BS, Kent State University, 2015, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

This study was conducted in order to better understand the connection between bullying and resilience among the middle adolescence population. Prior studies have identified factors which may increase an individual's ability to be resilient. Few studies have explored the direct connection between bully victimization in adolescents and subsequent resilience. The survey was disseminated to 62 high school students between the ages of 14 and 18. This study utilizes three scales, two for bully victimization and one for measuring resilience. Results suggest that both traditional bullying and cyberbullying scores predict aspects of resilience.

Committee: Scott Tobias Ph. D (Advisor); Lisa Hallaman MA (Committee Member); Leslie Heaphy Ph. D (Committee Member); Katrina Bloch Ph. D (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Families and Family Life; Psychology; Social Research

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Psychology/Clinical

Cyber-aggression has been of increasing interest to psychological and communication researchers over the past decade. Cyber-aggression is defined as “… any behaviour enacted through the use of information and communication technologies that is intended to harm another person(s) that the target person(s) wants to avoid” (Corcoran, 2015; p. 253). Much research has been carried out on the prevalence, predictors, and consequences of cyber-aggression among children and adolescents (e.g., Kowalski, Giumetti, Schroeder, & Lattanner, 2014; Patchin & Hinduja, 2012). Less is known about experiences of cyber-aggression among college students. College students experience important changes in cognition and social setting compared to adolescents, which may result in different expressions of cyber-aggressive behavior. Though prevalence rates of cyber-aggression among college students are estimated to be lower than the adolescent rate, experiencing cyber-victimization is related to important outcomes among college students, including depressive symptoms (Selkie, Kota, Chan, & Moreno, 2015) and increased negative emotions (Kowalski et al., 2014). Despite these important findings, very little work has been done that examines cyber-victimization in an experimental setting among college students. In this study, I carried out an experiment with 141 college students in which participants were randomly assigned to be exposed to higher levels (experimental group) or lower levels (control group) of cyber-aggression and then assessed in terms aggressive behavior, thoughts, and emotions. I assessed the link between exposure to cyber-aggression and aggressive outcomes and examined moderating effects of three social cognitive variables on this relation. Results demonstrated that there were no significant differences between participants exposed to higher levels of cyber-aggression and participants exposed to lower levels of cyber-aggression on measures of aggressive behavior or cognitions, whil (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Eric Dubow Ph.D. (Advisor); Anne Gordon Ph.D. (Committee Member); Carolyn Tompsett Ph.D. (Committee Member); Loraine Young MFA (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Reading

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how bullying episodes were resolved in children's books. Various studies have identified the behavior of bullies and causes of bullying. Limited research has been conducted on how episodes of bullying have been resolved in children's literature. This investigation used content analysis methodology to identify episodes of bullying in children's books and to analyze and evaluate how the stories resolve the bullying situations. The content analysis format established by Martinez and Harmon (2012) was used in collecting data during this investigation. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected.Content from the chosen children's books were analyzed, compared, and contrasted to other data found throughout other children's books relating to incidences of bullying. The study used 12 children's picture books and found five broad categories depending on how the bullying episode was resolved at the end of each story. From the results, it was determined the picture books concluded the bullying episodes in an assortment of ways: (a) the victim stands up to the bully; (b) a parent or authority figure intervenes in the bullying situation; (c) the bully apologizes for the bullying behavior and the story ends happily; (d) the bully gets what he/she deserves; and (e) other.

Committee: Cindy Hendricks Dr. (Advisor); Lessie Cochran Dr. (Committee Member); Trinka Messenheimer (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Literacy; Literature; Reading Instruction

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

To build a safe and supportive community in school climates, we first need to prevent bullying through healthy relationships and safety procedures, which will begin in the classroom. My theory is to start early on in school settings such as Kindergarten. I hope to build a plan to ensure an autonomous mindset that gives students, teachers, and staff a pure and wholesome thought process. This thinking will take some years to develop a nuanced expression. During this starting phase of Kindergarten, I hope to broaden the opportunity for students in elementary school to be role models for students of the same age and younger; this begins with weekly training for them. The design is that this learning will transition into the middle school setting to facilitate a bridge in learning about the middle school student climate. The design continues to bridge students' transition into high school, hoping to eliminate bullying in the high school climate. The mindset structure is the tool to reduce and eliminate bullying, with a nuanced mindset to pivot from daily bullying in school settings. The intent is for this process to govern higher education and into future employment. This is a small piece of the planning process and implementation process with the management of a programmatic solution to building safer school environments.

