MA, Kent State University, 2020, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Since the late 1990's, the U.S. has been struggling with an epidemic linked to the use of opiate drugs and their synthetic counterparts. While many have died in this epidemic, many also recover. In this qualitative study, I aim to gain a better understanding of how people with opiate addiction seek out, navigate and sustain recovery. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals in recovery from opiate addiction. Analysis of data suggests that individuals with opiate addiction utilize a wide range of resources to access treatment and engage in recovery. In this paper, I discuss four major themes and four subthemes. Specifically, individuals who suffer from addiction mobilize various forms of recovery capital, including social, economic and cultural capital (e.g. Cloud and Granfield 2008). I also find that in this sample of middle-aged, White individuals in recovery, themes and experiences such as existential pain, hope, and engagement with the criminal justice system figure prominently in narratives about recovery.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

This dissertation provides insights into the process of social capital formation by extending a model of individual social capital investment and empirically identifying factors that affect an individual's social capital behavior. Social capital is defined as those social interactions that generate externalities in which either the interaction or the external benefit persists in time. I extend the neoclassical social capital investment model developed by Glaeser, Laibson and Sacerdote (2002) by introducing instantaneous returns to social interaction as distinct from the stream of future benefits derived from social capital and by redefining the social multiplier to include community institutions and characteristics. The parameters of the social capital investment model are estimated using computational techniques. The estimated parameter values are then used to simulate changes in a representative agent's behavior due to perturbations in the model parameters, individual characteristics or community characteristics. I use survey data collected from homeowners in Franklin County, Ohio, and community characteristics from secondary sources to generate the parameter estimates and simulate investment behavior. There are four important results from this research. First, social capital investment is positively related to educational attainment and negatively related to wages, as has been suggested by others. Second, social capital investment appears to happen without concern for future benefits. Third, personal characteristics affect both the level of investment as well as the volatility in investment over the lifecycle. Fourth, the presence of formal institutions positively affects investment behavior, while community social capital stocks do not affect social capital investment. This research makes significant theoretical and empirical contributions to the social capital literature. The theoretical model provides a framework useful for analyzing social capital formation. (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The purpose of this study was to address questions around the development of Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) for adolescent girls in a college readiness program. Research questions included understanding if they developed elements of cultural capital and which ones, how they believe it helped provide them access to higher education, and how participants believed the gains would help them be successful in attending and completing college. Data was collected from six participants in a regional college readiness program through semi-structured interviews and reviewing archival student records. It was analyzed through a qualitative coding method utilizing NVivo software. Findings show that participants have experienced enhanced elements of CCW throughout their time in the program and believe the CCW will provide access to higher education because they have a strong career mindset, greater college knowledge, and refined support systems. Research question three was not clearly answered in this study, although other themes that support college attendance and completion were identified, along with a suggested new element of CCW called helping others. The results of this study have important implications for the participants' future success in college and careers, and how they intend to give back to their community. For higher education professionals, it provides insight into how participants view the experience in their college access program, suggestions for curriculum and structure, and ways in which Appalachia can address its gaps in college completion to support economic growth.

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Over the last forty years, hip-hop has evolved as a cultural form describing the impact of racial marginalization experienced by African Americans. Contemporary research has focused primarily on the consumption and symbolic meaning of hip-hop rather than how hip-hop is culturally produced. This study examined the relationships between cultural, social, economic, and subcultural capital to the cultural production of hip-hop. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with thirty hip-hop cultural producers. Results identified two groups of hip-hop cultural producers: (a) those whose capital transferred into a hip-hop cultural production career, and (b) those whose capital had not transferred into a hip-hop career. Several qualitative themes emerged describing the roles of social, cultural, economic, and subcultural capital as it relates to hip-hop cultural production. In conclusion, participants with greater capital resources through early involvement in cultural production were more likely to have their capital transfer into a career in hip-hop cultural production. These findings suggest that, despite being positioned as an artistic form that `speaks' for all African Americans, hip-hop cultural production is characterized by structural inequality that excludes the least capitalized individuals.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2016, Higher Education (Education)

