MA, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Abstract Despite abundant evidence demonstrating that the presence of women in leadership can bolster organizational outcomes, women remain underrepresented in executive leadership positions across most sectors. Gender-Role Congruity theory and Implicit Leadership theory (ILT) provide two cognition-based frameworks that explain why women may be passed over for leadership positions or may struggle to be perceived as effective leaders because they do not fit with the prototypical definition of a leader. Both perspectives attribute the persistence of the glass ceiling to outdated and unfounded stereotypes regarding women's readiness, capacity, and ability to lead. Yet, interventions designed to address the phenomena by acknowledging and minimizing gender-based stereotypes remain largely ineffective, suggesting that more research is needed to understand how ILTs are formed and how they contribute to perceptions of effective leadership. The purpose of this study was to address these gaps by exploring the role of gender in forming ILTs and responding to ILT congruence or incongruence. I also examined the role of empathy, hypothesized to be greater for women than men, in shaping the relationship between incongruence and leader effectiveness. Findings contradicted previous studies indicating that women are more empathic than men but confirmed that a follower's level of empathy does shape perceptions of a leader's effectiveness. Contrary to expectations, empathy did not affect the relationship between leader incongruence and perceptions of leader effectiveness.

Committee: Stacie Furst-Holloway Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Megan Church-Nally Ph.D. (Committee Member); Donna Chrobot-Mason Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Higher Education

In 2011, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) acknowledged the absence of trend data to predict the representation of women in future academic leadership. This gap in the literature coupled with non-representative female leadership numbers and imminent shortages in leadership in the community college sector predicated the importance of this study and its contributions to literature and practice. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of women serving in community college leadership while rearing underage children. Through 13 semi-structured, one-on-one interviews, the study procured an understanding of the participants' perceptions of the influence of their mothering role on their leadership role, providing insight about (a) the non-representative numbers of females in community college leadership, (b) the leadership crisis predicted to soon impact community colleges, and (c) the factors contributing to both. The study found that women living the phenomenon (a) similarly applied practices across their roles of mothering and leading, (b) experienced changes in their perceptions of self because of the intersectionality of mothering and leading, (c) endured limited access to professional development, and (d) found professional advancement not readily accessible. Further, the study provided a means of interpreting the findings based on the nascent Kaleidoscope Theory of Mothering Academics (KTMA), which emerged from the consideration of the intersectionality of participants' identities through the intersectionality of applicable theories—matricentric feminist theory, social role theory, and feminist critical policy analysis. The study's resulting recommendations included (a) intentional recruitment; (b) coordinated mentoring, coaching, and networking; (c) local professional development; (d) succession planning and “grow your own” training; (e) campus-wide cross training and internshi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dave Meabon PhD (Committee Chair); Ron Opp PhD (Committee Member); Penny Poplin Gosetti PhD (Committee Member); Colleen Quinlan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education Administration; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Educational Studies

This cross-sectional exploratory study examines the role of student organization involvement in alumni giving at a large Midwestern university and offers insight into development strategies for the university. The extant literature shows a link between student involvement and alumni giving but the specific mechanism by which this occurs is unclear. Grounded in resource dependency theory and organizational identification theory, the author identified greek letter organizations and religious student organizations ("external student organizations") as unique in that they are affiliated with the university but funded, managed and staffed by non-university employees, and they solicit donations from students and alumni that fund their operations, not the university's. Using data from a university alumni survey program called the “Mascot Room” for the purposes of this dissertation, the author surveyed respondents who were participants in these two types of student organizations and compared their giving records to their peers. The findings include that while participation in greek letter organizations increases the likelihood of those students being alumni donors, those students are also likely to direct some of their charitable giving away from the university. Those students who did donate to their greek letter organization were more likely to be university donors. The author uses the results to call for focusing targeted development efforts on this subset of students and for collaboration between development and student affairs officers to engage with them as undergraduates.

