results of the survey showed that the teachers in this school had a high level of collective efficacy. The stories of the teachers and administrators contained numerous examples of mastery experience, vicarious experience, and social persuasion, as described in the collective efficacy and professional learning community literature.

Committee: Carla Edlefson PhD (Committee Chair); Judy Alston PhD (Committee Member); Carol Engler PhD (Committee Member); Cathryn Chappell EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; School Administration; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, EDU Policy and Leadership

This study first develops the conceptual and theoretical justifications for investigating whether professional learning community (PLC) may serve as an organizational and cultural mechanism for explaining academic optimism (AO). Using school as the unit of study, this study explores extant data from 105 “high-need” elementary, middle, and high schools (and 2,020 teachers) who used Title 1 School Improvement funds to participate in Ohio's now-defunct literacy project across the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years. Principal Axis Factoring, Pearson Product Correlation, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used to explore associations between PLC, AO, and their respective sub-scales. Hierarchical Multiple Regression was used to explore relationships with school-level student achievement and other school-level demographics. Analysis identified many medium to strong positive correlations with subscales among themselves and across constructs. Confirmatory factor analysis models suggested a mixed result for the two latent constructs of PLC and AO. The combined effect of all five PLC sub-scales explained a moderate amount of variance in school-level AO. There was no statistically significant effect for either PLC, its subscales, or AO on school-level academic achievement; only prior achievement had such an effect.

Committee: Ann Allen Ph.D. (Advisor); Ann O'Connell Ed.D. (Committee Member); Scott Sweetland Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership