Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2023, School Psychology

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) can have a devastating impact on victims and their families. Families living in rural communities experience unique barriers to receiving care for complex medical needs. While little research exists surrounding TBI specifically, medical staff, school staff, and caregivers for children with complex medical conditions report a range of barriers and facilitators to coordinating care for their child. The current study explored the experiences of rural caregivers for children with TBI, gaining the insights of caregivers, school staff, and medical professionals who cared for a child with a TBI who transitioned to public school after the injury. Themes included the need to navigate complex situations, support from small communities, isolation and loneliness, differences in experience based on severity of injury, and feelings of hope. Barriers to quality care coordination included navigating complex situations, access to transportation, and lack of communication or education from agencies. Facilitators included support from small communities and interagency communication. Based on information from the interviews, more comprehensive coordination between agencies is recommended, including care coordination that was not limited to that covered by insurance. Implications for practitioners include being cognizant of the difficulties caregivers face, providing flexibility due to transportation barriers, creating more comprehensive care for students with mild TBI, and providing more education.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, Music

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors involved in and influencing the teaching of instrumental music in rural school districts in Ohio. Five overarching research questions guided the study: 1) what do instrumental music teachers cite as factors that influenced their choice to teach in a rural setting, 2) do teachers report that their undergraduate teacher licensure programs prepared them to teach in a rural school environment, 3) how do the background experiences of instrumental music teachers influence their future teaching setting choices, 4) what are common factors that teachers report as affecting their work in rural school districts, and 5) what are some of the characteristics that teachers report as necessary to be successful instrumental music teachers in rural school districts? The study was broken into two phases: Phase I consisted of interviews of teachers who were teaching or had taught instrumental music in rural school districts; Phase II consisted of a grounded survey, based on themes derived from Phase I analysis, that was sent to a random sample of Ohio instrumental music teachers. Results indicated that teachers with personal backgrounds in rural schools were more likely to desire to teach and obtain employment in rural school districts. Also, teachers who moved out of rural school districts altogether were more likely to move to suburban districts rather than urban districts. Respondents who taught in rural districts reported they remained in their first rural school teaching position for three to ten years. No significant difference was found between teachers with and without rural teaching experience in their opinions of teacher licensure preparation as pertained to rural school instrumental music issues. Phase I participants and Phase II respondents agreed that teachers need to be versatile in rural districts, as a portion reported having their job descriptions modified after beginning employment in rural schools. Participants and (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2011, Curriculum and Instruction Cultural Studies (Education)

This study examines education and development in Appalachia using environmental education as the theoretical basis. Despite over 50 years of public attention to the educational and developmental disparities in the Central Appalachian region, these disparities still exist. Thus, the investigation into a new paradigm seems appropriate (Eller, 2008). The overarching research question seeks to explore whether a sustainable Appalachian perspective can serve to anchor an educational and developmental system that meets the needs of the Appalachian people. This study adopted a naturalistic qualitative approach. Naturalistic inquiry studies real-world situations as they unfold naturally; it also lacks predetermined constraints on outcomes and is characterized by openness to whatever emerges (Patton, 1990; Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The main source of data was through interviews of seven participants through purposeful sampling of information rich individuals. The findings of the study show that the development of a sustainable economy in Appalachia could produce a more affluent and environmentally just life for the region's residents and represents a new paradigm. The findings point out that a sustainable economy in Appalachia must include an agricultural component and that food production and food security is tied to regional ideas of place and identity. Environmental education is seen as a foundation of this development. Finally, the development of a sustainable economy must come from the grassroots, and the development of a mechanism to tie together the constructs of economic empowerment, education, environmental, and ecological justice in a coherent and practical way. The study indicates that Environmental Education can be the mechanism that serves that purpose as it contains all those constructs. I would contend that Appalachia is not unique in this, but that all culture is based in place and that environmental education methods are apropos for education and development me (open full item for complete abstract)

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

Rural students represent nearly one-quarter of the students educated by our nation's public education system, yet they are often underrepresented in educational policy research. Rural students are also underrepresented in the existing literature on postsecondary decision-making. This study aims to address these gaps in the literature by assessing how well Ohio's College Credit Plus (CCP) policy addresses the barriers to and supports for college enrollment of high school students in high-poverty rural areas. Findings from this research demonstrate the ways in which CCP's goals of increasing equity and efficiency compete with one another, the importance of considering context for policy implementation, and how the policy's unintended consequences create barriers for students in this study. Additionally, findings from this study provide insight to how these students' families, schools, and communities serve as supports for and barriers to their decision to attend college and for their execution of that decision. Findings from the research are used to recommend changes to Ohio's College Credit Plus policy that would better address rural students' supports and barriers to college enrollment and to encourage areas of future research to examine questions that remain unanswered.