Committee: Tatiana Suspitsyna Ph.D. (Advisor); Eric Anderman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Tschirhart Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

MA, Kent State University, 2011, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

As the use of Facebook continues to grow, individuals aged 35 and older represent the fastest growing demographic. Parents and children now have the opportunity to connect with each other through the website. However, research investigating parent/child Facebook interaction remains scarce. This thesis utilizes Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory to better understand young adults' decisions regarding parental Facebook friend requests. In addition, the relational characteristics of parental trust and relational quality are examined in relation to young adults' decisions. Results indicate young adults generally accept friend requests from their parents while making few, if any, changes to their privacy management practices. Parental trust and relational quality are related to young adults' decisions when faced with a mother's friend request, but not those received from a father. Explanations for the differences in results by parent are elucidated. This study adds to a growing body of research demonstrating that individuals use Facebook to connect with a multitude of face-to-face social ties and addresses implications for this phenomenon.

Committee: Jeffrey Child Ph.D. (Advisor); Mei-Chen Lin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jung Hyun Kim Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Families and Family Life; Mass Media

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Apparel, Textiles, and Merchandising (Education)

Sisters are likely to be fashion consumption influencers to one another, but little research exists investigating this relationship. Therefore, in this research I examined, through interviews with nine sister pairs, their fashion influences on one another and investigated the interrelated roles of “sister” and “fashion consumption influencer.” The aim of this study was to understand the way that sister pairs, one of whom is a member of Generation Z (born between 1996 & 2015), influence one another with respect to fashion shopping and consumption. Results add support to family development and systems theory literature, fashion leadership literature, as well as providing helpful insight to fashion retailers and marketers. Content analysis of the qualitative data supports the role of sisters as fashion influencers and leaders, though to personalized and differing extents as revealed in the results presented in Chapters 4 and 5.

Committee: Ann Paulins V. (Advisor); Jennifer Chabot (Committee Member); Hyeyoon Choi (Committee Member); Ann Paulins V. (Advisor) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Families and Family Life

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Media and Communication

This dissertation looks to study the potential impacts and influences of media use and consumption on how individuals play Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), a popular tabletop role-playing game. Now enjoying its 7th consecutive year of record profits, D&D has grown alongside a wave of D&D media, with the traditional board game taking on new digital forms that alter how players can now interact with the hobby. Utilizing media theories such as figurations, Medium Theory, the Magic Circle, and the concept of media worlds, this paper looks at both the media objects being consumed and what influences they left with their user. Interpretive focus groups were used to collect testimony from groups that played D&D together, examining individual impacts and how groups as a whole negotiated their media use while playing. When looking at media consumed, it appears that the most common Uses by participants included Entertainment, gathering Information, or finding Tools to use during gameplay. Overall, Tool media were the most frequently utilized, although the physical distancing required by COVID-19 was cited as a factor in this widespread use. Demonstrated by the Engagement-Consumption-Impacts model, the major influences discovered were increases in the user's Game Knowledge and a decrease in the level of Rules-Adhesion, or how strictly the written rules of the game were enforced. Other findings included participants changing the style in which they played D&D, basing changes off the habits of players they watched online or strategies found to become “better” players. This study also suggests further implications of the theories used. In particular, the study of the “alpha media object,” media capable of impacting the user, the other media objects surrounding it, and even the figuration model as a whole, leaves several questions for future scholars to examine. In this study, that alpha media object was the podcast Critical Role (2015), a show so popular that it has begun to i (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joshua Atkinson PhD. (Committee Chair); Vivian Miller PhD. (Committee Member); Radhika Gajjala PhD. (Committee Member); Laura Lengel PhD. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2021, Communication

In the midst of a public health crisis, the public seeks information to help make sense of the world around them. The news media in particular are considered a primary source for that information and context. Historically, journalists have followed a set of roles and responsibilities to ensure that they serve the public well, also known as social responsibility theory. The study investigates what roles the public perceives that journalists are fulfilling both on a day-to-day basis and in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the study investigates if perceived role fulfillment predicts how much trust the public has in news organizations. The study also worked to learn if the type of news consumption is related to media trust. Overall, it was found that perceived role fulfillment does not predict media trust and the type of news consumption is not related to media trust. The findings indicate that perhaps there is a disconnect between the traditional journalism roles and what the public looks for in a trusted news source. Additional themes suggest that the relationship between the public and the news media would benefit from an open conversation and reevaluation of what is expected of one another in order for journalists to gain further trust from the public and fulfill the long-standing roles and responsibilities they ought to be fulfilling.

Committee: Chad Painter PhD (Committee Chair); Angeline Sangalang PhD (Committee Member); Jennifer Ptacek PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2021, Art

Thousands of children are adopted both domestically and internationally every year. Many of these children come from institutional or foster care and suffer from complex trauma, abuse and neglect, which negatively affect their transition and attachment with their adoptive families (Van Der Kolk, 2005). If left untreated, these effects can last into adulthood, impairing a person's ability to form secure relationships throughout their lives (White, 2014). The purpose of this research is to explore the use of virtual play—especially play therapy—to help adopted children in Pennsylvania work through these past traumas so they can form healthy attachments with their adoptive families. As a result, treating complex trauma in these children requires treatment that addresses the whole child: 1) safety, 2) relationships and 3) self-regulation and management (Purvis, 2013). Up until this point, most interventions are behavioral-based and revolve around the caregiver and family, such as attachment parenting and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) training (Chobhthaigh, 2019). However, few studies focus on adopted children and their use of play, and no studies have been published that revolve around the use of virtual play to treat adopted children with trauma.

Committee: Zack Tucker (Advisor); Dennis Cheatham (Committee Member); Doris Bergen (Committee Member); Anne Roma (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Cognitive Therapy; Counseling Psychology; Design; Developmental Psychology; Early Childhood Education; Educational Psychology; Educational Technology; Elementary Education; Families and Family Life; Individual and Family Studies; Information Technology; Instructional Design; Mental Health; Neurosciences; Pedagogy; Preschool Education; Psychology; Social Psychology; Social Work; Special Education; Technology; Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Higher Education (Education)

Disruptive activism has been a part of college campus since 1766 when the Bad Butter Rebellion at Harvard took place (Dickey, 2016; Ireland, 2012; Moore, 1976). More recently institutions have been facing an increase in disruptive campus activism (Dickey, 2016). When disruptive campus activism occurs on a college campus it is often the student affairs professionals that are asked to help manage the situation. These professionals serve as both the advisors to the student activism and campus managers representing the university. Understanding how student affairs professionals reconcile the role they play will add to the existing research on activism on college campuses. The findings of this study show that operationalizing a specific role can be challenging when it comes to disruptive campus activism. Reconciling the role is also challenging, especially if you don't have the preferred role of advisor. Student affairs professionals who perform the advisor role often understand what their role is and how to operationalize the function. Campus managers, however, have less of an understanding of how to operationalize their functions, and when disruptive campus activism occurs, they are forced into stressful situations. For both groups, there were six main factors that influenced how they reconciled their particular role. The student affairs professionals' personal identities played a major factor in reconciling the actions in their roles. This factor was particularly influential when the 4 professional held a minoritized identity. All participants believed that the advisor role was more central to their work than was the manager role. The advisor identity was based on a core value of student advocacy and education. Interestingly, this value was articulated more clearly by those participants who occupied professional roles that were more managerial in nature. For both advisors and campus managers, the issue at the heart of the disturbance played a major factor. When issues (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Pete Mather Dr. (Committee Chair); Laura Harrison Dr. (Committee Member); David Nguyen Dr. (Committee Member); Dwan Robinson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2019, College of Education and Human Services

This study sought to discover whether single heterosexual mate preference differences between men and women who were born in Romania would have fluctuated as one became more acculturated to American way of life and if these sex differences may have been moderated by other variables such as SES and age. This study was based on the premises of evolutionary, social role and cultural theories, the former which stated that men tended to look for characteristics that signified reproductive value like good looks whereas women sought out men that evidenced characteristics of cultural success like having been financially independent. It was hypothesized that Romanian men tended to acculturate to American way of life faster than women and so would have been more inclined to prefer characteristics that signified cultural success over reproductive value whereas women would have tended to favor characteristics in line with the above paradigms. Along with various demographic questions that were completed, participants were asked to take 2 short surveys-one which rated gender differences in long term mate preferences and one which measured level of acculturation to American way of life. A total of 46 were included in the subsequent eight hierarchical regressions that were run. Results indicated some support for the evolutionary and social role theories; women indicated preference for the aggregate variable of cultural success as well the survey Item of Good Financial Prospect, while men indicated preference for the survey item of Good Cook and Housekeeper. Acculturation as a main effect as well as its vi interaction with gender was not significant. Participants who immigrated after the fall of communism endorsed most survey items to a higher degree. Age was found to be negatively correlated with younger persons who preferred to endorse the aggregate variable of Reproductive Value and Item Desire for Home and Children. Implic (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kathryn MacCluskie EdD (Committee Co-Chair); Marius Boboc EdD (Committee Co-Chair); Michael Horvath PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Evolution and Development; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2019, Organizational Behavior