Committee: Meredith Wronowski, Ph.D Dr. (Committee Chair); Tina Kidd (Committee Member); Mathew Witenstein, Ph.D Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Educational Tests and Measurements; Pedagogy; Preschool Education; Quantitative Psychology; Social Psychology; Social Research; Social Structure; Sociology; Teacher Education; Teaching

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2021, Sociology (Arts and Sciences)

The problem of bullying has received increased social and empirical interest in recent years. As such, there is a wide array of valuable information presented in the academic literature on bullying practices. Research demonstrates that gender, race, weight, and geographic location are separately linked to bullying victimization and perpetration. While previous studies have examined gendered bullying behaviors, and the impact of the aforementioned demographic variables, little is known about the interaction of these factors in relation to victimization and perpetration of bullying at school. This study investigates how gender, weight, race, geographic location and social capital can influence and predict the probability and frequency rate of physical bullying practices. The current study uses the theoretical frameworks of social dominance theory and socio-ecological theory to evaluate the extent to which demographic variables can impact physical bullying perpetration and victimization. This research utilizes survey data from the 2009-2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) data to investigate how bodies (i.e., gender, race, and weight), geographic location (i.e., rural, urban, and suburban areas), and social capital matter with regard to youth physical bullying victimization and perpetration. The findings show that increased social capital, perceptions of school, and engagement in physical fights can increase the likelihood and frequency of physical bullying perpetration. Boys and girls that have more friends, spend more time with their peers, enjoy school, and engage in physical fights are more likely to physically bully others than students who do not have a lot of friends, do not enjoy school, and do not engage in physical fights. Additionally, students who have low social capital, negative relationships with their parents, but still engage in physical fights are likely to be victims of physical bullying. Interestingly, when examining race, wei (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anna Terman (Committee Chair); Thomas Vander Ven (Committee Member); Howard Welser (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender; Gender Studies; Sociology

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this study was to examine the trajectory of bullying victimization from third through sixth grade, as well as the role that school-based factors play in predicting victimization in grade six. Victimization is associated with negative social, emotional, educational, behavioral, and psychological short term and long-term outcomes (Hawker & Boulton, 2000; Swearer, Grills, Haye, & Cary 2004). National survey research suggests that about 20% of youth ages 12 to 18 report being victimized at school, with school being the most common place for victimization to occur (Musu, Zhang, Wang, Khang, & Ouderkerk, 2019). Rates of prevalence tend to increase as students transition from elementary to middle school (Dinkes, Kemp, Baum, & Snyder, 2009). There has been limited research that closely examines the school-based factors that may be associated with the increase in victimization as students transition to middle school. This study utilized data collected as a part of a national study of youth development to explore victimization and associated factors during the later elementary years. A generalized linear mixed model examined the stability of the victim role in from third to sixth grade. A McNemar's test compared victimization prevalence in grades five and six. A binary logistic regression explored the predictive role of school-based factors on victimization in the sixth grade. Results suggest role instability from grades three to six, a non-significant difference in overall victimization for grades five and six, and the importance of teacher-focused factors in predicting victimization in sixth grade.

Committee: Karla Anhalt Ph.D. (Advisor); Cowan Richard Ph.D. (Committee Member); Schenker Jason Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Psychology; School Administration; School Counseling; Teacher Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Nursing: Nursing - Doctoral Program

Abstract Background: Bullying behaviors are an unfortunate part of the nursing profession. Prominent organizations condemn behavior such as bullying, because of the potential harm it could have upon nurses and healthcare. Researchers established the potential detriment of bullying to nurses and have investigated prevention interventions yet limited information regarding interventions for the student nurse population exists. Though complete eradication of bullying from the nursing profession is unlikely, nursing students need to have the appropriate skills to mitigate bullying behaviors. Purpose: The goals of the study were to: (1) analyze the state of the science regarding bullying interventions in the nursing profession, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to mitigate bullying behaviors in the student nurse population, and (3) discover the feelings experienced by student nurses who have experienced bullying behaviors while in clinical or simulated settings. Methods: A mixed-methods design was used for this study. The participants were from a convenience sample of matriculated student nurses at a single Midwestern university. The quantitative portion of the study used a quasi-experimental, posttest only design. A distraction simulation and educational intervention were used to analyze the effectiveness of mitigating bullying behavior. Group 1 (n=5) served as distraction control. Group 2 (n=4) was exposed to bullying behavior distraction without intervention. Group 3 (n=6) was exposed to bullying behavior distraction following an educational intervention designed to assist in mitigating bullying effects. For the qualitative portion of the study, a descriptive qualitative design using semi-structured interviews was used to elicit responses from participants. Qualitative interviews were analyzed using a content analysis method to identify themes and feelings of students experiencing bullying in clinical and simulated settings. Results: There (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gordon Gillespie Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Scott Bresler Ph.D. (Committee Member); Carolyn Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Nursing