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2016, Educational Administration (Education)

The purpose of this study was to explore women district leader's perceptions of organizational change in a rural women's education and empowerment program in India, using an appreciative inquiry framework. This is a qualitative case study of the Mahila Samakhya (MS) program, which was initiated to provide non-formal education and empower rural women in India. The program implements activities in 11 states among the 29 states of India. Previous studies have been conducted on the MS program, investigating facets in single states. These studies primarily focused on narratives and experiences of rural women based on inquiries in one of the states of India. These studies did not attempt to highlight the multi-faceted organizational processes, especially organizational change, undertaken in the MS program over the past two decades. As a result, there is limited knowledge regarding the comprehensive organizational practices of the MS women district leaders, key implementation units, working in a Government Organized Non-governmental Organization (GONGO). This study combined the conceptual framework of Appreciative Inquiry with the theoretical framework of organizational change particularly using Senge's Learning Organization. During the current phase of the organizational change in the MS program, the 5-D model of the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was used as a conceptual framework for exploring themes of definition, discovery, dream, design, and destiny. For this study, the MS women district leaders, with five or more years of experience, working in the 11 MS states of India, at the district level, were purposefully chosen as interview participants. These district leaders work at the middle (meso) level of the organization and are positioned at the critical level of implementing initiatives for the GONGO. A qualitative interview protocol was developed using the 5-D model for structured, semi-structured, and unstructured interviewing. Interviews were conducted with 28 distri (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Music Education/Comprehensive Music Education

Two elementary general music teachers serving in rural public schools in Ohio were interviewed to investigate the nature and characteristics of elementary general music in rural school districts and elementary general music teachers' perceptions of their level of preparedness to teach in a rural school district. The research questions that guided this study were: (a) What is the nature of rural elementary general music programs? (b) What challenges and advantages are unique to rural music education? In relation to learning? In relation to teaching? (c) What are teachers' perceptions about their level of preparation for teaching in a rural elementary general music program? (d) What district wide professional development opportunities are available for rural elementary general music teachers? In what kinds of professional development experiences do these teachers participate? Each semi-structured interview was audiotaped and transcribed. The interview transcripts were then analyzed for codes, categories, and themes. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) Characteristics of These General Music Programs and Teaching Positions; (b) Context: Understanding the Place Where One Teaches; and (c) Community. Because this study investigated the perceptions of two rural elementary general music teachers, expanding the number of contexts and participants may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the nature of these music programs, of teachers' roles and identity, and could more extensively examine challenges and advantages related to the rural setting. Other studies could include: a comparative study of rural, urban, and/or suburban elementary general music programs to examine the similarities and differences between programs; or an ethnographic case study of elementary general music students, located in rural settings, to investigate their lived experiences as growing musicians.

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1955, Educational Administration and Supervision

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1955, Educational Administration and Supervision

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2022, Educational Administration (Education)

This study explored rural educators' perceives surrounding the influence of their own sociocultural background on the glocal curriculum they implement and students' glocal worldview development. Glocal, in this study, referred to the concept of contextualizing globalization through a local lens. Current studies either focused on teacher perceptions from a quantitative viewpoint, an urban education viewpoint, or were based in other professional fields, such as healthcare or economics. While this study was informed by academic literature, it filled a gap in research surrounding rural, Appalachian-based educators through an interpretive qualitative research design. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of rural, secondary-level educators in Appalachian-Ohio and West Virginia regarding the influence of their sociocultural background on glocal curriculum implementation and students' glocal worldviews. I analyzed research through a conceptual framework that fused Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, Cooperrider's Appreciative Inquiry approach, and the Hodges' Health Career Model, a glocal framework. Finally, based on the data and implications of the study, I list specific recommendations for educators, educational leaders, policy makers, and teacher preparation programs in Appalachian regions or other rural regions with glocal connection in mind.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2020, Foundations of Education: Educational Psychology