Organizational researchers have long had an interest in how employees informally seek and help in organizations. While some helping in organizations occurs by both a willing helper (e.g., proactive helping) and target (help-seeking behavior), limited research has focused on helping behavior involving reluctant helpers and help targets. Dyadic forms of proactive helping, such has interpersonal helping, will only lead to desired organizational outcomes if employees accept their coworkers' offers to help. Past research has found that reluctant help targets (employees with reservations about accepting discretionary workplace help) tend to receive worse supervisor evaluations of job performance and receive less support and help from their coworkers, but no research has explored explanations (i.e. mediators) for this negative relationship. Understanding why reluctant help targets perform worse at work is important because without accepting help, employees may fail at managing their self-regulation and improvement and, thus job performance. In this dissertation, I build theory to support the notion that a reluctance to accept help leads to workplace stress and, in turn, decreased levels of employee job performance. Using job demands-resources theory, I hypothesize and find support that the negative relationship between reluctant help targets and multiple dimensions of employee job performance is mediated (individually and in tandem) by two work stressors: role overload and emotional exhaustion. These findings provide important contributions to the helping behavior literature including (1) comparing and contrasting reluctant help-seeking and reluctant help targets; (2) demonstrating that being reluctant to accept help begins a resource depletion process which leaves employees overburdened, emotionally exhausted and, in turn, inadequate resources to meet job demands in order to achieve adequate job performance. Future research directions are also discussed.

Committee: John Paul Stephens Ph.D. (Advisor); Diana Bilimoria Ph.D. (Committee Member); Melvin Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member); Casey Newmeyer Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Management; Organizational Behavior; Psychology

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Urban Educational Leadership

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the high school dropout rates of African American males dramatically declined from 13.1% to 6.2% during the period from 2000 to 2016. This shows progress yet there is work still to be done. There are multiple justifications for this sharp improvement and is the present study focuses on a programmatic intervention. Special academic support and mentoring programs like Men Organized, Respectful and Educated (M.O.R.E.), a Cincinnati Public Schools mentor/leadership initiative, worked to facilitate greater self-efficacy, study habits, and overall career success for African American boys. This study will systematically explore the influence this (CPS) system program has had in stemming African American male high school dropout rates. Guided by Grit Theory, which implies the inherent tendency to pursue long-term, challenging goals with perseverance and passion, the purpose of this phenomenological study is to investigate the extent to which grit plays a role in the academic success of a sample of M.O.R.E. alumni.

Committee: Susan Watts-Taffe Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Ronald Jackson II Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bridgette Peteet Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Bachelor of Science (BS), Ohio University, 2019, Journalism

Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is widespread and far-reaching. Many international outlets are covering the conflict alongside local media, and the conflict has intense political ramifications that spread far past the Middle East. In this thesis, I examine two points of coverage during the Second Intifada in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and compare coverage amongst three different news outlets. The intifada broke out right after the turn of the century and was covered in a heavily global context. There is a sufficient existing literature examining media coverage of the Second Intifada, but my research focuses on two periods of involving the disengagement plan brought forth by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. My research will examine the connection between politics and journalism in the conflict by taking political role conception theories and applying them to Israeli and U.S. media outlets covering the conflict. I will examine how these media outlets crafted certain political role conceptions in their coverage and also analyze the framing devices through which they were conveyed.