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2016, Social Welfare

This study conducts a secondary data analysis of a data set collected from an LGBT Campus Climate Survey distributed on the campus of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania during the fall semester of 2012. The study was developed to advance the understanding of the role of a bystander in LGBT-specific bullying. While the majority of bullying events have at least one bystander, most bystanders do not intervene. However, when bystanders are motivated to intervene, research suggests that the bullying is likely to stop. Darley and Latane (1968) developed a model for explaining a 5-step process a bystander to an emergency situation goes through before intervening. This model has been successfully applied in development of interventions with sexual violence programs on college campuses. Using a 16-item LGBT Peer Experiences Questionnaire (LGBT-PEQ), the study assesses the relationship of bystander demographic characteristics of age, gender, LGBT status, and ethnic identity and respondents attitudes (as measured by an 11-item LGBT Attitudes Scale) with their observances of behaviors directed toward LGBT people (N=417). Results indicate a statistically significant but small practical portion of variance in LGBT-PEQ scores are accounted for by bystander LGBT Attitudes scores while controlling for age or gender, but not for age and gender combined. Discussion is offered regarding need for further research about the relationship between LGBT Attitudes, age, and gender as well as implications for developing interventions for facilitating bystander intervention in anti-LGBT bullying events in specific “unsafe” zones on university campuses.

Committee: Mark Singer Dr. (Committee Chair); Lynn Singer Dr. (Committee Member); Daniel Flannery Dr. (Committee Member); David Hussey Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Glbt Studies; School Counseling; Social Research; Social Work

Bachelor of Arts, Marietta College, 2015, Psychology

Incidents of bullying have been making news headlines recently, from teenagers committing suicide because of cyberbullying to twelve-year-olds harassing their bus monitor. Bullying has been the focus of much attention in middle schools and high schools. There have been many bullying prevention programs implemented nationwide in the past twenty years. Many models have been produced following the first, which was implemented in Norway in 1983 (Ttofi & Farrington, 2010). However, due to the fact that cyberbullying did not exist 20 years ago, many of these prevention programs have not evolved to combat current problems. This research project sought to understand the prevalence and perception of bullying events in middle and high school students. This study is a between-subjects design. Students were asked to rate the severity of various bullying scenarios (featuring verbal, physical, cyberbullying, or no bullying). Results indicate that physical bullying is interpreted as the most severe form of bullying. The results also suggest education does not have an effect on participants' incidences of reporting being a bully or a victim. Further, the results did not suggest that the sex of the bully or victim has an affect on participants' interpretations of severity.

Committee: Alicia Doerflinger Ph. D. (Advisor); Mark Sibicky Ph. D. (Committee Member); Javier Jimenez Ph. D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Demographics; Developmental Psychology; Education; Educational Psychology; Gender Studies; Mental Health; Psychology; School Administration; Social Psychology; Social Research; Social Structure; Teaching

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Education : Counselor Education

An ecological approach to bullying prevention is critical for the reduction of bullying and victimization. Any intervention implemented in a school to reduce bullying should include a variety of targets on all levels of the ecology and these interventions need to be sustainable by the school following introduction of the intervention. Schools are more aware today that bullying victimization causes harm to all those involved. Victims of school bullying suffer from increased mental health problems, perpetrators of bullying are more likely to enter the legal system and school communities have a more negative school culture that makes it harder for students to learn. States are requiring schools to be more accountable for eliminating bullying in school and schools respond by implementing research-based bullying prevention programs. The Olweus Bullying Prevention program has demonstrated effectiveness in elementary schools yet has limited research on its effectiveness in high schools. Considerable research has demonstrated the effectiveness of Olweus Bullying Prevention program in reducing bullying, victimization and other school related problems. However, less is known about the program's impact to reduce bullying behaviors in high school settings. The present study aimed at evaluating the Olweus Bullying Prevention program in a high school setting. Two high schools in the Midwestern region participated in the study with one school as the experiment school by implementing the Olweus program during one academic year. 699 students completed the Olweus Bully/Victim questionnaire at the beginning and end of the school year. The within group repeated design was employed to investigate the pre and post implementation difference and the MANOVA was performed to compare the differences in bullying and victimization between control and experimental school. The results showed no statistically significant effect of the intervention for reducing bullying others or bullying victimiza (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mei Tang Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Ellen Cook Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lynn Rapin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Laura Stith Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Educational Theory; Psychology; Teacher Education; Teaching