Journalists and academics have lamented that the United States is in an epistemic crisis and has entered a post-truth era due, in part, to a proliferation of fake news and ideologically slanted sources. It is the duty of the educational system to equip students with the attitudes, critical thinking skills, and knowledge necessary to engage with the news and make informed decisions; thus, this exploratory study investigates high school students' epistemic beliefs concerning news as a knowledge source. The review of literature provides an overview of frameworks from personal epistemology with a focus on components that are relevant to educational strategies for news media literacy, as well as a summary of news media literacy models and educational initiatives for high schoolers. This is followed by a description of a proposed epistemic framework for news media literacy--the ASK Framework--that integrates the two streams of research. Using a mixed methods approach, this study drew on semi-structured interviews and surveys administered in 2010 to 60 high schoolers from a rural district in northwest Ohio. Results demonstrated that while most participants agreed that the news should inform the public, many also observed that it could persuade, appeal to, or worry people as well, and these views impacted participants' attitudes and levels of trust toward the news. Although all participants noted using a portfolio of news sources, they most heavily favored television and expressed the most interest in news topics that they found directly relevant to their lives, such as healthcare or the economy. Participants also demonstrated high levels of news discourse with teachers and adults in their lives, particularly on local and national events. When it came to determining the quality of news, the majority of participants noted that an article should present an abundance of facts and details, and many also noted the importance of their news coming from a trusted outlet, citing its (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2017, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between a 1:1 laptop program and the achievement test results for the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT). Two cohorts were examined (N=193): 1. Tenth graders who took the OGT subtests in Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies in 2014 (n=109) and who had received traditional instruction and 2. Tenth graders who were given individual laptops and eTexts to use at school and at home, and who took the same OGT tests in 2015 (n=84). A Chi Square statistical assessment was conducted to compare student performance. No statistical difference was evident for overall passage rates when comparing the two cohorts. For the laptop cohort, there was no statistical difference in the expected counts for the subject areas of Writing, Science, and Social Studies. For Reading, laptop cohort scores reflect a trend, with scores moving upward into the Accelerated performance category. Math scores showed significantly more scores falling in the highest performance category of Advanced in comparison to what was expected. Similarly, when looking at the economically disadvantaged subgroup within the laptop cohort (n=29), a positive and significant difference from what was expected occurred within the Advanced category for Math, while a trend toward significance for improved performance occurred for Reading scores. The potential for significant gains in student achievement is evident. Additional longitudinal research is warranted to better understand the significance of impact as pedagogical practices develop following initial implementation and considering contextual factors.

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2014, Educational Administration (Education)

High percentages of college students fail to persist in higher education each year (Attewell & Lavin, 2007; Rosenbaum, Stephan, & Rosenbaum, 2010; Tinto, 2012). Until recently, the national goal was to make accessible the four year degree for all United States citizens in order to advance the goal of being the most credentialed society in the world (Grubb & Lazerson, 2005; Lee, 2012; Leef, 2006). Marginalized populations, however, sometimes face opposing forces or conflicting priorities when making the decision to attend and persist in higher education. This study recognizes what other researchers have determined regarding the lack of college persistence in first-generation students and seeks to add to that body of knowledge by examining the role of higher education and its impact on rural, Appalachian working class students who do not complete their bachelors degrees. The findings of this study indicate that for these participants higher education was not the appropriate path for them after high school and that there were responsibilities growing out of their culturally-shaped experiences that first required their attention. The themes in this study indicate that family relationships, social integration, academic management and financial matters took precedence over higher education for these participants at that stage in their lives; however, for many of the participants, a college education remained a priority and the degree was earned later in their adult lives. The unique, cultural characteristics of Appalachian students should be considered by stakeholders when determining higher education goals and practices. Among the important considerations should be flexible expectations for the enrollment and completion of higher education, as well as delivery models that take into account place boundedness that grows out of Appalachian students' strong connections to their communities and families.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study explored rural middle-school students' participation in an online summer reading course. The research question explored the patterns and practices of the student's participation in an online reading course and the instructional moves made by the teacher. Data were gathered from a small group (n = 4) of rural middle school students living in northern Appalachia who volunteered to participate in the online summer reading course. Data indicated that the course as it was originally planned was, in many ways, failing. Fewer children enrolled than was anticipated and participation was extremely limited. However, participation increased as the course was restructured from a traditional classroom structure into the theoretical framework of a CoP. With greater emphasis on defining of the domain, supportive techniques to instill the development of strong, trusting relationships within the community, and the encouragement of students to become practitioners within the domain of the community, a more functional CoP began to emerge. These findings indicate that attending to major CoP principles, such as clarifying aspects of the domain, creating an inviting space with greater opportunities for participation and the evolution of the community, and focusing on the value of being practitioners in the activities of the community, can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful online, voluntary learning community.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2012, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