Committee: Andrew Alexander (Advisor); Nukhet Sandal (Advisor) Subjects: Journalism; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

This dissertation examines the ways that teachers in charter schools respond to market pressures to recruit students to their schools. Policymakers in the United States promote charter schools to introduce competition into the education system in an effort to increase quality, efficiency, and innovation in schools. Charter schools do not draw a pre-determined student body based on their geographic location. Rather, charter schools start with no students and must recruit every child who enrolls in the school. A key assumption underlying these policies is that school personnel will feel competitive pressures when they do not meet their enrollment needs and make changes to their educational approaches to attract more students. One unintended consequence of charter school policies is that teachers may be drawn into work to recruit students to their school in addition to their full-time work to educate students. Drawing on sensemaking theories and employing a multiple-case study methodology focusing on 12 teachers at seven schools, I examine the ways that teachers come to understand and act on the need to recruit students to their school. There are several notable findings. All teachers in this study were surprised by the need to recruit students and experienced ambiguity both around how to respond and whether they would keep their jobs if they did not meet enrollment numbers. Teachers engaged in multiple different actions to recruit students, although there was a high level of variation in the extent to which teachers participated in student recruitment work and the ways that they experienced competitive pressures. The factors that shaped sensemaking include the extent to which schools are under pressure to recruit students, teachers' conceptions of their school's mission, ethical considerations, the extent to which teachers experienced burnout, and characteristics of school leaders. Teachers' sensemaking of student recruitment work also led them to create competitive d (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ann Allen Dr. (Advisor); Belinda Gimbert Dr. (Committee Member); Jozef Raadschelders Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Organization Theory; Teaching

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

Dual credit programs afford high school students the opportunity to earn college credit prior to graduation while exposing them to the rigor and culture of college, which may help make college more accessible to first-generation college students and underserved populations. The purpose of this study was to understand students' dual credit experiences in two cases: College Composition classrooms at a high school and on a college campus in spring 2018. The study also examined students' adoption of the role of college student and the ways in which Ohio's version of dual credit, College Credit Plus, provided college experiences at each site from a programmatic standpoint. Employing a qualitative case study design, I collected data through observations; interviews with seven focal students, their instructors, and two administrators; and writing samples. Analysis resulted in four cross-case findings: the instructors' approach shaped the students' experiences; students' ability to adopt the college student role was influenced more by their motivation for participating in dual credit than by the location where they took the course; choices by secondary administrators and instructors can result in multifaceted college experiences at a high school; and finally, dual credit experiences can have far-reaching outcomes, including decisions to opt out of college education. The findings point to the need for thorough education about the risks and rewards of dual credit for students and families as well as for thoughtful and deliberate planning by the secondary and postsecondary partners in dual credit relationships.

Committee: William Kist PhD (Committee Chair); Jennifer Walton-Fisette PhD (Committee Member); Tricia Niesz PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Education Policy; Higher Education; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Social Work

This study examined the volunteer patterns of older adults with cognitive impairment and if formal volunteering influenced physical and psychological well-being and cognitive health among older adults with cognitive impairments. Then, it assessed if the association between formal volunteering and cognitive health was influenced through physical and psychological well-being. Finally, it explored the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on formal volunteering, physical and psychological well-being, and cognitive health. Using panel survey data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study included community-dwelling older adults age 65 and older. With a longitudinal study design, this study included two baselines. At the 2006 baseline (N=472), 26.4% of older adults with cognitive impairment participated in formal volunteering. Physical and psychological well-being and cognitive health of older adults with cognitive impairment decreased over time, but those who volunteered had higher levels of physical well-being (p<0.01) and those who volunteered more consistently from 2006 to 2014 showed higher levels of psychological well-being (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant interaction effect of time on cognitive health depending on whether or not the participants volunteered. The level of cognitive health slightly increased over time for those who volunteered. At the 2014 baseline (N=3,548), the level of volunteer engagement and the consistent participation in formal volunteer work significantly increased the level of physical and psychological well-being. However, the results from this study showed that while there were no significant effects of the consistency of volunteering on cognitive health, the physical and psychological well-being partially mediated the relationship between the consistency of volunteering and cognitive health. The effects of volunteering on physical and psychological well-being and cognitive health differed across age, retire (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Holly Dabelko-Schoeny Ph.D. (Advisor); Virginia Richardson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mo Yee Lee Ph.D. (Committee Member); Steven Naber Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Higher Education

This study explored multiple factors related to the distance learning experiences of soldier-students who engaged in distance learning while deployed to a combat area. Data was gathered from 144 participants who completed an online questionnaire. Fifty-two factors potentially affecting the dependent variable of course completion were examined through a systems theory lens at the macro, mezzo, and micro levels. Nearly all factors found to have significant differences in those soldier-students who completed their distance learning course and those who did not complete their course were found in the higher education domain at the mezzo and micro levels. These factors included the Instructor behaviors of frequent contact and flexibility, student satisfaction, and program completion. In addition, half of this study's participants reported experiencing role conflict as a result of their decision to study while deployed. The results of this study suggest the value of future research focused on role conflict, in both the higher education and military domains, for those soldier-students that simultaneously engage in distance learning and combat deployment.