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2009, Psychology, Clinical

Bullying is a serious concern with lasting effects. It involves the use of aggressive behaviors as a way to gain power and control over peers (Olweus, 1993). Teen involvement, in both traditional forms of bullying and cyberbullying, is significant. The present study attempted to better understand the relationship between traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying behavior through the interplay of hurt reaction, poor social skills, and/or avoidant coping. One hundred and six high school students ranging from 14 to 18 years old participated in an online survey. While as many as 72% of the participants recognized cyberbullying occurring among their peers, only 4.7% of participants self-identified as having engaged in cyberbullying behaviors. The low number of self-identified cyberbullies made it difficult to conduct analyses. Therefore, the two primary hypotheses in this study could not be examined. Additional exploratory analyses examined the relationship between traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization. Gender differences among victims and non-victims of cyberbullying were not found to be significant. Analyses revealed that participants' involvement in cyberbullying victimization was significant if they were also involved in more traditional forms of bullying victimization and used more than one coping strategy as a way to stop their victimization. In addition, cyberbullying victimization was found to be correlated with the amount of time participants spent online during the week. Finally, regression analyses revealed relational bullying victimization was the only predictor of cyberbullying victimization. Possible reasons for these study findings and limitations are discussed further. The strong overlap between traditional forms of bullying and cyberbullying highlights the importance and need for continued study.

Committee: Carolyn Roecker Phelps PhD (Advisor); Keri Brown Kirschman PhD (Committee Member); Melissa Layman Guadalupe PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Psychology; Secondary Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Psychology/Developmental

Electronic bullying, commonly referred to as “cyberbullying,” is a type of bullying that uses electronic devices such as cell phones and the internet to harass, intimidate, and bully others. Electronic bullying has become a more prevalent issue and public health problem in our society. Electronic bullying expands upon traditional bullying territory and provides more routes and access for bullies to aggress upon their victims – often anonymously. This study aimed at finding how familiarity with a bully's identity related to consequences of bullying found in previous research such as anxiety, fear, depression, and feelings of control (the focus variables). It also aimed at exploring children's beliefs about prevention techniques to stop electronic bullying. Participants were one-hundred and thirty-eight 5th through 9th graders in Ohio. Anxiety, depression, and fear were predicted by bullying experience. Those who had been electronically bullied rated themselves higher on these variables. A significant relationship was not found between familiarity and the focus variables. Prevention techniques were explored with participants who had been bullied indicating what actions they used to stop electronic bullying in the past, which of those they believed were successful, and which techniques they would consider using in the future. Implications, sex and grade differences, and future directions are discussed.

Committee: Marie Tisak PhD (Advisor); Carolyn Tompsett PhD (Committee Member); John Tisak PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Developmental Psychology; Psychology

