Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Sociology

In the United States, school discipline remains a central fixture in the lives of students, teachers, administrators, and (by extension) families, peers, and romantic partners. Previous work has shown a robust association between exclusionary school punishment (i.e., suspensions, expulsions) and a variety of negative immediate and long-term outcomes. Much of the previous work, however, fixates on the punished individual, forgoing the role that key network actors outside of delinquent peers play in attenuating or exacerbating these pathways from school punishment to offending. This re-conceptualization lends support from the life course perspective and the potential role that “linked lives” play alongside turning points in altering individual life trajectories. Using the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), this dissertation examines the connection of formal punishment experiences from family and romantic partners (both school punishment and arrest/incarceration) to both immediate and long-term consequences stemming from individual school punishment experiences. Analyses begin with using regression techniques to test how family punishment experiences impact school attachment in adolescence, exclusionary school punishment, and adult criminal justice contact. Next, analyses focus on the role of romantic partner punishment experiences and test how relationship punishment matrices influence deviance amplification across adolescence and relationship quality. Finally, analyses tests the connection between cumulative network punishments and offending as it differs across race/ethnicity and gender. Full results indicate partial support for this reconceptualization of viewing punishment outside of the individual context. Formal punishments for parents and siblings have the potential to influence the process of detachment from school and criminal justice contact across adolescence and into adulthood. However, romantic partners' school discipline and arrest histo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Monica Longmore PhD (Advisor); Peggy Giordano PhD (Committee Member); Paul Schauer PhD (Other); Thomas Mowen PhD (Committee Member); Wendy Manning PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2015, College of Education and Human Services

School closure has become an accepted method of school reform policy as outlined in federal legislation found in The No Child Left Behind Act. The academic literature regarding school closure is limited and tends to be quantitative in design, focusing on the relationship between student achievement and school closure and/or student transitions. Qualitative studies around this topic have only recently emerged, focusing on the immediate impact of school closure and transition. There is a need for a retrospective study, reflecting on the long-term effects of school closure on individuals and their communities, as told by the students who experienced it. This study seeks to understand the experience of DeVilbiss students who attended the high school in the year its closure was announced, and who transitioned to a neighboring high school for the 1991-1992 school year. Using semi-structured interviews to explore issues related to transitions, the study will examine identity, social capital, relational trust, community connectedness and engagement, school and community pride, tradition, and the sense of belonging. The study will offer insight into the long-term effects of school closure, particularly through the eyes of those who experienced the closing of DeVilbiss High School. The study has implications for current and future policy decisions.

Committee: Anne Galletta Ph.D (Committee Chair); Joanne Goodell Ph.D (Committee Member); Marius Boboc Ph.D (Committee Member); Brian Harper Ph.D (Committee Member); Leigh Chiarelott Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Economic Theory; Education; Education Finance; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Psychology; Public Policy; School Administration; School Counseling; School Finance; Social Psychology; Social Research; Sociology; Sustainability; Teacher Education; Urban Planning

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2012, College of Health Sciences

Professional school counselors (PSCs) can play a vital role to help keep truant students in school by providing school-based interventions that target the personal barriers of attachment, engagement, and empowerment that may limit success in school. ASCA national standards encourage PSCs to demonstrate accountability for student outcomes. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) emphasizes the role of the school counselor in assisting students with academic performance and social and emotional well-being. Based on attachment, engagement, and empowerment theories, this study seeks to understand the relationship between PSC led treatment and student (a) social bonds and support systems (engagement), (b) social skills development (attachment), (c) academic monitoring skills (engagement), and (d) personal self-awareness and self-regulation skills (empowerment) with at-risk high school students as defined by truancy. To this end, attachment, engagement, and empowerment have been measured before and after the implementation of PSC led school-based interventions.

Committee: Martin Ritchie PhD (Advisor); Kathleen Salyers PhD (Committee Member); Nick Piazza PhD (Committee Member); Edward Cancio PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Education; School Counseling