Committee: David Meabon (Committee Chair); Judy Lambert (Committee Member); Ronald Opp (Committee Member); Jennifer Reynolds (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Military Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2017, Latin American Studies (International Studies)

This thesis focuses on analyzing Brazil's role in South America, which encompasses the conception of the self (ego) - in this case Brazil - and the perception of the other (alter), represented by Argentina. As a case study, this thesis is based on Role Theory and its premises in order to understand international roles such as middle powers and regional leaders. The goal is to understand Brazil's role in South America according to its own perspective and Argentina's conception, and then analyze what are the implications for the former's attempts to become a regional leader. Brazil perceives itself as a middle power in the world and claims a regional leadership position. On the other hand, Argentina recognizes Brazil as a middle power and a regional power in South America; however, the country does not support Brazil as a regional leader and, in consequence of that, Argentina gets engaged in counterbalancing its neighbor's rise and regional claims. Since a role is only formed by the ego and alter's perspectives, without the support of other South American countries, Brazil cannot achieve the leadership position.

Committee: Nukhet Sandal (Advisor); Brad Jokisch (Committee Member); Matthew Layton (Committee Member) Subjects: International Relations; Latin American Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2016, Counseling Psychology

First-generation college students (FGCS) do not have primary caregivers with a bachelor's degree. This identity contributes above and beyond other background factors in predicting outcomes (Gibbons & Borders, 2010). This study aimed to identify specific supports and barriers that affect the career decision process for this population and add to the dearth of research in this area. Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent et al., 1994), which accounts for contextual factors, was used as a lens in the current study. Population-relevant supports and barriers such as social status, experiences with classism, parental support, and role model influence were identified as especially relevant for the career development process of first-generation college students (Gibbons & Borders, 2010; Lent et al., 2002; Olson, 2014). Coping efficacy was hypothesized as a mediator between the supports and barriers and vocational outcomes (i.e., career decision self-efficacy and career indecision). Data from a national sample of 251 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse FGCS yielded significant correlational findings. Social status was positively correlated with perceived parental support, supportive role model influence, and career decision self-efficacy and negatively correlated with experiences with classism and career indecision. Experiences with classism were negatively related with career decision self-efficacy and positively correlated with career indecision. Perceived parental support and supportive role model influence were both positively correlated with career decision self-efficacy, however, they lacked significant relationships with career indecision. A path analysis revealed that the hypothesized model was not supported by the data. Exploratory analyses guided by theory, however, yielded a model that was a good fit for the data. Significant indirect effects were found within the best fitting model, with social status and coping efficacy serving as full mediators in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Linda Subich PhD (Advisor); David Tokar PhD (Committee Member); Suzette Speight PhD (Committee Member); Ingrid Weigold PhD (Committee Member); Paul Hartung PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Psychology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Popular Culture

This thesis is a critical examination of how players of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons use the concept of race, both in and out of the game. The study of race in role-playing games has been neglected, and this is a tragedy, because these games offer a unique space where the concept of race, often a difficult and uncomfortable topic of conversation, is questioned, criticized, and reshaped by the players. Role-playing games are spaces of encounter between the players and a cast of imaginary others, and this requires a degree of empathy on the part of the players that makes role-playing games a space of ideological change, as players are forced to consider the world from viewpoints both familiar and alien. The theoretical framework within combines a phenomenological analysis of roleplaying games that allows non-gamers to understand the practice and importance of these games with critical race theorists such as bell hooks, Paul Gilroy, and Patricia Hill Collins that defines what race is and how it affects all of us on a day-to-day basis. This thesis is also based on interviews with geographically diverse set of gamers who demonstrate the highly personal nature of gaming, and how race takes on a multitude of meanings both within the fictional game settings and around the gaming table.

Committee: Jeremy Wallach (Advisor); Esther Clinton (Committee Member); Marilyn Motz (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Ethnic Studies; Recreation