In relatively poor schools, in which school facilities and human resources are limited, people rarely expect to find high National Examination (UASBN in Indonesia) test scores. Rimpang Elementary School was an exception. This study focused on studying this anomaly. A main research question: “What factors explain the unusual UASBN performance of a relatively poor elementary school?” and four sub-research questions related to the School-Level Curriculum (KTSP) and the National Examination (UASBN) were generated in order to holistically explain this phenomenon. In order to respond to those questions, the research method used Grounded Theory. The data collected from documents, interviews, reflective journal and field notes, and classroom observation were processed through initial coding, focused coding, theoretical coding, and memo writing. The study indicated that in Rimpang Elementary School, the teaching performances of classroom teachers played an important role in enabling the students to obtain relatively high scores in the UASBN. However, instead of validating the unusual UASBN performance of a relatively poor elementary school, the study of the curriculum transfer process uncovered inconsistency between the KTSP and the UASBN. The study showed that during the curriculum transfer process, a number of significant ideas were left out. In addition, the study revealed that as a measure, the UASBN lacked test validity. This study suggested that educational practitioners should be able to pin down the terms of reference in the curriculum transfer process in order to reduce misunderstanding. To do so, they should equip them with strategies to implement ideas into practice, including the strategies to embed pedagogical theories within the curriculum.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2011, Curriculum and Instruction Cultural Studies (Education)

This study explored factors that impact the Anlo Ewe girl child's formal educational outcomes. The issue of female and girl child education is a global concern even though its undesirable impact is more pronounced in African rural communities (Akyeampong, 2001; Nukunya, 2003). Although educational research in Ghana indicates that there are variables that limit girl's access to formal education, educational improvements are not consistent in remedying the gender inequities in education. In essence, this research inquiry contributes literature on the subject by examining factors impacting the Anlo Ewe girl child's formal educational outcomes in Abor, Ghana. I employed a qualitative method for this research to inform the ethnographic case study approach in order to answer the research questions. Data was collected in Abor, Ghana, for a three-month period. Data collection strategies included semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and analysis of Ghana government education policy documents. The interviews of Anlo Ewe girls, parents, teachers, administrators, opinion and traditional leaders, elders, and clergy on factors that impact girls' formal educational outcomes were analyzed. The findings of the research revealed four major factors that contribute to Anlo Ewe girls formal educational outcomes. The factors included the context of government policies and girl child education initiatives; school environment and administrative structures; socio-cultural; and economic challenges. In the Anlo Ewe socio-cultural milieu, the socialization process is significant in understanding uncodified policies within the home, community, and school that places the girl child in the role of subordination to males; hence, these uncodified policies were essential to why girls drop out of school. The dilemma of male teachers and school administrators in positions of power, the behaviors towards girls in schools, and the local patriarchal sociopolitical struct (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2011, Curriculum and Instruction Cultural Studies (Education)