The research on first-generation undergraduate student access and success is voluminous;owever, the research on first-generation doctoral students' experiences is limited. In an effort to contribute to the overall first-generation college student body of knowledge, this study focused on first-generation doctoral students from the United States and their experiences and educational pathways to their doctoral programs. This study addresses two research questions. What are personal and educational pathways first-generation doctoral students from the United States travel as they move toward graduate school? How do first-generation doctoral students from the United States experience graduate school? The theoretical framework informing this research is capital theory. The researcher defined four forms of capital: cultural, economic, social and psychological. A discussion about the connection of these four forms of capital can be found in the final chapter. The researcher used a basic interpretive qualitative design for the study, interviewed 11 first-generation doctoral students from the United States, and analyzed the collected data using content analysis. Against the statistical odds, the 11 first-generation doctoral students from the United States who participated in this study found success. They developed their identities, nurtured supportive networks, exercised independence, and found empowerment. Through their developing identities, the participants accumulated psychological capital. As their supportive networks grew, the participants saw an increase in social capital and the bearing it could have on their success. As their independence expanded so did their economic capital. Because of their changing worldviews, a sense of belonging, and their internal motivation, these students experienced empowerment. This empowerment brought increased cultural capital. Because of accumulating capital in all forms, these 11 first-generation doctoral students from the Uni (open full item for complete abstract)

BUP/MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Asset Mapping utilizes the concepts of physical capital, human capital, and social capital, as a holistic way of evaluation for revitalization and economic development. Challenges exist within most communities and focusing on only one aspect of development and/or revitalization separate from the others is not beneficial in the long run for sustainable planning and more often than not causes a disconnection between residents, organizations, and local/regional institutions. Asset Mapping encourages cooperation between the components of a community that make it work, or not, and examines the structures of process. A capacity building initiative, Asset Mapping focuses on positive resources instead of needs and problems, encouraging momentum towards networking that can build a strong foundation connecting social and institutional dichotomy. Asset Mapping makes it easier to deal with community negatives by identifying and accentuating the positive resources which can be utilized efficiently and directly to resolve challenges and issues.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Accounting and MIS

This study examines the effect of a major deregulation of community bank capital requirements. Regulators enacted the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) framework in 2020 to alleviate regulatory compliance pressures on community banks. Institutions that elect this framework are no longer required to calculate and report risk- weighted assets. Electing institutions can meet one minimum leverage ratio to be considered well-capitalized for regulatory purposes. The implementation of the CBLR framework provides a novel setting to study the accounting and economic implications of capital regulation reform. I find that adopting banks shift their portfolio composition towards assets with higher credit risk. I also find lower unrealized losses for securities held in portfolio by CBLR banks, suggesting the program alleviated interest risk. Following a string of catastrophic bank failures in 2023, capital adequacy regulations have come under heavy scrutiny. My study provides evidence on the consequences of a major policy change in community bank capital adequacy regulation.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Business: Business Administration

Individuals accumulate human capital (HC) in the form of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics through both experiences and education throughout their lifetimes (Becker, 1964). While HC accumulation in individuals is complex, work experiences provide a specific source of HC that creates value for both individuals and the organizations that employ them. Strategic HC reflects the aggregation of all this HC within the organization. An implicit assumption is that these work experiences are relatively uniform and agnostic to the timing or sequence of when they occur (Carpenter & Wade, 2002; Crossland et al., 2014). However, this yields an incomplete understanding of HC accumulation, as not all individuals with similar functional backgrounds or tenures (years of experience) develop uniform HC (Lorquet et al., 2018). Utilizing an imprinting lens to theorize different types of work experiences, this research explores temporal effects, sequencing, and primacy of work experiences and how differences change accumulated HC, how it manifests in work settings, and how it is aggregated by organizations. The implications for the broader field of strategic HC are critical, as understanding diverse HC is central to how it is aggregated as a unit level resource (Ployhart & Moliterno, 2011). Phase sensitivity is introduced to the discussion to explain temporal (primacy, sequencing) and potency (i.e., strength) effects in HC accumulation (Marquis & Tilcsik, 2013; Simsek et al., 2015). Further, a classificatory framework based on the timing and strength of different experiences is developed to illustrate the relationship between the temporal and experiential components of HC accumulation as well as reinforcing the importance of the relationship between work experiences and HC. It is theorized that primal HC (developed very early in the career) is imprinted by first experiences and has preeminence over other forms of HC. All future HC is then nested on these imp (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2019, Educational Leadership

