PHD, Kent State University, 2013, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Within the field of school psychology there exists literature for school psychologists working with specific ethnic and linguistic groups (Frisby & Reynolds, 2005; Tomes, 2011). The Arab American population is estimated to be 3.6 million (Arab American Institute, 2012). However, there is a paucity of school psychology research on Arab American students and families (Goforth, 2011; Haboush, 2007). As active members of the special education process, school psychologists will benefit from information regarding Arab American cultural and religious beliefs about special education and disabilities. Such information will assist them in providing culturally sensitive and appropriate services to students and families. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to illuminate Arab Americans parents’ experiences with their children’s encounters with the special education process and perceptions of their children’s disabilities. Phenomenological data analysis revealed four core themes. First, parents attached significance to specific steps within the special education process and to cultural stigmas around special education and disabilities. Next, parents reflected on special education services and key relationships. Additionally, parents discussed their children’s abilities, their understandings of special education, and their advocacy work. Finally, parents reported that their goals for their children had not changed as a result of the special education process, although the goals were tailored to their children’s identified disabilities. These findings have significant implications for professionals working with Arab American students and their parents. Recommendations are made for culturally sensitive school psychology practice with Arab Americans. Suggestions are provided for further research on this important yet under-researched topic.

Committee: Karla Anhalt Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Tricia Niesz Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Richard Cowan Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Cultural Anthropology; Educational Psychology; Psychology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

This qualitative study explores how emerging adults engage with relationship education content on social media platforms and the implications for promoting accessible myself in the personal lived experiences of participants while removing listener preconceptions, identifying psychological structures that explain their interactions with relationship content. The findings reveal that emerging adults use a variety of social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube, to consume relationship information. Participants prioritize content that is authentic, relatable, and derived from personal experiences over generic or impersonal advice. They value content that encourages healthy communication, self-reflection, and personal growth. The study also highlights the potential influence of participants' professional backgrounds on their engagement with relationship content, with those in social work and STEM fields emphasizing evidence-based advice. Additionally, the study identifies a strong preference for free and accessible content. Participants exhibit caution and discomfort with toxic content that perpetuates harmful stereotypes and behaviors, actively seeking out content that challenges these norms. These findings highlight the importance of creating diverse, relatable, and evidence-based relationship education content across multiple social media platforms to meet the varied needs and preferences of emerging adults. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Denzel Jones Ph.D. (Committee Chair); M. Dawn Nelson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Amber Vennum Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Educational Technology; Health Education; Mental Health; Public Health Education; Therapy

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

The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of adult children who were primary caregivers to a parent diagnosed with dementia. Descriptive phenomenology was chosen as the research method to describe and illuminate the lived experiences of dementia caregiving. Eight co-researchers were recruited from Northeast Ohio through online and on-site advertisements. The following research question guided this study: What were the lived experiences of adult children who were primary caregivers to a parent with dementia? Two face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were utilized to collect data. During these interviews, the co-researchers were asked questions regarding their experiences as adult children who were caregivers to a parent with dementia. Data analysis was conducted using Colaizzi's (1978) descriptive phenomenology method. Additionally, NVivo, a qualitative data analysis computer program, was used to organize the data. Five themes emerged from the data analysis consisting of prominent caregiving roles in the co-researchers' primary caregiving careers: (a) advocate/protector, (b) liaison, (c) decision-maker, (d) direct care provider for ADLs, and (e) mourner/griever.

Committee: Jane Cox Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Cynthia Osborn Ph.D (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Aging; Counseling Education; Families and Family Life; Gerontology

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2020, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

There are two certainties in life: we are born, and we will die. Everything in between birth and death is our life. This truth leads many individuals to existential questions: What is the meaning of life? How do we become satisfied with life, knowing that death is impending? Does awareness of death motivate how we live? Death anxiety is a well-studied subject; well over 500 studies provide information on who is the most fearful of death among a variety of groups (women versus men, religious verses secular, youth verses elderly, et cetera). These studies also use presuppositions to explain fear of death, such as, elder individuals have less fear of death due to life experience, a practical reason that makes sense and is likely true. My study looks beyond practical reasoning. I used descriptive phenomenological research to explore the subjective experiences of six individuals, to look beyond presuppositions and examine personal reasoning, and explore whether there were commonalities among their experiences. This study found ten (10) commonalities within the subjective experience of each participant that influenced each person's fear of death. In the whole these commonalities describe the structure of a phenomenon, experiences that alter the fear of death and influences actions taken in life. The commonalities are loss, selfishness, worry about the process of dying, helplessness over what cannot be controlled, common daily fears, meaning-making that is embedded in general reasoning, reports of self-protection, pleasure-seeking drives, struggles with internal and external values, and a feeling of relief that is found in those who have lost a loved one to chronic illness. This study provides an enhanced understanding of how individuals process death anxiety. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohio Link ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Committee: Dana Waters PsyD, ABPP (Committee Chair); Wieneke Mary PhD (Committee Member); Halling Steen PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Aging; Health; Mental Health; Philosophy; Psychology