Whiteness is a topic left out of diversity or cultural studies discussions. Catherine Kroll (2009, p. 32), states that "Despite the fact that race has been shown to be a significant factor in the financial, education, and employment spheres, public discussion of this reality remains taboo." Further, if teachers are White in America, they can exist without ever having to denote their racial difference. "They are the norm against which everyone else is other" (Gollnick and Chinn, 1998, p. 88). This research will contribute to teacher education, curriculum, multicultural education and Whiteness studies through an exploration of Whiteness from the prospective of White rural southeastern Ohio educators. Additional significance lies in the fact that most teachers in the United States are White, according to the Digest of Educational Statistics 2002, "eighty-four percent of our teachers in public and private schools (excluding pre-kindergarten teachers) were White-non Hispanic in the year 2000" (p. 40). In addition, "U.S. society is becoming increasingly diverse and that diversity is reflected in its classrooms," says Weinstein (November 2003, p. 266), former classroom teacher and Professor of Education at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. With a rapidly expanding diverse population of students taught by predominately-White teachers, it is important to explore the positionality of teachers on the topic of Whiteness within the realm of multicultural education, particularly in rural areas. Equally important and possibly of greater concern currently, is that White teachers are responsible for teaching predominately White student populations about race and diversity. Are the teachers equipped for the task? Teachers will need to be prepared to teach all their students effectively, and they should be aware of their race in order to be conscious of how it affects their teaching. This research is a phenomenological qualitative case study of how White teachers from rural coun (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2004, Cultural Studies in Education (Education)

The evidence that people have access to education is that they take part in educational programs (Sutton, 1995). Equality of access to schooling is measured by participation rates for both men and women. In most of the sub-Saharan African countries schools are open to all, however, girls in their large majority, continue to be out of school (Commission on the Status of Women, 1995; UNESCO, 2002; World Bank 2000). Researchers have identified barriers to girls' education in the sub-Saharan African region and categorized them into economic, socio-cultural, and school factors. The literature on the factors influencing Muslim girls' education at the secondary level is however scarce. This study seeks to contribute ethnography of the forces behind the lack of retention of Fulani Muslim girls in a secondary school of Dalaba, Guinea. A qualitative method of inquiry was utilized to gather the data. The data was collected in Dalaba, Guinea, over three months period. Eight Fulani Muslim girls and women took part in this study as well as their parents and some educational leaders. The hirde , a Fulani socio-cultural context, was a central instrument in the data collection process. Other data collection strategies included open-ended interviews, observations and review of policy documents. The findings of the study suggest that dissemination and implementation of gender sensitive policies; the tradition, or finna tawaa ; poverty; and school related factors were found impeding Muslim Fulani girls' education in Dalaba. The ideology around curing and blessing helps the perpetuation of a social status quo that is oppressive to girls and women. The dichotomy between the informal socialization process and the formal education system and the practices of cultural norms in the school were central to informants abandoning their schooling. The language problem in school, administrators and teachers authoritarian attitudes, the lack of transparency and accountability in student grading sys (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2013, Cultural Studies (Education)

This research study explored how White working class Appalachian males who have completed, or who were within one term of completing a program of study at one of ten community and technical colleges in West Virginia perceived academic success. It examined their definitions of academic success, the perceptions they held regarding their own past and present academic successes, as well as their views regarding factors from their lived experience that they felt contributed to their program of study completion. Using qualitative methodology, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with eight participants. It was designed to reflect the tenets of Appreciative Inquiry. While reflecting the changes within White working class identity formation in response to the deindustrialization of the economy, the findings of this study present two contradictions with the research literature. The first is that these men were found to define academic success from a working class perspective. This demonstrated their adherence to working class cultural capital while successfully completing a postsecondary program of study. This implies they did not need to abandon their working class cultural capital in lieu of new cultural capital in order to be successful at the college level. Furthermore, the factors from their lived experience that participants named as contributing to their program of study completion were factors that have previously been identified in research literature as factors that commonly present as barriers to postsecondary success for working class students. However, the participants in this study indicated these factors presented as positive influences that assisted in facilitating their academic success. Additionally, the perceptions of past and present academic success held by participants were noted as those that 1) reflect the development of/presence of positive psychological capital within these individuals and 2) demonstrate the educational experien (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1918, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

Collaboration between rural school counselors and educational stakeholders may create opportunities to address inequities; however, there is limited research on rural school counselors' collaboration relationships. The purpose of this dissertation study is to understand the experiences of rural school counselors within the Virginia Department of Education's Region 3 in implementing professional standards related to collaboration through a multi-sited vertical case study methodology. Comparisons between national, state, and regional expectations and implementation of these professional standards was conducted by the author through exploring participants' context and experiences. Results reflect participants' increased role within this rural region in leading collaboration, their creative approaches to collaboration, and the benefit of relationships when collaborating with educational and community stakeholders.