This qualitative research study used critical narrative inquiry methods to investigate the experiences of TRIO Upward Bound Program alumni during their program participation, and to explore how those experiences, according to participants' own accounts, influenced their creation of a college-college going culture in their households for their own children. TRIO Upward Bound is a federally funded college access program that serves first-generation, low-income high school students, providing support and motivation to pursue higher education. Study participants were alumni of TRIO Upward Bound Programs in the state of Ohio who have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher, and are now the parents of college-enrolled or college-graduated children. The theoretical frameworks utilized in these analyses were cultural and social capital, and funds of knowledge. Study participants described receiving assistance with their high school-to-college transition, academic support, and mentoring through their participation in Upward Bound. They also shared that Upward Bound exposed them to experiences that increased their cultural and social capital, building upon the funds of knowledge they had received from their parents and other family members. The participants further recounted how they used their Upward Bound Program experiences to shape college-going cultures in their homes, and create pathways into higher education for their children. Implications for practice involving student recruitment, alumni connections, and creating college-going cultures are detailed, as well as implications for policy that include increased funding for TRIO Programs, participant tracking beyond six years after high school graduation, and changes in federal reporting structures.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Higher Education (Education)

Appalachia is the geographic region of the United States spanning 205,000 square miles across 13 states from New York to the northern part of Mississippi (Appalachian Regional Commission [ARC], 2018). Common themes found throughout the region include emphasis on family ties, mistrust of outsiders, resistance to change, and poverty (Bradbury & Mather, 2009; Bryan & Simmons, 2009; Denham, 2016; Hand & Miller Payne, 2008; Robinson, 2015; Wallace, 2001; Welch, 2011). Another theme is low college degree attainment. While nearly 86% of Appalachia's adult population holds a high school degree, fewer than 18% hold undergraduate degrees (ARC, 2018; National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts Education Attainment, 2018). Job opportunities and earning power increase with degree attainment, something that is especially important in the Appalachian region where traditional industries are becoming less viable (Georgetown 2011; Georgetown, 2013; Snyder, 2015). In order to increase degree attainment in the region, we must first understand the process students experience as they make the decision to choose college after high school. Using Perna's (2006) model for college choice, this study examined how Appalachian college students choose to pursue higher education. Perna's (2006) model for college choice includes four layers, all of which influence the college decision-making process students experience: habitus, school and community context, higher education context, and social, economic, and policy context. This study found that the strongest influence in Appalachian college student choice comes from habitus, especially social capital in college-going support and encouragement from family. Supportive relationships, cultural capital, and resources from Appalachian high schools and high school personnel also affect student choice. Higher education institutions contribute to college choice mostly in location, affordability, and institutional character (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Popular Culture

The heavy metal scene has a long history of crossover with punk rock, with many subgenres of heavy metal being influenced by punk. Previous research on punk and metal understood the punk subculture to be strongly tied with the middle class, while the heavy metal subculture was understood to be mostly working class. Over the past twenty years, however, the class demographic of the heavy metal subculture has shifted to be primarily middle class. This thesis is an attempt to understand how heavy metal's shift in class demographics has influenced crossover between punk rock and heavy metal musics. To understand the relationships between class, punk rock, and heavy metal, this thesis makes use of Steve Waksman's metal/punk continuum and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of distinction and cultural capital, as well as lyrical analysis and ethnographic research conducted in between July 2019 and February 2020 in the heavy metal scene in the greater Detroit area. In this thesis, I dissect the differences between heavy metal and punk rock. When viewed as Weberian ideal types, I found that, as a genre, heavy metal tends to avoid overt discussions of politics, whereas punk rock openly engages with politics. I argue that the heavy metal subculture has retained a working class habitus, which is seen in metal's avoidance of overt discussion of politics. This working class habitus in the heavy metal scene is in tension with the middle class habitus of many metalheads. As a result of this, middle class metalheads use various techniques to navigate this tension, including enjoying metal music which more openly discusses politics due to punk rock influences. Finally, I argue that the subgenre of metalcore, a hybrid of hardcore punk and heavy metal, is a product of the middle class fanbase in heavy metal, as it focuses on topics such as sociopolitical troubles and mental health. In doing so, metalcore reflects the lived experiences of the middle class metalhead

Master of Education, University of Toledo, 2020, Educational Theory and Social Foundations

