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

The University of Dayton's Lalanne program forms especially qualified and committed teachers for service in Catholic K-12 education. Members commit to living in intensive faith community with fellow participants during two years of mentored classroom teaching in under-resourced Catholic schools, while earning a fully-funded master's degree. Recruitment has fluctuated dramatically, with 2022 bringing the smallest-ever influx of new members. This practical action research study scrutinizes 25 years of recruitment experiences, establishing that personalized and networked recruiting practices emphasizing the alignment of career advantages and growth in communal life were the most influential. Interpretive thematic analysis of open-response survey data indicates that a deeper understanding and better articulation of the multi-faceted appeal of program life holds enormous potential for improving future recruitment. An intervention strategy is proposed which targets improvement in practice by consolidating research findings with proposed remedies, while recommending follow-on investigation of themes covering all aspects of Lalanne program life. Plan objectives further entail leadership actions to bolster wellness resources in household communities and initiate a formal process of continual evaluation for program operation and improvement.

Committee: Matthew Witenstein (Committee Chair); Thomas Oldenski S.M. (Committee Member); Radhika Iyengar (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Organization Theory; Religious Education; Teacher Education

Undergraduate Honors Program, Malone University, 2025, Honors Thesis

This study aims to gain a better understanding of the experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) Christians and their experiences within Protestant evangelical contexts. Throughout nine interviews, this study gained insight into the process by which participants formed their identity, supportive and unsupportive experiences within family systems and faith communities, and explored implications for both faith communities and relationships. This study notes the importance of policy transparency, creating inclusive spaces, using inclusive language, and advocating for LGB communities in a public manner—however that looks in one's specific faith context. This research highlights specific ways in which readers can support LGB people when they disclose their identity to individuals in their lives. Finally, for individuals and faith communities looking to create more hospitable spaces for LGB individuals, the results of this study point towards maintaining a posture of humility and open-mindedness as LGB individuals share their stories and their experiences within faith communities.

Committee: Elizabeth Patterson Roe (Committee Chair); Andrew Reynolds (Committee Member); Marcia Everett (Committee Member); Kathryn Huisinga (Other) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Glbt Studies; Personal Relationships; Religion; Social Research; Social Work; Spirituality

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2023, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact Christian couples from New Life Church in Colorado Springs through an eight-week workshop to practice prayer and risk taking to deepen their intra and interpersonal connection with each other and God. The post-test measures included qualitative measures of participants' awareness connecting their capacity to be aware of and participate with the work of the Holy Spirit. The quantitative post-test instrument showed that the participants' awareness regarding what interferes with their identity security with God was increased due to the study. The qualitative post-test instrument showed an increase in the participants' awareness regarding how their relationship with God impacted their intra and interpersonal relationships.

Committee: Shane Johnson Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Pastoral Counseling; Spirituality

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Leadership and Change

The issues that this research addressed were the changes related to engagement in religious education (RE) in the Unitarian Universalist (UU) church in the past several decades. To address this problem, the purpose of this research was to innovatively problem-solve with other religious professionals and consider how to redefine engagement to support families in their faith formation. The research aims to answer the question: How could UU RE professionals more effectively engage families in faith formation opportunities designed to meet the desired outcomes of RE parents/caregivers? To gather data, interviews with seven Millennial and Generation X parents/caregivers from the Baja 4 UU congregations in Southern Arizona were conducted. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The data from interviews provided insight about Gen X and Millennial parents'/caregivers' needs, desires, and expectations and gaps in their RE program, types of multigenerational offerings, and alternative approaches to engagement. A new RE engagement pilot study was designed by a team of innovators and launched for three weeks. Following the pilot study, a summarizing focus group was facilitated. Parents/caregivers had the opportunity to offer additional thoughts, suggestions, and ideas. Together we made meaning of the data from the interviews and focus groups and synthesized it to redefine engagement and offer pedagogical indications for the future of faith formation in the UU church. This dissertation is accompanied by one MP4 file. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Committee: Lize (A. E.) Booysen DBL (Committee Chair); Lemuel Watson EdD (Committee Member); Joseph Wegwert PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Demographics; Families and Family Life; Organizational Behavior; Pedagogy; Religious Congregations; Religious Education; Spirituality

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2013, College of Education

This study focused on the comparison of a modern Christian school and a classical Christian school in the Midwestern United States. The modern Christian school used in this study was a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the classical school was a member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS). A 37 question survey was developed and used to measure and compare the spiritual formation of students in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade attending each school. Survey questions of Christian knowledge, belief, and action were the focus of the survey. Answers to the survey questions were compared between grades, between schools, and within schools to determine the different levels of spiritual formation and commitment to the Christian faith in the students at each school. Special attention was given to the Trivium of classical education compared to current modern instructional methodologies. Statistically significant differences were determined to exist between the students attending the two schools and Fowler's Development Theory was used to explain the results. The results from this study suggest that the classical Christian school produces students with a higher level of Christian faith formation than the modern Christian school.

Committee: James Olive PhD (Committee Chair); Constance Savage PhD (Committee Member); Ann Shelly PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Classical Studies; Education; Education History; Education Philosophy; Religious Education