DNP, Kent State University, 2024, College of Nursing

Lateral violence (LV) in healthcare remains a critical issue, impacting both staff well-being and patient care quality. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to raise awareness of LV and provide practical strategies for healthcare professionals to address it effectively. Educational sessions were developed to define LV, explore its causes and consequences, and teach Cognitive Rehearsal (CR) techniques to combat LV. The project also emphasized organizational policy reviews, scenario-based learning, and promoting a culture of safety through continuing education. The QI initiative was conducted in a 269-bed acute care hospital, with two educational sessions held: one virtual session open to all hospital employees and an in-person session with the Nursing Practice Council. In total, 33 healthcare professionals attended the sessions. Participants were provided with educational materials, including an infographic and a pocket card summarizing LV concepts and CR responses. Data collection involved interactive polls and post-session evaluations, with results indicating 70% of participants had experienced LV and 91% reported feeling more knowledgeable about its impact. Participants expressed increased confidence in recognizing and addressing LV, with 73% rating the sessions as excellent. The project's findings highlight the value of combining educational interventions with policy reinforcement to promote awareness and improve responses to LV in healthcare. Limitations of the project include small sample size, limited post-session feedback, and the short-term nature of follow-up, all of which restrict the ability to assess the long-term impact of the intervention. Despite these limitations, this project has demonstrated positive results in enhancing awareness and offering practical strategies to address LV. Future initiatives could expand participation, include long-term assessments, and incorporate simulation exercises to further strengthen staff competency in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Denise Pacholski DNP, APRN, NP-C (Committee Chair); Tracey Motter DNP, RN (Committee Member); Karen Mascolo DNP, RN (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Nursing

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2024, Business Administration

The purpose of this research is to examine the existing cyberharassment laws around the world and identify common themes that can enhance protections for the more than 50% of American adults who have experienced cyberharassment in their lifetimes. Dealing with the practical limitations of examining every country's law and the intent to benefit Americans, this qualitative analysis dissects the cyberharassment laws of two countries from each continent selected using criteria that allow for cross-examination with U.S. cyberharassment laws. The criteria used for selection incorporate population, power, influence, and unique regulatory factors not currently present in other countries. Through the evaluation of scholarly research and existing cyberharassment legislation, the coding system used in this analysis grew to include four categories of codes: Initiation, Factors Required by Law, Penalties, and Cyber-specific. By exploring these various approaches to solving the crisis of cyberharassment, this study works to explore additional considerations for online platforms that may revolutionize the way Americans interact with social media and ever-advancing technology. Included in this discussion are the unique factors that the United States specifically must consider when attempting to address cybercrimes like cyberharassment, including the First Amendment and American judiciary, corporate sovereignty, and cyber liberties, among others.

Committee: Vic Matta (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration; Law; Political Science; Public Policy

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Bullying among youth has become an area of growing public health concern because of its associations with negative behavioral, emotional, and physical health outcomes. Furthermore, existing research suggests repeated victimization based on affiliation with minoritized social identities, also known as bias-based bullying, may be more psychologically harmful than general bullying. Youth with multiple intersectional marginalized identities may be particularly vulnerable to the mental health consequences associated with bias-based bullying, as the risk increases with each additional experience of victimization. However, less is known about the experience of Latinx youth with this form of identity-based peer victimization. Similarly, few studies have considered the sociopolitical context and geographic location in which the research takes place to explore how prejudicial political rhetoric and discrimination may impact the Latinx youth experience of bias-based bullying. Utilizing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) orientation, the present study collaborated with a community advisory board (CAB) to qualitatively analyze and interpret the experiences of bias-based bullying among 12 native born and immigrant Latinx youth living in the new migration city of Cincinnati, OH. Inductive thematic analysis and elements of grounded theory highlighted the impact of bias-based bullying on academic, social, and emotional functioning, and the protective role of social support from peers, adults, and teachers for fostering resilience. Participants also identified political differences and lacking representation of Latinx students as contributing factors to their experience of bias-based bullying. In collaboration with the CAB, future research will include dissemination of a one-page summary document of study findings to local stakeholders in education to inform future bias-based bullying program development and evaluation.

Committee: Farrah Jacquez Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lisa Vaughn Ph.D. (Committee Member); Cathleen Stough Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

MS, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Computer Science

Online communities have long suffered from issues caused by a lack of accountability for participants exhibiting toxic behaviors. Difficulty with providing effective moderation, sufficiently dissuading would-be offenders, identifying problem users, and mitigating toxic activity in real-time has led to an unwelcoming environment for users. It's difficult to effectively police communication networks to provide safe environment's when participants are both anonymous and cannot be sufficiently identified as problematic. Our study employs temporal multivariate data mining and pattern analysis, and natural language processing techniques to examine organic conversations across a large collection of online gaming communities' messages. By analyzing instances of toxic behavior, arguments, and profane conversation, our objective is to identify the distinct features that characterize toxicity in digital environments. Our study analyzed conversational data extracted from four video game focused Discord communities. The dataset encompasses a rich collection of 685,432 public messages. Using the Perspective API, messages were classified against six metrics relating to toxicity. To elucidate the temporal dynamics and complex patterns of these interactions, we employed Temporal Multidimensional Scaling and utilized a Shannon Entropy Visualization method. Additionally, manual review was performed on a subset of 140,000 comments' worth of toxic events. We then leveraged BERTopic for cluster analysis to deduce related thematic concerns. For a nuanced representation of these themes, we customized the topic modeling using OpenAI's GPT-3.5 Turbo language model, enriching our understanding of the contextual underpinnings of toxicity in online gaming discourse. Our study found that toxic events occurred without warning and rapidly dissipated as the conversation went on. Toxicity is extremely rare relative to the general activity of the community and is largely contributed by eith (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ruoming Jin (Advisor) Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Computer Science