African American male college students face many challenges that directly impact the opportunity to persist, be retained, and graduate. These challenges require institutions to provide support through their culture, initiatives and interventions. It is critical to understand that students' perspectives on their experience serve as their reality. This means that primary experiences and research are essential towards meeting this challenge. Higher education practitioners need to understand the needs of incoming African American males in order to intervene proactively on the issues they may experience. This autoethnographic study focuses on examining the story told by myself, as a first-generation, African American male, about my journey and experience at a predominately white institution (PWI), and my challenges and successes toward attaining my degree. I examine my college perspective and experience and how the involvement in a race-based intervention program guided my persistence and graduation. I will utilize previous Facebook posts as a form of diary for documentation purposes. I attended the University of Toledo, a predominantly white, metropolitan university in Toledo, Ohio, that serves more than 20,000 students from a variety of diverse backgrounds and geographical locations. My experience was shaped by the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB), which was nationally established in 1990 at Georgia Southwestern State University and 2005 at the University of Toledo. Three themes emerged through an analysis of the data: academics, student involvement, and personal perception (sense of belonging). A sub theme of the impact of finances (lack of finances, literacy, and understanding of aid systems) emerged in this study. The study includes implications for pedagogy for higher education professionals, African American male students, and institutions, as well as areas for future research.

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

There are many factors to consider when analyzing the success of a coach. Previous research into the coaching profession has primarily focused on the psychological, educational, and strategical elements of a coach (Gordon, 2017; Hedlund, Fletch, Pack, & Dahlin, 2018; Kim, Lee, & Kang, 2019; Koschmann, 2019; Lee, Chelladurai, & Kim, 2015). Very little research has been done considering the role that networks and relationships may play in effecting outcomes related to coaching and how coaches acquire their human and social capital. Network theory has become an emerging and innovative theoretical framework used for analyzing the various types of relationships which occur in sport (Quatman & Chelladurai, 2008). One specific area of sport which would benefit from a better understanding of the network is in college football, particularly the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Power-5 Conferences. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to conduct an in-depth exploratory analysis which examines the role of networks at one of the most important levels of sport, in order to help researchers understand what network structures exist and how these structures operationalize the spread of human and social capital in the network of Power-5 coaches.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics

This proposal is for three studies related to issues regarding local human capital, international trade, housing supply, and migration in the United States. The first chapter studies the total offshoring effect on local employment through productivity effect across U.S. counties. According to the theoretical framework in Wright (2014), offshoring possibly exerts both the productivity effect and the displacement effect on the labor market. Previous empirical studies, however, have paid little attention to whether the productivity effect of offshoring exists and how it affects employment. To address this gap, this study empirically investigates the total offshoring effect on local employment, based on the productivity and displacement effects across U.S. counties. I find evidence of productivity expansion that lifts employment from offshoring; however, this is roughly offset by the direct displacement effect. In total, offshoring's impact on local employment is statistically insignificant. My results show that the positive effect of productivity expansion is offset, because offshoring encourages the substitution of domestic capital for labor. At the same time, offshoring industries have weak linkages to domestic non-offshoring industries. The productivity expansion from offshoring does not significantly affect the production of non-offshoring industries, and therefore does not increase total employment. My results show an incomplete reallocation effect, which is an obstacle for the adjustment to full employment. The second chapter investigates recent trends about resident and nonresident enrollment in public universities during the state budget cuts from 2005 to 2015. The decline in state budget cuts have raised concerns about revenue decreases at public universities, which could lead to the disproportionate enrollment of out-of-state students, who pay higher tuition rates. To examine the issue, this study investigates the decision-making of public universities ab (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2019, Educational Leadership

Since the emergence of the industrial revolution and throughout the information age, secondary schools in the United States have increased curricular rigor and accountability, in hopes of producing students capable of pursuing postsecondary education and generating a viable workforce in order to further economic growth. A large disparity still remains in postsecondary educational attainment when we compare high-SES to middle- and low-SES students. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to examine the phenomena of students from a Rust Belt community transitioning to postsecondary through the theoretical framework of Tinto's (2017) theory of persistence. High school graduates from the classes of 2008 through 2013 in southwest Ohio were asked to participate in a narrative interview process. Eleven open-ended interview questions were designed to provide the opportunity for participants to convey their experiences and make sense of their life in relationship to the guiding question. Four prevalent themes were generated: motivation for change, financial independence, thinking about thinking, and sense of belonging. The results of this study bring attention to the children of the precariat and their motivation for employment and financial security. Participants reflected on their academic preparation, but also identified a need to readjust their method of learning in postsecondary. A key experience enabling students to persevere was an earnest desire to take advantage of social networks in and outside of their postsecondary institution. This study reveals the potential financial trap that students from a Rust Belt community face and gives credence to the need for further financial education within secondary. Additionally, participants being self-reliant during critical decision-making periods brings attention to the need for more guidance, potentially in the form of individualized learning plans. Due to the findings of this research, school syst (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Popular Culture