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2017, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

In June 2015 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. While same-sex marriage had previously been legalized in individual states, this ruling effectively increased the population of women legally married to other women. A review of research historically conducted on female same-sex relationships indicated that they were often fraught with heteronormative assumptions and biases, leaving the conclusions questionable at best. This dissertation used Amedeo Giorgi's (2009) qualitative methodology of Descriptive Phenomenology in order to explore the essence of the experience of female same-sex marriage. Ten cisgender women who were legally married to cisgender women were recruited as participants. As a result of open-ended qualitative interviews, the following twelve psychological meanings were determined to be essential to the description of the experience of same-sex marriage: (a) individuality, (b) commitment, (c) communication, (d) enjoying shared time, (e) gratitude for current times, (f) legitimacy and validation, (g) legal security, (h) differences, (i) comfort, (j) support, (k) lack of gender roles, and (l) stigma. The findings from this study supported the need for additional qualitative, open-ended research into female same-sex relationships.

Committee: Dana Waters Psy. D. (Committee Chair); Bill Heusler Psy. D. (Committee Member); Tasmyn Bowes Psy. D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Personal Relationships; Psychology; Womens Studies

Master of Science in Nursing, Cleveland State University, 2016, School of Nursing

With continued surges in enrollment in the various online health science programs, especially nursing programs, there is a great need for additional research to be conducted regarding how students perceive their professors social presence in an online learning environment through the use of Computer-Mediated Communications - CMCs. The objectives of this descriptive phenomenological qualitative study were to: 1) illustrate how students perceive their professors' social presence as used in various types of CMCs; 2) identify emotions which the students have experienced in response to their professor's CMCs; 3) unveil common themes regarding student perception of their professors' social presence; and 4) identify ways for professors to increase their social presence in the online learning environment per the recommendations of the students. Garrison, Anderson and Archer's (2000) definition of social presence was provided to participants so they would understand the context of this term throughout the interview process. Colaizzi's (1978) method for phenomenological analysis was used to extract and analyze data. This study yielded four main themes, which include: responsiveness and interactions; caring and supportiveness; emotions and feelings; and connectedness and cohesiveness. Each of these four themes is interrelated and would allow for professors to increase their social presence when utilizing one or more of those modalities. Although this study's findings were consistent with previous studies on social presence in the online learning environment, more research is needed to determine which CMCs are most meaningful to students in promoting professor social presence. Keywords: descriptive phenomenology; social presence; professor; Computer-Mediated Communications (CMCs); online health science courses; nursing; interaction

Committee: Maureen M. Mitchell Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Linda Wolf Ph.D. (Committee Member); Cheryl Delgado Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Nursing

PHD, Kent State University, 2015, College of Communication and Information / School of Information

This dissertation discusses the qualitative study which explored the academic information search process (AISP) experience of a group of undergraduate students enrolled in a remedial English course at a four-year, state university in Ohio, USA. The researcher used descriptive phenomenological methods to ascertain how participants explained and described their AISP experience, conducted to fulfill the requirements for the course-assigned research paper. Library and information science research bears out that an efficient AISP is connected to the possession of strong information literacy skills, and further, that strong information literacy skills are `intertwined' with learning and academic progress in general. Because remedial undergraduate students are an academically at-risk population and have much lower graduation rates than their college-ready peers, this researcher wanted to create a research foundation for further investigation into this greatly understudied area in library and information science, toward finding practical ways to address remedial undergraduate students' hampered academic progress through targeted, needs-based information literacy instruction. Primary findings from the study included the discovery of a pervasive sense of academic hopelessness in participants; the impact that seeking support services' assistance had on participants' AISP experience, particularly when their assistance failed participants; and the influence that `ecological' factors (such as general perspectives on course instruction, feelings and emotions related to the study's course, and previous college experiences) had on participants' AISP experience. This study has implications for remedial educators and library and information science practitioners, and for targeted information literacy (IL) instruction. Specifically, this researcher recommends that collaborative IL instruction created through partnerships between remedial educators and academic librarians might be (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Yin Zhang Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Tests and Measurements; Higher Education; Information Science; Instructional Design; Library Science; Teacher Education; Teaching