Master of Science (M.S.), Xavier University, 2023, Psychology

The present study tested hypothesized competing models of moderation and partial mediation involving the constructs of inclusive leadership and workplace bullying in predicting work engagement. Neither of the models was supported, but a model in which inclusive leadership fully mediated the effects of workplace bullying on work engagement was identified during exploratory analyses. The present study also identified a previously-unreported significant negative relationship between inclusive leadership and workplace bullying. The overall results of this study show promise for the use of inclusive leadership as a potential means to address the negative effects of workplace bullying. Limitations and suggested future research are discussed.

Committee: Morrie Mullins (Committee Chair); Christian Stilp (Committee Member); Eric Barrett (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2023, Social Welfare

This multi-methods dissertation, consisting of a systematic review, quantitative study, and qualitative study, examines and explores the link between violence exposure and bullying perpetration among youth, focusing on the role of youth's identities and social contexts, such as gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Using Bronfenbrenner's (1994) social-ecological framework, the systematic review synthesizes the quantitative literature examining the link between violence exposure and traditional and cyberbullying perpetration among youth, with particular attention to the contexts of violence exposure and roles of youth's identities and social contexts. The review found that most studies reported significant associations between different forms of violence exposure in varying social-ecological systems and traditional/cyberbullying perpetration. Gaps in the literature were found, as none of the studies considered the contexts of violence exposure in their analyses, and only a small number of the studies examined the role of youth's identities in shaping the link between violence exposure. The findings from the studies that examined the role of identities reflected nuances and complexities, warranting further research. Informed by the social-ecological framework, developmental psychopathology, and hegemonic masculinity framework, the quantitative study used the Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Study data to examine the association between 2 cumulative violence exposure and bullying perpetration among youth, with attention to the roles of sex assigned at birth as a moderator. Greater levels of cumulative violence exposure significantly predicted greater odds of bullying perpetration among adolescents; however, sex assigned at birth did not significantly moderate this relationship. Finally, the qualitative study employs hermeneutic phenomenology to explore the perspectives and lived experiences of eight violence-exposed adolescent boy (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Laura Voith (Committee Chair); Christopher Burant (Committee Member); Dana Prince (Committee Member); Megan Holmes (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2021, Higher Education

Bullying is a pervasive issue in higher education. The phenomenon of women bullying other women in higher education administrative roles is an understudied topic and one of increased importance in academia. The effects of bullying on individuals, particularly women, can be devastating and career changing. Understanding the emotional, physical, and intellectual effects on women in academia provides new insights into this growing area of concern in higher education. Through the theoretical framework and lens of sensemaking, a deeper exploration of this phenomenon of women bullying other women in higher education administrative roles is proffered through this qualitative study that brings new light to a topic that can be misunderstood and unheeded.

Committee: Edward Stotts (Committee Member); Lisa Pescara Kovach (Committee Member); Penny Poplin-Gosetti (Committee Member); Debra Brace (Committee Chair) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2021, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Cyber schools are full-time K-12 public schools that combine traditional and online learning practices. They are called cyber schools because digital technology plays a crucial role in the learning process. The present research paper is a thorough review of virtual/cyber schools for children with disabilities. The review is from different objectives and perspectives such as parents' perspectives, participation, and role, students' perspectives, legal perspectives, bullying of and by the children with disabilities, and the status of cyber charter school during COVID-19. The analysis indicates that though cyber schools are under scrutiny for their performance, they have become the preferred option of the parents and students due to it's flexibility, safe learning environment and personalized teaching pedagogy.

Committee: Karen Larwin PhD (Committee Chair); Spearman Patrick PhD (Committee Member); Jackson Carrie EdD (Committee Member); Matthew Erickson EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; School Administration; Special Education