The subculture of jam bands is often publicly held to multiple stereotypical expectations. Participants in the subculture are expected to fall into one of two camps, coastal elites or “dirty hippies.” Members of the Northwest Ohio jam scene often do not have the kind of economic privilege that is assumed of them based on the larger jam subculture. Not only do these perceptions create difficulties for audience members of the Northwest Ohio scene, but there are added complications for the musicians in the scene. This research explores the challenges of class and belonging faced by participants in the Northwest Ohio jam scene. More specifically, this thesis focuses on the careful social negotiations scene members and musicians are required to navigate in order to maintain insider status while dealing with the working-class realities of life in the area. In this thesis, I argue that subcultural capital is one of the most significant factors for belonging to the larger subculture, and that its necessity, which requires sufficient economic support, demands more nuanced practices by local scenesters in order to maintain. I dissect the complexities of the concept of “family” in the jam scene, including its meaning for audiences and musicians, as well as how it intersects with class and public perceptions of class in the scene. Finally, I argue that musical forms and practices hold significance in establishing genre authenticity, but I maintain that class is a determining factor in the decisions bands make about whether or not they hold completely true to genre boundaries. This thesis attempts to address the complexities of class and how it functions in small, local rock scenes, specifically in the Northwest Ohio jam scene.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2018, Spatially Integrated Social Science

This dissertation is concerned with the spatial dynamics of the U.S. economy. Spatial dynamics is a termcoined in this dissertation to define the geo-spatial aspects of an observed natural process, particularly changes in its spatial relations over time. Geographic inquiry considering spatial dynamics requires an unassuming examination of spatial panel data, an approach that facilitates the discovery of new regularities and tendencies in spatial data and necessitates the development of more flexible tools and methods tailored to the peculiarities of the observed natural process. This dissertation demonstrates the practicality of spatial dynamics as a promising framework with the discovery, description, and analysis of two spatial economic paradoxes, which impelled the creation of several new tools and methods. The dissertation is composed of three essays linked by the exploration and analysis of the spatial dynamics of the U.S. economy, specifically its metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). The first essay develops two new statistics that quantify physical and human capital accumulation in MSAs. These statistics are used to calculate the classical production function and derive the percent contribution of physical and human capital to average establishment size and Gross Domestic Product by MSA (MGDP). The results conformtomacroeconomic expectations and are spatially distributed according to the familiar economic geography of the United States, rendering the statistics usefulfor spatial economic analysis. The second essay explores the observation that MGDP growth rates are spatially clustered and MGDP levels are uniformly distributed (i.e., exhibit no spatial correlation). This finding is paradoxical because the level of economic activity is the aggregation of previous growth patterns and, if economic growth in the spatial economy is persistently clustered, the location of economic activity should follow the same pattern. The essay seeks (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2017, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The death penalty has been one of the most controversial issues facing the American public for many years. The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of capital punishment in reducing the violent crime rate. The focus of this study was integrative as I reviewed previous research to see if its conclusions support my hypothesis. My hypothesis is that the death penalty is not effective in reducing the violent crime rate and secondly that states with a death penalty have just as high of crime rates as states without a death penalty. Most offenders are not thinking with a rational head at the time they commit their crimes. They are usually not pondering the consequences of jail time if/when they get caught. I gathered my evidence from a meta-analysis of other death penalty deterrence studies. I found that there are many studies proving that the death penalty does not deter violent crime and why it is failing in doing so. Some of the benefits of this study are to enlighten people to the fact that we as a nation must realize the failures of the death penalty and recognize that every other industrialized nation has discontinued the use of the death penalty. Thus, as the embodiment of the free world we must stop killing offenders for nothing more than mere retribution.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1973, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School